Great Rock Albums of 1980: Molly Hatchet- Beatin' the Odds

By the summer of 1980, I knew that Southern Rock had established itself up North and was listened to quite extensively there. However, in the October of the same year, I learned that it had made its way across the Atlantic when I saw this very album from Molly Hatchet on sale in a record shop in Southampton, England. The very same marine buddy who first introduced me to Southern Rock was with me at this time and we did both exceedingly rejoice in the fact that Molly Hatchet was listened to in Europe.

Being very predictable here but one can't fail to mention that "Beatin' The Odds" was the first album to feature Jimmy Farrar as lead singer who had replaced Danny Joe Brown who left the band on account of alcohol problems or so I'm told. Many Hatchet fans want to totally forget the Jimmy Farrar period of the band's career but when I listened to the album a couple of days ago, (the first time in about 30 years) I tried to do so in a more open minded manner.

First, Jimmy Farrar is not that bad of a vocalist. Had he come out with another band, he probably would have been right up there with many of those who were around then. The unfortunate thing for him was that he had some very big shoes to fill when he replaced Brown at the mike. Saying that, I feel that the album still lacks a bit of punch to me when compared with the epic "Flirtin' With Disaster" album. Yes, Molly Hatchet still plays that Southern bad boy boogie sound and this is in no way a bad album, but it is a quite a come down from the previous one. The track that stands out for me is "Penthouse Pauper" which has a great guitar intro and the title cut is pretty good too. "Sailor" is also a strong track. However, in spite of all the good things, to me, "Beatin' The Odds" lacks something.

Track Listing:

1. Beatin' The Odds

2. Double Talker

3. The Rambler

4. Sailor

5. Dead And Gone

6. Few And Far Between

7. Penthouse Pauper

8. Get Her Back

9. Poison Pen

Molly Hatchet

Jimmy Farrar- vocals

Dave Hlubeck- lead and slide guitars

Duane Roland- lead and slide guitars

Steve Holland- guitars

Banner Thomas- bass

Bruce Crump- drums

I have coined the phrase "Sophmore Jinx" to bands whose second album didn't match the expectation of a great first album. As "Beatin' The Odds" is the third album from Molly Hatchet, I can't really use it here. Furthermore, like I said, it's not a bad album and it is a good one to have on in the background when sitting in your back garden on a warm day and swilling down some brewskies. However, when you do listen to it, try not to compare it to some of their more iconic albums.

Next post: The Charlie Daniels Band- Full Moon

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Rock Albums of 1980: Blackfoot- Tomcattin'

One discovery I made quite quickly as I immersed myself deeper in Southern Rock in 1980 was that out of all the Southern Rock bands I listened to, Blackfoot was the heaviest. In fact, many people actually considered them to be heavy metal as the mid eighties approached. The "Strikes" album was a definite heavy album and the follow up "Tomcattin'" was just as heavy.

The album opens with "Warped" and that song convinced me from the get go that this was going to be another hard rocking album from Blackfoot. The next few tracks back this claim up as well. "On The Run," "Dream On" and "Street Fighter" are all great rock gems. Then there are the next two tracks "Gimme Gimme Gimme" and "Every Man Should Know (Queenie)" that I heard on a live album in 1983. I'll be visiting that one when I get to that pivotal year. Now the live versions of those songs are complete mind blowers so I should have been disappointed that they weren't quite as heavy on the studio album. However, I wasn't because they are both good classic rockers as are the next two tracks: "In The Night" and "Reckless Abandoner." The one slow song on the album "Spending Cabbage" is no let down either. In all of the tracks, there are some heavy and hard riffs and some decent guitar solos from Medlocke and Hargrett and while none of the songs graced the top 40, (like I would care anyway) the album was well received by their loyal fan base in the Southeast and wowed a few Yankees like me.

Track Listing:

1. Warped

2. On The Run

3. Dream On

4. Street Fighter

5. Gimme Gimme Gimme

6. Every Man Should Know (Queenie)

7. In The Night

8. Reckless Abandoner

9. Spending Cabbage

10. Fox Chase

Blackfoot

Rick Medlocke- guitars, vocals

Charlie Hargrett- guitars

Greg T. Walker- bass, keyboards, vocals

Jackson Spires- drums, percussion, vocals

"Tomcattin'" is still considered one of the best Blackfoot albums by many of their loyal fans. For me, it is right up there with "Strikes" and that live one I mentioned. For me, the album stamps Blackfoot's authority on heavy rock and proves that Southern Rock wasn't something that was enjoyed by a bunch of rednecks.

Next post: Molly Hatchet- Beatin' The Odds

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Great Rock Albums of 1980: 38 Special- Rockin' Into the Night

Halfway through 1980, I was thoroughly converted to the genre known as Southern Rock. I had been listening to bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet and had heard the "Strikes" album by Blackfoot and really liked that. So when a friend of a friend introduced me to this album, I was chomping at the bit to hear more and when I did, in no way was I disappointed.

It was easy to assume that because the lead singer for 38 Special, Donnie Van Zant, was the brother of the famous Ronnie Van Zant of Skynyrd fame, that 38 Special would sound like carbon copies of Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was made more so because Skynyrd's former pianist, the late Billy Powell, plays on a few of the tracks on this album. However, the sound of 38 Special is their own and their own fingerprint on Southern Rock definitely manifests itself throughout "Rockin' Into the Night." They are definitely unique. 

As I said before, I am normally a bit nervous about an album whose hit single is the first track on it. It makes me think, there's nothing after worth listening to. That isn't true here and that is despite the fact that the track "Rockin' Into The Night" is such a fantastic song, probably my favourite 38 Special song of all time. Even the thought of it has me bobbing my head to it at this very moment. After the title track, however, the album continues on with a string of great tracks in the 38 Special style. "Stone Cold Believer," the hard rocking "Take Me Through The Night," which eerily goes almost ballad like in some places and "Money Honey" are all great tracks on the first side if you heard it on vinyl or cassette. Side two doesn't deteriorate in any way either. After a strong side opening "You're The Captain," (a very good anti- drugs song) is most likely my favourite instrumental song of all time, "Robin Hood." The blends of acoustic and electric guitars are riveting. The last two tracks, "You Got The Deal" and "Turn It On" provide the perfect end to this great album.

Track Listing:

1. Rockin' Into the Night

2. Stone Cold Believer

3. Take Me Through the Night

4. Money Honey

5. The Love That I Lost

6. You're the Captain

7. Robin Hood

8. You Got the Deal

9. Turn It On

38 Special

Donnie Van Zant- vocals

Don Barnes- vocals, acoustic and electric guitars

Jeff Carlisi- lead and slide guitars

Larry Junstrom- bass

Jack Grondin- drums, percussion

Steve Brookins- drums, percussion

Additional musicians

Billy Powell- piano

Terry Emery- piano

Dale Krantz- Rossington- backing vocals

Five years after this magnificent album, I would find myself defending 38 Special to a friend who claimed they were a Top 40 band. What I should have done with hindsight, was to play this album for him. He would have known that back in 1980, 38 Special and "Rockin' Into the Night" were the real deal. This album continues to be a classic rocker.

Next post: Blackfoot- Tomcattin' 

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html 

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London