When the Blackfoot and Molly Hatchet DVD were recently issued, many fans were surprised not to get the Atlanta Rhythm Section one, because at the Prestonburg show they could see the three bands. Maybe they needed some little mix corrections but now we can get that DVD and it’s a very good thing !
We can enjoy the new composition of the ARS, with Dean Daughtry on keyboards who is the only original band member. This video testimony shows what happens for most of the Southern bands where often no one of the original members is still present. We can debate about that but however, we have to admit that fact. For myself, as I often said, I do regret Ronnie Hammond and Barry Bailey misses, but I must admit that the job the new musicians do is really great. We can also congratulate Steve Stone for his job on Barry Bayley guitar parts, it must have been a lot of work. So this adaptation was inevitable for the group (only strong survive).
That’s why I think that the ARS is one of the best Southern legend bands. Even if they don’t offer us new compositions (think about it guys !),
we still do enjoy the famous hits like ‘back Up Against The Wall’, ‘Champagne Jam’, ‘So Into You’, ‘Imaginary Lover’ and other jewels such as ‘Doraville’, ‘Large Time’ and ‘The Ballad Of Lois Malone’ who were not on the 2004 ‘Live At Stabler Arena’.
So my conclusion is that we can thank Dean, Steve, Justin, Andy and Jim to let the story go on. That’s what I deeply feel!

John Molet

Roughly, it’s a kind of ”ARS” “Best of”, increased with some good pieces from other guests, but also and especially a particular homage to the named Paul Bryant, realized in 1983 by Ronnie Hammond and Buddy Buie and coming out today. The story tells that Ronnie and Buddy were composing titles for the “ARS” when they lived on the TV the last trip of this famous Alabama football coach. The two ARS ‘s characters decided immediatly to write an homage-song for this man, a title let a long time apart in the bottom of a drawer, but now coming out, as surprising as it seems to be!
A magnificent album, full of emotions, in the ARS titles or in those from « Cook & Glenn » or « Bama Band Network ». It seems in any case that this album’s common point is Alabama. We can understand it easily when we listen to « Bama On the Radio » or the incredible « Dreamy Alabama »! Such a beautiful album, at all events!
John Molet

Good grief... If a surprising coming out could exist, this could be the one, because we could think with the name of this album (“Anthology”), that it would logicaly be a new and umpteenth ARS’s “Best of”, but I was so much surprised as I insert the disc in the player. First, if we can listen to some of the band’s standards, like "So in to You", "Spooky",” I'm Not Gonna Let it Bother Me Tonight", they are this time revisited and interpreted by Andy Anderson, the singer who had the heavy task to replace the great Ronnie Hammond. But the most wondering things are in the rest of the album, where Steve Stone and his friends decided to insert some Southern and Classic Rock Standards covers, like « Hold on Loosely » ( 38 Special ), « The Boys are back in town » ( Thin Lizzy ) « Takin care of business » ( Bachman Turner Overdive ), « Call me The Breeze » ( JJ Cale-Skynyrd) and even « Sharp Dressed Man/ Gimme All Your Lovin ‘ » ( ZZ Top ). We have to admit honestly that we didn’t expect such a thing from the “ARS”, but the true surprise consists also and especially in those cover’s quality. From that point of view, the “ARS” really doesn’t have to mind. I would even say that it means a lot about the band spirit, and that it’s very nice to hear them play those covers. I’d like also to mention the very good versions of « The Ballad of Lois Malone », « Imaginary Lover », and « Champagne Jam », so even if I still don’t understand why they call their album like that (?, perhaps contractual?), I don’t think it’s so bad, because the musique is so interesting!
John Molet

So.. we have waited so long to get it, one of the greatest Southern band video. Now we get it, the official Atlanta Rhythm Section DVD. We just can say that it is pity that it has not been released when Ronnie Hammond was in the group, but however… We can also regret that there only nine songs, but now we can see the band on stage and that is the most important. With Barry Bailey on guitar, with his friends Dean Daughtry on keyboards, Justin Senker on bass guitar, Steve Stone on guitar and vocals, Jim Kelling on drums and the new one Andy Anderson on lead vocals, that has the heavy task to take Ronnie Hammond place, the Atlanta Rhythm Section is today still faithful to the band founders and it is a real good thing. Great songs such as "Back Up Again The Wall", "Champagne Jam", "So Into You", "Imaginary Lover", "Home Sick"… are very well played. So we can say that if one of the Southern Bands deserves real congratulations, it sure will be the Atlanta Rhythm Section !
John Molet .