Named after a famous 17th century axe murderess, Hatchet Molly, who would behead her lovers with the hand tool Lizzy Borden made famous. Molly Hatchet was formed in 1971 by Dave Hlubek and Steve Holland. Danny Joe Brown joined in 1974, Duane Roland, Banner Thomas, Bruce Crump in 1975. When they finally got their recording contract with Epic they got some help and advice from Ronnie Van Zant, who was originally suppose to produce the album, but was unable to due to the tragic plane crash in '77. Because of this the band's debut was not released until late 1978. Fortunately for the band, this late delivery did little to deter their popularity. By the time their second CD was released, the band had became enormously popular and stayed that way for many years despite the departure of vocalist/frontman Danny Joe Brown. Brown left the band in 1980 due to health problems stemming from Diabetes. Others have stated that the band worked had on the road, and drank just as hard, which was the reason that Brown had to go. Brown returned to the band in '83 for a successful tour and the release of "No Guts No Glory". The band had gone through numerous lineup changes since this time and as of the mid 1990's was touring without any original members, although many members had been with the band for many years including Bobby Ingram and John Galvin. (Both had played on Danny Joe Brown's 1981 solo disc.) I have been a Hatchet fan since I was in Jr. High School in 1979. (Man I'm old!) In any case, Molly Hatchet are southern rock mixed with a bit of 70's heavy metal and Ted Nugent/Foghat style boogie. The thing I like best about Hatchet is that they jam! OK, perhaps they don't exactly fit in with the rest of my CD collection, but who cares! I like 'em and that's all that matters!

Guitarist Dave Hlubeck went on to form the Southern Rock All Stars in 2000 with ex-Blackfoot drummer Jakson Spires. In '06 Hlubeck was rumored to be back in Hatchet.

In early 2005 a new band called Gator Country was formed that consisted of five original-era members of the legendary southern rockers Molly Hatchet. Included were drummer Bruce Crump, guitarist Duane Roland, guitarist Steve Holland, vocalist Jimmy Farrar, and bassist Riff West.

The southern rock family was dealt a huge blow on March 10, 2005 with the passing of original Molly Hatchet singer Danny Joe Brown. He had only just been released from hospital, after treatment for pneumonia and other ailments, but died upon his return home. He was 53 years old.

Duane Roland (Born: December 3, 1952 - Jeffersonville, Indiana) one of the original guitarists in Jacksonville-based Southern rock band Molly Hatchet, passed away on June 19, 2006 of heart failure in his St. Augustine home. He was 53.

Molly Hatchet (Epic) 1978 1. "Bounty Hunter" (2:58) 2. "Gator Country" (6:17) 3. "Big Apple" (3:01) 4. "Creeper" (3:18) 5. "Price You Pay" (3:04) 6. "Dreams I'll Never See" (7:06) 7. "I'll Be Running" (3:00) 8. "Cheatin' Woman" (4:36) 9. "Trust Your Old Friend" (3:55)

Duane Curtis Roland 1952 - 2006

Molly Hatchet's first album is an inspired southern rock classic. It doesn't have the crunch of the albums that followed this one, but the songwriting is so darn good, it doesn't matter. What I liked best about Southern rock was that it jammed and Hatchet's debut did just that. Of course Hatchet has always been under the shadows of Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers, but I think they stand on their own. "Dreams I'll Never See" is a superior cover of the Allman Bros. song. Hatchet's version smokes the original! The front cover, as would become a constant for the next few records, was painted by Frank Frazetta.

Molly Hatchet - Live at the Agora Ballroom Atlanta, Georgia April 20, 1979 (Phoenix Gems)

1. "Bounty Hunter" (3:28) 2. "Let the Good Times Roll" (4:07) 3. "Gator Country" (6:43) 4. "The Creeper" (3:57) 5. "T for Texas" (9:24) 6. "Big Apple" (3:08 7. "Dreams (I'll Never See)" (7:42) 8. "Trust Your Old Friend" (4:07) 9. "Harp Jam" (12:17) 10. "One Man's Pleasure" (3:22) 11. "Crossroads" (5:01) 12. "Boogie No More" (7:49)

