"The Polydor Years" by ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION – Eight US Albums Plus Twenty Bonus Tracks from September 1974 to August 1980 including "Third Annual Pipe Dream" (September 1974), "Dog Days" (September 1975), "Red Tape" (May 1976), "A Rock And Roll Alternative" (January 1977), "Champagne Jam" (January 1978 USA), "Underdog" (June 1979 USA), "Are You Ready!" (October 1979 USA 2LP Live Set) and "The Boys From Doraville" (August 1980) (May 2019 UK Caroline Records 8CD Clamshell Box Set featuring Eight Albums in Mini LP Repro Card Sleeves Plus Twenty Bonus Tracks – Tony Dixon Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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RATINGS:

Overall ****

Presentation ****

Audio ****

"...Georgia Rhythm..."

Arising out of the ashes of Roy Orbison's Candymen and Sixties hit makers The Classics IV (Keyboard player Dean Daughtry and Drummer Robert Nix) - Atlanta Rhythm Section (ARS to their fans) hailed out of Doraville in Georgia. 

In the early days, they were a Country Rock act with strains of Lynyrd Skynyrd moving quickly into more commercial Chicago Funky Rock territory in the mid to late Seventies. As this retrospective is entitled The Polydor Years - their first two platters from 1972 and 1973 on Decca Records called "Atlanta Rhythm Section" and "Back Up Against The Wall"  are not covered here – just album number three through to album number ten – September 1974 to August 1980.

A superb-sounding 8CD Clamshell Box Set, you get a great deal of bang for your Euro-anaemic Buck – 8 albums remastered across 8CDs in Mini LP Repro Artwork Card Sleeves (collectors love these things) plus a whopping 20 Bonus Tracks – most of which are Single Edits, Promo-only Mono Mixes, Live versions etc. Their 1977 US FM Radio smash "So In To You" from the "A Rock And Roll Alternative" album is here too - as is everything else your average ARS nutter needs. To the Champagne Jams...

UK released 31 May 2019 - "The Polydor Years" by ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION on Caroline CAROLR073CD (Barcode 600753866603) offers 8LPs Remastered onto 8CDs Plus Twenty Bonus Tracks (Single Edits, Mono Promo Cuts and Live Versions) and breaks down as follows:

CD1 "Third Annual Pipe Dream" (47:31 minutes):
1. Doraville [Side 1]
2. Jesus Hearted People
3. Close The Door
4. Blues In Maude's Flat
5. Join The Race (To Inner Space)
6. Angel (What In The World's Come Over Us) [Side 2]
7. Get Your Head Out Of Your Heart
8. The War Is Over
9.  Help Yourself (You Gotta Help Yourself)
10. Who You Gonna Run To (When You're Thru Walkin' On Me)
Tracks 1 to 10 are their 3rd album "Third Annual Pipe Dream" - released September 1974 in the USA on Polydor PD-6027 and February 1975 in the UK on Polydor 2391 136. Produced by J.R. COBB and DON NIX – peaked at No.74 on the US Billboard LP charts (didn't chart UK)

BONUS TRACKS:
11. Angel (What In The World's Come Over Us) – Mono Edit
12. Angel (What In The World's Come Over Us) – Single Edit
13. Doraville (Mono Edit)
14. Get Your Head Out Of Your Heart (Mono Edit)

CD2 "Dog Days" (39:36 minutes):
1. Crazy [Side 1]
2. Boogie Smoogie
3. Cuban Crisis
4. It Just Ain't Your Moon
5. Dog Days - [Side 2]
6. Bless My Soul (Instrumental)
7. Silent Treatment
8. All Night Rain
Tracks 1 to 8 are their fourth studio album "Dog Days" - released September 1975 in the USA on Polydor PD-6041 and November 1975 in the UK on Polydor Super 2391 179. Produced by BUDDY BUIE - it peaked at No. 113 in the USA (didn't chart in the UK)

BONUS TRACKS:
9. Crazy (Mono Edit)

