Atlanta Rhythm Section LP Records Collection Great Southern Rock Band!

 July 30, 2025

#517

Gentle reader,

Yes, I know that I just released an article yesterday, but this is about one of my passions: Collecting and Listening to Music.

That is the record/stereo cabinet/shelf which I built fifty years ago with the training and help of my then-girlfriend's father. He was such a nice man, very giving and understanding. It's made from white walnut. Those are the type of walnut trees that give us the walnuts most folks think of, rather than black walnuts, whose wood is so sought after. 

The TOP shelves are all classic Rock and Pop. The bottom shelves are all TV and Film Scores and Soundtracks.

That's Linda. Beautiful, yes? We are still friends after all these years.

Like Rango (above) "I come from the West. The FAR west." In fact, I AM a Southerner because the capital of Arizona is definitely in the South. Just not THE South that most folks associate with being a Southerner.

I was more familiar, having been born in the '50's, with "Country and Western" music. Growing up, there always seemed to be music playing in the house. All kinds of it. Which is why my records/CDs collection is so eclectic.

These were my friends in Northside Richmond, VA in the 1970's Philip, on the right was my inspiration to build a really good stereo system.

Now, Dad was a Preacher Man, although he was called a Minister. Presbyterian, in fact. And like being the kids of someone in the Military, we moved a lot. However, it was always in the West until he was offered a job teaching at the Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia in 1974. Which coincided with my being in my senior year of high school and in love with my first girlfriend. So, literally the day after I graduated, off we drove the 1,669 miles to get there. Once we arrived, my first thought was, "How do we breathe this air?" See, out West, humidity does not exist.

Since the first record Philip played for me that fateful day in 1975 was Pure Prairie League's Two Lane Highway on his amazing stereo with ENORMOUS speakers, I fell in love with Southern Rock.

It was several years later when I first heard music from the Atlanta Rhythm Section. I bought their RED TAPE LP and played it a lot. As time went by, I found a few more of their records. 

The other day, I played all of the ones that I owned, and I liked ALL of their songs and thought, "I need to get the rest of their records." I consulted my GOLDMINE RECORD ALBUMS PRICE GUIDE and started looking on eBay. I found all of them within minutes and bought them all, right then and there.

This is not their first album. It is their first TWO albums combined into one. Self titled.

It says in really small font: "The selections in this album have been previously released on the Decca label (DL7-5265, DL7-5390)"

Note that Another Man's Woman (It's so hard) is also on RED TAPE, but a "harder" version.

Just look at all that hair. Sigh, I miss mine. Although if I had it, I think I would look older. 

Me, at seventeen at my first job in Denver. I was 6'3" tall and only 155 pounds.

I love the title of their third LP: Third Annual Pipe Dream. A "pipe dream" often is some "great idea!" which usually never happens. Perhaps their first two LPs were not as successful as they hoped.

It came out in 1974 and has some hits on it: Doraville and Angel.

Right on schedule, DOG DAYS came out in 1975. Crazy was one of the top hits on it. Note: While I like artist Mike McCarty's illustration, he apparently did not know, (or perhaps drew it for dramatic effect), that dogs do not sweat. They pant.

I feel the need to repeat, that having listened to EVERY song on all of their albums, I like ALL of them! That does not happen often to me. It makes me rethink not wanting to buy any other Thin Lizzy albums, "because they could not top their first record."

Red Tape is also a title perhaps chosen as an inside joke. It usually means a whole number of seemingly unnecessary steps one has to go through to reach the desired result.

Again, this record came out on their annual schedule, in 1976. I've played it so many times, that I don't know which had radio play and thus "Hit" status.

a rock and roll alternative also came out in 1976, breaking their one-a-year rule.

As you can see, this one is a "Promo" or Demonstration copy.

CHAMPAGNE JAM did not come out until 1978. 

Several of the cuts were hits on the radio.

Another clever title: UNDERDOG. 

A cartoon of that name was one of my favorites at the time. Underdog, like Superman, had a cape and could fly and every episode his girlfriend, "Sweet Polly Purebred" was always getting in trouble. Underdog would always say, before leaping into the sky to find and rescue her, "When Polly's in trouble, I am not slow, it's up, up, up and away I go!"

Underdog came out in 1979 and I like their rendition of SPOOKY better than the original artist's version.

ARE YOU READY! also came out in 1979 and is a double LP LIVE album. 

Because the band is SO good and the sound was recorded right from the sound equipment at the concerts, every song is right on and well done.

Just LOOK at all of those people!

The Boys from Doraville is their final LP. They have come out with some CDs since.

It came out in 1980 and I do not recall hearing any of the songs from it on the radio. I do LIKE every one of them, however.

Now, if you were hoping to learn more about ARS, that is not the intent of this article. I am showing you all of their records and telling you my impressions of them. They are AWESOME! To learn more about the band, go here: The Atlanta Rhythm Section - Home Page and here: Atlanta Rhythm Section - Wikipedia.

This is the first of several articles I am going to do on music artists whose music I own and love. 