Steve Holland

I flipped when I found this little gem. Live Hatchet from 1979, this had to be good, and good it was. The production is a little thin in places, but not exactly low quality bootleg crap either. At times some of the guitar solos are hard to hear and at others Danny Joe Brown's vocals are hard to hear, but overall everything is pretty listenable. There are three unreleased songs on this disc, a Jimmie Rodgers cover ("T for Texas"), a Robert Johnson cover ("Crossroads"), both of which Lynyrd Skynyrd also covered, and an original jam titled "Harp Jam." "Crossroads" is the same song made famous by Eric Clapton. "Harp Jam" is a harmonica, guitar jam in which Danny Joe Brown introduces each of the other five Hatchet members allowing for solos by each. A nice live disc that I bet disappears almost as fast as it was released.

Molly Hatchet - Flirtin' w/ Disaster (Epic) 1979

1. "Whiskey Man" (3:38) 2. "It's All Over Now" (3:40) 3. "One Man's Pleasure" (3:24) 4. "Jukin' City" (3:46) 5. "Boogie No More" (6:08) 6. "Flirtin' With Disaster" (4:58) 7. "Good Rockin'" (3:17) 8. "Gunsmoke" (3:11) 9. "Long Time" (3:19) 10. "Let The Good Times Roll" (2:56) BONUS TRACKS 11. "Silver & Sorrow" (3:55) 12. "Flirtin' With Disaster" [live] (6:15) 13. "One Man's Pleasure" [live] (3:17) 14. "Cross Road Blues" [live] (4:14)

Dave Hlubek, Duane Roland, Banner Thomas and Steve Holland

Taking the best aspects of Southern bands like Skynyrd and Blackfoot and mixing it with Tom Wermer heavy production, Molly Hatchet's second album "Flirtin' With Disaster" is a classic. Tom Wermer was most known for his work with Ted Nugent and Cheap Trick. In the last 70's many thought Southern rock had died along with the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd in that fateful plane crash, but "Flirtin' With Disaster" helped to resurrect the sound. It also helped to bridge the gap between the budding heavy metal scene that was just beginning to explode in Europe with the 'classic rock' scene that was nearly destroyed by punk and the soon to be 80's 'new wave' scene. The title track is a rock radio staple to this day and one of the band's heaviest and most well known tracks. As a matter of fact, this track helped the album to sell platinum within five weeks of it's release. The album has since sold over three million copies. Besides the 'hit' title track, it is the extended guitar driven jams like "Boogie No More" and the heavy Southern boogie of "Jukin' City" and "Whiskey Man" that became Hatchet's trademark. "It's All Over Now" is a smokin' Bobby Womack cover that I had always assumed was a Hatchet original. It was also a big hit or the Rolling Stones in the mid-70s. At least half of the songs off this album made it onto their "Greatest Hits" album, proving it to be one of their finest albums ever, if not their very best. The Frank Frazetta album cover is awesome, as was the first self titled album. In my opinion, however, the smaller CD size loses a little bit over the larger record format though.

Despite the success of this album, and the fact that it was only their second album, Hatchet had been touring for seven years before, which apparently was taking a toll on the health of vocalist Danny Joe Brown. After the tour for this album, Danny Joe Brown departed and recorded a solo album (Danny Joe Brown Band) with future Hatchet guitarist Bobby Ingram.

2002 saw the re-release of this disc in a remastered, expanded CD version. Of course I had to have that. Along with new liner notes and photos, includes an unreleased studio track and three excellent live tracks. "Silver And Sorrow", was apparently recorded at the same time and at the same studio as the rest of "Flirtin' With Disaster" but was left off the album for unknown reasons.

Molly Hatchet - Beatin' The Odds (Epic) 1980

1. "Beatin' the Odds" (3:17)
2. "Double Talkin'" (3:15)
3. "The Rambler" (4:50)
4. "Sailor" (3:50)
5. "Dead & Gone" (4:22)
6. "Few and Far Between" (3:39)
7. "Penthouse Pauper" (3:18)
8. "Get Her Back" (3:03)
9. "Poison Pen" (3:04)

Molly Hatchet's third album featured new singer Jimmy Farrar, who is a competent southern rock singer, but his voice changed the Hatchet sound quite a bit. Farrar's voice just didn't have the depth and the conviction that Danny Joe Brown's voice had. "Beatin' the Odds" was still a heavy southern rock and roll experience and contains such classics as the title track, "Penthouse Pauper" and "Double Talker" a low down and dirty heavy rocker. Once again the cover was painted by Frank Frazetta.

