Album Review

In the 1970s, when fiery-fingered exercises in jazz-rock fusion were all the rage in both the United States and the U.K., the Dixie Dregs brought a Southern slant to the style, injecting a touch of twang into the proceedings. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREGS (1979) catches the band at a key transitional point. While essentially a studio album, some tracks are from a 1978 concert featuring new keyboard player T. Lavitz, whose synthesizer work would become an important part of the band's sound. Throughout the album, Steve Morse's fiery guitar, Allen Sloan's Jean-Luc-Ponty-on-Wild-Turkey violin, and Andy West's frenetic, popping bass all play demolition derby amid metrically and harmonically sophisticated compositions that still offer plenty of visceral satisfaction. [allmusic.com]