Customer Reviews

Fresh Outta Georgia Live Like a Satellite

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It's a shame that so few people know about Dan Baird, just like it was a shame that his and Rick Richards' 80s roots-rock outfit The Georgia Satellites never really got the props they deserved.
Most rock fans over the age of 30 probably know the Satellites single "Keep Your Hands To Yourself" and Baird's own "I Love You Period" (both of which can be found here in fiery, rip-roaring renditions), but that's really the limits of most people's Dan Baird-knowledge. And that's their bad luck, because the Georgia Satellites, from whose catalogue most of these songs are culled, was one of the few "real" rock bands of the 80s. Not heavy metal, not pop metal, not grunge, not alt rock, just rock n' roll, Chuck Berry with an edge.

And Dan Baird still keeps the roots-rock banner flying high. He and his band just played my hometown here in eastern Denmark, actually, which was nice, but he really should be playing bigger venues, you know?
This is three chords and a cloud of dust, as it says in the liner notes to one of the Satellites' albums. Baird has a country twang to his voice, having grown up in Georgia, although he was actually born in California., but this is not country rock, even if songs like "Julie And Lucky" and "Dixie Beaux Deraunt" have more than a little bit of two-step in their fabric. Dan Baird and Homemade Sin play melodic, yet hard-rocking old-time rock n' roll, all punding drums and crunchy guitar riffs. Big riffs and even bigger hooks...a little bit of Springsteen and Lynyrd Skynyrd, a little AC/DC, a little blues, a little more country, and a lot of Chuck Berry.

There are plenty of highlights here, from the opener, the driving "It Comes To Me Naturally", to the closing rendition of Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone". Baird and his three-man backing band tear through joyous renditions of "I Dunno" and "Railroad Steel", but the mellow, acoustic folk ballad "Another Chance" is equally enjoyable, as is the soulful slow rock of "All Over But The Cryin'".
The old Satellites number "Sheila" succesfully incorporates part of Bo Diddley's "Pills", and the ten-minute "Feels So Good/Look At What You Started" medley is pretty much the embodyment of gritty just-for-the-hell-of-it roots-rock. And then there is "Battleship Chains", of course, a loose but quite irresistable three minutes of that instantly recognizable screaming lead guitar riff, thundering drums, and the most melodic (and simple) hard rock song ever.

Not everything is equally inspiring, of course, but this is still a really great rock n' roll record with many more highlights than "lowlights". Tough, gritty, organic rock music played by a two-guitars-drums-and bass-band who sound like they are having fun, and any listener who ever liked an "old-fashioned" rock n' roll tune should too.
Highly enjoyable!

I wish the album wasn't so raw-sounding, but with Dan, that's about what you're going to get. It's old-fashioned, hard-drivin' rock-and-roll. Part of me wishes he had the touring budget to put out a more fleshed-out sound, but I guess he wouldn't be Dan Baird then.

As a long time Dan Baird fan I could't resist the live recording. Buy it you'll like it!