Danny Joe Brown & the Danny Joe Brown Band (Epic) 1981
Click the (Danny Joe Brown Band) cover for additional information.

Molly Hatchet - Take No Prisoners (Epic) 1981 1. "Bloody Reunion" (4:00) 2. "Respect Me in the Morning" (3:22) 3. "Long Tall Sally" (2:54) 4. "Loss of Control" (3:32) 5. "All Mine" (4:01) 6. "Lady Luck" (3:29) 7. "Power Play" (3:44) 8. "Don't Mess Around" (3:00) 9. "Don't Leave Me Lonely" (3:58) 10. "Dead Giveaway" (3:25)

Dave Hlubek

I was lucky enough to see Hatchet on this tour. They put on two spectacular shows at Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ. In anycase, this would be the last disc for Jimmy Farrar and one of the founding members, song writers and bassist Banner Thomas. The band is still on track here, creating a fine Southern rock platter with the temperature turned up a bit from their last disc. "Bloody Reunion" is a great song to start off the set, and if I remember correctly, this was also the song they started their live set with as well. "Respect Me in the Morning" and "Lady Luck" are both Hatchet classics as well. "Long Tall Sally" is a Little Richard cover, I believe. This particular disc sells consistently on eBay for over $20, due to the fact that it was released in limited numbers and is now out of print.

This line-up of Hatchet also recorded a live version of "Mississippi Queen" with Ted Nugent on Volunteer Jam: Classic Live Performances Vol. 1.

Molly Hatchet - No Guts, No Glory (Sony) 1983

1. "What Does It Matter?" (3:32)
2. "Ain't Even Close" (4:35)
3. "Sweet Dixie" (3:55)
4. "Fall of the Peacemakers" (8:04)
5. "What's It Gonna Take?" (3:59)
6. "Kinda Like Love" (4:10 )
7. "Under the Gun" (3:53)
8. "On the Prowl" (4:05)
11. "Both Sides" [instrumental] (5:09)

Danny Joe Brown returns for Hatchet's fifth studio album. (Danny Joe Brown released one solo record during the time he was gone called the Danny Joe Brown Band on Epic Records.) Bassist Banner Thomas left during the recording of this album and was replaced by bassist Riff West. The reunited band churned out their melodic epic masterpiece called "Fall of the Peacemakers," which is the best song on the disc, and one of my all time favorite Molly Hatchet songs. This song is Hlubeck's defining moment; his "Freebird" or "Stairway to Heaven" so to speak. The rest of the CD is actually quite good as well. "What's It Gonna Take", and "Ain't Even Close" are both hard rockin' Hatchet classics. "Sweet Dixie" has a distinctive Skynyrd vibe to it. Of course Hatchet always liked under the shadow of Skynyrd anyhow, but personally I always thought that Hatchet were heavier and harder rocking. However, there is no denying the Skynyrd influence, especially in light of songs like "Sweet Dixie" and "Fall of the Peacemakers." I've always liked Hlubeck's melodic instrumental "Both Sides" as well.

I saw Hatchet on this tour twice at Six Flags in NJ.

Here's a bit of useless, interesting information I took off Charlie Hagrett's homepage:

-Summer 1983, Kansas City, Kansas: Blackfoot are touring with Molly Hatchet when, with no warning, Hatchet's singer Danny Joe Brown, and guitarists Steve Holland and Duane Roland, fly home one night after a show, right in the middle of the tour. Only lead guitarist Dave Hlubek, drummer B.B. Borden and bassist Riff West show up in Kansas City the next day. That night, after a real quick "rehearsal" in the backstage dressing room, Rick Medlocke and Charlie Hagrett sit in with Molly Hatchet for their set. Medlocke took Danny Joe Brown's place as frontman, and Hagrett played rhythm guitar behind Hlubek's lead, with rhythm section B.B. and Riff. It wasn't pretty, but we pulled it off. The rest of Hatchet rejoined the tour the next day.

