Formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1975, MOLLY HATCHET took their name from the famous 17th century axe murderess, a prostitute who allegedly mutilated and decapitated her clients.
Their self-titled debut album, recorded in 1978, quickly went platinum; the follow-up, Flirtin’ With Disaster, was even a bigger success, ultimately selling well over two million copies.
After more than 35 years, Molly Hatchet is still alive ‘n kicking.
Bobby Ingram was handed the Hatchet torch back in the mid-’90s and both he and lead singerPhil McCormack have been keeping the band rockin’ the World.
After asking original guitarist Dave Hlubek to rejoin the band a few years back, Molly Hatchet once again has at least one founding member in its lineup.
John Galvin is still playing keyboards, having joined the group back in 1984, while Tim Lindsey, best known for his playing in the Rossington band and fill-in work with Lynyrd Skynyrd, is on bass and Shawn Beamer rocks the drums.
Now, these Southern Hard Rock legends are releasing “Regrinding The Axes”, where they revisit with the band’s unique flavor some of their favourite songs originally made famous by other iconic rock bands, covering well-known anthems from the repertoire of Thin Lizzy, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Eagles and many more.
Hatchet has always done a great job with covers. Their version of ‘Dreams I’ll Never See’ from their first album is a classic. They’ve been doing Mountain’s ‘Mississippi Queen’ live for decades.
On “Regrinding The Axes”, however, it’s really surprising to hear the band doing songs from artists with a completely different root than Hatchet.
Any classic rock fan is familiar with The Eagles’ “Deperado”. Molly Hatchet does a commendable job here with Phil McCormick giving an exceptional vocal performance.
He also does a phenomenal job on the Stones “Wild Horses” and the Allman Brothers “Melissa”.
I am a huge Thin Lizzy fan, so any band doing a cover of one of my favorite bands is awesome. Unlike a song like ‘Dreams I’ll Never See’ in which Molly Hatchet just owns, with “The Boys Are Back in Town” they seem to be trying too hard to stay faithful to the original recording and don’t give it a full blown Molly Hatchet treatment.
“Bad To The Bone” is a song that I always thought written for Molly Hatchet, and they do a great job here, even adding an original sax section. There’s terrific slide-guitar solos and unrestrained boogie playing all over.
“Tumbling Dice” is another killer cover, featuring a pumping rhythm section and an ’80s feel and sound.
The band also success with ZZ Top’s classic “Sharp Dressed Man”, in a version driven by a monster bass line, with McCormack’s vocals fitting the song perfectly and Ingram soloing like a Devil.
The last three tracks are lengthy live recordings showing Molly Hatchet’s craziness on stage, including “Layla” featuring a long guitar solo. Raw recordings without overdubs.
If you are a Classic Rock ‘desperado’, you will enjoy “Regrinding The Axes” all the way through.
Molly Hatchet has the fire intact, playing tight and solid. All these songs are truly classics, and truly good. Molly Hatchet just has added their touch.
The sound quality of this recording is due in part to the tracks being recorded on an analog mixing board. The warmth of analog cannot be beat.
“Regrinding The Axes” offers 79 min. of good, timeless Classic Rock.
01 – Bad To The Bone
02 – Mississippi Queen
03 – Free Bird
04 – Back In The U.S.S.R.
05 – Sharp Dressed Man
06 – The Boys Are Back In Town
07 – Tumbling Dice
08 – Dreams I’ll Never See
09 – Melissa
10 – Wild Horses
11 – Tequila Sunrise
12 – Yesterday
13 – Get In The Game [Live] (bonus track)
14 – Layla / Guitar Solo [Live] (bonus track)
15 – Dreams I’ll Never See [Live] (bonus track)
Phil McCormack – Lead Vocals
Bobby Ingram – Electric, Acoustic & Slide Guitar, Backing Vocals
Dave Hlubek – Guitar
John Galvin – Hammond B-3 organ, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Shawn Beamer – Drums, Percussion
Tim Lindsey – Bass, Backing Vocals