Joe Sun - Heartbreak Saloon (1998)

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You can never have enough Joe Sun music. So, without repeating all the superlatives of previous posts, all I have to say right now is: get it. Great voice, Outlaw Country at its finest. You can't go wrong here. This is Joe Sun doing what he does best: Honky Tonkin' This World Round

George Hatcher Band - In Concert (1977)

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Yes! And: Holey Moley! It's the George Hatcher Band live! How's that for a treat?! This was sent to me by Ivan (thanks a million!), taped from BBC Radio and ripped from cassette. Great sound quality, great musicianship and that wonderful smoky voice of George. What else do you need? If you dug anything recorded by George Hatcher at all, you will eat this up. And it will leave you wanting more, no doubt. Which leads me to the subject of more. Cause there has to be. Halfway during the show, the BBC announcer states that the previous song was "Magic Thing". But in fact that was "Cadillac". Also, the last song is the "Talkin' Turkey" title track, but it fades out after 1:49 min. Southern Rock bands don't play songs that short, do they? But I'm really happy, make no mistake.



There's probably a full video out there as well, since I did find some parts of a show on Youtube. As always, if you have more George Hatcher, give it to me and I'll share it with the rest of the world. George is currently back in business, playing and maybe re-releasing all his albums in a box set. Check out his site as well, there are some more recent videos to watch. Enjoy this and: "gobble gobble!"

Blue Steel - Nothing But Time (1981)

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Blue Steel was a Texan band which released two albums, this being the second. Requested by Bigfootkit and courteously offered by Luc. It's a typical 70's sound to this release, even though it's from 1981. Guess they got stuck. It doesn't have the big, classic Southern Rock sound like The Allmans or Skynyrd. Instead, this would please those of you who also enjoyed the Traveler/Denim or Oklahoma posts. Lots of vocal harmonies and somewhat commercial sounding songs. Nothing spectacular but very pleasing all the same. They just don't make music like this anymore. A few nice originals and a rather superfluous cover of Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" (Van Halen they ain't). Easy going music for an easy going fun time. And I'm havin' some fun now...

Randall Bramblett - Light Of The Night (1976)

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This is Randall Bramblett's second solo album. And in my view, "Light Of The Night" is his best release ever. He already made a great impression with his first, "That Other Mile", but this is even better. This is laid back, at time Funky Southern Rock with a twist. Some weird lyrics to match, I still play this on a regular basis. And enjoying it thoroughly. Randall has a very pleasant voice and the playing throughout this album is impeccable. Yes, this would categorize as a classic Southern Rock album alright, albeit it one for open minded folks. Like yourselves. After this, he would move on to Sea Level. And you can tell by listening to this, that that was an obvious choice for both parties. It's a King Grand!

The Allman Brothers Band - Face The Music (1982)

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These are studio recordings The Allman Brothers Band made for Arista Records. Yes, I know, their Arista period wasn't their most exciting. But still, it's The Allman Brothers Band! This stuff hasn't been released. For obvious reasons. Apart from the fact that these sound like unfinished demos, it's music that's a long shot from what we love them for. Many songs are sung by an (to me) unfamiliar voice. It looks like they set out to embrace the 80's in all its glorious horror. Lifeless AOR, especially compared to their previous output. And way too few songs sung by Gregg. But I thank Craig for making these available, cause I really needed to check this out. And it's not all bad. Some songs would reappear on other albums. Like "Let It Ride" (re-recorded for "Seven Turns") and "Anything Goes" (re-recorded for Gregg's "I'm No Angel"). And those familiar with the Betts, Hall, Leavell & Trucks Geneva , NY show, will recognize titles like "Lorraine" and "Need Somebody's Help Tonight". R.I.P. David "Frankie" Toler. And thanks to E. for cleaning the sound up a bit. I did some guessing on certain track titles. Sound quality is ok, I suppose, for it being what it is. Of historical interest. Handle with care..

Billy Ray Reynolds - Whole Lot Of Memories (2002)

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Billy Ray Reynolds is a guitarist/singer-songwriter who used play for people like Waylon Jennings. He was also the write of "Atlanta's Burning Down", which has been covered by Dickey Betts & Great Southern. This is a great album, musically in between Outlaw Country and Singer-Songwriter stuff. This album features appearances by Bonnie Bramlett and Merle Haggard. Check out Billy Ray, he's an old pro.

Les Variations - Take It Or Leave It (1973)

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A bit of an oddity here. Les Variations was a French band that released 4 albums in the early 70's. Reason for inclusion here is the fact that this was recorded at the Ardent and Stax Studios in Memphis and it was produced by none other than Don Nix. That should give it a Southern twist. Or does it? Well, yes, sort of. But it's not an album you would instantly categorize as a Southern Rock album. Very nice album though, good songs and gritty vocals. It reminded me of early 70's Alice Cooper at times. Just give it a try. If I can do it.