Molly Hatchet - The Deed is Done (Epic) 1984

1.    "Satisfied Man" (4:57) 2.    "Backstabber" (4:12) 3.    "She Does She Does" (6:06) 4.    "Intro Piece" (1:15) 5.    "Stone in Your Heart" (4:14) 6.    "Man on the Run" (4:09( 7.    "Good Smoke and Whiskey" (3:33) 8.    "Heartbreak Radio" (3:27) 9.    "I Ain't Got You" (2:30) 10. "Straight Shooter" (3:46) 11. "Song for the Children" (2:31)

Dave Hlubeck

Jacksonville's Southern hard rockers release an album full of 80's pop rock crap. This is one of those albums that proves how little record executives know about the fans. As I have read several times, Hatchet were forced into writing this pop junk by the bigwigs at Sony/Epic, using several co-writers that are not a part of the band. The addition of keyboards and horns to the mix makes things even worse, especially on songs like "Satisfied Man," which given a better, heavier production and less 80's studio sheen could have been a decent song.  The inclusion of triggers or a drum machine adds to the production problems. Some of the material on this disc was written for the band with little or no involvement by them except for the actual recording of the songs.   "I Ain't Got You" is a Yardbirds cover that has also been covered by Aerosmith.  This song could have smoked, given the rockin' rendition that Aerosmith did, but unfortunately just falls flat. There are a few decent songs on this disc, ("Heartbreak Radio") but there is an awful lot of crap to wade through to get to it. The killer album cover art disguises one of the worst Hatchet albums to ever be released. Not long after the tour for this disc the original members started dropping like flies, disappointed with the band's new direction and/or their decline in popularity.

Molly Hatchet - Double Trouble Live! (Epic) 1985 1. "Whiskey Man" (3:48) 2. "Bounty Hunter" (3:00) 3. "Gator Country" (7:16) 4. "Flirtin' with Disaster" (5:30) 5. "Stone in Your Heart" (4:13) 6. "Satisfied Man" (4:43) 7. "Bloody Reunion" (4:04) 8. "Boogie No More" (7:36) 9. "Free Bird" (11:19) 10. "Dreams I'll Never See" (7:03) 11. "Edge of Sundown" (4:24) 12. "Fall of the Peacemakers" (7:12) 13. "Beatin' the Odds" (3:41)

Duane Roland

I use to own the double album set which is the reason for the name DOUBLE Trouble. Unfortunately the CD version is a single disc and is missing two songs off the original vinyl version ("Walk On The Side Of The Angels" and "Walk With You".). "Flirtin' With Disaster" and "Beatin' the Odds" are simply fantastic and sound even better in this live format. The cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" sticks pretty close to the original. Danny Joe Brown dedicates the song to Ronnie Van Zant and the other Skynyrd guys that lost their lives in that tragic plane crash. "Edge of Sundown" is a track of Danny Joe Brown's solo album and fits the band's sound perfectly. If "Fall of the Peacemakers" was Hlubek's defining moment, then "Edge of Sundown" is Danny Joe Brown's coup.

Molly Hatchet - Lightning Strikes Twice (SPV) 1989

"Take Miss Lucy Home" (3:12) "There Goes the Neighborhood" (3:40) "No Room On The Crew" (3:26) "Find Somebody New" (3:12) "The Big Payback" (4:32) "I Can't Be Watching You" (6:00) "Goodbye to Love" (5:28) "Hide Your Heart" (4:38) "What's the Story, Old Glory" (3:20) "Heart of My Soul" (5:33)

Danny Joe Brown 1988

I had lost interest in Hatchet a bit with "The Deed is Done". I felt the band was abandoning their roots and trying to hard to become the next .38 Special and go for that mainstream pop rock sound. Because of that I never did order this CD until several years after it was released. I finally special ordered this import after reading a review of "Devil's Canyon" that said it was "their greatest album since 'Lightning Strikes Twice.'" Well, since I was very impressed with "Devil's Canyon" I decided to go for broke and order this German import. My initial thoughts? Honestly, I thought to myself, "this disc sucks" and on the shelf it went. It just didn't have the same vibe as those early Hatchet classics or even the new material on "Devil's Canyon."

