Customer Reviews

Red Tape

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

 

 

"Red Tape," originally released in April 1976, was the ARS album that fell between the studio masterpiece "Dog Days," and "A Rock and Roll Alternative," their commercial breakthrough. It sounds like a postcard from the road, and though it is probably best-known for the "Another Man's Woman," the album contains some of ARS' best guitar-driven songs. The album contains two regional hits, "Jukin'" and the magnificent "Free Spirit," but it also features two blues stompers in "Mixed Emotions" and "Shanghaied," which are built on the twin signatures of the ARS sound: Barry Bailey's snarling lead guitar, and Ronnie Hammond's vocals. "Mixed Emotions" and "Shanghaied" are both built around Bailey's riffing, with J.R. Cobb's slide guitar; Hammond's vocal on both songs is both smooth and dangerous ... wiping away tears of sorrow and at the same time stomping his boots through the floor. The sound of the album on this reissue is fabulous, especially the bass playing of Paul Goddard, a true innovator whose rock solid rhythms combined with genuine melodic instincts made ARS' sound complete. Coming after "Dog Days," which was a dazzling collection of songs in many different styles, the leaner and harder sound of Red Tape captured the ARS live sound, which had not been much in evidence on their previous albums. An essential part of ARS' body of recorded work.

"Red Tape" is the fifth album by the ARS and was released in the spring of 1976.While not their best album,"Red Tape" contains the vamped-out,hard rocking version of "Another Man's Woman" that the ARS close their live shows out with.All "southern" bands had a song in their songlist..Skynyrd had "Freebird" Allman Bros had "Whippin' Post" Outlaws had "Green Grass,And High Tides"Marshall Tucker had "24 hours at a Time"and....the ARS had "Another Man's Woman".....This album also has "Jukin'"...as a tip of the hat to the Outlaw music scene and a homage to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.(Truth be it know,Bob was the biggest music outlaw of them all..but thats another story) While I'm Here...Come record labels....there are back catalog that still hasn't been re-issused...were still waiting!

This remains my favorite of the many ARS albums released over the years. It really cooks. This Iowa boy echoes the sentiments of the fans from Georgia and South Carolina. Great songs, great singing, great playing. (The only sour note for me is that both the original CD I ordered and this replacement copy I'm now listening to are badly distorted 15 seconds into "Jukin." Lasts but a second or two, but it's a real drag. Maybe those guys at Malibu should've used the original master tapes.) But folks, what the band members themselves laid down is without question some of the best Southern rock ever recorded for posterity. I was in my early 20s when this album was released in '76, and I had to wait a long time for the CD of it to come out. It was worth the wait. I can tell you, if you dig the Allmans, the Outlaws, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Marshall Tucker, then do yourself a favor and order this CD. And whatever you do, play it loud. Give those expensive speakers of yours a workout.

Before ARS became a mainstream pop band in the late 70s, they released "Red Tape". It's out of print and hard to find, but worth the effort if you're a fan. You will certainly recognize Ronnie Hammond's smooth vocals, Dean Daughtry's keyboards and producer Buddy Buie's way of doing things, but this album has some rawer cuts that might surprise some casual fans. The track that best explains that is "Another Man's Woman", an almost 10-minute exercise in pure guitar power, highlighted by Paul Goddard's incredible bass solo (this was played frequently by a guy on my dorm floor back in college, who turned me on to the band) Other good tracks are "Jukin" and "Oh What a Feeling". So if you are a die-hard ARS fan, do what it takes to get this CD and play it loud.

This recording was from the height of their career and the most polished high energy southern rock other than 2 tracks which are love songs,
song another mans woman and police police are the most rockin' tracks,
one other CD that I would rate as high as this is Rock & Roll Alternative,
follow by champagne jam, dog days, quinella and underdog being the other best recordings by far.

You must get a few of these on CD if you are a southern music fan!

briandj77@yahoo.com

This is THE BEST album these guys ever put out,way back in 1976,before all the "hits" came.Ronnie Hammond's vocals soared throughout and Barry Bailey's and JR Cobb's guitars meshed as though they were one.Every song on here is strong---no filler at all.From straight-on rockers(Jukin' and Mixed Emotions) to laid-back ballads(Beautiful Dreamers) to all-out blues/boogie stompers(Another Man's Woman).This was the ARS at their finest.

This album is good. This band is wondeful so all ARS CDs are good but not a Colections. I have one ARS Colection its 1 star. If you want this album its very rere so you can't find it in the stores.