Search - Dickey Betts :: Southern Rock Jam

BEWARE!

kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 01/28/2003

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This CD has the title "Souther Rock Jam", like this is a live CD or at least a jam album. It isn't!This is a "Great Southern" greatest hits album. Dickey Betts put out two albums with Great Southern: "Dickey Betts and Great Southern" and "Atlanta's Burning". The 10 songs on this CD were taken from those two albums. The songs are 3 to 5 minutes long and the CD is just over 40 minutes long.Beware of anything from the BMG label. They take albums and repackage them, so the unwitting public rebuys music it already has. These BMG CD's are cheaply done. There are no liner notes, so it makes it difficult to tell origin of the music when you either buy it on line or in a record store. You only realize that you have been ripped off after you bring it home, play it and recognize the music as something you already have in your collection. What's worse about this CD is that they only took 5 tracks from each of the Great Southern albums. But, they could have fit both albums on one CD. So, why didn't they just include everything, so there was some value to getting this CD?Otherwise, the music on this CD is fairly good. I would rate three to four stars. There are some very good tracks on this CD, like Run, Gypsy, Run and There is Nothing You Can Do. The last track, Dealin' With The Devil, is a hard rocking tune, sounds out of place on this CD, but is the best thing on it. The remaining tracks are typical mediocre Dickey Betts tunes. They are on a par with the lesser Betts material on the Allman Brothers from the Arista years.Note that a couple of the musicians from Great Southern would join the Allman Brothers during their lowest period. It is called the Arista years, because they moved to the Arista record label. It lasted from 1977 until 1982. Their albums weren't very good, but they still put on a great concert."

Souther Rock Classic!

John O'Regan | 06/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a CD of beautiful "Southern Rock"... nah, just beautiful music. If you like ABB/Dickey Betts music - music with country blues/rock feel - you'll enjoy this wonderful album.I was absolutely floored when I came upon the poignant "Atlanta's Burning Down". It's one of the most moving and pretty songs I've ever heard. For me the entire work was worth this single song, though the whole collection of tunes should be considered a classic."

Very good compilation of Betts' Great Southern tracks.

John O'Regan | Limerick, Ireland. | 10/27/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Firstly 'Southern Rock Jam' is not a jamming album but a compilation of tracks from Dickie Betts & Great Southern's two 1977 and 1978 Arista Records albums 'Dickie Betts and Great Southern' and 'Atlanta's Burning Down'. These albums were Betts' first two Great Southern recordings and followed a similar path to his Allman Brothers period material. The mix of Country,Rock,Blues and Jazz is present as is the 2 guitars, 2 drummers plus a rhythm section and keyboards line up. Where the sound differs is that Great Southern sounds like a milder Allman Brothers Band musically at times. The songs though are quite good and for me hearing these tracks for the first time is quite an experience. 'Atlanta's Burning Down' has got to be one of Betts'finest and most lyrical songs -an eloquent ballad with a gorgeous string arrangement behind Betts' war weary vocals. The familiar Betts slide guitar is upfront and some good up tempo tracks in 'Out To Get Me' and 'Good Time Feeling' the latter with a graceful Southern Swing style are other stand outs. If you dont want to spend big $ on the 2 original Great Southern albums,'Southern Rock Jam' is a handy collection and at a budget price offers good value for money."