WITH A NEWLY RELEASED ARCHIVAL CONCERT ALBUM, THE OUTLAWS RIDE AGAIN. BY LEE ZIMMERMAN Southern Rockers Reborn n the annals of Southern Song,” “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” and Rock — that particular genre “Green Grass and High Tides,” as well Idefined as much by the grit, growl as the fact they were the first signing to and sheer verbosity of its music as much Clive Davis’ Arista Records label. Given as by its native origins — the Outlaws Davis’ reputation as a credible hitmaker were destined to be a minor-league team during his fabled ’60s tenure as president for the most part, often overshadowed of Columbia Records, the band should by A-players like The Allman Brothers have excelled to a greater degree. (Ac- Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall cording to legend, Davis first spied them Tucker Band, 38 Special and Molly opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd and was Hatchet. Nevertheless, they did manage subsequently told by the band’s Ronnie to make an imprint on the mainstream Van Zant, “If you don’t sign the Outlaws, market courtesy of a series of album rock you’re the dumbest music person I’ve MICHAEL PUTLAND/GETTYMICHAEL IMAGES standbys, “There Goes Another Love ever met — and I know you’re not.”) 52 FEBRUARY 2021 goldminemag.com 52_926 Outlaws.indd 52 12/9/20 7:54 AM The Outlaws performing in Los Angeles, California, during the early 1980s. Vocalist/ guitarist Freddie Salem, shown at far right. Indeed, as the band’s recently released three most essential albums: Outlaws legacy to live on a little longer. Live at Rockpalast, a memento of an (1975), Lady in Waiting (1976) and Salem, who continues to work as a exceptional performance in Germany Hurry Sundown (1977). Despite a shift- session player in Los Angeles, is under- circa 1981, attests, any failing to achieve ing series of players that drifted in and standably enthusiastic about the album’s higher heights couldn’t be attributed to out of their ranks, the band continued to delayed appearance. Following a brief their lack of either energy or enthusiasm. record well into the ’80s — with a belated solo career, he met the Outlaws in L.A. Utilizing the prerequisite elements of reunion album It’s About Pride released following the release of their first three their stated style of dual lead guitars and in 2012 — and, with one configuration albums. “They called me a year later and high harmonies, the lineup (vocalist/ or another, still toured incessantly as asked me if I wanted to fly to Tampa guitarist Hughie Thomasson, guitarist/ well. The death of founding member because the guys wanted to jam,” he vocalist Billy Jones, bassist Rick Cua, Thomasson in 2007 impacted their recalls. “I had no idea what was going on drummer David Dix, and later recruit, progress, but there’s reason to believe and that they had an outgoing member guitarist Freddie Salem) reflects a legacy that this belated live release might spark (founder Henry Paul) or this or that, so initially established with the group’s renewed interest and allow the Outlaws’ I said, yeah, I would love that. So I went goldminemag.com FEBRUARY 2021 53 52_926 Outlaws.indd 53 12/9/20 7:54 AM down there and had the greatest time. hiccups but it was an absolutely wonder- We rehearsed for a week and then played ful show, one of those gigs you’ll always our first gig, which was at Boston Gar- recall. Energy-wise, it was tremendous.” den. I felt that energy and combustion Salem still remembers the huge from day one. Considering all I had done crowd in attendance, which he reckons before, that was definitely a high point of numbered up to 18,000 people. “We were my career. We became quite a headlining surprised to see some Confederate flags band after a couple of years, and that was in the audience, but then we remembered definitely a wonderful time.” that there were some U.S. servicemen Salem says he was contacted by the that were stationed in Germany and German independent label MIG for per- opted to attend that show. It was a huge OUTLAWS mission to release the Rockpalast record, success, and that gig became etched in SELECTED ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY but that it subsequently took him a year my mind. It still is.” ARISTA to put the pieces in place since two of the Despite a few glitches, Salem says T A2L8300 Bring It Back Alive 1978 $15 players of that performance — Thomas- he’s also pleased with production. The T AL9542 Ghost Riders 1980 $12 son and Jones — had passed away, leav- package — which consists of both a CD T AL9614 Greatest Hits of the Outlaws/High Tides Forever 1982 $12 ing Dix as the only other member able and DVD — sounds remarkably crisp T AL4135 Hurry Sundown 1977 $12 and available to put the project together. and clear, even nearly 40 years removed. T AL9507 In the Eye of the Storm 1979 $12 “We flew to Frankfurt, rehearsed for a “Leave it to the German technology,” T AL4070 Lady in Waiting 1976 $12 day and then drove to Lorelei through Salem says. “They did a really good job.” T AQ4070 [Quadraphonic] Lady in Waiting 1976 $20 the Rhine Valley,” Salem says of the Salem has reason to celebrate other T AL9584 Los Hombres Malo 1982 $12 experience leading up to the show. “We successes as well. His participation T AL4042 Outlaws 1975 $12 passed numerous little German villages pushed the Outlaws to a new peak. “My T AB4205 Playin’ to Win 1978 $12 on the banks of the Rhine. It looks like first album with them was called Bring T SP-132 [EP] Radio Remixes 1982 $15 — Promo-only an absolute painting, a tapestry. We had It Back Alive (1978) and it went gold real four-song sampler a couple of The Who’s road crew taking quick, and then it pushed the first album PAIR care of us, and we had borrowed some gold, which I thought would have been T PDL2-1050 The Outlaws 1986 $15 of their equipment and it was absolutely platinum since day one due to the huge PASHA exhilarating. I fell in love with the whole airplay success of ‘Green Grass and High T BFZ40512 Soldiers of Fortune 1986 $10 situation. Lorelei is one of the most beau- Tides’ and ‘There Goes Another Love tiful, natural amphitheaters in the world, Song.’ But who knows what’s happening just a gorgeous facility right on the banks with the music industry machine. We of the Rhine River. We were greeted by kind of changed the template. The genre and kind of changed the twang thing our good friends Thin Lizzy, who were of country rock seemed to be dimin- into more of a straight rock approach. on the bill as well, and it was an abso- ishing a bit, so we hardened the whole That’s what changes you from a club act lutely memorable show. There were some presentation and got different amplifiers to an arena headliner. You have to reach everybody in the facility. We did some huge shows and that’s what we did. We Freddie Salem played two shows at Anaheim Stadium served as an with The Rolling Stones with 100,000 Outlaws guitarist and vocalist from people there per day. In those situations, 1977 to 1983. you have to project from that stage to the very last person in the bleachers in order to get it done. We got more aggressive and heavier and, although I don’t want to credit myself entirely, I planted the seed.” The other factor in that transforma- tion was the enlistment of such ac- credited hard rock producers as Ron Nevison, who had been responsible for helming albums by Bad Company, Ozzy Osbourne and UFO, and Mutt Lange, the veteran British producer whose credits included AC/DC, Def Leppard and Foreigner among the many. They 54 FEBRUARY 2021 goldminemag.com 52_926 Outlaws.indd 54 12/9/20 7:54 AM GM0221.indd 55 12/8/20 8:19 AM Hughie Thomasson and Billy Jones were part of a dynamic guitar team for the Outlaws live performance. SouthernSh Rock’s Rk’Sl Soul Big fan of Southern Rock? Pick up the next issue of Goldmine (March 2021) to find out how to bid also changed their touring regimen to part of the original incarnation. “We on a portrait of legendary Lynyrd team them with more certified rock had lost members along the way,” Salem Skynyrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant acts, such as UFO, Ozzy Osborne, Thin says, citing the departure of Thomasson, (above), painted by Skynyrd Lizzy and Motörhead. “Lemmy loved Jones and second generation drummer drummer Michael Cartellone, in the Outlaws,” Salem recalls. “For that Monte Yoho as particularly traumatic. a charity auction with the Cancer matter, so did Bon Scott. At the time, “That was a detrimental move. It was Support Community organization. we were changing the template without right in the midst of the release of our trying to discourage the old fans. It was a album Los Hombres Malo. We had a shock but we brought in new fans in the terrific run, but things just started going process. We pushed the envelope a little south. Our record deal with Arista was (“Just another day at the office,” he says), bit. So no matter what our records did, terminated due to management differ- producing other acts, and prepping his our live shows got bigger and bigger. It’s ences.