CD3 "Red Tape" (39:42 minutes):
1. Jukin/San Antonio Rose[Side 1]
2. Mixed Emotions
3. Shanghied
4. Police! Police!
5. Beautiful Dreamers [Side 2]
6. Oh What A Feeling
7. Free Spirit
8. Another Man's Woman
Tracks 1 to 8 are their fifth studio album "Red Tape" - released May 1976 in the USA on Polydor PD-6060 and July 1976 in the UK on Polydor 2391 223. Produced by BUDDY BUIE - it peaked at No. 146 in the USA (didn't chart in the UK)

BONUS TRACKS
9. Free Spirit (Mono Edit)
10. Jukin (Mono Edit)

CD4 "A Rock And Roll Alternative" (44:06 minutes):
1. Sky High [Side 1]
2. Hitch-Hikers' Hero
3. Don't Miss The Message
4. Georgia Rhythm
5. So In To You [Side 2]
6. Outside Woman Blues
7. Everybody Gotta Go
8. Neon Nites
Tracks 1 to 8 are their sixth album "A Rock And Roll Alternative" - released January 1977 in the USA on Polydor PD-1-6080 and March 1977 in the UK on Polydor 2391 255. Produced by ROBERT NIX, J.R. COBB and BUDDY BUIE – it peaked at No.11 on the US LP charts (didn't chart in the UK)

BONUS TRACKS:
9. So In To You (Mono Edit)
10. So In To You (Single Edit)
11. Neon Nites (Single Edit)

CD5 "Champagne Jam" (53:32 minutes):
1. Large Time [Side 1]
2. I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me
3. Normal Love
4. Champagne Jam
5. Imaginary Lover [Side 2]
6. The Ballad Of Lois Malone
7. The Great Escape
8. Evileen
Tracks 1 to 8 are their seventh album "Champagne Jam" – released January 1978 in the USA on Polydor PD-1-6134 and June 1978 in the UK on Polydor 2391 319. Produced by BUDDY BUIE and ROBERT NIX – it peaked at No.7 on the US LP charts (didn't chart in the UK)

BONUS TRACKS:
9. Champagne Jam (Stereo Edit)
10. Imaginary Lover (Mono Edit)
11. Imaginary Lover (Single Edit)
12. I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me (Mono Edit)
13. I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me (Single Edit)

CD6 "Underdog" (52:04 minutes):
1. Do It Or Die [Side 1]
2. Born Ready
3. I Hate The Blues / Let's Go Get Stoned
4. Indigo Passion
5. While Time Is Left [Side 2]
6. It's Only Music
7. Spooky
8. My Song
Tracks 1 to 8 are their eight album "Underdog" – released June 1979 in the USA on Polydor PD-1-6200 and July 1979 in the UK on Polydor 2391 398. Produced by BUDDY BUIE, J.R. COBB and RODNEY MILLS – it peaked at No.26 on the US LP charts (didn't chart in the UK)

BONUS TRACKS:
9. Indigo Passion (Single Edit)
10. Large Time (Single Edit)
11. Back Up Against The Wall (Single Edit)
12. Spooky (Single Edit)

CD7 "Are You Ready!" (76:16 minutes, 2LP Live Set):
1. Prelude/Tara's Theme - Sky High [Side 1]
2. I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me
3. Large Time
4. Back Up Against The Wall [Side 2]
5. Angle (What In The World's Come Over Us)
6. Conversation
7. Imaginary Lover
8. Doraville [Side 3]
9. Another Man's Woman
10. Georgia Rhythm [Side 4]
11. Imaginary Lover
12. So In To You
13. Long Tall Sally
Tracks 1 to 13 are their ninth album "Are You Ready!" – released October 1979 in the USA on Polydor PD-2-6236 as a 2LP set – a combination of live recordings and live-in-the-studio sessions – it was their first Live Set (no UK issue). Produced by BUDDY BUIE and RODNEY MILLS – it peaked at No.51 on the US LP charts (didn't chart in the UK)

