Rock, Metal

Lynyrd Skynyrd - God & Guns [Deluxe Edition] [2009]

2009-10-12T11:56:51Z

Lynyrd Skynyrd - God & Guns [Deluxe Edition] [2009]

CD 1 
01. Still Unbroken 5:06 
02. Simple Life 3:17 
03. Little Thing Called You 3:58 
04. Southern Ways 3:48 
05. Skynyrd Nation 3:52 
06. Unwrite That Song 3:50 
07. Floyd 4:03 
08. That Ain't My America 3:44 
09. Comin' Back For More 3:29 
10. God & Guns 5:44 
11. Storm 3:15 
12. Gifted Hands 5:22 

CD 2 
01. Bang Bang 3:10 
02. Raining In My Heartland 3:54 
03. Hobo Kinda Man 3:53 
04. Red White & Blue (Live) 5:42 
05. Call Me The Breeze (Live) 5:49 
06. Sweet Home Alabama (Live) 6:25

With their classic early lineup, anchored by the swagger, grit, and heart of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, Lynyrd Skynyrd merged Allman Brothers guitars with barrelhouse piano (courtesy of keyboardist Billy Powell, a bigger part of Skynyrd's classic sound than most people realize), then tossed in a big dose of hard rock attitude and gave it all credence with a kind of blustering and cocky honky tonk sensibility. The original band just sounded so, well, right, and if its legacy in most casual listeners' minds is just "Sweet Home Alabama" and the ubiquitous "Free Bird," that's not a bad legacy to have, really. Skynyrd's story is also a gothic Southern tragedy, haunted by fatal plane crashes and death, and if the 21st century version of the band (current membership includes ex-Blackfoot guitarist Rickey Medlocke, drummer Michael Cartellone, vocalist Johnny Van Zant, and guitarist Gary Rossington, who is the only member left from the original version of Skynyrd) seems more like a facsimile than a continuation, one could chalk it up to pure attrition. So what to make of God & Guns, the group's new album from Roadrunner Records? It certainly sounds like Lynyrd Skynyrd, maybe with a little more contemporary Nashville on board, and there's plenty of that Southern redneck rocker attitude on display, but what's missing, unfortunately, is compassion and heart, two qualities that were the secret ingredients in Ronnie Van Zant's singing. Johnny sounds like him, sure, but where Ronnie came across slightly disappointed, wounded, and -- God forbid -- regretful underneath his swagger, Johnny comes across like an archetypal Southern redneck convinced that America is all about guns and God -- one assumes Ronnie would wonder if those two things were ever a good idea to mix together. The lead single from this set, "Still Unbroken," is a decent song, but unfortunately that's about it, although the album has a big, full feel. There just aren't many songs, really, to go with that fullness (God & Guns was produced by Bob Marlette) -- "Southern Ways" has a certain charm, maybe because it's essentially a slowed-down rewrite of "Sweet Home Alabama" with the same riff as an anchor, and "Floyd" has some ragged atmosphere going for it, but most of the songs here are far from memorable. It ends up feeling like an album that stomps and roars and sounds like Lynyrd Skynyrd but somehow just isn't the same -- maybe because it isn't. ---Steve Leggett, allmusic.com

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Lynyrd Skynyrd - Live From Freedom Hall (2010)

2010-08-26T15:32:39Z

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Live From Freedom Hall (2010)


1. Travelin’ Man
2. Workin’
3. What’s Your Name
4. That Smell
5. Simple Man
6. Down South Jukin’
7. The Needle And The Spoon
8. The Ballad Of Curtis Loew
9. Gimme Back My Bullets
10. Tuesday’s Gone
11. Red White And Blue
12. Gimme Three Steps
13. Call Me The Breeze
14. Sweet Home Alabama
15. Free Bird

Personnel: 
Johnny Van Zant (vocals); 
Gary Rossington, Rick Medlocke, Mark Matejka (guitar); 
Billy Powell (keyboards); 
Michael Cartellone (drums); 
Dale Krantz-Rossington, Carol Chase (background vocals).

