Nick Laseter & Southern Edge - We Can Stick Together (1972)

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Well, this is surely an obscurity for you. I did my best to find any information on Nick Laseter at all, but all I found was a private profile on MySpace. This album was sent to me by my French Connection, but neither Jacques nor Luc know anything about the artist or the record. I have included the scans of the cover. It's very worn out, but I can at least give you the names of the people playing:
Nick Laseter: vocals & lead guitar, Ralph Snyder: piano, Larry Davis: drums, Randy Tomlinson; rhyhtm guitar, Nathan Roberts: bass and Juanita Laseter: backing vocals. It was produced by Charlie Bryant, and it does not mention any year of release. But it's definitely early 70's.
As for the music, this has more to with Elvis-like Country(Rock) than Southern Rock. But this will probably find a home with some of y'all. And the rip is pretty decent. Thanks to Jacques and Luc for music.
Edit 4/8/2009: On August 3 I received a message frome none other than Nick Laseter himself. Here's what he had to say:
"Well this was my first album released in 72,I have writtin hundreds of songs since.I still play (not as much as I use to) but I cant tell you how exited I was to see someone take intrest in my music from so long ago.I have new music listed on digital rodeo and sound click with a band called january rose.As far as my influences,I grew up in southern Louisiana and have performed with folks like B.B. King Fats domino and a barrage of old south pickers.I came from the age of Skynard and the Allman brothers.Again thank you for your intrest.It makes an old man feel good to know someone listened...Nick"
Hubba-hubba..

Gregg Allman - The Inside Track (1990)

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Something different this time. It's Gregg Allman visiting on the A&E show "The Inside Track", hosted by Graham Nash. Apparently (I'm not from the US, so what do I know) this was/is a TV show, and on this one Gregg makes an appearance. This is just the audio, which is fine by me. Some amusing interviews (like the foot shooting party) and some entertaining acoustic performances. He plays "Melissa", "These Days", "Come And Go Blues" and "Midnight Rider". Nothing you haven't heard before, but very pleasing all the same. He's being accompanied by Craig Doerge. If anyone has the video, please, let me know. But I bet you will want this.

Black Rose - Black Rose (1980)

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Black Rose was a band which featured Cher on vocals and her then boyfriend Les Dudek on guitar and vocals. Their only release was this 1980 album for Casablanca Records. If you read about this album and were expecting an album similar to "Allman & Woman - Two The Hard Way", then you're in for a surprise. Not sure it'll be a pleasant one, though. This album has none of the flash of the Les Dudek albums. Instead it's a Power Pop exercise on which Cher gets to rock out some. It's not bad, just not terribly good either. I prefer the soulful sounds of her album with Gregg anytime. But since I'm a sucker for Les Dudek, I just had to complete my collection. So, are there any good Les Dudek songs on here? Hmm, sort of. Actually, he only gets to sing lead vocals on one track, a duet called "You Know It". I like that song, and it would fit nicely as a bonus track on his "Gypsy Ride" album. So, for that you should get this. Tricky move to start an album with a song entitled "Never Should've Started". For completists only..

Cate Brothers Band - Live (1998)

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I had in mind to post the Cate Brothers CD "Arkansas Soul Siblings", only to find that it was re-released under a new title, "Born To Wander". I just ordered it, and it's a very good remaster. The recordings on those albums are pre-dating their Asylum releases. The music has some more Rhythm & Blues influences than their later work, but already you hear their distinctive sound. I still wonder how these recordings relate to The Cates Gang output, chronologically. They must've been recorded around the same time, I think. Very much recommended.
Nearly 30 years later they released "Live", and it just goes to show that sometimes the finest musicians will continue to release the finest music. Lots of classics played wonderfully on this live set. "Time Is A Thief", "In One Eye And Out The Other", "Union Man" and a very nice version of Tony Joe White's "Steamy Windows". You may know the songs already, but this is quite a nice addition to the Cate Brothers collection. I would love to see all their albums re-released (Wounded Bird, are you listening?). For now, let's get funky...

