Great Rock Albums of 1985: Van Zant

 

If there was ever proof that in 1985, the phrase 'sold out' was banded about quite liberally, even by me, it was with this 1985 from Van Zant. The name has always been familiar in Southern Rock terms and in this case, it was a simple re-branding of the Johnny Van Zant band. The band even had all its original members. So, why did I accuse them of selling out? The answer was that with this self titled album, Van Zant, like Molly Hatchet and Blackfoot a year earlier had moved away from the traditional Southern Rock boogie sound to a more keyboards, progressive AOR sound. However, my mis-branding of this band was short lived because after a few listens, I realized that I was wrong to ever accuse them of selling out.

One major proof I was wrong was that this album contains one of my favourite songs of 1985 and it's definitely up there in the all time list. "I'm a Fighter" was not an abandonment from Van Zant's more hard rocking Southern sound. In fact, it's rare that a single released from an album in the mid 1980s sound less AOR than the rest of the album but this song absolutely kicks ass! From its unique acoustic guitar intro, to the hard rocking guitars and the blow away guitar solo, all led by the steady vocals of Johnny Van Zant who does the family name proud on every track of the album.

Once one gets over the fact that keyboards are used on the album, the rest of the album is quite good. In fact, the keyboards are used quite well. Sure, they are more prominent in tracks such as "She's Out With a Gun" and "You've Got to Believe in Love" but they are still good songs and the latter does have a killer guitar solo. In fact, I think that Robbie Gay and Erik Lundgren may be the most underrated guitar duo of all time. Tracks such as the opener "Midnight Sensation," the single I've already mentioned, "Two Strangers in Love" and "2+2" are all good to decent rockers. "Two Strangers in Love" is my vote for the hidden gem on the album, especially the way the guitar solo takes the song out at the end.

Thinking back to that time, maybe the reason why it took me a couple of listens to get into this album maybe be down to the four remaining tracks. While not bad, they don't reach the mark set by the first six songs. The possible exception being "Does a Fool Ever Learn," which is about a woman who's with an abusive man but won't leave him. Full marks to the band for bringing this issue to light in the song. Also while not as spectacular as the first six, "Heart to the Flame" does have a catchy vibe to it and but it took me a couple of listens to notice. However, all's well that ends well and now I regard this album as one of my tops for 1985.

Track Listing:

1. Midnight Sensation
2. She's Out With a Gun
3. I'm a Fighter
4. You've Got to Believe in Love
5. Two Strangers in Love
6. 2+2
7. Heart to the Flame
8. Does a Fool Ever Learn
9. Right on Time
10. Lonely Girls

[caption id="attachment_2173" align="aligncenter" width="265"]                          Van Zant [/caption]

Johnny Van Zant- vocals

Robbie Morris- drums

Danny Clausman- bass

Robbie Gay- guitar, backing vocals

Erik Lundgren- guitar, backing vocals

Additional musicians:

Richard Head- synclavier

Brian Heathrington- keyboards, synthesizer

Steve McCray- keyboards, synthesizer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP_t0jVwWes

Thinking about it, the self titled album from the re-branded Van Zant wasn't the top of my favourite album of 1985 list but it was definitely on it. I would call this the most underrated album of said year because it is a blinder. The problem was with people's attitudes in 1985. Anything with heavy guitars was considered heavy metal while many metalheads considered anything with a keyboard too mainstream. This can be the only reason this album didn't fare so well.

Next post: AC/DC- Fly on the Wall

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Great Rock Albums of 1982: Rossington//Collins- This Is the Way

One of the best things about being in the Southeastern part of the US in 1982 was that while the rest of the world seemed to be getting into new wave and synth pop was starting to rear its ugly head, Southern rock was still going strong there. Of course heavy metal was growing into a monster out of control but that's another story. As I have said many times before, Southern Rock had stamped its authority in 1981 but while most of the trendy world may have moved on, Southerners were still true to their music. The result being that there are still quite a few more albums in this vein for me to visit and one of the major ones was the second album from Rossington/Collins, "This is the Way."

