Originally released in 1979 by Columbia Records, this would prove to be Walter Egan's last album for the label.

Shed no tears for Egan on this front, though. Here's what he had to say during a Q&A Session on The Penguin:

"The Last Stroll" was meant to allude back to the first lp and also expressed the fact that I wanted to get off of Columbia Records as opposed to get off on Columbia Records. And, of course, we all know that "Magnet & Steel (everybody now!) was a stroll.

Although Egan handed some of the production duties over to Earle Mankey, the result was still too guitar heavy and failed to reinterest lost fans of the more pop Not Shy and Fundamental Roll or even really gain a new audience.

This is all very unfortunate because, to my mind (biased though it may be) this is an excellent album that features many great gems. Favorites are "Bad Attitude," "Heart" (written by Earl Shackleford), and "Motel Broken Hearts."

In 1991, HiFi and The Last Stroll were released together on compact disc by the German label Bear Tracks/Bear Family Records (see image below left for cover). The two albums have just been rereleased on compact disc in May 2005 on Acadia/Evangeline Records (see image below right for cover). This new double-length disc includes two bonus tracks - an acappella version of "Magnet and Steel" and an alternate version of "Bad News T.F." The cd liner notes, all new and written by Walter Egan, also provide a great deal of insight into the goings on during the making of both albums.

If you are interested in purchasing this new release, it is available through Amazon.com.