Over the years I have pulled this one out on occassion and have grown to like several of the songs and appreciate this disc a bit more. The approach here is more traditional, blues based, Southern rock. Gone are the heavy guitars and the tripple guitar attack. "Lightning Strike Twice" was the first Hatchet album to feature guitarist Bobby Ingram, and the first album without founding member and songwriter Dave Hlubek. Duane Roland is the only "original" guitarist left in the band and instead of adding another guitarist to keep their trademark three guitar assault, Hatchet opted to add keyboardist John Galvin. Galvin was Danny Joe Brown's friend and had played on Brown's 1981 solo disc, as did guitarist Bobby Ingram. On top of the keyboards, the band also adds female background vocals and some horns here and there, not that this is unusual for Hatchet. The band had experimented with horns on past albums as well. A couple of my favorite cuts are the Southern rocker "Find Somebody New", the experimental "Heart of My Soul", and the bluesy "I Can't Be Watching You", which features some great piano work. However, the real standout cut is the the ballad "Goodbye to Love". (The band would re-record this song some years later on the "25th Anniversary" CD.) The biggest flaw on this album is "Hide Your Heart" which is a pop rock song written by Paul Stanley (Kiss). This song showed up on Kiss' "Hot in the Shade" and Ace Frehley's "Trouble Walkin'" CD that same year. This song just doesn't work well for Hatchet, although the dual guitar lead in the middle is pretty cool. Not even the powerhouse vocals of Danny Joe Brown could save this song. Otherwise, this CD isn't the atrocity that it's made out to be.

If found this German import for only $10.99 (Circuit City) instead of the over $20 range most imports sell for.

Molly Hatchet - Greatest Hits [Expanded] (Epic) 1990/2001

1. "Whiskey Man" (3:39)
2. "Bounty Hunter" (2:59)
3. "Gator Country" (6:18)
4. "Flirtin' With Disaster" (4:59)
5. "Bloody Reunion" [live] (4:08)
6. "Boogie No More" (6:07)
7. "Dreams I'll Never See" (7:27)
8. "Beatin' The Odds" [live] (3:40)
9. "Edge Of Sundown" [live] (4:24)
10. "Fall Of The Peacemakers" (8:07)
11. "It's All Over Now" (3:42)
12. "The Creeper" (3:18)
13. "Satisfied Man" (4:59)
14. "Ragtop Deluxe" (3:19)
15. "Shake The House Down" (4:14)

New axeman, and long time friend of the band, Bobby Ingram replaces Hlubek, who was one of the founders of the band as well as one of their main songwriters. Bobby Ingram is a longtime friend of Danny Joe Brown and was the guitarist and co-writer of much of his solo album. In anycase, this greatest hits package features two brand new cuts with the new guitarist that are actually quite good and sit well with all the Hatchet standards. I sort of wish they would have included the studio version of the Jimmy Farrar-era songs. The live versions of "Bloody Reunion and "Beatin' the Odds" don't seem to fit as well in a 'best of' package as the studio tracks would. The live version of "Edge of Sundown" is the only live inclusion that makes sense since the original studio version was on Danny Joe Brown's studio album. Oh, and why the heck isn't "Lady Luck" on this disc? Was there some secret conspiracy about including anything that Jimmy sang on? Regardless, Greatest Hits is a good collection and a nice career retrospective of Molly Hatchet up to this point. No other Southern Rock band had their unique blend of Skynyrd/Blackfoot-style Southern boogie & blues and Ted Nugent/Foghat-style hard rock/heavy metal.

Greatest Hits was re-mastered and re-released in 2001 with three additional tracks that were not on the original 1990 release. On top of re-mastering, the label also rearranged the song order putting the new tracks at the end of the disc and putting the other tracks in somewhat of a chronological order. I'm not sure what the point of rearranging the tracks was. The new tracks include the excellent "The Creeper" from the band's debut. No doubt this song belongs on a package like this. "It's All Over Now" is from the band's most well known album "Flirtin' With Disaster" and is also a welcome addition. "Satisfied Man" was from the era when Hatchet were being forced to use outside songwriters and to go in a pop direction, not unlike fellow Southern rockers .38 Special. This song is actually one of the better cuts from that era, but still sticks out like a sore thumb on this compilation. It would have been cool if they had added the two missing cuts from the CD version of "Double Trouble Live" instead of this track. This expanded edition also includes an 8-page booklet that includes photos and a short bio. The original didn't include much of anything in the booklet.