Larry Jon Wilson - New Beginnings (1975)

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I'm really glad to have this album of Larry Jon Wilson. I only knew one song of Larry Jon, which can be found on the "Heartworn Highway" DVD. You can watch that song here. And thanks to Mawos for finding the rip.
Larry Jon Wilson released 4 albums in the 70's, and his style sometimes resembles Jerry Reed or Waylon Jennings and at other times he steps into Travis Wammack territory. It's Country but has a definite Outlaw feel to it. And the man gets Funky occasionally, as you can witness on "Ohoopee River Bottomland". But the best part, as far as I'm concerned, is the man's voice. He has this incredibly wonderful baritone and he just demands attention. And though at times this album has some really slick production, underneath all that there's always a beautiful and well-crafted song. This is a really great album. Listen!

Atlanta Rhythm Section - Truth In A Structured Form (1989)

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The Atlanta Rhythm Section, like many Southern Rock bands in the 80's, hardly sound like anything you've heard them play before. Southern Rock was so very last Tuesday, and AOR seemed to be the salvation. Yeah right! On "Truth In A Structured Form" they sound like 38 Special or Molly Hatchet did in the 80's. Rather dumb and a terribly dated 80's sound. Still, the record is quite enjoyable once you get past that setback. Though it's nowhere near as fine as any 70's release. I guess they call it survival. Luckily they returned to form on later releases. But this album gives some insight at the struggles of Southern Rock on the dark pages of Rock & Roll history. It has been long since been out of print, and really, I don't see it getting a re-release any day soon. The music sounds very synthetic. It would take another 10 years, on the 1999 release "Eufala", that ARS started making sense again. But try this. It might bring back some plastic dreams of yesteryear. Back on Neon Street...

Ouray - Chrome On The Range (1978)

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With thanks to Luc and Jacques (my French Connection), I present you Ouray. Musically this reminded me at times of The Marshall Tucker Band and The Outlaws, though Ouray is not a copy of those bands. The band members are: Frank Pirrucello (vocals, guitar, piano), Bo Pirrucello (vocals, pedal and Leslie steel guitars, guitar), Tom Peters (vocals, bass), Hap Harriman (vocals, lead guitar) and Ted Rawlings (vocals, drums, percussion). The album was released on Taxi Records and produced by Ouray and Eddie Cherney. Other than this, I know nothing of this band, nor could I find anything on the web. I figure they might be from Colorado...
The production, I thought, is a little tinny, but the music well pleased me. As in, if you love Southern Rock, you won't go wrong here. I'll be posting their second album, "Motor Dream" from 1981, next month. If anyone knows a little more about this band, please fill me in. Chrome on the range?

C.P.R. feat. Zakk Wylde - I Wish

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I remember being blown away by this cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" by Coven/Pitrelli/Reilly featuring Zakk Wylde. Zakk's perfomance turned this Funk classic into a Southern Rock classic. Just the way I like it. I hope you enjoy the video as much as I do. The album this is on, is no longer in print. Not a Southern Rock album either. But this track rocks! And you can get that one here..

Don Bowman - Fresh From The Funny Farm (1965)

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In case you were wondering, yes, I'm gonna post all Don Bowman albums. A little smile occasionally won't hurt nobody. And a good friend of mine really wants this bad. So.
"Fresh From The Funny Farm" is Don's second album. No Rock here, just Country Comedy. And when Don gets plastered, he's the funniest. I don't know very much about Don. I guess he's had two careers, one as a Country Comedian, the other as DJ. You can read about Don here.
Don about his frequent visits at the farm: "Getting in was not the problem..."

Russell Smith - This Little Town (1989)

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I find myself short on time these days, with hardly any of it left to run this here little blog. So, I'll get you a quickie. Also discontinued by the manufacturer, it's Russell Smith's third solo album. "This Little Town" was released in 1989. A time when music was not healthy. This album sounds very 80's and looks to be aimed at Nashville at that time, when Country hardly had any Country left in it. But Russell Smith is still one hell of a singer and a great tunesmith. So, I hope I didn't scare you too much, cause this is still a very fine album. Nothing too adventurous, comfortably slick but again with superior songwriting. And your mother-in-law will like it too. Russel at his Sunday Best.