For me, "This is the Way" is as every bit as good as their debut album "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere." It has that very pronounced Southern down home boogie vibe that is synonymous with Southern Rock. Plus, having several ex Lynyrd Skynyrd members in the band, you can definitely hear their influence on the album. What is different about Rossington/Collins is the lead singer, Dale Krantz- Rossington. Not enough mention is given to her vocal ability which is very high indeed. She really shines on the acapella "Pine Box." Her vocals are just as noteworthy in the songs that have music with them but they have the additional bonus of some of that great Skynyrdesque guitar play from Gary Rossington and Allen Collins. Great examples to this are "Gotta Get it Straight," "Gonna Miss It When Its Gone" and "Means Nothing to You." "Don't Stop Me Now" has an added bonus of the piano work of Billy Powell proving that he could still tinkle the ivories. It beats me why he doesn't get the respect he deserves as a keyboardist. The best example, though, is the more bluesy ballad "Tashauana." This song puts together all of the things already mentions and makes a really good song. Dale's vocals are superb, their is some great powerful guitar and you can hear Powell's well done efforts as well. "Tashauana" demonstrates why "This is the Way" is such a great album.

Track Listing:

1. Gotta Get it Straight

2. Tashauana

3. Gonna Miss It When Its Gone

4. Pine Box

5. Fancy Ideas

6. Don't Stop Me Now

7. Seems Like Every Day

8. I'm Free Today

9. Next Phone Call

10. Means Nothing to You

[caption id="attachment_2147" align="aligncenter" width="275"] Rossington/Collins[/caption]

Gary Rossington- guitar

Allen Collins- guitar

Dale Krantz- Rossington- vocals

Billy Powell- keyboards

Barry Lee Harwood- guitar, vocals

Leon Wilkeson- bass

Derek Hess- drums

"This is the Way" would be the second and final album from Rossington/Collins. They would disappear after this for reasons I will never fully understand. Maybe it was because I didn't appreciate them enough back then. If that's the case, then that's not good, because if they kept putting out albums like this one, I would have been listening to them for years.

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Great Rock Albums of 1981: Johnny Van Zant- Round Two

Whether it was the glam metal scene in LA or the thrash scene in San Francisco back in the 1980s, of all the bands from those areas who gained world wide popularity, there were many bands who were just as good but never fully broke out of the local scene. The same thing can be said of Southern rock in the earlier part of the decade. I was fortunate to have been stationed in North Carolina during this time, so I was fully able to appreciate it when Southern Rock was at the height of its glory. It gave me a good feeling whenever I trotted back across the Mason-Dixon Line to New Jersey, that many of my friends were listening to Blackfoot, Molly Hatchet, The Outlaws and 38 Special. Unfortunately, not so many people heard of Johnny Van Zant when I mentioned them up north. They were mainly well known just in the south.

As all my British friends would say, this was a bloody shame because the Johnny Van Zant Band were a very good band and their second album, "Round Two" bears witness to this fact. There is a definitely influence from Johnny's older brother on this album because I can detect some Lynyrd Skynyrd sounds here. But in no way does this band simply rip off the great Skynyrd. They bring their own brand of hard rock to tracks like "(Who's) Right or Wrong," "Shot Down" and "Standing in the Falling Rain." Lead guitarists Robbie Gay and Eric Lundgren  know how to play on these songs as well as others. They also do a very hard version of the Beatles classic "Drive My Car." The album does have a ballad in the form of "Yesterday' Gone." I must declare that of all the Van Zant boys, Johnny's vocals are the most attuned for singing ballads. Not that he can't sing harder songs just as well, maybe better. It's just too bad "Round Two" has been allowed to lay dormant for so many years.

