Customer Reviews

Atlanta Rhythm Section - Greatest Hits

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

These "new stereo recordings" sound older than the originals. Here they put the emphasis on the guitars and on Hammond's voice, but the backings and the keyboards have almost disappeared. This is not the A.R.S. I used to know. It's not because Hammond sings like Ronnie Van Zant that they should try and sound like Skynyrd ...

I should have read the reviews before buying this cd. The strong vocal aspect of A.R.S. is completely missing. There are no background vocals to speak of. This cd reminds me of a kareoke recording. I'm glad I spent the little money I did because I will not listen to it. Next time I will read the reviews.

Sadly, the other reviewers are correct. This is not what one would expect. When I stumbled upon this disc at an insanely low price, I thought I'd found a real bargain. Not so. What else would I have thought when looking at a disc entitled "Atlanta Rhythm Section--Greatest Hits"? What would you have thought? The original studio recordings of their most well-known songs! Right? Right? Wrong! Not too long into the opening track, "So Into You", I knew something was wrong. For one thing I got the chance to catch the band live in Paducah, KY back in April of 2000 and I must say the show was quite entertaining. However, Ronnie Hammond's vocals were showing their age. Imagine my surprise when I played this disc and it sounded as if it came from a similar live show to the one I saw. It was not the clean, crisp sound of vintage ARS. The only warning given? Written in fine print on the back of the disc is "Recorded in 1995". .... Another minus: no liner notes inside the disc. Just a blank, white piece of paper. I'm starting to understand the reason for the low price.

Why two stars instead of one? After everything I've said, I must now admit that what's here isn't terrible. These are still good songs, it's just that this particular version of "Homesick" can't stand up to the original version. The same is true of "Jukin'", "So Into You", or anything from Champagne Jam which is what I recommend you buy instead of this.

These aren't bad songs, they're just shadows of their former selves.Borrowing a line that Redford gives to Hoffman in All the President's Men, I don't mind what they did, I mind the way they did it.

Something is wrong with this disk. I think I needed to get the "best of hits" released in 1991, not this one released in 1995. It is bad. Sorry ARS

The main reason I bought this was because of the price. I wasn't enough of a fan that I ever bought one of their albums so I can't make the comparison that other reviewers have made. I found this version to be worth the price so there's nothing negative there. The version of "Spooky" blows me away which is one reason why I bought this. The only thing negative I can say about this disc is that the volume level is very low here; I have to crank up the volume considerably to equal the volume level of other discs. This isn't a dad disc for the price.

I'm sorry, folks, but if those three idiots above who reviewed this CD had the sense God gave a baboon, and were TRUE Atlanta Rhythm Section fans, they would have LOVED every song on this album.

Your reading a TRUE ARS fan's review here, folks. I was with 'em in '75 and '76 when they did the Fox in Atlanta, on New Years Eve, with Mother's Finest, and Flo and Eddie. I GREW UP listening to these great musicians from Doraville. Anytime they're in Atlanta, or anywhere nearby, I catch them. I just saw them at the Mable House Amphitheatre this summer, and while they were missing Hammond (Andy Anderson is now doing the crooning) and Daugherty and Bailey were still there, they put on one heckuva show!

So take it from me, those three "YANKEES" who reviewed this CD must have been doing some truly wild stuff, if you catch my drift!

Yes, it IS true the album was recorded in 1995, with little background vocals where the original songs had them. However this only ENHANCES the CD, in my opinion. And the idiot berating Ronnie Hammond's voice needs to realize that Hammond is nearing the half century mark, and EVERYONES voice slips a little by then.

But that doesn't mean that ARS sounds terrible on this CD. Quite the contrary, Hammond's voice has aged well, like Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, and sounds wonderful.

I highly recommend it to ANYONE who is a TRUE Atlanta Rhythm Section fan! Long live ARS!

Steve Dunbar, Georgia

Another band revisites their hits for what purpose? I loved the originals, but these are sad substitutes. This one went straight to the trash can. They should have spent the time recording some new material instead of regurgitating this stuff.

I'm rating this high for it's rarity. I knew when I bought this out of a bargain bin it was new recordings. I was disappointed too. It sounds like the then touring band went into a studio and recorded their setlist. Even to the point where Ronnie Hammond is the only singer, their is no overdub vocals at all. It use to bother me, now that I love ARS I marvel at how good a job he did.
To be taken in a limited amount.