When - Atlanta Rhythm Section (Eufaula-album)

wolbai

Junior Member
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Well, my personal ARS-story is obviously not over yet ... and honestly speaking: I haven't searched for this song. This song has found me somehow :icon_biggrin:

The Eufaula-album was ARS's last album with new songs (8 new ones and 3 songs from former albums) where the long time singer and frontman Ronnie Hammond participated. The album was released in early 1999. I guess this album is even pretty unknown among most ARS-Fans too due to the fact that the recording company got soon bankrupt after the release. So all the planned record label promotions failed.

In addition: By that time Ronny Hammond's ongoing bipolar disorder reached it's peak level. He was critically injured by a shoot-out end of 1998 with police officers. So intensive touring wasn't an option either to promote their new album. But bad things continue to happen ...

Atlanta Rhythm Section drummer R.J. Vealey died of a heart attack at age 37 shortly after a performance by the southern rock group in central Florida in end of 1999.

If I remember correctly, Ronnie Hammond left the ARS finally in 2001. His official reason was that he thought the music he love to play has fallen out of time. I guess the second reason was his ongoing bipolar disorder disease he suffered through his whole life. Ronnie Hammond died in 2011.

I randomly stumbled over this album by reading the "The Atlanta Rhythm Section - The Authorized History" book. There is very rare information about this album on the Internet: some one uploaded the whole album on YouTube, but nearly no clicks ...

The album name goes back to the "Eufaula Lake" in the south of Columbus/Alabama. Buddy Buie, J.R. Cobb and others used to stay there for songwriting and other amusements  :icon_biggrin:

I got a hard time to find out the right chords and melody lines just by listening to the song. In case of interest, I have attached my version of the chord progression.

The curious thing is that this album is probably the greatest unknown album I've ever heard. It is worth to listen to it.
The song "When" did it to me immediately: heartbreaking and soulful playing by great musicians!

I should also point out the contribution of Steve Nathan. He played organ and made some exceptional string arrangements to some of the album songs. Steve Nathan is well known and well respected session musician in the Nashville area since the early 90s (if I remember correctly). SN played an outstanding string arrangement on the song "When" and his arrangement largely defines the overall sound and atmosphere.

Ronny Hammond was in an outstanding mature form throughout the whole album. And in the song "When" I can hear an injured soul between the lines ...

Lead guitarist Barry Bailey and Rhythm guitarist Steve Stone contribute to this song with tasteful guitar work, I really like.
I've played with very little gain on my Marshall Crunch channel to get a bit of that airy Barry Bailey's Les Paul Deluxe sound.

I find solo playing with low gain more challenging. You have to add more with yours fingers (finger vibrato) to your tone to get the guitar in a singing sustain mode. But I also like this crunchy lead sounds.

In this song Barry Bailey shares the solo work with Steve Stone, where Steve did always the first part and Barry the second of the two soloparts. In the original the solos were panned left/right. I centered the solo parts with the exception of the Twin guitars parts. Steve Stone finally took over the main lead guitar role in 2006, when Barry Bailey left the ARS band due to the advanced phase of multiple sclerosis disease.

I think this album deserves much more attention than it has got so far. My cover song is especially in Memory and Honour of Ronnie Hammond and J.R. Vealey. May they have a good time in music heaven  :icon_thumright:


I hope this song interpretation and the story behind the song will touch you emotionally like me ... 


Any feedback is welcome  :icon_thumright:


Link to the audio-version:

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/wolbai-music/when-atlanta-rhythm-section-eufaula-album[/soundcloud]


Link to the YouTube-video:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxJYvMfFId4[/youtube]


All the best - wolbai
 

Attachments

  • When - Atlanta Rhythm Section - chord progression.pdf
    192.6 KB · Views: 114
That was really great stuff. Your double guitar work (1:40-2:05) was particularly rich and compelling. Beautiful.
 
Thank you for the positive feedback !

I know: this song is not everyone's cup of tea. Other than that, I had a varied musical journey along the Song creation ...

Double guitar work in songs has long gone out of time. It's like an echo from a bygone era to me.

I have some live-experience with Harmonizer effects due to a lack of a second guitar player in my band too.
Real played twin guitars just sound way better. With pronounced Bendings and Vibrato they can be quite challenging from an intonation point of view. Especially in a recording situation.

 
Well you pulled it off nicely. The whole song was really balanced nicely. It was continuously interesting and leaving me feeling both satisfied and in want of more.
 
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