Track Listing:

1. (Who's) Right or Wrong

2. Standing in the Falling Rain

3. Yesterday's Gone

4. Let There Be Music

5. Keep Our Love Alive

6. Night Time Lady

7. Drive My Car

8. Shot Down

9. Cold Hearted Woman

10. Play My Music

[caption id="attachment_2173" align="aligncenter" width="265"] Johnny Van Zant Band[/caption]

Johnny Van Zant- vocals

Robbie Gay- lead guitar

Erik- Lundgren- lead guitar

Danny Clausman- bass

Robbie Morris- drums

As I progress through hard rock and metal history, I am discovering albums and bands that I took little notice of or missed completely. I can't say that I missed the Johnny Van Zant Band because I saw them live in 1982 but that's another story. I do regret not listening to this album more back in the time and I wish more people did as well. Here's everyone's chance to rectify that now.

Next post: Nantucket- Long Way to the Top

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Great Rock Albums of 1981: Rossington/Collins- Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere

I first heard about Rossington/Collins when I was on my leave after returning from overseas after reading about them in a magazine article. The fact that they were made up of many ex Lynyrd Skynyrd members strengthened my desire to listen to their first album, which I did. While I wasn't disappointed with the album, I can't say that I was overly impressed with it either. Since I was going to post about it, I naturally gave it another listen the other evening. God, what a huge difference thirty odd years can make!

The question begs, "What did I think I was listening to all those years ago?" because this is a very good album. The opening track "Prime Time" quickly reminded me about all the things I still love about Lynyrd Skynyrd without sounding like a clone of them. Then there's the next track, the very blues-gospel sounding "Three Times As Bad" where lead singer Dale Krantz truly comes into her own. If the name sounds familiar, it is because she was one of Skynyrd's back up singers for many years. This lady has definitely not been given the respect she deserves as a vocalist.; not just with the one song but throughout the entire album. Also Gary Rossington and Allen Collins both show that they still know how to work a six string in the expert way we loved in their previous band and there are some magical moments from keyboardist Billy Powell. The tracks "Getaway" and "Misery Loves Company" bear true testimony of these facts and "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" goes out on a very big high with the guitars on the final track, "Sometimes You Can Put It Out." So, I ask myself again, what did I think I was listening too all those years ago?

Track Listing:

1. Prime Time

2. Three Times As Bad

3. Don't Misunderstand Me

4. One Good Man

5. Opportunity

6. Getaway

7. Winners and Losers

8. Misery Loves Company

9. Sometimes You Can Put It Out

[caption id="attachment_2147" align="aligncenter" width="275"] Rossington/Collins[/caption]

Dale Krantz- vocals

Gary Rossington- guitars

Allen Collins- guitars

Barry Lee Harwood- guitars

Billy Powell- keyboards

Leon Wilkeson- bass

Derek Bess- drums

I heard back in the time, that Rossington/Collins were excellent in concert too. Apparently, they would play the legendary "Freebird" but without vocals, only a spotlight shining down on a deserted microphone: a very fitting tribute to Ronnie Van Zant. Listening with a different set of years has its benefits because I can now fully enjoy this album in its full splendour. I wonder if that would work with a Duran Duran album. No, I don't think I'll try it.

Next post: 38 Special- Wild Eyed Southern Boys

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Wayne's World's Top Ten Party Killing Songs

In case anyone is wondering which are the top ten party killing songs according to Wayne's World, I thought I would print the list here:

Top Ten Party-Killing Songs

01 Any Disco Tune

02 Anything by Toto

03 "From A Distance" by Bette Midler

04 "Billy Don't Be A Hero" by Paperlace

05 "Lovin' You" by Mimi Ripperton

06Le "Color My World" (nice flute solo... Not!)

07 "More Than Words" (chick song by the inappropriately named Extreme)

08 "Hotel California" (No, really, it's a great party. I'm just going for a walk)

09 "Freebird"

10 "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris

How many of these do you agree with? Let's start a discussion.

