Quinella

The group's only release for Columbia is a superb piece of Southern rock, timeless in its lyrical sensibilities, which are all voiced in a smoothly raspy manner by lead singer Ronnie Hammond. Barry Bailey's and J.R. Cobbs's guitars grind and crunch along, and Paul Goddard's and Roy Yeagers's bass and drums provide a rock-hard foundation to this celebration of Southern manhood. This may ARS's most hard rocking album yet! Sad to say, it was the last release from the band for a decade....

Champagne Jam

Champagne Jam is one of the group's strongest releases: a seamless marriage of Southern rock muscle and uptown blues dress. Standouts include the almost nouveau Confederate rocker "Large Time" and the peak bluesy pop blend of the title track. "Imaginary Lover" became a major hit for the band. Beyond the few best-of discs available, fans will definitely want to make this the first title they consider from the band's regular album catalog.

A Rock and Roll Alternative

After five albums and four years of trying, Atlanta Rhythm Section finally gets a breakthrough. This time their mixture of country and rock finally found its audience, largely due to the single "So Into You". It was only fair: ARS had perfected a sound that was lighter and more accessible than the Allman Brothers/Lynyrd Skynyrd school of Southern rock, but no less accomplished, and A Rock and Roll Alternative was the embodiment of it.