Molly Hatchet - Devil's Canyon (Mayhem) 1996 1. "Down from the Mountain" (4:38) 2. "Rolling Thunder" (4:03) 3. "Devil's Canyon" (6:18) 4. "Heartless Land" (6:24) 5. "Never Say Never" (3:46) 6. "Tatanka" (5:01) 7. "Come Hell or High Water" (3:40) 8. "Look in Your Eyes" (6:08) 9. "Eat Your Heart Out" (3:36) 10. "Journey" (7:20 ) 11. "Dreams I'll Never See" [acoustic version] (7:25)

Bobby Ingram 2003 photo by Jeff Stone

The sticker on the front said this was the bands first studio recording in over 12 years? What? "Lightning Strikes Twice" was released in 1989, I think. This album was released in 1996. Do the math; it doesn't add up. Maybe what they meant was this was their first GOOD album in 12 years. Now that I could agree with. Strange thing about this album is that there is not even one original member performing on the album, although Banner Thomas has a song writing credit on "Rolling Thunder" and Danny Joe Brown is still listed as a member. According to the liner notes, Danny Joe Brown had to be hospitalized during the pre-production of this album and he hand picked out Phil McCormick to take his place. Well, once thing is for sure, he picked a good vocalist with similar qualities to his own voice. "Devil's Canyon" is a return to the Hatchet I love with a heavy production and those long southern rock and boogie jams. Longtime guitarist Bobby Ingram wrote a majority of the material, he did a fine job as this is a great disc. My favorite song is "The Journey" which sounds like it would have fit in fine on "Flirtin' With Disaster," with the exception of the superior production on this album. The acoustic cover of "Dreams I'll Never See" is a nice bonus.

Bobby Ingram, John Galvin and Phil McCormick keep the Hatchet tradition alive, even though they, nor any of the other band members, were part of the original line-up. No matter really as the music still rocks in the southern rock tradition that is Molly Hatchet. "Mississippi Moon Dog" is one fine, hard-rockin' song and should be a staple in the band's live set for years to come. The title track and "Saddle Tramp" feature some of those extended guitar jams that Hatchet are known for.

Molly Hatchet is an all American, southern rock 'n roll band, so why the heck was this thing released almost 5 months earlier in Europe than in the good 'ol U.S. of A.? I went to a CD show in April and was REAL tempted to buy one of these European copies for $25. I managed to restrain myself and wait until the June 5th release. So was it worth the wait? I can honestly say YES! No doubt, Bobby Ingram still can write a heavy boogie rock 'n roll song with plenty of hook. Best of all, he mixes things up quite a bit, giving us some nice slow ballads as well as the more full throttle numbers. Several of these tracks ("One Last Ride," "Dreams Of Life") have those extended jams that make this style for me. Also, in similar pattern to the last two albums, the band finishes off with an acoustic cover of one of their own songs. This particular number was actually co-written by Ingram with Danny Joe Brown, for Brown's solo disc, Danny Joe Brown & the Danny Joe Brown Band. In the week I have had this disc, not a day has gone by that it hasn't been in my CD player. Overall, another outstanding release from Florida's champions of southern rock.

Molly Hatchet-Extended Versions (BMG) 2002
Recorded live at the Hollywood Palladium, in California, December 5, 1981.

1. "Beatin' the Odds" (3:28) 2. "Flirtin' With Disaster" (5:41) 3. "Gator Country" (6:23) 4. "Bounty Hunter" (2:51) 5. "Dreams I'll Never See" (7:01) 6. "Dead Giveaway" (3:24) 7. "Lady Luck" (3:45) 8. "It's All Over Now" (3:40) 9. "One Man's Pleasure" (3:31) 10. "Let the Good Times Roll" (3:45)