Great Rock Albums of 1980: Southern Fried Rock

If there was ever any proof needed that Southern Rock had finally come into the spotlight in 1980, it is the fact that some corporate record executive had the bright idea to put out a compilation album of great Southern Rock songs. I first saw this album on record store shelves in the summer of 1980 and almost after it appeared, advertisements for it began playing on radio and television. I had heard most of the songs previous to this album and now there was an album where I could listen to them all together.

"Southern Fried Rock" is full of great songs featuring classics like "Ramblin' Man" from the Allman Brothers and the Charlie Daniels Band classic "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." There is also a lot of variation on the album with slower songs like "So Into You" by the Atlanta Rhythm Section and the big country/rock crossover from the Pure Prairie League, "Amie" to rock outs like "Flirtin' With Disaster" from Molly Hatchet, "Train Train" from Blackfoot and 38 Special's "Rockin' Into the Night." This album has it all in terms of Southern rock with fifteen great songs.

Track Listing:

1. Ozark Mountain Daredevils- If You Want to Go to Heaven

2, Blackfoot- Train Train

3. The Charlie Daniels Band- The Devil Went Down to Georgia

4. The Allman Brothers- Ramblin' Man

5. 38 Special- Rockin' Into the Night

6. Black Oak Arkansas- Jim Dandy

7. Molly Hatchet- Flirtin' With Disaster

8. Pure Prairie League- Amie

9. Bellamy Brothers- Let Your Love Flow

10. Elvin Bishop- Fooled Around and Fell In Love

11. Wet Willie- Keep On Smiling

12. Atlanta Rhythm Section- So Into You

13. Greg Allman- Midnight Rider

14. The Outlaws- There Goes Another Love Song

15. Marshall Tucker Band- Heard It In a Love Song

Allman Brothers

Molly Hatchet

Blackfoot

Charlie Daniels Band

If I had to nit pick at this album, it is the fact that there are no Lynyrd Skynyrd songs on it. They were one of the most influential Southern Rock bands and it is a travesty that none of their songs are on it. Still, this is a fantastic album for anyone who wanted to investigate some of the great gems "Southern Fried Rock" has to offer.

Next post: The J Geils Band- Love Stinks

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Great Rock Albums of 1980: The Outlaws- Ghost Riders

One of the things that got me listening to Southern Rock was that it featured prolonged lead guitar solos and there are some beauties that have blown me away over the years. There is the famous "Freebird" complements of Lynyrd Skynyrd and "Highway Song" courtesy of Blackfoot. Plus there are some from the Allman Brothers such as "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica" as well as one from Molly Hatchet which I will definitely be pontificating about when I get to 1983. However, it is The Outlaws who seem to do it best and do it with most of their songs. Their famous "Green Grass and High Tides" is a classic for guitar solos and this doesn't diminish with their 1980 album "Ghost Riders."

Let us begin with the single that got them recognition north of the Mason- Dixon Line, "Ghost Riders in the Sky." There have been many covers of this song before and after The Outlaws put their own stamp on it. My father in law likes the version from 1948 and a British band, The Stranglers, made an instrumental version in 1980 and even Elvis sang it. "Needless to say, which version I like. But the album doesn't begin and end with the one song. There are plenty of great songs on it and many of them have some outstanding guitar work. In fact, the second song "White Horses" has an impressive acoustic guitar sounding intro before going nuts with some harder stuff. The same can be said for the final song "Freedom Walk." Even the slower "I Can't Stop Loving You" is not lacking a cool guitar solo or two and "Angels Hide" is a total rocker. All in all, "Ghost Riders" typifies everything I love about Southern Rock. 

