Bring It Back Alive
One of the better known southern rock bands of the 1970s, The Outlaws enjoyed some moderate success with hits like "There Goes Another Love Song." Following in the tradition of practically every band who had a contract at that time, The Outlaws released an obligatory live album in 1978. Their harmonies, both vocal and guitar, held up pretty well on stage, as evidenced by the before mentioned "Love Song," and "Freeborn Man," as well as "I Hope You Don't Mind." "Hurry Sundown," another Outlaws classic gets an equally fine treatment. But of course, the real meat comes at the end of the show with "Green Grass and High Tides." Taking a cue from Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird," The Outlaws wrote an epic of their own.  "Green Grass" starts as an up-tempo country croon, but it's not long before they let the hammer down. As wasde rigueur, the band pulls out all the era's stops, throwing drum breaks, dueling guitar leads that go on for about three days, and several false endings into the pot before The Big Finish. It's a great documented moment of a band at the height of both its own powers, and those of an entire era. --Steve Gdula