Thank you SO much for taking the time to read my words and look at my images. I cannot not thank you enough. Feel free to Comment below or on Facebook.

Scott Robb

July, 30, 2025

#517

You Can Build a Tiny Wooden Music Shop and Lose Yourself In It!

July 29, 2025

#516

Gentle reader,

First some background. I began writing this blog, in December of 2008. I did so just as something new to try. I had NO idea that anyone would be interested in what I had to say or any interest in my subject matter and photos of said subjects.

I could not have been more wrong! Readership grew slowly at first, frankly, I did not even know HOW to look at that statistic. I just kept taking photos and writing. For YEARS. To my amazement, almost to the day of my posting the 500th article, the 500,000th reader read one of my blogs!

Of those readers some have befriended me via my via Facebook and two of them,  have become actual real-life friends with. One is local, he lives in Washington, D.C. and his Dad lives in Springfield, Virginia. Not far from here. We got together a few times and have spoken by phone or texted and/or e-mailed each other for many years now.

He and I were THIS close to each other way back in August, 2002 when I attended the Inaugural Cadillac Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. It turns out that Bruce was WORKING at the races as one of the Marshals which monitor the racers and does far more than that to keep everyone safe and the racing enjoyable. That was six years prior to my beginning writing this blog.

The other, Bob, lives in Mesa, Arizona. As does my Aunt Bev. We also talked and texted and e-mailed. Last September, Nancy and I took our first Amtrak Vacation to see the Grand Canyon. We set it up so that we would have time in Mesa to meet Bob and his wife and see my Aunt and meet her husband. Of course, Nancy was meeting all four of them for the first time. Bob and Joseph hit it right off. I was able to finally see Bob's Dynaco Museum and all of the other things he has been up to.

Well, it turns out that Bob has "Ideas" and likes to share those ideas with Bruce and I and even buys us things from time to time. The latest was the item you see above.

At first, I thought, "What in the world am I supposed to do with this?" I called Bob to talk about it and mentioned, "Nancy and I can build it together." "Yeah, good luck with that!", Bob replied. He was right. This little project is truly a one-person thing to build. 

It came in this black fabric bag. The Chinese are VERY good at packaging.

I'm not sure who came up with the idea, it's built in China, as so many things in our lives have been. But, whomever did design it, is bordering on genius! It's truly unique and once I got it all unpacked and took a close look at the design and DETAILS of all the little things which I was going to have to remove and put together, I got excited!

It's part of a series of FOUR as of the date of manufacture and writing of this story.

Here is a closer look at the back of the box and some of the objects one puts together.

For Chinese companies to sell things via Amazon, they MUST have a name in English letters registered with whatever U.S. Government organization runs such things. DIY BOOK NOOK is at least three actual English words, unlike so many of the made up ones other Chinese companies have chosen.

This is the front page of the instructions booklet. Each page is shown below.

It comes with a 2: AAA battery pack, a LED light and amazing switch.

EACH tiny thing you have to assemble is PRECISION designed and made.

Some of them are just downright amazingly clever!

Some of them made no sense to me, but they knew EXACTLY what they were doing!

The piano made into a shelf for example made no sense. Until it was installed!

Just a few things need a tiny bit of Elmer's Glue to keep them in place.

You will see below when I reveal the completed Shop why it needs a light source.

I cannot emphasize enough JUST how clever and PLEASING this little shop turned out to be. Nancy's mind was also blown when I showed it to her. "Window Shopping" takes on a whole new meaning with this little creation.

The "glass" for the three windows need to be glued in place. It's flat in real life.

Now, you see why it has a light! I will try and show you as much detail as I can, below.

Yes, the door opens and the hinges are simple yet clever.

IF the keyboard was where it is supposed to be, one could not SEE it from the front windows. Clever!

Look! A violin and a saxophone! Records, plants books and SO much more!

Even though I built it, I still enjoy looking all around at all the things inside!

An electric guitar on the left. Speakers on the wall, plants and even a cat!

Whomever did the English words for the shop and instructions is very good.

The latch for the battery door and door itself is brilliant!

I mentioned the "amazing" light switch before. One uses Elmer's glue to glue it right at the location of the ribbon with a star at the right on the inside of the roof. And when you put your finger on that star (this is the roof) the light comes on or goes off! It's WOOD and yet it senses your touch! Yes, I know there are many devices that do that in the world. I just never built one before!

Now, for the "fine print". I do not SELL anything, anywhere! I gave up selling via eBay when Uncle Sam (the U.S. Government) figured out a way to collect Income Taxes from U.S. eBay sellers. I'm almost 69 years old  as of the this writing and am retired. I share what I have been up to with you out of the sheer enjoyment doing so gives me. Therefore, I receive NOTHING from any seller you might chose to buy one or more of these kits from to build yourself. That being said, go ahead and buy one and build it! 

Thank you for taking the time to read my humble blog and feel free to leave comments below or via Facebook. I write two other ones: Pictures of Nancy. The Love of My Life. and People Say I'm Special. But I Don't Know Why Feel free to take a look at them, if you wish. I really need to get them caught up.

Scott Robb

July 29, 2025

#516