Track Listing:

1. Ghost Riders

2. White Horses

3. Angels Hide

4. Devil's Road

5. I Can't Stop Loving You

6. Wishing Wells

7. Sunshine

8. Freedom Walk

The Outlaws

Rick Cua- bass, guitar, vocals

David Dix- drums, percussion

Billy Jones- guitars, vocals

Mike Duke- keyboards, vocals

Freddie Salem- guitar,vocals

Hughie Thomasson- guitar, vocals

The Outlaws are what the gods of rock envisioned when they forged this great genre known as Southern Rock. Great guitar solos innertwined with some hard rocking chords and even a slow acoustic chord. With "Ghost Riders," you can't go wrong.

Next post: Southern Fried Rock

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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' 

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Great Rock Albums of 1979: Charlie Daniels Band- Million Mile Reflections

Of the Southern Rock bands I have featured for the past few posts, there is one who was the most successful in making the country- rock crossover, The Charlie Daniels Band. It definitely helps when you have a top ten hit in both the country and rock singles charts like they did with the famous "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." When I first heard this classic hit, I was in North Carolina so I thought that it was just a good song that was popular in the South. Then I had my first 96 hour pass where I got to go home to New Jersey and found that the song was just as popular there. Charlie Daniels had definitely brought a bit of country to the rockers in the North and they liked it. However, there is one point I would like to bring up for debate; quite a few people believe that the Devil actually was the better in the fiddle duel.

"Million Mile Reflections" was not a one trick wonder. There are some other great tracks on it that help it complete the crossover. "Reflections" is a slow but fitting tribute to Elvis, Janis Joplin and Ronnie Van Zant. Other tracks for me are a more melodic rock sound with some good displays of keyboards and guitar musicianship. One track, I'm pretty sure it's "Blind Man" although I must remember to make notes when I'm listening to an album I'm reviewing, has the extended guitar solo that had become a characteristic of Southern Rock.

Track Listing:

1. Passing Lane

2. Blue Star

3. Jitterbug

4. Behind Your Eyes

5. Reflections

6. The Devil Went Down to Georgia

7. Mississippi

8. Blind Man

9. Rainbow Ride

Charlie Daniels Band

Charlie Daniels- guitar, fiddle, vocals

Tom Crain- guitar, vocals

Taz DiGregorio- keyboards, vocals

Fred Edwards- drums,percussion

James W Marshall- drums, percussion

Charles Hayward- bass

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is probably the one song that focused people up north's attention to Southern Rock. It could be said that it paved the way for the likes of Molly Hatchet and others and that it wasn't just a bunch of hicks playing washboards and jugs. I learned in 1979, that there is true rock down south.

Next post: REO Speedwagon- Nine Lives

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Great Rock Albums of 1980: The Outlaws- In the Eye of the Storm

Throughout the 1970s, while Yankees like me were reveling in the Southern delights of Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers, there was another band down in the Deep South playing some fine rock and roll to their fans down there. They were The Outlaws. They had a more of a Southern Boogie rock sound, not as hard as Molly Hatchet or Blackfoot nor were they progressive like Nantucket. The Outlaws, in my view, laid somewhere in between the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. What they did have, like all the bands I just mentioned, were guitarists who could dazzle you with long guitar solos.

My indoctrination to them was through their 1980 album, "Ghost Riders," an album I will definitely be visiting it when I get to 1980. Therefore, I am visiting the 1979 album "In the Eye of the Storm" kind of regressive and thanks to the wonders of You Tube, I was able to have a listen and see what I've been missing for all these years. "In the Eye of the Storm" for me reminds me of all the good things about The Outlaws. There's the Southern Boogie sound in all of their tracks, I noticed that from track one. They bring a harder edge to it with songs like, "Miracle Man" and "Long Gone" and then there's those cool guitar solos in "Blueswater." This album gave us a good view of all the good things to come with the later Outlaws material and is a great album in its own right.

