ALBUM: South’s Greatest Hits (1977)
MVC Rating: 4.0/$$$
This Capricorn compilation is a decent but flawed snapshot of what became known as “Southern Rock.” I was listening to the Allman Brothers and those young upstarts Lynyrd Skynyrd before that label was coined.
This record has those two iconic Southern Rock bands and plenty of other top-40 songs from Southern rockers. I have a small quibble with some of the choices: Elvin BIshop (Fooled Around and Fell in Love); Amazing Rhythm Aces (Third Rate Romance); and Dr. John (RIght Place Wrong Time). Bishop and the Aces songs’ don’t feel very Southern to me.
Now Dr.John is cajun-zydeco-rock — but I wouldn’t call it Southern. But I like the song! That would be like calling ZZ Top Southern music — Texas and New Orleans are two different ‘musics’ apart from Southern music is I guess what I’m trying to say.
Remember the founding Southern rock founding fathers the Allmans (represented here with ‘Rambling Man’ and Greg’s solo Midnight Rider. Southern through and through and their proteges in Lynyrd Skynyrd. This was mostly guitar driven blues-based rock with a good dose of country influence.
I need help from a guy I met in college who had a huge huge record collection but it was strictly Southern acts, complete catalogs of the Marshall Tucker band (represented here by ‘Fire on the Mountain, I’d have preferred ‘Can’t You See;): the Outlaws (who are represented by ‘There Goes Another Love Song’); Blackfoot (not here but had a hard Southern rock hit in ‘Train Train’); Charlie Daniels band (represented here by ‘The South’s Going to do it Again’); Wet Willie (represented here with ‘Keep on Smiling’); Barefoot Jerry (not represented here but they get a shout-out from the Charlie Daniels Band song featured here);) and the Atlanta Rhythm Section (Doraville).