 .Hydra Live - After All These Years 2cnd in readers poll:
Exciting news comes from France. Hydra slotted 2cnd place in the premier
French Southern Rock magazine "Bands of Dixie" 2006 readers poll for best
CD of the year. Below are the results of the poll:
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1. SONGLINES (Derek Trucks) 31.2%
2. Live After All Theses Years (Hydra) 23.2%
2. High & Mighty (Gov't Mule) 20.8%
4. Live On Long Island (Marshall Tucker) 17.6%
5. A "Live" And Well (Mama's Pride) 14.4%
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A gracious thank you to all the readers and to Bands of Dixie for your support
of Hydra and Emphasis Records.
...
World Class Music
Reviewer: Steve Barker
Live recordings are sometimes disappointing for various reasons, not the least
of which is many groups are not capable of reproducing studio quality sound
(and many times ability) in a concert setting. Happily this is not the case with
HYDRA. These guys are pros from the ground up and greasy with talent. It doesn't
hurt that they've been at their craft for more than a few years, but trust me they've
had boatloads of natural abilty since the days of shows at places like "The Electric
Eye" and "Funochio's". This album showcases their sound and vibe nicely, and
sonically is excellently recorded and mixed. Keep it coming guys!
..
Hydra
Live - After All These Years
(Emphasis) (Reviewer: Luc Brunot - Bands of Dixie - France)
(Translated from French to English)
One has to attend the latter times to reveil the majority of the mythical formations
of Southerners endornies, who seemed for certain forever dormant and of which
one did not hope any more to intend to speak one day. Of these groups, it hardly
did not miss Hydra and voila here they also re-appear to our great surprise and
for our largest to pleasure. The trajectory of Hydra is to us badly unknown and the
first interest of this disc is to present the history.
.
The drummer Steve Pace, the guitarist Spencer Kirkpatrick and the singer/guitarist
Wayne Bruce are came together in Atlanta at the end them the Sixties to create
Hydra. Orville davis (bass) is finally recruited to supplement the band. In 1973, they
are signed by Capricorn, the label for which carries out two famous albums: "Hydra"
in 1974 and, the following year, "Land Of Money".
.
They benefit from the production of Johnny Sandlin, horn support and musicians such
Chuck Leavell or Randall Bramblett. In spite of the musical quality of this heavy
southern rock'n'roll, commercial successes are insufficient, Orville Davis leaves the
group (Wayne Bruce then moving to bass) and Hydra from goes to Polydor Records.
The trio goes out with "Rock The World" in 1977, that always has seemed largely
inferior to me than the LPs on Capricorn, but Edgar Brimer, their road manager,
judges in the liner notes of After All These Years that it was their best disc.
.
Always it is that Hydra separated at the end of 1977 and rejoins only seldom
thereafter, except for a series of shows in 1997. One does not hear too much
anymore about the musician Spencer Kirkpatrick, who appears on discs of Wayne
Bear Sauls, Eddie Stone, Donnie McCormick and on recent "Georgia Jam" of Stevie
Hawkins, on the same label.
.
In April 2005, Hydra decides to reunite for a concert and the idea germinates to
make a disc of itÉ the disc that voices. Wayne, Spencer and Steve are all the three
good on it and it is Tommy Vickery, with Hydra since 1997, who holds the bass.
(One had already been able to hear him on "See Through Me" of Randall Bramblett).
Stevie Hawkins, the producer, or sometimes Ed Brimer come to be added to the
choruses. CD proposes one mix in two concerts, one of May 7 and, of course, a
mixture of titles of the various albums. Four originate from "Rock The World" and
five from the first album whereas, "Land Of Money" uses only twice. The set-list is
completed by two good ones by bluesy singer Peter Green, "Baby Please Stop
Messing Round" and a very long boogy, "Rattlesnake Shake", which has a solo
by Steve Pace. If the photographs prove well that the musicians have aged, that
hardly does not feel so listening to the CD, same seems more serious.
.
One recounts with great pleasure and emotion these titles which one has listened
to so much by using to the cord our old LP. Ah this "Feel A Pain", this "Keep You
Around" or this "Land Of Money", for example! And "Miriam" then? This splendid
ballad has never streamed as much of emotion. If for certain pieces, of origin a little
bit we miss the horns, others arise better than in studio. It is in particular the case
of titles of "Rock The World". I always liked very little "You're The One", "Feel Like
Running", with sonorities here more heavy, "Diamond In The Rough" or the final
solo of Spencer Kirkpatrick that fell short in the studio, are on the present disc in
excellence.
.