Track Listing:

1. Lights Are On But Nobody's Home

2. Miracle Man

3. Blueswater

4. Comin' Home

5. I'll Be Leaving Soon

6. Too Long Without Her

7. It's All Right

8. (Com'on) Dance With Me

9. Long Gone

The Outlaws

Harvey Dalton Arnold- bass, vocals

David Dix- drums, percussion

Billy Jones- guitars, vocals

Freddie Salem- guitars, vocals

Hughie Thomasson- guitars, vocals

Monte Yoho- drums

The Outlaws were to finally get noticed north of the Mason-Dixon Line with their next album, but they still thrilled many of their fans south of the line with this one. This album is yet another fine classic rough diamond in the collection of Southern Rock.

Next post: Charlie Daniels Band- Million Mile Reflections

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Great Rock Albums of 1979: Blackfoot- Strikes

Naturally, after hearing "Flirtin' With Disaster" by Molly Hatchet, I wanted to further explore this phenomena known as Southern Rock. Eventually, I came into contact with this fine album compliments of Blackfoot. "Strikes" was the third album by Blackfoot but the first one I listened to and for me, it's their best.
This album takes the southern sound and just pounds the hell out of it with straight ahead power rock. The intro to the opening track, "Road Fever," speaks volumes as it lures you by being rather hard but melodic and then the power chords strike and you can't help to headband away to the rest. That is why that in 1980, "Road Fever" was one of my official travelling songs. The lyrics "Every time I am down and out and don't know what to do. I drop a lude and hit the road and play me a song or two" may have something to do with it as well.
The rest of the album follows suit. The second track, "I Got a Line On You" although a cover, is done with the classic Blackfoot touch. The same can be said with their cover of the Free classic, "Wishing Well." This doesn't take anything away from their originals. The harmonica in the "Train Train, Prelude" sticks in my mind over 30 years later. The actual song is a classic rocker in its own right. And all this ends with the final jam "Highway Song." I won't get into the debate that it rips off the legendary "Freebird" because for me, the song has me playing air guitar for the entire length of the ending guitar solos, five minutes plus.

Track Listing:

1. Road Fever

2. I Got a Line On You

3. Left Turn on a Red Light

4. Pay My Dues

5. Baby Blue

6. Wishing Well

7. Run and Hide

8. Train Train, Prelude

9. Train Train

10. Highway Song

Blackfoot

Rick Medlocke- lead vocals, guitar

Charlie Hargrett- guitar

Greg T Walker- bass, keyboards, vocals

Jakson Spires- drums, percussion, vocals

I can't help believing that along with Molly Hatchett, Blackfoot, especially with this album, went on to influence a lot of metal bands from the South. At the time, and quite a bit now, Blackfoot were what I would call metal. The hard sound of "Strikes" bears testimony to that.

Next post: Nantucket- Your Face or Mine

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Great Rock Albums of 1979: Molly Hatchet- Flirtin' With Disaster





1979 brought a new genre of rock into the limelight, Southern Rock. The roots of this country boogie style meets heavy rock go back to the early seventies with the band many officianadoes credit as the creators of southern rock, The Allman Brothers.

Allman Brothers

Their blues based southern sound was unique at the time and would be a mainstay throughout the seventies. The cause of southern rock was further pioneered later in the decade by the great Lynyrd Skynyrd who brought a more harder edge to it. For a teenager like me who lived in the North, Skynyrd was one band from the South you could listen to and not only rock out, you wouldn't be looked upon as some kind of redneck, although a lot of young rockers who were labelled such were into them too.

