Live at the Agora Ballroom Atlanta, Georgia April 20, 1979

AMG Review of Live at the Agora Ballroom Atlanta, Georgia April 20, 1979

Michael B. Smith
All Music Guide

After the Freebird fell to the ground in October of 1977, Southern rock fans began to look for another band that might have the cure for the contagious Florida guitar rock that Lynyrd Skynyrd had infected them with. Enter Molly Hatchet, also from Jacksonville, sporting a three-guitar attack, a growling lead vocalist, and songs that fused the best of English rock and Southern blues.

With this never before released recording, Danny Joe Brown rocks Atlanta, Jacksonville style, with the original band -- Dave Hlubeck, Duane Roland, and Steve Holland on guitars, Banner Thomas on bass, and Bruce Crump on drums -- and delivers one of the most intense Southern rock concerts ever committed to compact disc. Like their brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Outlaws, Hatchet gave no quarter, scorching the stage of the venue with Dixie fire while bands like the Talking Heads held new wave court in the Fox Theatre directly across the street.

The band comes out kicking like a 40-mule team on "Bounty Hunter" and rolls into "Let the Good Times Roll" with the momentum of a downhill train, before taking no prisoners with the Southern anthem "Gator Country." Rock guitar never sounded more intense, except for maybe on their live rendition of Gregg Allman's "Dreams (I'll Never See)," or on their red hot version of Jimmie Rodgers' "T for Texas," a song that was, ironically, recorded at that venue right across the street by Lynyrd Skynyrd for their One More From the Road release.

The set also features "The Creeper," "Big Apple," "Trust Your Old Friend," "One Man's Pleasure," "Boogie No More," and a power-soaked rendition of Robert Johnson's definitive blues, "Crossroads." Don't forget the 12-plus minute "Harp Jam," featuring Danny Joe on some straight-up explosive harmonica.

Live at the Agora may not be the best live Southern rock document of all time, but it comes pretty damned close. It's balls to the wall, no prisoners, flirtin with disaster, beatin the odds, swamp rockin', gator music with the spirit of Skynyrd and the heart of Dixie, all rolled into one hard-working rock & roll band. As Ronnie Van Zant used to say, bring all my mules out here and kick 'em one time. It don't get no better than this, brothers and sisters.