If one can quibble on the small insert, that does not pay homage to the old ones
or on the public shunts between the pieces, this that harms the mood, it is
necessary to recognize that CD disc is worth the blow. It seems that the return of
Hydra was warmly welcomed and the group envisions to record a new album. While
waiting, any serious fan of the rock'n'roll Southerner must acquire this live
unhoped-for.
.
Hydra
Live - After All These Years
(Emphasis) (January 2006 Review)
.
One of the South's finest bands of The 1970's, and a member of the Capricorn
Records stable of stars, Hydra is back with a smoking live album. Band members
Wayne Bruce, Steve Pace, Spencer Kirkpatrick and Tommy Vickery perform their
best songs, sounding as good as ever. Kirkpatrick's lead guitar is none the worse
for wear, and Bruce can still sing a mean vocal.
.
Beginning with the classic "Glitter Queen," Hydra show their stuff on
"Wasting Time," "Diamond in the Rough," "Land of Money" and the Southern
rock swampiness of "Rattlesnake Shake." The set ends with the Don Nix
Classic, "Going Down," putting a vivid exclaimation point on the end of the
show.
.
Here's hoping this release is only the beginning of this awesome reunion.
Put on Live - After All These Years, and turn up the volume. This is the good
stuff, kids.
-Michael Buffalo Smith- Gritz Magazine http://gritz.net
|
...
Here's a kickin southern rock entry nice and robust slumming it down the hard
edge, maybe the place where Molly Hatchet got all their ideas. Atlanta's Hydra
were one of those unfortunate unsungs, one of the harder rockers, in there
with Skynyrd, Ram Jam, Blackfoot, BTO, Bad Company and maybe even future
pre-metallers Rex, a two record band that Hydra's Orville Davis would end up
joining. And lest we think a bunch of greenhorn lunkheads can't interpret, this
album's centerpiece is a ripping slide through old chesnut Going Down (Don Nix's
main claim to fame), nice and heavy, the band's own Dan Turbeville producing
(with engineering and remixing help). Elsewhere somewhat behaved blues track
Feel A Pain nonetheless finds vocalist Wayne Bruce stylizing somewhere
between Jack Bruce, Glenn Hughes, Danny Joe Brown and Paul Rodgers. Not
sure the hornswork or are necessary (go hard or go home), but the twinned-up
guitars win in the end most forcefully shown by Let Me Down Easy, which finds
a glorious groove between southern and glam and Warp 16 which is like Skynyrd
crossed with Thin Lizzy. Closes with a textbook yet zig zagged southern epic
called Miriam which is both haunting and nice with screeching guitars supported
on a bed of snare rolls. Awesome twisty turny dramatic finish. Case friggin
closed. Killer guitar-fused southern rock, perhaps the best composite of
southern rock rules at the volume cranked end of the genre.
Rating: 10
Reviewer: Martin Popoff Website: 
There's a bit of dissipation here, Hydra going for slightly lighter, laid-back material
and more ambitious arrangements. Yet, Wayne Bruce continues to shadow and
evoke great singers, adding David Coverdale and Gamma's Davey Pattison (see
Get Back To The City) to his repertoire. So the band's slurpy boogiw woogie is
more about partying and less about menacing while the band do a great Allmans
on Slow And Easy. No really, a great Allmans. But the highlight is snappy,
percussive metallic opener Little Miss Rock And Roll, which motors along with
white hot southern drive before relaxing into a melodic chorus and a Sweet-like
break.
Defies logic why these guys weren't the first heavy southerners to strike it big.
I mean Frank Fenter was around, Johnny Sandlin produced, the label tapped
Hipnosis for the cover art (who also did the first one), and Chuck Levell was on
board for all the keyboard work. All in all, still well to the hard end of the southern
spectrum (check out the title track's and mezmoring Blackfoot vibe), but
influenced by a few more styles, perhaps too many.
Rating: 8
Reviewer: Martin Popoff Website: 
Once more back firmly on the rock, Hydra, now officially a three-piece band and
on a new label, create an everlasting classic that both coheres and offers the
band's most powerful production values, courtesy of Micheal Stewart, who records
the band in Atlanta. As usual, the bedrock of the album are the riff-centered
slurpy boogie tunes such as Your Love Gets Around and You're The One. But
there are some fascinating digressions here. On the heavy end, there's the flat-
out speed metal of Shame, a riff-crazy, fairly complicated rocker that is new
terrain for southern rock. Also, Wasting Time is both squarely hard rock and
insanely catchy, sort of like Joe Perry or Ted Nugent with southern grace. And
just to prove versatility, To The Willowed is a gorgeous ballad that again features
Wayne Bruce's smoky, eloquent, soulful vocals. Expertly paced, capably recorded
and extemely strong in both the vocal and riff writing department.
Rating: 9
Reviewer: Martin Popoff Website: 