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Okay, enough of the history lesson, (I'm sorry, it's the teacher in me again) on to 1979 and this fantastic album from Molly Hatchet. It was this album that thrust them into the light and make the entire rock world at the time stand up and take notice of them. They had a much harder sound than even Skynyrd and even the more slower songs like "Long Time" have a rockier edge that make you want to stand up and go "Yeah!" with a raised fist and a can of Budweiser in the other hand. When you listen to "Flirtin With Disaster" you are in no doubt that you are listening to a true hard rock album.
For me, the album was the thrash metal of 1979. Yes I know it doesn't come anywhere near thrash but with the exception of maybe Van Halen, AC/DC or Ted Nugent, there was nothing heavier. I can say that "Flirtin With Disaster" completely sealed my cross over into hard rock and metal forever. When I heard this album, there was no going back.
The great thing about it is that although it's a classic hard rock album, many of the songs still contain that southern boogie vibe originally began by The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Take the song "Jukin City" as an example. Hard guitars start the song and set a rhythm that is so catchy, it stays in your head long after you have head banged your way through its entirety. The same can be said about the other songs on the album and especially the title track. In each and every one you are greeted by some hard but strangely melodic guitar sound that makes you just want to rock out! That said, there is not enough credit given to the guitar combination of Roland, Hlubeck and Holland. Sure other bands have three guitarists, but none that work so well together as the forementioned three. I practically love every guitar solo on the album.

Track Listing:

1. Whiskey Man

2. It's All Over Now

3. One Man' s Pleasure

4. Jukin City

5. Boogie No More

6. Flirtin With Disaster

7. Good Rockin

8. Gunsmoke

9. Long Time

10. Let the Good Times Roll

Molly Hatchet

Danny Joe Brown- vocals

Bruce Crump- drums

Dave Hlubeck- guitar

Steve Holland- guitar

Duane Roland- guitar

Banner Thomas- bass

I sincerely believe that if Molly Hatchet had never been around (yes that would have been tragic) I am convinced that some heavy metal band in the 80s would have taken the name. The name alone indicates a heavy rock or metal band and was reason why I had to listen to the album. Furthermore, back in 79, the Frank Franzetta paintings which adorned the covers of this and other Hatchet albums inspired many bands long after in their album cover choices. So, why Molly Hatchet deserves all the credit for getting Southern Rock noticed by the masses, it should also be given the credit for its influence on the 80s metal scene after. This album is without a doubt their best one and one of my favourites of all time.

Next post: Bad Teacher

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Great Rock Albums of 1978: Molly Hatchet

Before 1978, the term Southern Rock was attributed to bands such as The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Charlie Daniels Band. However, in 1978, a new force came out of the Jacksonville Florida area and it was called Molly Hatchet. Molly Hatchet, supposedly named after an axe murderess, brought a fresh southern boogie hard rock sound to music and it became a favourite among rockers and later metalheads.

For many years, I thought that their debut album was actually called "Bounty Hunter" after the first track on the album and most well known one. I now know that its actually self titled and I know further that it completely kicks ass. It's not just the music either. The album cover was a painting by Frank Franzetta and it was the first of at least four Molly Hatchet albums to use Franzetta paintings on the covers. I was so impressed with these paintings, that when I was teaching at a school seven or eight years ago, I tried to get the art teacher to teach my class about Franzetta's work.

Track Listing:

1. Bounty Hunter

2. Gator Country

3. Big Apple

4. The Creeper

5. The Price You Pay

6. Dreams I'll Never See

7. I'll Be Running

8. Cheatin' Woman

9. Trust Your Old Friend

Molly Hatchet

Danny Joe Brown- vocals

Dave Hlubeck- guitar

Duane Roland- guitar

Steve Holland- guitar

Banner Thomas- bass

Bruce Crump- drums

A metal buddy of mine once said that Molly Hatchet was one of those bands metalheads hid under their leather when they bought their albums. I never did, I didn't care who saw that I was buying a Molly Hatchet album. The first album from them would set the stage for better things to come as they would establish themselves as the new kings of southern rock.

Next post: Bob Seger- Stranger in Town

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Great Rock Albums of the 70s: Lynyrd Skynyrd- Street Survivors

I thought I was ready to move onto the next part of my tour through metal history when as luck would have it, more classic rock albums come to mind and these are ones I feel I can't ignore. This album came to mind courtesy of my metal buddy Metalodyssey who recently posted an upcoming benefit concert performed by none other than Lynyrd Skynyrd. Then I realised that I had left out the album "Street Survivors" and felt it was only fair to visit it here.