CD8 "The Boys From Doraville" (42:45 minutes):
1. Cocaine Charlie [Side 1]
2. Next Year's Rock & Roll
3. I Ain't Much
4. Putting My Faith In Love
5. Rough At The Edges [Side 2]
6. Silver Eagle
7. Pedestal
8. Try My Love
9. Strictly R&R
Tracks 1 to 9 are their tenth album "The Boys From Doraville" (ninth studio album overall) – released August 1980 in the USA on Polydor PD-1-6285 and September 1980 in the UK on Polydor 2391 467. Produced by BUDY BUIE – it peaked at No.65 on the US LP charts (didn't chart in the UK)

BONUS TRACK:
10. I Ain't Much (Single Edit)

ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION was:
RONNIE HAMMOND - Lead Vocals
DEAN DAUGHTRY - Keyboards
BARRY BAILEY - Guitars
J.R. COBB – Guitars and Backing Vocals
PAUL GODDARD - Bass
ROBERT NIX – Drums (BOB YEAGER for "The Boys Of Doraville")

Compiled by Michael Cobb - the glossy Clamshell Box Set for "The Polydor Years" by ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION is cool enough and collectors will dig the eight Mini LP Repro Artwork Card Sleeves (front and rear covers, all single sleeves, no inners nor gatefolds, bonus tracks are not super-imposed on the artwork). The 20-page colour booklet comes with new liner notes by long-time writer and music buff MALCOLM DOME (done August 2018) filling in all the milestone blanks alongside snaps of the six-piece band in varying stages of their career (they campaigned for President Jimmy Carter in 1976 and appeared on the White House lawn in a gig for the son of the Georgia POTUS). Even though ARS had British LP variants on Polydor Records UK for most of their albums (even attended Knebworth Festival) - Atlanta Rhythm Section were very much a US phenomenon - all their LPs charted in the USA (their sort of trademark Fish & Guitar Logo is on Page 4). 

I have to say though that the final two-pages of credits at the rear of the booklet are barely readable because of the tiny font and blurry colouring (song titles, writers credits and not a lot else) – there is more info in my Discography above than you get here. But what punters and fans will want is the sweet-as-a-nut Audio – the set mastered by TONY DIXON at Masterpiece in the UK. These were well-recorded albums in the first place and the beefy/clean transfers reflect that. Time for some Country Rock and a few genre-stops in-between…

CD1 – Released September 1974 in the USA - "Third Annual Pipe Dream" pays homage to the city that made them with the commercial Country Rock opener "Doraville". They talk of it being a breakthrough in the booklet. With "Who You Gonna Run To" on its flip, it was put out a US single in late 1974 on Polydor PD 14248 and January 1975 in the UK on Polydor 2066 488. It did no business in the UK but managed a very healthy chart placing of No.35 in the States in November 1974. It put them on the map and people tuned in. Polydor tried again with "Get Your Head Out Of Your Heart" and "Angel (What In The World's Come Over Us)" on both sides of the pond (Polydor PD 14273 in the USA, May 1975 in the UK on Polydor 2058 560) but neither side of the water took to it. A cool funky Rock tune is "Help Yourself (You Gotta Help Yourself") which I've put on many 70's FEST compilations. Christian rocker Mylon LeFevre sang backing vocals on "Jesus Hearted People" alongside Hugh Baby Jarret of The Jordanaires. Peaking at No.74 on the US Billboard charts – their third album "Third Annual Pipe Dream" saw ARS start an impressive chart run of albums which saw the following seven titles in this Box Set make good numbers also.

CD2 - The "Dog Days" album of September 1975 gets off to A Pop-Rock start with "Crazy (Times)" – but then things get seriously dirty Southern Boogie with the wickedly groovy grunge of "Boogie Smoogie" - a song about a dive filled with hookers, greasy chicken and beer-swilling clientele throwing their cans at the bar band trying to make a buck. The Audio is superb for this huge fan fave. Their commercial 'let's write one that will be played on Country radio' streak kicks in for the jaunty "Cuban Crisis" - the kind of song Little Feat would have made a better fist of. "It Just Ain't Your Moon" is good old boy Rock 'n' Roll and sounds chunky - a sweet-sounding transfer. Things mellow into the big smooch of "Dog Days" - a power ballad that doesn't really ignite. The instrumental "Bless My Soul" is a funky little Southern Boogie number that sounds more 1977 dancefloor than 1975 chicken coup. Another fave is surely "Silent Treatment" - a wickedly catchy groove with 'honky tonk' harmonica where our boys are captured by a quiet lady (Ronnie struck out). It ends on the warmth of "All Night Rain" where ARS do their best Eagles impression.

