Customer Reviews

Locked & Loaded

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

...am I detecting a note of bitterness in some of these responses?

No original members eh? Well, let's see. Danny Joe has suffered a massive stroke and is incapable of doing the songs anymore as I understand it. But lineup stability has NEVER exactly been a Molly Hatchet hallmark from the outset.

Vocals? Other than keyboards, the vocal lineup has remained the most stable. First it was Brown. Then with the release of 1980's 'Beatin' The Odds' it was Jim Farrar, then in 1983 Brown returns and remains as vocalist up until 1995 when he was replaced by Phil McCormack.

Guitars? Hlubek, Roland, and Holland. Then it was Hlubek and Roland. Then Roland and Ingram. Then Ingram and Blanz. Then Ingram and Lunden. Then Ingram and Bassett. Then Ingram and Owings. Then Ingram, Owings AND Bassett. Then, finally, Ingram and Maxwell.

Bass? C'mon!!! Banner Thomas replaced EARLY ON by Riff West (there's a stage name for ya!) replaced by Rob Sweat replaced by Kevin Ryan replaced by Buzzy Meekins replaced by Banner Thomas (back!) replaced by Eddie Rio replaced by Andy McKinney replaced by Jerry Scott replaced by J.J. Strickland. Need a scorecard yet???

The drums have been a revolving door JOKE since Day One...with Bruce Crump, then B.B. Borden, then Bruce Crump back again, then David Fiegle, then Kenny Holton, then Mac Crawford, then Sean Shannon, then Dale Rock, then Shawn Beamer, who must've decided it was a damn good gig and stayed...becoming Molly Hatchet's longest standing drummer.

Keyboards? Oddly (especially so in light of the nasty remarks about no original members remaining) this is where GEETAR driven Hatchet's lineup has proven most stable. John Galvin was the band's FIRST keyboardist. Yes, Jai Winding handled keyboard duties on some early material (studio only). But Galvin was the first keyboard player to be an official member of the band, joining in or around 1984. And with the exception of a few brief times when he left the band for "personal reasons" and was "temporarily replaced", he has remained their keyboard player from that time forward.

So, I trust this has sufficiently illustrated that Hatchet has had a VERY unstable lineup for some years. The four members of Hatchet who have the LONGEST history with the band? Danny Joe Brown, Duane Roland, John Galvin, and...YES...the MUCH maligned (around THESE parts anyway) Bobby Ingram. Funny eh?

By the way, Brown and Roland had the rights to the Hatchet name and were under NO (that's right...ZERO) obligation to sell those rights. But they sold them to the remaining members of the band (well...Ingram and Galvin) and the band goes on.

And there's everything you EVER wanted to know about the wild, wacky, wonderful lineup changes of Molly Hatchet.

And 'LOCKED AND LOADED'? KICKS BUM! Buy!

I will comment on a couple of areas in this review: The performance of the songs, the quality of the songs, and the politics surrounding Molly Hatchet. The performance of the songs on this CD is pretty good. I felt that some of the older tracks were played somewhat in slow motion. Beatin' the Odds in particular, could have been played at a faster pace, so too, Gator Country. Phil McCormick on the vocals was a surprise to me. When you hear the guy's voice you think he's 65 years old on studio tracks. I wouldn't have thought he could have lasted for a live show, but he actually sounds great. The rest of the band sounds pretty good, too.
The song selection is okay. Some of the newer tunes are good, some of the newer tunes are bad. I prefer old Hatchet to the new, but I love "Down from the Mountain" and "Tatanka". Tatanka is right up there with Satisfied Man and Stone in your Heart as the best Hatchet tunes. By the way, why aren't they on here?
Now for the political issue. Yes, I agree that new Molly Hatchet is not the old Molly Hatchet. It is a bit of a scam without especially Dave Hlubeck and Duane Roland. But we need not write off the music for that reason and give it a one or two star rating. I feel my review is objective in that sense. Thanks.

First, let me say that I'm a real big fan of the Molly Hatchet Band. I've got everything they ever produced plus a couple of bootlegs, and I've been following the band for years. Even saw 'em in London England a few years ago, shook Andy McKinney's hand, had a real good time boogeying down to the MHB.
This album is good, but it ain't brilliant, and to be fair I think the band is let down by the production mix, which seems to lose some of the geetar detail in places. Maybe it's this album lineup (and bear in mind that it's since changed, with Andy McKinney and Sean Shannon departing), as I genuinely think that Russ Maxwell doesn't play with the emotion that Bryan Bassett did, or Duane Roland before him, though Russ is a fine technical player. Also, whilst the band gives good renditions of the old favorites, I can say I've heard better - some of the tracks sound a bit tired.
Highlight for me is a smokin' version of Dreams I'll Never See.
And John Galvin on the keyboards (one time!) sure rocks!
So I'd say this album is well worth buying for Southern Rock fans, even for lovers of good honest country or rock music, and a must for MHB afficionadoes.

