The Atlanta Rhythm Section





ARS' next recording was one of their best. Some of the audience that helped the group achieve the height of their popularity had moved on, and they missed out-the group was continuing to make great music. Released in 1981, this album starts out rocking harder than the last couple had and then transitions into the great pop, with an occasional country/western influence, that the group had been refining over the last couple albums. It's another classic. The first four songs provide one of the best examples of ARS in all their glory. From the driving approach of Homesick to the musically sophisticated Quinella to the classic sound of Alien to the overdrive approach to Higher, all of the songwriting and performing skills that made ARS a classic rock and roll band are on display. The album shifts tempo at the halfway point, and with a slower pace rises to a glorious finish. The last three songs - Pretty Girl, Southern Exposure and Going to Shangri-La - show the softer side of ARS in classic style.

Song by Song

	1. Homesick (Buie/Cobb)-4:12
		A guitar and drum intro leads into this driving meditation on the joys of days gone by. ARS had done a number of songs in this vein, but none of the others rocked this hard or used such a great collection of lyrical images to recall a time-"Where were you in '69, smoking dope and drinking wine…hazy dreams of Monterey and Woodstock…homesick, to kiss the sky." A classic.

	2. Quinella (Buie/Cobb)-5:26
		This moderately paced tune with a shuffling rhythm celebrates the good times with lyrics similar to Champagne Jam and a sound reminiscent of the great band Little Feat. A strong vocal from Ronnie Hammond brings the sense of celebration to life, with some great guitar work winding around and filling breaks between the vocals.

	3. Alien (Buie/McRay/Lewis)-4:51
		The classic ARS sound of vocals and instruments working in harmony, done to such great effect on earlier hits, is done as well as ever here. This song of estrangement uses intertwined vocals and guitar lines to build to a driving musical finish featuring more great guitar work by Barry Bailey.

	4. Higher (Buie/Hammond)-4:09
		ARS rocks as hard as ever on this song, with the rhythm section of Paul Goddard and Roy Yeager in full force from the get go. Hammond's urgent vocals and the supporting music deliver on the promise to "take it to the limit" as the song keeps going "higher" before winding up with a blistering guitar solo.

	5. You're So Strong (Buie/Daughtry)-5:01
		A loping midtempo number, this tune accentuates ARS trademark ability to shift pace-from driving verses to a soaring chorus to rave-up instrumental breaks featuring more great guitar work by Bailey.

	6. Outlaw Music (Buie/Cobb)-5:01
		The pace slows with this one that features a beautiful musical background drawing on the charms of C&W supporting lyrics that speak to mistakes made in the past and a vow to change.

	7. Pretty Girl (Buie/Hammond)-3:29
		A beautiful song featuring Hammond's soaring vocals pining over the unreachable, with a musical backing that rises and falls to perfectly accompany the vocals.

	8. Southern Exposure (Buie/Cobb)-2:51
		ARS had captured the glories of Southern life in some other classic songs, and do it again here. The simple arrangement with acoustic guitar, Hammond vocals and gentle backing provide a beautiful look at "Southern tradition…gone with the wind."

	9. Going To Shangri-La (Buie/Daughtry)-3:44
		The album closes with a song bemoaning everyday demands and yearning for a better way of life. The moderate pace and softer approach rises and soars musically before fading away.