CD3 - You really hear the quality of the Remaster with the first 45 lifted off the "Red Tape" LP of May 1976 - the Boogie Rock of "Jukin" - Buie and Nix delivering a wickedly good Rocker - the kind of song Jo Jo Gunne would have killed for. "Mixed Emotions" is the same - another clever ZZ Top type groover with Hammond's vocals sounder better than ever and those dual guitars tearing it up. "Shanghied" is another Rocker as the album begins to sound more and more like "Tres Hombres" with a commercial funk. Not surprisingly "Police! Police!" opens with arriving sirens, doors slamming and then a huge guitar riff (another travelling late at night - got hassled - song). The ballad "Beautiful Dreamers" is at least more convincing than the previous LP's attempts - a piano chord tells us that blue jean friends have faded. Again, back to hard-hitting boogie - a huge guitar sound on "Oh What A Feeling" - and the single "Free Spirit" is the same - amazing clarity.

CD4 – January 1977's "A Rock And Roll Alternative" still sees Ronnie Hammond on Lead Vocals and their sound is Funky Boogie Rock exemplified by "Don't Miss The Message" and the rocking Skynyrd vibe of "Outside Woman Blues". But the album is dominated by the huge hit "So In To You" - the kind of Boz Scaggs commercial song that would make you double take if you heard it even now coming out of a radio  - asking - who's that? "Neon Nites" tries to get close to its sound and succeeds with its plucked guitars and slinky beat. Piggybacking on the popularity of the hit single "So In To You", the LP "A Rock And Roll Alternative" was a smash also – peaking at No.11 on the Billboard album charts. It even sparked a March 1977 reissue on MCA Records MCA2-4114 of their self-titled debut (1972) and second album "Back Up Against The Wall" (1973) as a 2LP package simply called "Atlanta Rhythm Section". Even that charted, peaking at No.154 for a 4-week run.

CD5 – January 1978's "Champagne Jam" came one year after its career-changing predecessor and didn't just keep the winning formula tight but improved on it. In October of 1977, half of the ultimate guitar heroes band Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in a plane crash – a huge blow to anyone around Southern Rock. ARS responded with an ebullient guitar-boogie tribute song "Large Time" which takes pride of place as the opener for Side 1 – the band rocking out as many fans wanted (glad to be living in the USA). And while the preceding album "A Rock And Roll Alternative" from 1977 was seriously popular - the "Champagne Jam" LP of 1978 took ARS Top Ten – rightly peaking at No.7 on the back of a damn good album (it would be their most commercially successful album). And in "Imaginary Lover" and "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me" – they clocked up two more 45-single hits (peaking at No. 7 and 14 respectively). While I find the ballad "Normal Love" just a little too piano-plinking soppy and the b-word lyrics in "Evileen" cringeworthy, other goodies include the wickedly catchy good-time beat in "Champagne Jam" (me and the boys staying out late) and the very Lynyrd Skynyrd drank-like-a-fish and cussed-like-a-sailor Southern crawl in "The Ballad of Lois Malone".

CD6 – Coming one year after its upbeat commercially savvy predecessor – June 1979's "Underdog" is something of a disappointment. Opening with the very Eagles-sounding mellow of "Do It Or Die" (not my cup of Rosie) that is followed fast by another infernally hooky tune "Born Ready" that could easily have been another winner-45. The awkwardly titled and seven-minute long "I Hate The Blues" sees our lead singer craving a crank-up rhythm so he can let it rip (the Ashford/Simpson song "Let's Go Get Stoned" comes in towards the end). "Indigo Passion" is awful, plinking-plonking filler. At least "While Time Is Left" has some good guitar licks but again the strings and overall lack-lustre do for the song. "It's Only Music" restores the confidence – cute girl shaking like a maniac. The album gave ARS two American Billboard hits "Do It Or Die" that peaked at No.19 and a remake of a song that Cobb and Buie made famous with The Classics IV – the mighty "Spooky" (God knows how many cover versions there are of that slinky gem). Time to go to the masses…

