For those not in the know, this just-released (via Cherry Red Records), magnificent Ultimate Georgia Satellites 3CD, 53 track ultimate collection focuses on the band’s output whilst signed to Elektra Records.

Spanning the years 1986 to 1990, the band released three studio albums and various singles that feature on this collection plus the related bonus tracks taken from the band’s b-sides and 12” releases.

Ergo, it is the definitive collection of the band’s material available.

The Satellites were like the city's house band. It was a time when all of these hip and arty bands were rising up in Athens, Ga. — and that was a great scene — but there was a rock and roll element that was missing, and The Satellites filled it.

'Keep Your Hands to Yourself' is just a perfect song. You know, if you want to tell some Martian or something, "Hey, this is what rock and roll is!" you could do far worse than play 'Keep Your Hands to Yourself' for them.

OK, sure, some days I think there are one-hit wonders, but on others (given that has a kind of a dismissive tone to it) I reflect back to another chart entry from them, the raucous rock of 'Battleship Chains.'

CD 1 features the ten original album tracks of the band’s first studio album Georgia Satellites that was released in 1986 and which was produced by Jeff Glixman.

There are now also 8 bonus tracks including two mixes, Party Mix and Kick ‘N’ Lick Remix of the single ‘Battleship Chains’, five live tracks including the band’s cover of Lou Reed’s ‘I’m Waiting For The Man’ (which featured as a b-side on the band’s best known single ‘Keep Your Hands To Yourself’).

CD 1: Georgia Satellites
1. 'Keep Your Hands To Yourself'
2. 'Railroad Steel'
3. 'Battleship Chains'
4. 'Red Light'
5. 'The Myth of Love'
6. 'Can't Stand The Pain'
7. 'Golden Light'
8. 'Over And Over'
9. 'Nights Of Mystery'
10. 'Every Picture Tells A Story'
11. 'The Myth Of Love' (Live) [Bonus Track]
12. 'Battleship Chains' (Kick 'N' Lick Remix)' [Bonus Track]
13. 'Hard Luck Boy' [Bonus Track]
14. 'Red Light' (Live) [Bonus Track]
15. 'No Money Down' (Live) [Bonus Track]
16. 'Battleship Chains' (Party Mix) [Bonus Track]
17. 'Nights Of Mystery' (Live) [Bonus Track]
18. 'I’m Waiting For The Man' (Live) [Bonus Track]

Simply put, this was a great, and fun rock album from the late '80s when everyone else in the genre seemed to be donning make up, spandex and perms and paying more attention to their image than the actual music!

The band brought with them Southern Rock without the jams, mixed with British Blues of the 1960's and the result was naked, loud rock! I mean, come on now, this was a fresh shot of what rock was always rooted in!

'Keep Your Hands To Yourself' is the ballsy first track and the opening salvo of 10 cuts that don't bore you to death at any point. 'Battleship Chains,' 'Can't Stand The Pain,' 'Over And Over' as well as a ripping version of Rod Stewart's 'Every Picture Tells a Story' are also stand out selections.

For this re-release, 7 other tracks have been added. Two remixes of 'Battleship Chains' does not really add, nor detract from the original cut though.

'I'm Waiting For The Man' and 'Hard Luck Boy' could easily have been added to the original release. As for the live tracks, 'The Myth Of Love' and 'No Money Down' show the band in their element and are great additions to the disc.

In other words, the original was not a perfect album, but it is a near-classic, that's for darn sure!

CD 2 focuses on the band’s second album, Open All Night, with the 11 original album tracks plus 6 bonus tracks. The bonus material includes the remix of their single, ‘Sheila’ along with live recordings of ‘Let It Rock’, ‘Battleship Chains’ and ‘Railroad Steel’.

CD 2: Open All Night
1. 'Open All Night'
2. 'Sheila'
3. 'Whole Lotta Shakin'
4. 'Cool Justice'
5. 'Don't Pass Me By'
6. 'My Baby'
7. 'Mon Cheri'
8. 'Down And Down'
9. 'Dunk 'N' Dine'
10. 'Baby So Fine'
11. 'Hand To Mouth'
12. 'Let It Rock' (Live)[Bonus Track]
13. 'Hippy Hippy Shake' [Bonus Track]
14. 'Sheila' (Remix) [Bonus Track]
15. 'Battleship Chains' (Live) [Bonus Track]
16. 'Railroad Steel' (Live) [Bonus Track]
17. 'Almost Saturday Night / Rockin' All Over The World' [Bonus Track]

After hitting paydirt with their self-titled debut album and the huge hit 'Keep Your Hands To Yourself', the Georgia Satellites hit the sophomore slump on Open All Night.

