Southern Masters Live (Various Artists & Very Good Sources) FLAC

Banebooty Records Special 0001 (2009)
OU Notes: This double CD set is a pure pleasure to listen to. Only the best soundboard, FM or pre-FM sources were used, and some of the tracks sound as if they'd come directly from the studio. (Particularly brilliant is the copy of the Outlaws' "Green Grass and High Tides", which sounds like a commercial release--of course, it was recorded in front of a small live audience at the Record Plant in Sausalito in 1975 as part of the Record Plant broadcasts, all of which have incredible sound.) Some may argue about either the songs or groups included, but the determining factor here was sound quality, which is extremely high.
The choice of a 1973 version of the Allman Brothers' "Ramblin' Man" seems obvious--but no Duane Allman? The version of "Jessica", an Allman Brothers' tune done by Betts, Hall, Leavell and Trucks is totally recognizable and yet infused with a jazz edge which really sets it off. Another question is the inclusion of Blackfoot's "Highway Song" instead of "Train, Train", but that's just personal preference. Elvin Bishop's "Fooled Around and Fell In Love" with Mickey Hart on lead vocals is fantastic--but he only performed with Elvin for a relatively short time before moving on to Jefferson Starship/Starship. Another brilliant choice was Henry Paul Band's "Grey Ghost". This performance of a song devoted to lost southern rockers by a former member of the Outlaws is not only relatively rare in this quality, it's well worth downloading the entire album. Including Little Feat's "Dixie Chicken" from their 1976 tour is a bit of a stretch--until you listen to the lyrics. We lost a great deal when Lowell George died. The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" is great--but I'd still have preferred "Heard It In A Love Song". Decent recordings of the Rossington-Collins Band are also hard to come by, and no wonder--I once went to one of their concerts in which they only managed three songs before Dale passed out. The most surprising (and interesting) track is the version of the classic "Statesboro Blues" by the jazz-oriented Sea Level (led by the Allman Brothers' Chuck Leavell), where entire guitar solos are replaced by horn and/or woodwind solos! And it works. It was also nice to see Wet Willie included--Jimmy Hall, the leader, later moved on to the Charlie Daniels Band.
All in all, the most disappointing thing about this incredible album was the complete lack of anything by Molly Hatchet. The word is that a decent copy of the band with Danny Joe Brown as lead singer just couldn't be found, and as they wanted to include either "Gator Country" or "Flirtin' With Disaster", using one with Farrar doing the lead vocals was rejected. I can see the point--can you imagine a "Hard Rock Masters" CD using a track with Sammy Hagar doing "Runnin' With the Devil"? Diamond Dave owns that tune, vocally.

Tracklist:
CD 1:
01 Allman Brothers Band - Ramblin' Man - Winterland, 1973
02 Atlanta Rhythm Section - So Into You - Bottom Line, 1977
03 Betts, Hall, Leavell and Trucks - Jessica - Hermitage Landing, 1983
04 Black Oak Arkansas - Jim Dandy - Reading Festival, 1976
05 Blackfoot - Highway Song - Hollywood Palladium, 1983
06 Charlie Daniels Band - The South's Gonna Do It Again - Municipal Auditorium, 1977
07 Dickey Betts and Great Southern - Blue Sky - Capitol Theatre, 1978
08 Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around and Fell In Love - Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, 1976
09 Fabulous Thunderbirds - Tuff Enuff - Capitol Theatre, 1986
10 George Thorogood - Bad To the Bone - Springfield Civic Center, 1988
11 Greg Allman Band - I'm No Angel - Auditorium Shores, 1987
13 Henry Paul Band - Grey Ghost - Trax, 1981

CD2:
01 Johnny Van Zant Band - No More Dirty Deals - Capitol Theatre, 1980
02 Little Feat - Dixie Chicken - Winterland, 1976
03 Lynyrd Skynyrd - Freebird - Winterland, 1976
04 Marshall Tucker Band - Can't You See - Cow Palace, 1973
05 Outlaws - Green Grass and High Tides - Record Plant Sausalito, 1975
06 Rossington Collins Band - Don't Misunderstand Me - Tennessee Performing Arts Center, 1980
07 Sea Level - Statesboro Blues - Bottom Line, 1978
08 Stevie Ray Vaughan - Pride and Joy - Austin Opera House, 1984
09 Wet Willie - Keep On Smilin' - Bottom Line, 1977
10 ZZ Top - I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide - Austin TX, 1982
11 38 Special - Rockin' Into the Night - Long Island, 1985

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