The final volume of 's seven-part country-rock history concludes the story of the rise of country-rock by illustrating ways rock worked its way into mainstream country, while mainstream rock embraced the sunny vibes of California cowboy music so thoroughly it no longer seemed country. Of these two trends, the latter doesn't get as much space on this double-disc volume devoted to the music of 1974-1975. It's there in the ' mellow "Tell Me What You Want (And I'll Give You What You Need)" and ' railroad-train twang "There Goes Another Love Song," plus the laid-back boogie of the , who sound like a lither on "Trouble in Paradise." All this pales in comparison to the rise of and . These long-haired outlaws started to take over Nashville -- it's hard to mistake how . and , two veterans, decided to remake themselves in their image -- and their shadow is cast elsewhere, evident in the rise of , 's back-to-the-'50s rock & roll, 's pungent redneck funk, and even , who formed the first version of the and then bowed out of the Austin competition with "Cowboy Peyton Place." Elsewhere, released his classic "Desperados Waiting for a Train" and "L.A. Freeway," settled into the '70s hangover of "When the Morning Comes," and the last recordings of are heard. died in 1973, the year covered in the previous volume, but "Brass Buttons" appeared in 1974 and provides a nice counterpart to the equally wistful tune "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," the song that closes this set and series. "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" gave his first number one single and, in doing so, provided the triumph not just for outlaw country but country-rock, proving how these cosmic cowboys changed American music for good. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine