Legendary Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd are currently playing shows on their ‘Last of the Street Survivors-Farewell Tour’ with dates booked into late October of 2018. The band has toured heavily since their 1987 reformation, but with sole surviving founding member Gary Rossington enduring his own health problems in recent times maybe it really is the end of the road for Skynyrd but who’d bet against the band coming around again? Skynyrd released their last studio album ‘Last of a Dyin’ Breed’ back in 2012 and any further studio records look increasingly unlikely but the void has been filled to some degree by a slew of interesting live archival releases to keep hard-core fans busy which brings us to ‘Live In Atlantic City’ released on the German earMUSIC label.

The latest live release is new in name only as ‘Live In Atlantic City’ was recorded in 2007 and features the late Billy Powell and Ean Evans on piano and bass respectively. It was recorded for the Decades Rock Live TV series on VH1 Classic that also included shows by Heart, Elvis Costello, Cyndi Lauper, Bonnie Raitt etc. usually with special guests sharing the stage. This review is of the video part of the release via stream/download and sounds good in the stereo available to me. The show was originally recorded and transmitted in 5.1 so I don’t envisage any problems on that score for the DVD/Blu-ray. Live shows recorded for TV always seem to lack bottom end so Michael Cartellone’s drums sound a little light on occasion, as they get swept up in the legions of guitars, but not annoyingly so.

Opening with a stormin’ ‘Working For MCA’ Skynyrd’s triple guitar threat never gets old and the interplay between Rossington, Rickey Medlocke and, at the time, new boy Mike Matejka is always a pleasure to behold. The band looks in good form with Johnny Van Zant obviously having a great time. Billy Powell leads the band through the patriotic ‘Red White & Blue’ with Rossington adding some tasty slide guitar before a rousing ‘Gimme Three Steps’ picks up the pace with the addition of a horn section. Things take an interesting turn as Bo Bice and guitarist Kris Bell join Skynyrd for two songs. Bice is probably best known for finishing runner-up to Carrie Underwood on American Idol and at the time of this show his star was on the rise. More recently he’s been fronting 60’s act Blood Sweat and Tears at a state fair/casino near you. Bice and Skynyrd do Bice’s best known song ‘The Real Thing’ but it doesn’t really work in this context while ‘Gimme Back My Bullets’ fairs better as Bice holds his own, but you can’t help but get the feeling Bo Bice is more record company product placement than anything else. On the other hand guitarist Kris Bell might be a new name to some but he’s well worthing checking out.

Hank Williams Jr. is up next and he’s played with Skynyrd in the past so the chemistry is instant with ‘Down South Jukin’ and an incendiary ‘Born To Boogie’ standouts of this set. ‘Boogie’ is just terrific, the band is rockin’ and Williams is a force of nature. Next up are 3 Doors Down which might raise a few more eyebrows but Brad Arnold and the guys hail from Mississippi and their brand of alternative rock always had more than a tinge of Southern rock to it. With 3DD on stage we’ve no less than five, count ‘em, guitarists which is pretty ridiculous to be honest but it’s kinda great to see Medlocke whistle in a solo ala Danny Joe Brown during a rousing ‘That Smell’ before 3DD‘s biggest hit ‘Kryptonite’ goes down really well with Brad Arnold and Johnny Van Zant having a fine time as they exchange vocal lines. In an odd turn of events Skynyrd take a short break and 3DD power through ‘Saturday Night Special’ which reminds me just how good a live band 3DD are. The stereo separation on the guitars here is fantastic so kudos to the mixing engineer. Skynyrd invite all their guests back to the stage for ‘Call Me The Breeze’ and ‘Sweet Home Alabama before they take things back into their own hands for the obligatory ‘Freebird’ to conclude a 70 min set.

‘Live In Atlantic City’ is a bit of an oddity in some ways considering the artists involved but the performances are cool and it’s great to see this sorta thing getting an official release. I doubt long-time Skynyrd fans will be able to resist the CD/Blu-ray pack especially in the fake leather limited edition version.

Buy on Amazon

“Live In Atlantic City” is going to be released as CD+Blu-ray Digipak (limited first print run in fake leather), 2LP Gatefold+download, DVD, Blu-ray and Digital on September 21st, 2018 on earMUSIC.

Classic Rock @RGM

Feb 24, 2024

Sons Of Liberty - The Detail Is In The Devil (Album Review)

Feb 24, 2024

Sons Of Liberty are a bunch of old-school rockers who, somewhat surprisingly, hail from Bristol in the UK but are steeped in the harder-edged Southern rock rooted in the Southern states of the USA that came to prominence in the late 70s. The quintet made their recording debut in 2018 with a brace of EPs, ‘...Shinola’ followed by ‘Aged in Oak’. 'The Detail Is In The Devil' is their third full-length release and first with new singer Russ Grimmett.

Feb 24, 2024

Aug 1, 2023

Status Quo –Official Archive Series Vol.1 (Album Review)

Aug 1, 2023

Status Quo might not instantly spring to mind as an artist you would expect to embark on a series of archive releases, but if Vol.1 – Live In Amsterdam is any guide to the quality of this new undertaking, fans are in for a treat. The band has joined the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young in delving deep into the vaults to unearth, spruce up, and release a live show recorded on October 19th 2010, at the Heineken Hall in Amsterdam for a limited numbered edition CD and LP release. This makes perfect sense; Status Quo live, there are few better, so what more do you need to know?

Aug 1, 2023

Jul 7, 2023

Fred Abbott and The Wild Unknown - Shining Under The Soot (Album Review)

Jul 7, 2023

Fred Abbott may be better known to you as the guitarist from the much-loved and hard-to-pigeonhole band Noah & The Whale. A popular live draw, their refreshing, inventive approach to songwriting and record-making set them apart from the crowd but ultimately the band split in 2015, with four albums to their name. Abbott’s solo debut, Serious Poke, appeared shortly after, sporting a more straightforward, guitar-centred sound. Eight years later - and having gained broad experience as a session musician and producer in between - Abbott has returned with Shining Under The Soot, a mature and beautifully crafted follow-up, brimming with energy and heart.

Jul 7, 2023

May 20, 2023

Arjen Lucassen’s Supersonic Revolution - Golden Age Of Music (Album Review)

May 20, 2023

When you think of progressive rock/metal concept albums, one name springs instantly to mind, Arjen Lucassen. It could have all been so different for Lucassen, as his 1993 solo album, released under the Anthony moniker, ‘Pools Of Sorrow, Waves Of Joy’ was met with indifference by the record-buying public (finding a copy thirty years later will be a long and expensive search). Seemingly undaunted and already a hard rock veteran after stints in Bodine and Vengeance, Lucassen pushed on regardless, his determination resulting in a slew of projects that played a crucial role in revitalising the progressive rock/metal scene via releases under the Ayreon, Ambeon, Guilt Machine and Star One banners while still finding time for guest appearances and contributions to albums by leading lights of the scene such as Within Temptation and Avantasia. For this project, Lucassen has put his little black book of names to one side (Lucassen has enlisted many performers on his star-studded albums, especially singers) and settled on a band project, it’s still essentially a concept record in the Lucassen tradition, but he looks to be out to have a little fun, and the results are glorious.

May 20, 2023

Sep 30, 2022

Richard Marx - Songwriter (Album Review)

Sep 30, 2022

From his self-titled, triple platinum-selling debut album in 1987 to ‘Limitless’ in 2020, Richard Marx has had an unerring knack for a melody (not to mention a pretty wonderful voice). Marx's songwriting skills have enabled him to stay relevant throughout his nearly forty-year career. His sound has evolved over time, with the punchy guitars of the late 80s replaced by a smoother, more R&B/pop sound tailored to radio and streaming services. Along the way, his song craft has been in high demand, co-writing and/or contributing songs to a startling array of artists from Kenny Rogers to Keith Urban via NSYNC, Luther Vandross and Vixen. An impressive CV, but where does that chameleon-like ability to pen hit songs come from? How does he do it? Hopefully, ‘Songwriter’ might give us a bit of a clue as we take a journey through twenty tracks encompassing four genres; pop, rock, country and ballads.

Sep 30, 2022

Sep 29, 2022

Status Quo - Riffs 2CD Deluxe (Album Review)

Sep 29, 2022

In 2003 fresh from the success of ‘Heavy Traffic’, which found a rejuvenated Quo recovering somewhat from a run of uninspired releases, things were seemingly on an upward curve. So, what do they do? They release another covers album…honestly guys, really? There’s been a trend in recent years, which isn’t particularly welcome, of bands rerecording their own songs or putting out cover albums of their “favourite” songs (usually the same “favourite” songs of every other band on the planet). The Quo did both on one album!

Sep 29, 2022

Sep 26, 2022

Status Quo - Heavy Traffic 3CD Deluxe (Album Review)

Sep 26, 2022

I’ll always have a soft spot for Status Quo. Admittedly this is based on a hazy memory of a March 1981 show on the ‘Never Too Late tour. In those days, the Quo were a British institution as the classic line-up of Rossi, Parfitt, Lancaster and Coghlan were revered by fans and could be relied upon for no-nonsense hard rock of the highest order. It wasn’t overly complicated, but they had the songs; it was loud, it was sweaty, and that was good enough for me. Unfortunately, my love of all things Quo was brief as post ’82 Quo were a mere shadow of their former selves and had a string of pretty terrible records to prove it.

Sep 26, 2022

Jul 21, 2022

Silent Running - Follow The Light (Album Review)

Jul 21, 2022

Silent Running is a name that might be familiar to readers with a long memory. The Northern Irish rockers released their debut record ‘Shades Of Liberty’ on EMI in 1984 before moving to Atlantic for two further albums. The guys maintained a busy touring schedule that included shows with Talk Talk, Simple Minds, John Foxx and Robert Palmer and even appeared on The Tube (an iconic TV show that was incredibly influential at the time). Unfortunately, major success eluded them and the band called it a day in 1989. It looked like the Silent Running story was over, but after a thirty-year hiatus, the guys thought it might be fun to play a few songs at a band member’s wife’s birthday party. The birthday party would lead to a sold-out show at Belfast’s Voodoo, and now Silent Running are back with a fourth album, ‘Follow The Light’ to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the band.

Jul 21, 2022

Apr 6, 2022

Envy Of None - Envy Of None (Album Review)

Apr 6, 2022

As a founding member of legendary Canadian rockers Rush, Alex Lifeson sold millions of records and embarked on numerous world tours with bandmates Geddy Lee and Neil Peart. The trio played huge venues to a level of fan adoration that many of their contemporaries could only imagine. The only time I was lucky enough to catch the band was on their ‘Roll The Bones’ tour at London’s Wembley Arena. That night convinced me how special they could be, even if I wasn’t always totally convinced by their varied musical output. Rush played their last shows as a band in 2015, and with the sad passing of Neil Peart in 2020, the Rush story came to an understandable, albeit sad conclusion. This brings us to the question of what do you do when you have been there, done it and bought the t-shirt (and probably a very nice house)?

Apr 6, 2022

Mar 4, 2022

John Illsley - VIII (Album Review)

Mar 4, 2022

For many, John Illsley will always be the imposing figure standing next to Mark Knopfler as Dire Straits left the London pub circuit behind and achieved worldwide domination via their fifth album ‘Brothers In Arms'. The band almost singlehandedly convinced every household they needed a shiny little 5” silver disc to replace all those old and antiquated black slabs of 12" vinyl. Approximately 30 million of us did just that (which, in 2022, is pretty ironic considering the perceived cool factor of LPs these days). Alongside Mark Knopfler, John Illsley was the only other band member to do a full tour of duty with Dire Straits on their almost twenty-year run before the band slowly faded away in the early 1990s. John’s solo career actually began during his time in Dire Straits with the ‘Never Told A Soul’ LP in 1984. John has continued to release albums on a semi-regular basis, with VIII being, unsurprisingly, his eighth studio album.

Mar 4, 2022

Jul 22, 2021

David Crosby - For Free (Album Review)

Jul 22, 2021

A mere month before his 80th birthday David Crosby returns with a new record ‘For Free’ and continues a career renaissance that would have been, at the very least, unlikely just a few short years ago. The famed singer and songwriter is undoubtedly one of the greats. His role as a founding member of two of the seminal groups of the late 60s (The Byrds/Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) and his contribution and influence on what became known as the Laurel Canyon sound confirms Crosby’s status. Unfortunately, Crosby’s career has been dogged by personal tragedy, ill health, substance abuse and a seemingly unmatched ability to annoy the hell out of people, most notably his fellow band members. With the release of ‘Lighthouse’ in 2016 Crosby was back making great music in the studio and touring with like-minded musicians who understood Crosby’s musical legacy and were intent on adding to it. The genesis of this resurgence can be traced back to Crosby’s work in CPR a trio he formed with his son James Raymond and Jeff Pevar. It was Raymond who produced Crosby’s first solo album in twenty years (2014’s ‘Croz’) and now helms ‘For Free’.

Jul 22, 2021

Mar 16, 2021

Creye - II (Album Review)

Mar 16, 2021

Originally formed by guitarist Andreas Gullstrand back in 2015 Swedish melodic rockers Creye are back with (I’m gonna take a wild guess here) their second album. Since the release of their well-received debut in 2018, the band have gained a new singer in August Rauer and spent the majority of 2019 on the road honing their sound. The result is an impressive release that marries muscle with melody harking back to the likes of fellow Swedes Europe and Bad Habit while adding more than a hint of pop nous. RGM featured Creye late last year in our popular Hard Place feature and we thought a proper look at their latest album was well overdue.

Mar 16, 2021