CD7 – October 1979's 2LP live set "Are You Ready!" came in the same year as their seventh studio album "Underdog" and featured an interesting mix of Live American Tour recordings vs. new Live-in-the-Studio jams. To a backdrop of Lara Theme playing over the monitors, the compare hits the mike and shouts the album title "Are You Ready!" ARS are then announced as being from Georgia and the crowd erupts as they rip into an electric version of "Sky High" – lead guitarist making his plank bleed. The Funk-Rock of the hugely popular "Champagne Jam" cements a fab double-whammy opener. Things are mellowed by a mid-tempo groove - another single – the ignoring pain and injustice around the world stepper "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me". The crowd loves Hammond saying, "This one is for Lynyrd Skynyrd…" as the band launch into a tight-rocking version of "Large Time" that not for the first time has ARS sounding like the younger brother of ZZ Top. Sentenced to hard labour and on the wrong side of the law, ARS dig back into their catalogue to let the crowd have the good-old-boys character in "Back Up Against The Wall".

A smart choice from album three "Angel (What In The World's Come Over Us)" allows the boys to showcase harmonies, melodious arrangements and geetar playing. They dig out the acoustic shuffle of "Conversation" (from the second album of 1973) – remembering a friend and lover where communication broke down and time did the destructive rest. Hit single "Imaginary Lover" is ok – but their early breakthrough hit "Doraville" is alive – you feel the band enjoying themselves. Keeping up the reach back, ARS hit the crowd with a first album rocker "Another Man's Woman(It's So Hard)" – the guitars and piano both snarling. Time to revisit a sleeper on 1977's "A Rock And Roll Alternative" – the mellow "Georgia Rhythm" which unfortunately has an in-the-distance feel to the tapes. Not surprisingly the live tour proceedings are ended with the mega-hit "So In To You" and a rollicking cover version of Little Richard's incendiary "Long Tall Sally". In the grand pantheon of Classic Double Live Albums of the Seventies "Are You Ready!" by ARS is forgotten these days (2024) - but its charms deserve a return to.

CD8 – Heading into a new decade with "The Boys From Doraville" (their last album on Polydor released August 1980) and Atlanta Rhythm Section are in a return-to-basics mood whilst reaching for the commerciality of yesteryear. "Cocaine Charlie" immediately hits you with that familiar ARS sound – their Southern-Rock Country-Pop swagger – strong and muscular – a tale of a fool chasing ecstasy but now a slave to sniffing fairy dust. The audio is superb. More than a passing nod to their sound of old follows - "Next Year's Rock & Roll" commenting on Disco and New Wave with a slight smirk. "I Ain't Much" is a bopper but it feels old and not particularly fresh nor does "Putting My Faith In Love". The cowboy hero Joe Bob Kinsey and Satin Ladies of Saturday Night get mixed up into "Rough At The Edges" but again it feels like reaching for fun instead of feeling it. Pure Eagles-sung-by Glenn Frey territory shows up in the shape of "Silver Eagle" – carry me away from endless Holiday Inns. The guitar-chug of "Try My Love" and the play-too-loud piano-boogie of "Strictly R&R" feel like the best two tunes on a strangely deflating album. And on it goes with all those edits and single sides hammering home their sound. 

You wouldn't call any of these albums 'masterpieces' - hardly anything ARS ever did could hold a candle to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Little Feat or even The Allmans - bands with real chops and tunes that moved. Having said that - if you're a fan or even partial to Southern Rock – then this superb-sounding ARS Clamshell love-fest is an absolute 8CD must-own...

Atlanta Rhythm Section's brand of Country Rock won't be everyone's cup of Horlicks nowadays and a lot of it feels lightweight with the passing of time (they had neither the integrity of Skynyrd or the sheer balls-to-the-wall Blues Boogie of Foghat) - but those slinky moments in between are worth the purchase (and that top audio quality). 

"...Captured by your style..." Hammond sings on "So In To You". You may feel the same...