Recorded on June 23, 1996 at the famous Loreley Open Air Stage in Germany (also filmed and available on DVD), this lively set from veteran Southern rockers Molly Hatchet in front of their adoptive audience (the band have made a nice living of touring in Germany over the last two decades) at that point was a celebration of 20 years in the business. Featuring many of their signature songs, as well as a few from the then newly released Devil's Canyon, the band rocked hard and delivered a blistering set of guitar fueled Southern rock.
The Molly Hatchet line-up in 1996 was longtime members Bobby Ingram (guitar) and John Galvin (keyboards), along with Phil McCormack (vocals), Bryan Bassett (guitar), Andy McKinney (bass), Mac Crawford (drums), and backing vocalists Leslie Hawkins & Therisa McCoy. No original members you say? Well, that is indeed the case, though Ingram & Galvin have both been in the band since the mid-'80s and have basically taken over by this point. McCormack sounds exactly like late vocalist Danny Joe Brown, and his whiskey soaked growl suits classics like "Gator Country", "Bounty Hunter", "Whisky Man", "It's All Over Now", and of course "Flirtin' With Disaster" quite nicely. The guitar duo of Ingram and Bassett deliver plenty of sizzling riffs and twin lead guitar on the lengthier numbers like The Allman Brothers Band classic "Dreams I'll Never See" and "Fall of the Peacemakers", and it's great to hear some of the new tunes from Devil's Canyon, notably the crunchy "Rolling Thunder" and anthemic, lead guitar fueled title track, both tunes fitting in fine with all the Hatchet classics.
Many folks have kind of lost touch with the band over the years due to the fact that currently the band is as far removed from the classic line-up as you can get (though guitarist Dave Hlubek came back into the fold a few years ago) but in all honesty these guys continue to deliver that classic Molly Hatchet sound, and all the new music they've been cranking out certainly does the name justice and lives up to their tradition of heavy, kick ass, melodic Southern rock. Close your eyes and listen, and it still sounds like Molly Hatchet, so that's good enough for me.
Track Listing
1) Bounty Hunter
2) It's All Over Now
3) Gator Country
4) Rolling Thunder
5) Devil's Canyon
6) Down From the Mountain
7) Whiskey Man
8) Dreams I'll Never See
9) Fall of the Peacemaker
10) The Journey
11) Flirtin' With Disaster
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