Dickey Betts and Great Southern - Southern Rock Jam
by Carl Bookstein
published: 16 / 9 / 2017

Label:
Select Label
Format: N/A
intro
Carl Bookstein examines 'Southern Rock Jam', a recently reissued collection of the work of Dickey Betts and Great Southern on the Arista Label in the late 1970's.
'Southern Rock Jam' celebrates the work of guitarist, singer and songwriter Dickey Betts and his band Great Southern. This music was created after his split with and the demise of the Allman Brothers Band at that time in 1976. 'Out To Get Me' starts with a stinging guitar serenade. Betts is singing about a woman out to get him, coming back for more. The lyric is “Always been a woman’s game/Ain’t no one to blame” into more rich, reverberating guitar and a fine harmonica solo. On 'Run Gypsy Run', Betts sings about rolling on down the highway. It is solid Southern Rock and more resonant guitar with Betts in fine voice. 'Sweet Virginia'( not the Rolling Stones song) is a fine moment. “Sweet Virginia, I believe in you, little things you say and do. With just a smile, you chase them blues.” This is a soul healing, straight-to-the heart love song and an album highlight here. 'California Blues' includes more killer Southern Rock guitar. The narrator is feeling down, sitting alone in a house in L.A. “Tomorrow I’ll be leaving you L.A. … Could be I loved her more than she could see.” The following track finds Betts singing about “When that good time feeling comes around.” 'Atlanta’s Burning Down' (penned by Billy Ray Reynolds) is this album’s apex peak highlight--Southern, stately and capturing an epochal Civil War era tale. “Left my home in Georgia… Southward bound… From Gettysburg to Richmond, I fought long and hard… so I’m leaving here this morning… Atlanta’s burning down.” The song is lyrically evocative and rich, bringing to mind another Dixie inspired composition, The Band’s 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.' It is the finest moment on 'Southern Rock Jam'- the album is a window into the work and world of Dickey Betts in and around 1977 and 1978. It is a time capsule from a moment on the music scene when Punk and New Wave were breaking big, and Dickey Betts was, as always, simply doing his own thing.
Track Listing:-
Band Links:-
https://dickeybetts.com/https://www.facebook.com/dickeybetts/
https://twitter.com/dickeybetts
Picture Gallery:-


most viewed articles
current edition
Pennyblackmusic - Writers and Photographers' Albums of the Year 2024Peter Perrett - In Dreams Begin Responsibilities Interview Part One
Man From Delmonte - Interview
Clive Langer - Interview
Pennyblackmusic - Book of the Year Award 2024
Johnnie Johnstone - Interview
Marianne Faithfull - Reflections
Laura Nyro - Profile
Johny Brown - Corpse Flower
Vinyl Stories - Vinyl 2024
previous editions
Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EPMichael Stuart Ware - Pegasus Epitaph: The Story of the Legendary Rock Group Love
Trudie Myerscough-Harris - Interview
Marianne Faithfull - Interview
Dwina Gibb - Interview
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
Beautiful South - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Henry McCullough - Interview
Peter Paul and Mary - Interview with Peter Yarrow
Marianne Faithfull - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Dorie Jackson - Stupid Says RunRingo Starr - Look Up
Beabadoobee - This is How The World Moves
Pixie Lott - Encino
Dusty Springfield - The BBC Sessions
Unthanks - In Winter
Joan Armatrading - How Did This Happen and What Does It Mean?
Oïmiakon - Comptoir Des Vanites
Rosie Lowe - Lover, Other
Emily Burns - Die Happy
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart