Lost/Forgotten Album #389

[Jon]

Who? Doc Holliday

When? 1981

Is This That Southern Rock Which Someone Requested? Sure

Allmusic.com Review? Yes

Southern rock was at a real crossroads as the 1980s arrived: the heartbreak of Lynyrd Skynyrd's violent demise still hung over the landscape like a dark shroud, the Allman Brothers Band was grinding to a halt amid endless personal controversies and lukewarm musical output, and so perhaps it was no wonder that the genre's younger guns seemed at a loss about choosing the best way forward. On the one hand were the mainstream-focused outfits like .38 Special and the Outlaws, angling for radio airplay and driving inexorably toward arena rock; on the other were the tougher likes of Blackfoot and Molly Hatchet, inspired almost as much by contemporary hard rock trends as the old Southern rock masters. Into of the breach between the twain emerged Macon, Georgia's Doc Holliday, whose versatile, eponymous 1981 debut for A&M in many ways reflected the colorful upbringing of bandleader Bruce Brookshire: a world-traveling army brat during his youth who never lost sight of his Dixie roots. These factors would explain the presence here of a true blue cowboy saloon boogie, complete with harmonica solo, named "Round & Round"; an acoustic country strummer in "The Way You Do"; a yearning, mid-paced rocker in the Bob Seger mold entitled "Never Another Night"; a nod to AOR godfathers Boston, of all bands, via Eddie Stone's forceful keyboards on "Somebody Help Me," and the laid-back, funky vibes of "Midnight Lady" -- unique tracks one and all. But Doc Holliday's best-known attribute since forming nearly a decade prior as Roundhouse -- that of being a fierce live proposition -- was cut loose elsewhere with the help of British producer Tom Allom -- an odd choice, on paper, since he'd only just wrapped work on Judas Priest's British Steel LP (though his prior experience included all kinds of rock & roll). Allom's "heavy hand" (to put it one way) is probably most evident on the utterly irrepressible "Moonshine Runner," which barrels down the freeway with wild abandon and metallic staccatos amid the blaring horns of speed-addled 18-wheelers; yet "I'm a Rocker" ain't too far behind, contrasting pounding power chords against high-speed boogie-woogie piano. Finally, not to be omitted: "Keep on Running" and "A Good Woman's Hard to Find" are late-'70s Southern rock through and through (predictable, at times, but still rock-solid), and first but not least, opening number "Ain't No Fool" forges a veritable London bridge from Macon to ol' Blighty with its unmistakable so-rock hallmarks wed to twin guitar harmonies right out of Thin Lizzy, and driving organ playing borrowed from Deep Purple (as good a reminder as any that many of Southern rock's chief architects learned their trade jamming on the products of the British blues explosion). Unfortunately, for all its variety, Doc Holliday's debut wound up slipping through that same stylistic breach from which they emerged, failing to latch on with consumers on either side of the Southern rock divide despite receiving largely positive reviews from savvy critics. Within two years the band would lose their way, their record deal, and totally fall apart, but things sure appeared promising once upon a time.

Doc Holliday

1. Ain't No Fool
2. Magic Midnight
3. A Good Woman's Hard To Find
4. Round And Round
5. Moonshine Runner
6. Keep On Running
7. Never Another Night
8. The Way You Do
9. Somebody Help Me
10. I'm A Rocker

Availability: Appears to be OOP with new/used prices over $60. That version also includes two bonus tracks (not included here). 

[RJhog (Admin)]

Sweet, can't wait to give this a spin...right after I listen to Nazareth (didn't get a chance this week, but looking forward to that one too!

[Yngve J. Chapleen]

Ain't No Fool & The Way You Do are pretty good. Magic Midnight has a nice chorus, however the rest are just plain songs without much time spent on arrangements. I'm starting to think that's the requirement for Southern Rock, since this is where they all sound the same to me. There is some tempo changes, yes, but not much beyond that. Maybe I like songs dressed up a bit more than just in an underwear, but I suppose the manly man of the South aren't to be bothered with such nonsense, so that's how they like their music too.

[RJhog (Admin)]

I feel like I've read several album reviews by the time I finished this one. The band was certainly southern rock, and I see they were from Macon.  I have heard of them but I don't remember hearing any of their music prior to this.

My initial impression is one of being underwhelmed.  There is some very cool guitar playing.  At times the singer makes me think of Ricky Medlocke.  At least, I think that is who sang for Blackfoot.  Never Another Night is a song that stands out a bit here.  It sounds a bit like .38 Special.  Something they would have had a hit with.  The Way You Do tries to be catchy, but it falls just short of being successful.  I don't hear Boston at all in that next to last song.

I do have to say that the ace of this album is Magic Midnight Lady.  That is just a sweet track.  

This was a cool listen.  I don't think they had the material to hit really big, but they were very close with a couple of these songs, and a couple of songs is all you need.  Nice post Jon.