I have avoided these Extended Version discs like the plague. For the most part they are just cheap reissues of songs that are already out.(For examples, see the review of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Extended Versions or Thin Lizzy's Extended Versions.) However, when I saw this disc for some reason I picked it up just to scan the track listing. The first thing that stuck me was that Jimmy Farrar was shown on the cover. Then I noticed that "Dead Giveaway" was included. "Hmmm...How curious." I thought to myself, "The only time they ever performed that song live was on the "No Guts No Glory Tour" with Jimmy on vocals." Could it be that this is a live album from that tour with Jimmy actually behind the mic? Sure enough, it is! This is a rare gem, Molly Hatchet recorded live from 1981. I actually saw Hatchet on this tour twice in Jackson, NJ. Unfortunately the packaging is rather cheap and the only information given is that the disc was "Recorded Live". That's it, no more. However, with a bit of investigation I found out that this show was actually recorded December 5th 1981. It was a "Toys for Rock" free concert. To get into the show, people just had to bring a toy to be used as a Christmas present for a underprivileged child. The performance of these ten tracks is excellent and the material stellar. It's cool to finally get some live Hatchet with Jimmy. The sound quality on this disc is quite good as well. However, the songs are totally in the wrong order that they were played and and the between-song banter has been cut. Plus the following songs are missing:"Few & far Between." "Good Rockin'," "All Mine," "Dead & Gone," "Loss Of Control," "Long Tall Sally/Drum Solo" and "Bloody Reunion". However, this is still a fine live album. I only wish it would have been complete.

Molly Hatchet - Greatest Hits Live (King Biscuit) 2003

1. "Beatin' the Odds" (3:29)
2. "Let The Good Times Roll" (3:45)
3. "It's All Over Now" (3:40)
4. "Lady Luck" (3:45)
5. "One Man's Pleasure" (3:31)
6. "Dead Give Away" (3:33)
7. "Gator Country" (6:25)
8. "Dreams I'll Never See" (7:00)
9. "Flirtin' With Disaster" (5:44)
10. "Bounty Hunter" (2:52)
11. "Bloody Reunion" (4:07)
12. "Boogie No More" (8:33)

I love these King Biscuit discs. They are always raw, live and usually capture bands in their prime. In this case, Molly Hatchet recorded live in Los Angeles, CA on February 12, 1982 in front of a roaring crowd at the Palladium in Los Angeles. This was a vintage time for the band featuring Jimmy Farrar on vocals, shortly before the return of veteran vocalist Danny Joe Brown. Having seen this tour in Jackson, New Jersey I was overjoyed to have this show on disc, especially since it includes two more songs left off the previously released "Extended Versions" disc. "Greatest Hits Live" also restores the in-between song banter and I believe restores the song order aw well. At one point during the show Jimmy Farrar can be heard asking the crowd to back up as the people in the front were being crushed. Ha! Been there! Done that! Making a crowd like that move back is next to impossible. The Tower of Power horn section is brought in for this show to play during "Lady Luck". Sweet! Lots of spiced up classics here including "Bloody Reunion", "Beatin' the Odds", "One Man's Pleasure", etc. I am not exactly sure what the deal is with the discrepancy in dates. Some sources say these tracks were recorded on December 5, 1981, while others say the February 1982 date. I would love to know which one is actually correct.
(thanks Jeff)

Molly Hatchet - Locked and Loaded (SPV) 2003

Bobby Ingrim's Molly Hatchet live in Germany! Germany? Yup, Southern Rock is alive and well in Germany. It's a shame that good American hard rock like this is more popular outside of American, than it is in it's own home. In anycase, "Locked and Loaded" is an spectacular showcase of one of Southern Rock's longest running bands and features a good variety of material from both the early and later years of the band. Of course having been a fan since their first record some decades ago, there are some songs I wish they would have included, like "Lady Luck" and "Bloody Reunion". Overall, however, there is a good variety of songs on this disc. The inclusion of "Edge of Sundown" was a nice addition. "Edge of Sundown" was written when current members John Galvin and Bobby Ingram were in Danny Joe Brown's solo band during Danny's hiatus from Hatchet during their glory days in the 80's. However, a tribute disc this is not, and newbies like "Down from the Mountain", "Beatin the Odds", "Mississippi Moon Dog", "Miss Saturday Night" "Why Won't You Take Me Home" and especially "The Journey" are all up to par with the band's classic 70's and 80's material. I also think the band did a spectacular job of spicing up some of the songs for the stage. For instance, the piano and guitar introduction to "Dreams I'll Never See" is quite breathtaking. I can imagine this would have been even more spectacular had I been in the Bremen, Germany.

I had this CD autographed by guitarist Bobby Ingram, drummer Shawn Beamer, and singer Phil McCormick when my brother won backstage passes for a Molly Hatchet 25th Anniversary show. Very cool.