Joe Sun - Livin' On Honky Tonk Time (1980)

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Joe Sun has made quite a few albums throughout the years, most of them very good. But he's not had the kind of success he should have, based on the quality of his work. The music is pretty much in league with the stalwarts of Outlaw Country music. And if, like me, you love Waylon Jennings and you already have everything released by Shooter Jennings, then this is where you should be. Also, for those of you that don't mind Country in Southern Rock and you don't mind taking it easy now and again, this is your chance to learn that not all Country music is shallow, slick and formulated. Joe's got a terrific voice, created some very tasteful albums, he rocks some and he just should be heard. So there!

Tim Brooks & The Alien Sharecroppers - Live At The Douglas Theatre (2002)

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Thanks to Traink, I offer you this little show by Tim Brooks & The Alien Sharecroppers. Important to note is that this was originally offered as a lossless show. Therefore I urge you not to convert this to wav or flac and trade as lossless. If you need that, just holler!
Back to the music. Tim Brooks is amazing and a bit of an anachronism. He sounds so much like heyday 70's Southern Rock, it's like a time warp. It's classic, old school Southern Rock. His style was already very reminiscent to The Allman Brothers Band, on this show even more so. But maybe that has something to do with the fact that it's an Allman Brothers set he's playing. And it's not a dodgy stab at giving it a go. No, this is the real thing. It's raw, has gravelly vocals, great playing and touches the true spirit of Southern Rock. Hell yeah! (got me carried away...)
Apparently, Tim Brooks is out there playing again. He operates from around Macon, Georgia. Check Tim's MySpace page and say hi. Here's hopin' for a new studio album. If this is the first music of Tim Brooks you're about to grab, maybe you should try the studio album by The Brothers Brooks. That's the best way to get acquainted with the excellent music he's made. If, however, you're already familiar with the man, or an Allman Brothers fan, get this now.

D. Beaver & Combinations - Combinations (1973)

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A bit of an oddity, this time. D. Beaver & Combinations was a band (not a D. Beaver solo project) which had emerged from Progressive Rock outfit Edgewood. The band was from Memphis and feature a very young Jimi Jamison (later of Target, Cobra and Survivor) on vocals (not on all tracks, though). Hence the inclusion of this album on my blog: they're from Memphis and feature Jimi Jamison. Though musically this is a whole other ball game.
I have known about this album for ages and was curious because of Jimi's contribution. Thanks to Mr. Tyrone Tieclip (he found it on a blog somewhere, years ago) I now get the chance.
There was some editing to be done on this LP rip. I don't know who ripped it (thank you anyway!), but the songs were badly cut. The music is Progressive Rock, so there were several songs which were supposed to be joined, but which were cut in the wrong places and had gaps in between. I fixed that. It now plays as a gapless album on my iPod.
The music I like a lot. I love Progressive Rock, but I'm not an expert on the subject. So I can't tell you who it resembles. As far as Jimi's vocals go, they're slightly buried in the mix. It's ok, but it's not Target. Still, it's fun to hear him on this record, sounding as young as he does. I would love to have a remastered CD version of this. As for now...

Dan Penn - Nobody's Fool (1973)

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This is the legendary debut album by Dan Penn. And quite a little treasure trove it is too. Most people will know Dan Penn songs, without knowing Dan Penn. He's written some of the greatest Soul tracks for people like Aretha Franklin, Solomon Burke and James Carr. But he is a wonderful performer in his own right just as well. The music is pretty much in between Soul and Singer Songwriter, accompanied by some cats from Muscle Shoals and, as always, by his friend, keyboard player and co-writer Spooner Oldham.
If you dig Southern Soul and people like Townes and Guy, then this should be very pleasing to the ears. And very much recommended to all Amazing Rhythm Aces fans! He also has a fine sense of humor, as can be heard in the excellent "Tearjoint", a great spoof on Country tearjerkers.
This album was hard to get from the time it was first released and has since been discontinued by the manufacturer. Which is a pity, for sure. Classic album.