Customer Reviews

Unsung Heroes

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The name Dixie Dregs was misleading--it always made people assume the band would sound like the Charlie Daniels Band or Molly Hatchett. So for "Unsung Heroes" the name was changed to "The Dregs". The music remained the same, instrumental rock played by five virtuoso musicians in a dizzying array of styles, with music and arrangements as intricate yet insanely catchy as anything either progressive rock or fusion has ever produced. Solos are kept short, and at some point during an album you're bound to hear every possible combination of two instruments play in unison (listen for the violin and bass on "Attila the Hun").

This is the Dregs' best studio album, with a fantastic set of compositions by Steve Morse, the world's greatest guitarist. By now, the formula for a Dregs album was pretty well established: a couple of rockers ("Cruise Control" and "Rock & Roll Park"), a couple of progressive rock tracks ("Divided We Stand" and "Attila the Hun"), a ballad ("Day 444"), and some bluegrass ("I'll Just Pick"), funk ("Kat Food"), and baroque ("Go for Baroque"). "Divided We Stand", "Kat Food", "I'll Just Pick", and "Go for Baroque" are the best songs the Dregs have done in each of their respective genres. In fact, "Divided We Stand" is perhaps the Dregs' best track ever, and unlike anything else you've ever heard. "Cruise Control", which had previously appeared on the "Freefall" album, is reborn in a stripped-down, harder rocking version. "Rock & Roll Park" gives keyboardist T Lavitz a chance to show that he can also play soprano sax. The climax of "I'll Just Pick" has Morse repeating an 8-bar melody, as one by one, bassist Andy West, Lavitz, and violinist Allen Sloan join in with counterpoint melodies. This was Sloan's last album before leaving to become an anesthesiologist, and his simple yet gorgeous solo on "Day 444" is the highlight of that song.

(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)

This may be the best Dregs CD. Their re-make of "Cruise Control" has more energy than the original, and "Go For Baroque" is a beautiful Classical piece that shows the incredible versatility of this band! I was able to see the Dregs live in 1981 with Mark O'Connor on violin and guitar, and O'Connor played guitar on "Rock and Roll Park" including the guitar harmony with Steve Morse at the end of the song. What an incredible night that was! The whole CD is full of amazing musicianship. If you are a fan of progressive music like "Rush" for example, you will LOVE this group's music! To go another day without hearing it would be unforgivable. Get it now! You won't regret it!

Another simply masterful instrumental album by the Dregs/Dixie Dregs. Awesome at fusing/combining Rock, Freejazz, Funk, Celtic, Barouque, Folk, anything I left out. and the Tracks 'Divided We Stand'- best Celtic style and 'Go For Barouque' best dregs Classical Tune; only 1 of 2 to use guiter-violin-bass-piano.And great songwriting as usual. I Belive this is the Quitessential Dregs/Dixie Dregs album. (Just saw them live in San Francisco-January, 2003; they never fail to dissapoint me).

THIS CD IS ENERGY DRIVEN WITH AN INCREDIBLY TIGHT BAND. there is no other band similar. If you are a musician you will appreciate the quality of this music

This is the Dixie Dregs at their peak. It's my favorite, and I beleive, former Dreg's Bass player Andy West's also.

I have seen The Dregs about 5 times and as someone who has been going to concerts for 30 years and has seen many of the best, The Dregs remain one of the premier live bands I have seen. This kind of music just doesn't get much better and I enjoy it even more because I know there is no studio trickery involved, they can pull this off live with gusto!

The version of 'Cruise Control' that they do in concert is extended and contains a middle part where the guitar, bass, violin and keys trade riffs and it is a site to behold. As the solos go around they get shorter and shorter until it seems they are passing a hot potato among them, and they never miss a beat. An incredible display of superior musicianship!

One of my favorite tracks from this disc is 'I'll Just Pick', a sweet country/bluegrass track that will have you toe-tapping in no time. You cannot go wrong with this CD, just get it already!!

Songs include Cruise Control, Divided We Stand, I'll Just Pick, Day 444, Rock n' Roll Park, Attila the Hun, Kat Food amd Go for Baroque. The music is primarily fast and jazzy. Alot of guitar and electric violin. There are no lyrics. Cruise Control and especially Rock n' Roll Park show versatility and an interesting blend of styles.

I actually saw the Dregs in concert to support this album. The CD sounds polished and well produced. Unbelievably they sounded the same live!!! This is the best assembly of musicians to record together. You will not regret owning this album.

I've been a Steve Morse fan for a long time and own several Dregs albums, so my expectations were pretty high. I was not disappointed. This is among the best of their work. Traditionally, there is usually at least one barouque piece and one Country piece on any given Dregs album, and "I'll Just Pick" is by far the best of the Country efforts on any of the other albums I've heard. T Lavitz's piano work is inspiring, and Morse's playing is as great as always. Other notable efforts include Steve's nylon-string on "Go For Baroque", Andy West's work on "Kat Food", and the way-cool syncopation on "Day 444". My only complaint was the price. It totally cheezes me off that they have to import Dregs' albums from Japan! But that's not the band's fault, so I still give them 5 stars.

I guess it was back around 1982,The Dixie Dregs were performing in Philadelphia somewhere and had a future engagement in New York in a couple of days.When the owner of the establishment that I was employed by at the time(in the quiet little town of Kingston,NJ) managed to book them for a night- in the smokey little stripmall bar (that many of us at the time called home away from home)next to a Shop Rite supermarket.Back then everything was top 40 and
arena rock,I tell ya when I heard these guys for the first time I was blown away,I've never seen nor heard any band that was tighter than these guys,they were promoting "Unsung Heroes" at the time.After we heard them many of us ran out and collected there earlier work.When your in a small venue (600 legal limit 300)and you hear
Cruise Control,Twiggs Approved,Ice Cakes,Take it off the top,and Divided we Stand,you are spoiled from then on!the owner of the bar managed to book them the following year,and also the year Industry Standard was released,same little bar, Blood Sucking Leeches!! the rest is history,I have an autographed Unsung Heroes vinyl and an Industry Standard vinyl with Mark O'Connors'signature,if you follow country music at all he has become a fixture at the Grand Ol Oprey.
T.Cala, Brick,NJ