Molly Hatchet - 25th Anniversary: Best of Re-Recorded (SPV) 2004

1. "Flirtin' With Disaster" (5:08) 2. "Bounty Hunter" (3:05) 3. "Gator Country" (6:20) 4. "Whiskey Man" (3:43) 5. "Fall of the Peacemakers" (7:59) 6. "Satisfied Man" (4:40) 7. "Beatin' the Odds" (3:19) 8. "One Man's Pleasure" (3:33) 9. "Big Apple" (3:06) 10. "The Creeper" (3:28) 11. "Jukin' City" (2:59) 12. "Goodbye to Love" (5:23) 13. "Bloody Reunion" (4:01) 14. "25th Anniversary Song" (:30) 15. "Epitaph/Memories/The Great Beyond" (4:09) 16. "Dreams I'll Never See" (7:28) 17. "Boogie No More" (6:43)

Molly Hatchet 2004

This album contains the 25th Anniversary, 2004 re-recordings of Molly Hatchet's biggest hits and best tracks from each of their albums, from their self-titled debut through "Lightning Strikes Twice". The freshly recorded tracks were all done by the current incarnation of Hatchet, led by guitarist and producer Bobby Ingram. The band offers up slight reinterpretations of the classics, although for the most part the band doesn't stray to far from the originals. What makes this so unique is that there are no original members in this Hatchet lineup, and singer Phil McCormack, hand picked by Ingram and original vocalist Danny Joe Brown sounds so much like Brown. However, with young, fresh blood in the band, these classics have a new bite to them. This is especially true of the songs off the bands 1978 debut, as the guitar tones are just so much meatier. The big, roaring guitars that sound like chainsaws rumbling throug the Florida swamplands and the thundering drums shake the foundations. One of the most noticable changes to the song structures is the addition of "Dixie" to the end of "Gator Country." Also, the new instrumental opening to "Dreams I'll Never See" really adds something to the song. To be honest, as with any compilation from a band with a catalogue as big as Hatchet's, there are some songs I would have liked to have seen included that were not and a couple that I could do without ("Goodbye to Love"). I would have loved to have heard a new, rockin' rendition of "Lady Luck" and perhaps "Whats It Gonna Take". However, as it stands, this CD rocks! I can't see any Hatchet fan, or Southern rock fan, not enjoying this rocker!

Molly Hatchet - Flirtin' With Disaster-Live (Deadline) 2007

Recorded live in Prestonburg, KY and featuring a good variety of songs from the old and the new Molly Hatchet catalog. This live album features the return of Hatchet founder Dave Hlubeck on guitar, along with longtime members Bobby Ingram (guitars), Phil McCormack (vocals), John Galvin (keys) and Shawn Beamer (drums). The sound quality of the CD is outstanding. I have a feeling the crowd noise has been enhanced, but this is of little difference. I really enjoyed the live version of "Rainbow Bridge", a song dedicated to Bobby Ingram's wife Stephanie who passed away only a couple short years ago. The instrumental version of "Layla" was a nice addition as well. Unfortunately there aren't a whole lot of tracks featured that weren't already featured on the 2003 release, "Locked and Loaded".

This two disc collection is split up into the audio CD and the video DVD. Honestly, while I enjoy watching live concerts on DVD from time to time, I am much more concerned with the CD portion of this release. I spend a lot of time listening to music and can do so while doing other things. With a DVD, you have to devote yourself to nothing but that, and frankly I just don't have that kind of time. However, I did view the DVD once before reviewing this and it was quite enjoyable to watch. Molly Hatchet aren't nearly as energetic on stage as they use to be, but they are still fun to watch. Seeing the audience and hearing the reaction tends to reinforce my opinion that the audience noise was added or enhanced on the CD. Guitarist and Molly Hatchet mainstay Bobby Ingram looks great! The man lost a lot of weight years ago and has continued to keep the weight off. Dave Hlubeck has gained quite a bit of weight since Hatchet's heyday in the 80's, but he still plays as well as he ever has. Shawn Beamer is just a lot of fun to watch. I've seen the second incarnation of Molly Hatchet in concert myself and Beamer is quite the showman. One top of the complete concert there is also some bonus features including a biography, discography and photo section.

RELATED COLLECTIONS:
Southern Rock Allstars | Danny Joe Brown Band | Blackfoot | Dixie Jam Band

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