Upon hearing this, you get the sense that the band was rushed back in the studio too soon and didn't have enough time to prepare a better album, but from what I've heard down the years, that actually wasn't the case.

There are two cover songs here and while the versions of 'Don't Pass Me By' and 'Whole Lotta Shakin' are good, they don't have the spirit of the cover song from its debut, 'Every Picture Tells a Story'.

Only the nasty 'Cool Inside', 'Mon Cheri', and the title track are on the level of anything from their debut, but I'll also add that both 'Down And Down' and 'Hand To Mouth' are pretty decent as well.

The rest of the songs though, especially 'My Baby', 'Dunk `N' Dine' and 'Baby So Fine' just don't stand out for me, with their respective performances just not catching fire, so to musically speak.

The 6 bonus tracks now included bring some interesting live stuff to the fore, but truly notable are both a vibrant 'Hippy Hippy Shake' and an energetically brilliant medley of 'Almost Saturday Night / Rockin' All Over The World.'

CD 3 is the band’s final Elektra album, In The Land Of Salvation And Sin from 1989 and which was produced by Joe Hardy. This CD features the 14 original album tracks plus five bonus offerings including the b-sides ‘Saddle Up’ and ‘That Woman’, the US promo edit versions of ‘Shake That Thing’ and ‘All Over But The Cryin’’ and the UK single version of ‘Another Chance’.

CD 3: In The Land Of Salvation And Sin
1. 'I Dunno'
2. 'Bottle O' Tears'
3. 'All Over But the Cryin'
4. 'Shake That Thing'
5. 'Six Years Gone'
6. 'Games People Play'
7. 'Another Chance'
8. 'Bring Down The Hammer'
9. 'Slaughterhouse'
10. 'Stellazine Blues'
11. 'Sweet Blue Midnight'
12. 'Days Gone By'
13. 'Crazy'
14. 'Dan Takes Five'
15. 'Saddle Up' [Bonus Track]
16. 'That Woman' [Bonus Track]
17. 'Another Chance' (Edit) [Bonus Track]
18. 'All Over But The Cryin' (Shorter Version) [Bonus Track]
18. 'Shake That Thing' (Edit) [Bonus Track]

In the Land of Salvation and Sin would be the third and final album the Georgia Satellites would release before their breakup in 1989. Having lost their momentum, In the Land of suffered the same fate as its predecessor and would ultimately lead to the band's demise.

However, the few that bought the album would find a diamond in the rough as it showed a quantum leap in Dan Baird's songwriting abilities as well as a musical diversity that was absent from their previous releases.

Thus, In the Land of has become one of the great lost albums in rock history, only appreciated by the few fans that purchased it.

Every track here is pretty good with a few being among their best, in my humble opinion. 'Days Gone By', 'Six Years Gone', and the cover of Joe South's 'Games People Play' are all great songs, containing memorable choruses you could sing along to.

'Shake That Thing' is an awesome tribute to the late Lowell George, sounding like an updated version of Little Feat's 'Fat Man In The Bathtub' and the mid-tempo tracks such as 'Bottle O' Tears', 'Crazy', and 'Bring Down the Hammer' continue in the Lowell George tradition with extensive slide guitar from Baird and guitarist Rick Richards.

The fast-paced rockers 'I Dunno', 'Slaughterhouse', and the relentless 'Dan Takes Five' show that the band hadn't abandoned the hard rocking spirit of their first two albums.

However, there are three tracks that truly make this album a hidden treasure. 'Sweet Blue Midnight' is a tender country ballad featuring great vocals from Baird and special guest Nicolette Larson.

'Another Chance' is one of those great acoustic songs you can imagine a bunch of your friends singing around a campfire on a hot summer night.

And finally, there's the most well-known track, the mid-tempo 'All Over But The Cryin' which is still one of the all-time great breakup songs; as well as arguably being the best song Dan Baird ever wrote.

All told, In the Land of Salvation and Sin shows that the Georgia Satellites had a lot more to offer than just 'Keep Your Hands To Yourself,' and now it comes complete with 5 bonus tracks; the stand out highlight being their balls-to-wall rawker 'Saddle Up.'

This new release comes in capacity wallet packaging with each CD housed in a card wallet featuring the original album artwork of the featured disc. This in turn is housed within an outer sleeve along with a CD booklet.

There are extensive sleeve notes contributions by each of the original band members – Dan Baird, Mauro Magellan, Rick Price and Rick Richards – plus a UK discography.

The band also supplied photos from their own collections for inclusion within the CD booklet.

Official 3CD Purchase Link