With the dust and the haze of the decades cleared, it’s now apparent that Lynyrd Skynyrd in their original configuration were one of the greatest rock bands to come out of the South, or anywhere in America for that matter, and the band’s legacy, based around classic songs like “Sweet Home Alabama” and the iconic, ever-unwinding “Free Bird,” is assured. Skynyrd were also one of the most haunted of American bands as well, and the litany of deceased members is a long one -- original lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines died in 1977, guitarist Allen Collins died in 1990, bassist Leon Wilkeson died in 2001, replacement bassist Ean Evans died in 2009, as did keyboardist Billy Powell. The group that currently tours and records as Lynyrd Skynyrd features only one original member, guitarist Gary Rossington, with Ronnie's brother Johnny Van Zant handling lead vocals and former Blackfoot frontman Rickey Medlocke heading up the guitarists. The current band does a good job of creating a Skynyrd facsimile in concert but hasn’t fared quite so well as a creative unit, and the heart of the group's shows still consists of the classic old Skynyrd tunes penned by the original band. That said, now essentially a tribute band to the original band that bears the name, the current configuration manages to walk the fine line between actually being Lynyrd Skynyrd and sounding like Lynyrd Skynyrd. This two-disc set (a CD with a DVD of the same set) preserves a concert the band did on June 15, 2007 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY, one of the last shows with both Evans and Powell. Luckily it was a good night, and this is a fine live set, anchored by crisp versions of Skynyrd staples like “What’s Your Name,” “That Smell,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and “Free Bird,” and if Johnny Van Zant doesn’t quite have the same sassy soul as his brother Ronnie did, he comes close enough to make all of this work. It’s nice, too, that pianist Powell is up in the mix here, because he was much more central to Skynyrd's (generally thought of as a guitar band) sound than most folks realize. He won’t be easy to replace, but then this is a band that is increasingly defined by its classic songs more than it is by its particular lineup on a given night -- “Free Bird” is “Free Bird,” after all. ---Steve Leggett, allmusic.com

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Lynyrd Skynyrd - One More From The Road (2001)

2013-10-09T15:52:34Z

Lynyrd Skynyrd - One More From The Road (2001)

CD 1
1.    Introduction / Workin' For MCA
2.    I Ain't The One
3.    Saturday Night Special
4.    Searching
5.    Travelin' Man
6.    Simple Man
7.    Whiskey Rock-A-Roller
8.    Needle And The Spoon
9.    Gimme Back My Bullets
10.    Tuesday's Gone
11.    Gimme Three Steps
12.    Call Me The Breeze
13.    T For Texas

CD 2
1.    Sweet Home Alabama
2.    Crossroads
3.    Free Bird
4.    Introduction / Workin' For MCA - (previously unreleased, alternate)
5.    I Ain't The One - (Previously unreleased, Alternate take)
6.    Searching - (Previously unreleased, Alternate take)
7.    Gimme Three Steps - (Alternate take)
8.    Call Me The Breeze - (Alternate take)
9.    Sweet Home Alabama - (Alternate take)
10.    Crossroads - (Alternate take)
11.    Free Bird - (Alternate take)

Musicians:
    Ronnie Van Zant - vocals
    Allen Collins - guitar
    Gary Rossington - guitar, keyboards
    Steve Gaines – guitar, backing vocals
    Leon Wilkeson - bas
    Artimus Pyle – drums
    Sam McPherson – harmonica, backing vocals
    Cassie Gaines, Leslie Hawkins - backing vocals

The Rarities Edition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s One More from the Road contains the second bonus disc from the 2001 Deluxe Edition reissue of the classic 1976 album. This amounts to ten outtakes from the original July 1976 concerts, including alternate takes of “Gimme Three Steps,” “Call Me the Breeze,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Crossroads,” and “Free Bird.” All these were showcased on the album proper so the value of this bonus material is to offer more of a very good thing -- and for any fan who didn’t pick up the Deluxe Edition, this is a good way to get the unreleased material in one fell swoop. --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com

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Lynyrd Skynyrd - Stuttgart, Germany 2009

2010-03-16T23:34:33Z

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Stuttgart, Germany 2009


01 - Announcement 
02 - Workin' For MCA 
03 - I Ain't The One 
04 - Saturday Night Special 
05 - Gimme Back My Bullets 
06 - What's Your Name 
07 - That Smell 
08 - Simple Man 
09 - Whiskey Rock-A-Roller 
10 - Down South Jukin' 
11 - The Needle And The Spoon 
12 - Double Trouble 
13 - Tuesday's Gone 
14 - Gimme Three Steps 
15 - Call Me The Breeze 
16 - Sweet Home Alabama 
--encore-- 
17 – Freebird

Johnny Van Zant – vocals
Gary Rossington – guitar
Ricky Medlocke – guitar
Hughie Thomasson – guitar
Ean Evans – bass
Billy Powell – keyboard, piano
Dale Krantz-Rossington – Background vocals
Michael Cartellone – drums


Lynyrd Skynyrd 
02nd June 2009 
Stuttgart, Germany 
Freilichtbühne Killesberg

Vicious Cycle Tour was a worldwide tour in support of Lynyrd Skynyrd's album Vicious Cycle. The tour took place in the United States, Canada and Europe and was a celebration of the bands 30th anniversary.

