Underdog/The Boys from Doraville

Underdog/The Boys from Doraville

by Atlanta Rhythm Section
Underdog/The Boys from Doraville

Underdog/The Boys from Doraville

by Atlanta Rhythm Section

CD

$15.99 
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Overview

The eighth and ninth studio albums (there was a live recording between them) from the Atlanta Rhythm Section got a belated U.K. CD release in 2010. These closed out the act's affiliation with Polydor Records and are condensed onto a single CD here, as well as digitally remastered. It's another in the classy series of ARS reissues from BGO, which has treated the Southern pop act's catalog with utmost respect on four previous discs that bring the group's original albums back in print for collectors and music fans who want more than the 17 hits on Polydor's well-chosen 1982 vintage Best Of. Liner notes from Campbell Devine tend to be fawning but include a comprehensive history of the band, recounting its story leading up to and even after the recording of these tunes. Musically, ARS captured a unique style halfway between the smooth West Coast pop of the late '70s and the Southern rock of the era. Underdog, from 1979, is a pleasant if overly laid-back collection that included a charting cover of "Spooky," originally a hit for the Classics IV, members of whom ended up in ARS. Overall, the album plays off the success of 1978's Champagne Jam, which yielded the quintet's biggest hit, "Imaginary Lover," a song whose lazy tempo and prominent keyboards were a substantial part of its appeal. The guitars crank up a bit on "It's Only Music" and tacking on a cover of Ray Charles' "Let's Go Get Stoned" to the end of the sly "I Hate the Blues" is a sharp move, but overall the members seem tired and not entirely focused. The closing acoustic ballad "My Song" alludes to having to play tunes the crowds demand to hear nightly. As if to show they are revived, 1980's The Boys from Doraville is decidedly more propulsive. It opens with the chugging J.J. Cale-ish "Cocaine Charley," then shifts into full Steely Dan mode on "Next Year's Rock & Roll." "Silver Eagle" displays a pronounced country influence with its pedal steel guitar and there are a few ballads, but this feels like a rejuvenated band with something to prove. Though it only peaked at 65 on the Billboard charts, vocalist Ronnie Hammond sings with real soul, a combination of Michael McDonald's throaty croon with a bit of Paul Rodgers' rough rock & roll rasp. It's not the group's finest moment, but this can be considered a hidden gem in the Atlanta Rhythm Section's catalog and is well worth seeking out for fans who might have missed it the first time around. ~ Hal Horowitz

Product Details

Release Date: 04/13/2010
Label: Beat Goes On
UPC: 5017261209184
Rank: 55413

Tracks

  1. Do It or Die
  2. Born Ready
  3. I Hate the Blues/Let's Get Stoned
  4. Indigo Passion
  5. While Time Is Left
  6. It's Only Music
  7. Spooky
  8. My Song
  9. Cocaine Charlie
  10. Next Year's Rock & Roll
  11. I Ain't Much
  12. Putting My Faith in Love
  13. Rough at the Edges
  14. Silver Eagle
  15. Pedestal
  16. Try My Love
  17. Strictly R&R

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Atlanta Rhythm Section   Primary Artist
Steve Hammond   Vocals (Background)
Barry Bailey   Guitar
James Stroud   Percussion
Dean Daughtry   Keyboards
Robert Nix   Drums
Ronnie Hammond   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Paul Goddard   Bass
J.R. Cobb   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm),Vocals (Background)
Roy Yeager   Drums,Percussion
Rick Maxwell   Guitar (Steel)
Stray Straton   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Michael Tyler   Make-Up
Diane Yarborough   Illustrations
Jerry Wolcik   Model
Mark Hutt   Model
Nicholas Serino   Hair Stylist
Shari Shuttuck   Model
Will Jones   Model
Greg Smith   Model
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Rodney Mills   Mixing,Engineer,Mastering,Associate Producer
Campbell Devine   Liner Notes
Middlebrooks   Composer
Daughtry   Composer
Buddy Buie   Producer
J.R. Cobb   Associate Producer
Nickolas Ashford   Composer
Mike McCarty   Design,Hand Tinting,Art Direction,Illustrations
Greg Quesnel   Assistant Engineer
Shapiro   Composer
Andrew Thompson   Remastering
Rick Maxwell   Assistant Engineer
Billy Wendt   Assistant Engineer
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