"Power Play" by Molly Hatchet

Song#:  0901
Date:  02/06/1982
Debut:  98
Peak:  96
Weeks:  2
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  With the band's previous album "Beatin' the Odds," they started to slide away from their original Southern rock sound to something a little heavier. Their next album, "Take No Prisoners," took them even further away from their roots by featuring straight-ahead AOR tunes shined up with a lot of studio polish. Fans were not impressed and after three platinum successes, the album failed to even hit gold status. It was a slide downward that the band never really recovered from. However, they remained a highly successful touring act even through multiple personnel changes. This first single from the LP was a very minor blip for a couple of weeks.

ReduxReview:  I'd have to agree with the fans on this one. It's like Blue Öyster Cult mixed with 38 Special. The song just kind of rambles with little melody and a verse and chorus that are close to being identical. The vocals kind of drone on and the only real relief from that are the guitar solo sections. This is certainly not the "Flirtin' with Disaster" Molly Hatchet.

ReduxRating:  3/10

Trivia:  The "Take No Prisoners" album contains the song "Respect Me in the Morning," which is a duet between lead singer Jimmy Farrar and Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy. Kennedy was a member of the funk/rock band Mother's Finest. Although that group never really hit it big in their late-70s heyday (their best single was the #58 "Baby Love" in 1977), they got a reputation for being an opening act whose performance would often surpass that of the major rock artists that were the headliners. Kennedy would end up having one Top 40 hit in 1984 when "The Last Time I Made Love," a duet with Jeffery Osborne, reached #40.

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