One From The Vaults

For more than 45 years, the Atlanta Rhythm Section has been a rock force, as potent now with three original members (vocalist Rodney Justo, keyboardist Dean Daughtry, bassist Paul Goddard) as they were in the 70s. This compilation spans their entire career, harking back prior to their inception before bringing you up to the present day. Disc two is a treasure trove of live performances from their hitmaking heyday. The Atlanta Rhythm Section... ARS... In the annals of rock and roll, where do they fit? They put out 15 albums of excellent original material, and consistently put on entertaining live shows-both of which helped establish a broad if not huge fan base. They had some big hits and have been a major player in the Southern Rock scene. But is that the whole story? In some circles, maybe. But for those who've really gotten to know their music over the years, there's a lot more to the story. ARS was paired with contemporaries Lynyrd Skynyrd as the successors to the Allman Brothers - carrying the mantle of "Southern Rock" in the late 70s. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it may have made sense at the time. But performing songs that were more musically diverse and having hits that had a softer, pop sound, the "Southern Rock" label was a mixed blessing and many of their unique musical accomplishments became lost in a genre that has lived on to this day-but never really fit ARS. Why has the ARS endured the passage of the decades so elegantly? Songs, man. The songs are strong, says Rodney Justo. People tend to think were a southern rock band. But we're not. We're not in the same mold as the Allman Brothers or Marshall Tucker or the Outlaws or Wet Willie, or any of those acts. We're a rock and roll band from the South. Yeah, you get some southern influence there. But listen to our records compared to the other guys' records.