First problem with this cd is the parent companies lack of marketing. Know from personal experience, a lot of chain retail stores won't even order this for you, let alone have a copy on hand. Sound is HEAVY duty thunder which might be a little hard on anyones ear that's not a REAL Molly Hatchet fan. I've only listened to both cd's a few times, but not once does Phil McCormack, vocalist extrordinaire, mention anyone other than Bobby Ingram except for the intro to Dreams when he mentions John Galvin. Didn't know this was mainly a 2 piece band? Still, a must have for Hatchet fans and most true southern rock fans.

First off I'd like to tell radio to get your heads out of the sand ! There's a lot of great "classic" rock bands making great new music . This cd is proof . Phil and the rest of the boys in Hatchet have turned out a great new live cd set . While the favs are here , such as "Dreams" , "Gator Country" and "Flirtin With Disaster " , the newer tunes kick too ! "Dead and Gone" , "Heart of the USA" and "Gypsy Trail" smoke !! While it's true that there are no original members left , Bobby Ingram has kept the tradition going quite well . And if Danny Joe Brown can no longer perform due to his stroke (God bless him) , then there is no one better than Phil McCormick to sing these songs . There will be a live dvd in the fall from this tour . BUY this CD . You won't be sorry ! HELL YEAH !

LOCKED AND LOADED is a great live album from the current lineup of Molly Hatchet. The songs are a mixture of vintage classics with the songs from the newer albums. Thank G-d there's nothing from THE DEED IS DONE here, because that album is the antithesis of what this great band is, and has always been, about. This album shows that Molly Hatchet is, and always will be, a great band, no matter who is currently playing with the band at a particular time.

This cd is one of the greatest live albums ever done. The sound is so good its like you are there at the show! I urge everyone to buy this cd. If you like molly hatchet and southern rock this cd is for you! The molly hatchet legend continues!

HELL YA,THIS IS A GREAT CD.THE ONLY REASON I DID NOT GIVE THIS A5 STAR IS BECAUSE THE SOUND QUALITY IS ALITTLE OFF.BUT THE ENERGY IS THERE,AND ALOT OF THE NEW SONGS ARE BETTER THAN THE OLD HATCHET TUNES.THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN TELL THAT BOBBY INGRAM IS A SECOND RATE PLAYER.THIS GUY ROCKS AND THERE SINGER PAT MCCORMICK FITS THIS BAND LIKE A GLOVE.I AM HOPING THAT THEY JUST KEEP PUTING OUT MORE CD.LETS KEEP GREAT SOUTHERN MUSIC ALIVE.

I guess this debate over the "new" Hatchet, Bobby Ingram's right to the brand-name and Phil McCormack's vocal abilities will go on and on until the day the last Southern rock warrior crosses over the Rainbow Bridge. Yeah it'd be great if Dave Hlubek or Holland carried on the tradition, but they didn't. Me? I'm just glad they made this double disc set, cause it rocks! I downloaded the whole album and the sound quality is fine, I don't see how the discs can't be as well. The set-list is pretty cool, although if up to me I would've changed it slightly. I definitely would leave out the Rolling Stones cover "Tumblin' Dice". Why would Molly Hatchet need to do Stones covers? I also don't care for "Dead and Gone". I enjoy the set overall though, it's a great live set. I've already got enough versions of whiskey man, dreams, and Flirtin' with Disaster, so I enjoyed hearing some newer material such as White Lighting, Saddle Tramp and Heart of the USA. I also enjoyed the Devil's Canyon songs, Tatanka, The Journey. I wish they would've played Silent Reign of Heroes-but you can't have it all. Too bad the whole controversy over Ingram/ McCormack and the name has kind of deafened people to how good this band really is. Reviewers tend to focus on those things rather the music they're supposed to be reviewing.

Very poor sound quality on this CD not worth the money I paid for it. They should have paid me to take it off their hands. The song "dreams I'll never see" is very poorly done and the clarity of the song sucks as does the clarity on the rest of the cd. It's like I took my old cassette player and held a microphone up in the audience transfered on tape several times then put it on a CD. I can't listen to it without distortion from the CD (and it's not my expensive speakers). I tried it on 3 different systems. If it is not loud (which amplifies the cd distortion) it is just a bunch of rumbling. What a waste of money. All I'm looking for is a quality recording of Dreams I'll Never See. Not this poor quality crap.