Picture the scene, October 1977, radio was bombarding us with disco and most of the music world hadn't gotten over the recent death of Elvis Presley two months earlier. On the evening of the 20th, I had been at work knocking doors trying to get people to subscribe to the local evening newspaper without much success. I got into my boss's car for the drive home when he tells me that Lynyrd Skynyrd was killed in a plane crash. The tragic crash which took the lives of Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines left a big hole in the rock world at that time and to some, it still does.

"Street Survivors" was released just three days before the plane crash and let me be one to stomp on any myth that the album only did so well becasue of the tragedy. Yes, I was more interested in hearing the album because of it, but I firmly believe that this album would have still stood out, crash or no crash. The tracks show case the unique southern boogie- rock style that the band was famous for and proved to be a show case for the newest member, the multi talented Steve Gaines.

Track Listing:

1. What's Your Name

2. That Smell

3. One More Time

4. I Know a Little

5. You Got That Right

6. I Never Dreamed

7. Honky Tonk Night Time Man

8. Ain't No Good Life

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Ronnie Van Zant- vocals

Steve Gaines- guitar, backing vocals, lead vocal on "Ain't No Good Life"

Gary Rossington- guitar

Allen Collins- guitar

Billy Powell- piano

Leon Wilkeson- bass

Artimus Pyle- drums

When listening to the album, it is easy to see why "Street Survivors" is counted as one of Skynyrd's best. Great rocking tracks like "You Got That Right" and "What's Your Name" combined with some gutsy blues based guitar work in songs like "That Smell" and "I Know a Little" make it that way. Even more than three decades after the plane crash, the freebird continues to fly on.

Next post: Talking Heads- 77

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Great Rock Albums of the 70s: Lynyrd Skynyrd- One More From the Road

Throughout the years, there have been many great, good and not so good live albums. I've already mentioned one on here, Bob Dylan, "Hard Rain" and you can be sure that I will post many more in the future. However, one live album that really does it for me is this one, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "One More From the Road." This is probably my favourite live album of all time, although it gets pretty stiff competition fom Black Sabbath's "Live Evil" album, which I will be featuring further on in the future.
Lynyrd Skynyrd were the second (the Allman Brothers were the first) of a string of great bands which came out of the Jacksonville Florida area in the 1970s and early 80s. In their heyday between 1973 and 1977, the year of their tragic plane crash, they defined the genre that we now know today as Southern Rock. During this time, Skynyrd put out a string of classic studio albums which brought Southern rock to appreciative Northern ears like mine and established them as one of the great bands of the time. In fact, as I write this, I am asking myself why they weren't included as one of the great metal influences, because some Southern metal bands can site Skynyrd as a big influence.
It's not just because "One More From the Road" is live being the reason I am posting it. The fact that on the album, they take many of the great songs they had put out and improve them to an even higher plane. A classic example is the legendary song "Freebird." The studio version from the first album was good, but on the live album there is great additions such as the piano intro by Billy Powell and the three guitars coming together for the grand finale at the very end. This is why the live version of "Freebird" is more loved than the original.

Track listing:

1. Working for the MCA

2. I Ain't the One

3. Searching

4. Tuesday's Gone

5. Saturday Night Special

6. Travelling Man

7. Whiskey Rock And Roller

8. Sweet Home Alabama

9. Give Me Three Steps

10. Call Me the Breeze

11. T for Texas

12. The Needle and the Spoon

13. Crossroads

14. Freebird

 

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Ronnie Van Zant- vocals

Gary Rossington- guitar

Allen Collins- guitar

Steve Gaines- guitar

Leon Wilkeson- bass

Billy Powell- piano, keyboards

Artimus Pyle- drums

For me, this is a great, classic live album and it was what put me on the road to the music I would later come to know and love as heavy metal. This album alone helped put the music scene of Jacksonville Florida on the map.

Next Post: Fleetwood Mac- Rumours

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