Artist: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Album: (pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd)
Producer: Al Kooper
Label: MCA
Release Date: Sept. 1973
#401 on RS' top 500 albums
Lynyrd Skynyrd on this album was:
Ronnie Van Zant- vocals
Gary Rossington- guitar
Allen Collins- guitar
Ed King- guitar, bass
Billy Powell- keyboards
Robert Burns- drums
Leon Wilkinson- bass
Lynyrd Skynyrd probably has to be one of the most misunderstood and neglected american rock bands by critics and music historians alike. this bunch of rowdy floridians formed the band in the early 70s taking the name after their high school football coach, leonard skinner, who demanded that the boys cut their hair, so they did the most rock star thing you could do: switch schools. anyways, the y's were added in the name in tribute to the byrds and the band includes former strawberry alarm clock member, ed king as a bart of their intense southern rock brew that blends soul, country, blues, a little bit of R&B and jazz, into a fiery three-guitar rock approach, which needless to say, just blows you away. combined with Van Zant's confident proto-metal crooning and one hell of a rhythm section, these guys really are one solid, if neglected band.
sadly, these days legend seems to have outgrown the band as supposed "feuds" between the band and neil young branded the band as a bunch of mindless redneck swamptrash hooligans, which really isn't true, sadly enough. that being said, this is the debut from these boys, but the songwriting, the chops, and the emotion in this album would suggest that they were hardline veterans of the studio and road (which was somewhat true given all the playing they've racked up before they managed to record an album).
I Ain't the One - a smooth snare roll and over some studio effects gives way to a sweet bluesy riff that has almost a funk sort of rhythm which progresses in solid 12-bar blues form. after a few short measures of this riff, the guitars kick it out with some stellar leads. the tone and timbre is just smooth as butter, but is still capable of kickin' your *** all over place, especially the solo in the bridge (especially the last little phrase in the end with the doubled guitars). Van Zant's vocals are very energetic and when he hits the refrain, "your talkin' jive woman" you can't help but give way to a gleeful smile. solid and simple rhythmwork and some nicely laid-out piano lines round out a wonderful opener to the album. 5/5
Tuesday's Gone - if your like me, then you probably first heard this song from happy gilmore. the intro is just simply beatiful with the lead suitars weaving between each other nicely over some well-put acoustic strumming until it builds up to a simply orgasmic lead melody full of vibrato, wonderful intonation, and sustain. Van Zant's vocals and lyrics have a very melancholy yet strangely optomistic feel and fits the mood of the song very well. the piano solo in the bridge adds a nice touch of bliss, though i tend to think that Kooper overworks this element with the inclusion of the strings here. this is just simply an awesome little ballad. 4.5/5
Gimme Three Steps - this is probably the song that got me into them. the song kicks in with a cool boogie-like shuffle riff on the guitar that picks up with some fiercely primal drumming and some very melodic and confident bass. another overdriven southern-fried lead enters after a few measures and really adds to the shuffling feel. the vocals are full of character and help establish Van Zant's story of a barroom scuffle very well (a true story in fact) the tripled leads in the bridge is just awesome as well. pure air guitar stuff. 5/5
Simple Man - this has to be my favorite song right now. very somber music, but with a positive, if not yearning message, in the lyrics that centers around some motherly advice to "be a simple man or something that you can love and understand" (this line in particular just grips me in a bizarre way). the guitar riff, with a hint of doubling in the organ, between verses adds nicely to timbre of the song and notions to the explosive and soulful chorus that soon follows. the vocals at this point are just beautiful, in a very strong and masculine sort of way with Van Zant just giving it all. a sweet guitar solo in the bridge as well. this song is a little repetitive but i still love it. 5/5
Things Goin' On - this is a pretty cool song that contains an interesting socio-political message that isn't very common in Skynyrd's catalogue. though most people these are oft to cite their latest single, a pro-war, rally-around-the-flag jingle, in emphasizing their redneck attitudes, this track is in complete opposite, with Van Zant giving a very critical assessment of the Nixon administration back in the day by citing Vietnam, environmental degradation, the waste of $ for the space race, and the quality of inner city living. as for the music itself, the piano dominates this song with a killer barroom melody that rolls up and down the register wonderfully. the guitars are quite sparse, but mesh together nicely and thus gives more rooms for the bass and drums to do their thing and help carry the momentum. 3.5/5
Mississippi Kid - A cool bluesy acoustic track with some wonderful guitar work and Van Zant's stellar crooning. the slide guitar solo in the bridge is very cool and has a strong Allman influence in it by combining delta blues with rock dynamics and tone. the harmonica solo is also quite cool. a very simple and short song that gets straight to the point. 4/5
Poison Whiskey - this song has a cool funky riff characterized by some solid leads and touches of electric organ. this main riff gives the song some heavy momentum that just chugs along like a train and the conductor's strung out on acid. very cool psychedelic guitar solo in the bridge and van zant's vocals are very soulful and solid. awesome piano solo as well. 4/5
Free Bird - well, everyone should know this song. starts off with some wonderful organ and electric slide melody that recalls a very desperate feel as heard in tuesdays gone. the singing is dead on and meshes very nicely with the simple rhythm section and acoustic guitar strumming. this song for me is a little overrated though, but its all about the second half, where the tempo picks up, the dynamics explode- the timbre almost shifts entirely in fact- and its just 4 solid minutes of soloing, courtesy of allen collins. it gets a little repeptitive in places, but some phrasing are just awesome. wonderful work. 5/5
all in all this a highly recommended album. though Kooper's production is a little polished for a band of this nature, the songwriting and playing on this album are just amazing; the melodies, riffs, and solos will stick in your head for days and days. and of course, this is one of the defininte albums that helped define and establish the southern rock genre
5/5
recommended tracks:
tuesday's gone
gimme three steps
simple man
i ain't the one
free bird
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