Great Rock Albums of 1983: Molly Hatchet- No Guts No Glory

 

One Southern Rock band that did still get some attention up North in 1983 was the great Molly Hatchet. What excited many Hatchet fans north and south of the Mason-Dixon Line was the return of lead singer Danny Joe Brown to the band to record the "No Guts No Glory" album. For those who are new to 80smetalman, it might be a good idea to have a crash history lesson. Danny Joe Brown left Molly Hatchet after the magnificent "Flirtin' With Disaster" album, actually he was kicked out because of his drinking, and replaced by lead singer Jimmy Farrar who sang on the next two albums, "Beatin' the Odds" and "Take No Prisoners." While there was nothing wrong with either of those albums and Jimmy Farrar is a very capable singer, there seemed to be something missing from those albums. It was hoped that Brown's return would re-ignite the chemistry that brought them fame with "Flirtin' With Disaster."

The old chemistry certainly does return on the "No Guts No Glory" album from the very first song. Things definitely feel very upbeat on the first two songs and at the time, I wanted to scream, although I did inwardly, "Welcome back Danny!" While the first two tracks set the pace for the entire album, it is the third track that propels things into the ionosphere. "Sweet Dixie" is one of those Southern rock boogie tunes that has me bouncing in my chair whenever I hear it. Unless I'm walking, then it makes me quicken my step. Even when I returned north after I got out of the service, the lyrics reminded me of the good things about being down South.

"Just give me those stars and bars, Willie on the radio

A good cold beer and that rebel cheer

And man I'm ready to roll

That sweet sweet Dixie music really gets into my soul

So Mr Deejay won't you play that Southern rock and roll."

Of course the guitars of Dave Hlubeck, Duane Roland and Steve Holland are all over that song as well as the entire album but the song where they really shine is the best known song from the album, "Fall of the Peacemakers." Written as a lament over the murder of John Lennon although I always saw it as an anti- war song, the three guitarists lay down some killer solos in the style of "Freebird" or "Highway Song" on the final five minutes of it. "Fall of the Peacemakers" has been said to have been Molly Hatchet's own "Freebird." The guitars are certainly good enough.

Having originally bought "No Guts No Glory" on vinyl, actually my first vinyl purchase upon leaving the service, the songs mentioned were side one. Side two is definitely not filler. There are five awesome tracks on it that keep the party going very well. Of those five, the standout for me is "Kinda Like Love." They do throw in something a bit different at the end as the closer, "Both Sides," is an instrumental. Some more great guitar work on it to end the album just right.

Other interesting facts about the album are the fact that this is the only Molly Hatchet album not to portray a Franzetta painting on the cover. Another is the use of keyboards. Danny Joe Brown was wise to bring John Galvin over from his Danny Joe Brown band to play on the album. The album also features a completely new rhythm section with Riff West on bass and Barry BB Borden on drums. They work very well here.

Track Listing:

1. What Does it Matter
2. Ain't Even Close
3. Sweet Dixie
4. Fall of the Peacemakers
5. What's it Gonna Take
6. Kinda Like Love
7. Under the Gun
8. On the Prowl
9. Both Sides

[caption id="attachment_3121" align="aligncenter" width="276"] Molly Hatchet[/caption]

Danny Joe Brown- vocals

Dave Hlubeck- guitars

Duane Roland- guitar

Steve Holland- guitar

Riff West- bass

Barry BB Borden- drums

Additional musicians:

John Galvin- keyboards

Jai Winding- keyboards

*Note- Steve Holland would leave the band during the tour for the album and John Galvin would replace him and become a permanent member

Thanks to the return of Danny Joe Brown, many would say that Molly Hatchet was back. I know they never really went anywhere but the "No Guts No Glory" album in my mind, returned them to former glory.

Next post: Talking Heads- Speaking in Tongues

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

Great Rock Albums of 1981: Danny Joe Brown and the Danny Joe Brown Band

Every Saturday night, the local FM radio station in Jacksonville, North Carolina had a feature starting at midnight called the Saturday Night Six Pack. They would play six albums, both classic and new in their entirety. One Saturday night in July of 1981, while I was doing the midnight to 4AM barracks security watch and before my company gunnery sergeant banned the listening of music whilst on duty, they played a brand new album from The Danny Joe Brown Band. I remember it well because it was played straight after Billy Joel's "Glass Houses" album. I also remember that it was a very good album and listening to it again, only confirmed the earlier belief. You are probably wondering why I never bought the album, it was due to being strapped for cash. Crap military pay and car troubles are not a good combination.

What strikes me about this album is that while you can definitely feel that Southern boogie rock vibe throughout the entire album, it is not a clone of any Molly Hatchet album. On the album, Brown certainly does diversify somewhat from the sound of his then former band. The piano intro on "The Edge of Sundown" reminds me a little of Billy Powell from Lynyrd Skynyrd before it breaks off into some great pounding guitars. In fact, some of the guitar work on the album, "The Alamo" to name one, reminded me of The Dreggs and I half expected to see Steve Morse on the personnel list for the album. Like with Molly Hatchet, the three guitarists who Brown recruited for the album definitely know how to play. The entire album bears witness to that fact as there is some impressive playing on every song. Speaking of the piano, the fact that he uses keyboards on this album does not make it all go synth but compliments it perfectly and shows that Danny Joe Brown can be a bit versatile in his song writing. As for Brown's vocals, I can't say any different than what you would expect from him, whether it be a Molly Hatchet album or this one.

Track Listing:

1. Sundance

2. Nobody Walks On Me

3. The Alamo

4. Two Days Home

5. Edge of Sundown

6. Beggar Man

7. Run For Your Life

8. Hear My Song

9. Gambler's Dream

10. Hit the Road

[caption id="attachment_2165" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Danny Joe Brown Band[/caption]

Danny Joe Brown- vocals

Bobby Ingram- lead and slide guitars, backing vocals

Steve Wheeler- lead and slide guitars

Kenny McVay- guitar

John Galvin- keyboards, keyboards

Buzzy Meekin- bass, backing vocals

Johnny Glenn- drums

This would be the only solo album from Danny Joe Brown. He would re-join Molly Hatchet after this one. Maybe the members of Hatchet realised what they lost when they let Brown go in the first place. When Brown did return, he would bring keyboardist John Galvin with him and that would influence their sound. But that's all in the later years. If like many, you missed this album first time around, it's not too late to have a listen to it now, definitely worth it.

Next post: Mother's Finest- Iron Age

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