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Lynyrd Skynyrd – Nuthin’ Fancy (1975/1999)

2010-06-11T10:09:50Z

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Nuthin’ Fancy (1975/1999)


01. Saturday Night Special (E.King - R.Van Zant) - 5:09 
02. Cheatin' Woman (R.Van Zant - G.Rossington - A.Kooper) - 4:39 
03. Railroad Song (E.King - R.Van Zant) - 4:13
04. I'm A Country Boy (A.Collins - R.Van Zant) - 4:24
05. On The Hunt (A.Collins - R.Van Zant) - 5:24
06. Am I Losin' (G.Rossington - R.Van Zant)- 4:32
07. Made In The Shade (R.Van Zant) - 4:40
08. Whiskey Rock-A-Roller (E.King - R.Van Zant - B.Powell) - 4:16 
Bonuses:
09. Railroad Song (Live) (E.King - R.Van Zant) - 5:27
10. On The Hunt (Live) (A.Collins - R.Van Zant) - 6:09

Personnel:
- Ronnie Van Zant – lead vocals
- Allen Collins – Gibson Firebird guitar
- Ed King – Fender Stratocaster & Gibson SG guitar
- Gary Rossington – Gibson Les Paul guitar
- Billy Powell – keyboards
- Leon Wilkeson – bass guitar
- Artimus Pyle – drums, percussion
+
- Barry Harwood – dobro, mandolin
- Jimmy Hall – harmonica
- David Foster – piano
- Bobbye Hall – percussion

Second Helping brought Lynyrd Skynyrd mass success and for the follow-up they offered Nuthin' Fancy. It was a self-deprecating title for a record that may have offered more of the same, at least on the surface, but was still nearly peerless as a Southern rock record. The biggest difference with this record is that the band, through touring, has become heavier and harder, fitting right in with the heavy album rock bands of the mid-'70s. The second notable difference is that Ronnie Van Zant may have been pressed for material, since there are several songs here that are just good generic rockers. But he and Skynyrd prove that what makes a great band great is how they treat generic material, and Skynyrd makes the whole of Nuthin' Fancy feel every bit as convincing as their first two records. For one, the record has a rawer edge than Second Helping, which helps make the slight preponderance of predictable (but not bad) material easy to accept, since it all sounds so good. Then there's the fact that many of these eight songs still showcase Van Zant at the top of his game, whether it's the storming opener "Saturday Night Special," "Railroad Song," "On the Hunt," or the rollicking "Whiskey Rock-a-Roller." Yes, this does pale in comparison with its predecessors, but most hard rock bands would give their left arm for a record that swaggers and hits as hard as Nuthin' Fancy. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com

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Lynyrd Skynyrd – Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd (1973/2001)

2010-06-10T21:40:28Z

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd (1973/2001)


01. I Ain't The One (Gary Rossington/Ronnie Van Zant) – 3:51
02. Tuesday's Gone (Gary Rossington/Allen Collins / Ronnie Van Zant) – 7:27
03. Gimme Three Steps (Allen Collins/Ronnie Van Zant) – 4:25
04. Simple Man (Gary Rossington/Ronnie Van Zant) – 5:53
05. Things Goin' On (Gary Rossington/Ronnie Van Zant) – 4:57
06. Mississippi Kid (Al Kooper/Ronnie Van Zant/Bob Burns) – 3:53
07. Poison Whiskey (Ed King/Ronnie Van Zant) – 3:11
08. Free Bird (Allen Collins/Ronnie Van Zant) – 9:04
+
9. Mr. Banker (Demo) 	
10. Down South Jukin' (Demo) 	
11. Tuesday's Gone (Demo) 	
12. Gimme Three Steps (Demo) 	
13.	Free Bird (Demo) 


Personnel:
- Ronnie Van Zant - lead vocals, lyrics
- Gary Rossington - lead guitar on "Tuesday's Gone", "Gimme Three Steps", "Things Goin' On",
 "Poison Whiskey", "Simple Man", rhythm guitar on the others
- Allen Collins - lead guitar on "I Ain't The One" & "Free Bird", rhythm guitar on the others
- Ed King - lead guitar on "Mississippi Kid", bass on all tracks except "Mississippi Kid" and "Tuesday's Gone"
- Billy Powell - keyboards
- Bob Burns - drums except on "Tuesday's Gone"
- Leon Wilkeson - (bass guitar before the album was to cut; rejoined shortly thereafter,
 so band's photo on the album sleeve includes 7 musicians)
+
- Roosevelt Gook (Al Kooper) - bass, Mellotron & back-up harmony on "Tuesday's Gone",
 mandolin & bass drum on "Mississippi Kid", organ on "Simple Man", "Poison Whiskey" & "Free Bird", Mellotron on "Free Bird"
- Robert Nix - drums on "Tuesday's Gone"
- Bobbi Hall - percussion on "Gimme Three Steps" & "Things Goin' On"
- Steve Katz - harmonica on "Mississippi Kid"

The Allman Brothers came first, but Lynyrd Skynyrd epitomized Southern rock. The Allmans were exceptionally gifted musicians, as much bluesmen as rockers. Skynyrd was nothing but rockers, and they were Southern rockers to the bone. This didn't just mean that they were rednecks, but that they brought it all together -- the blues, country, garage rock, Southern poetry -- in a way that sounded more like the South than even the Allmans. And a large portion of that derives from their hard, lean edge, which was nowhere more apparent than on their debut album, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd. Produced by Al Kooper, there are few records that sound this raw and uncompromising, especially records by debut bands. Then again, few bands sound this confident and fully formed with their first record. Perhaps the record is stronger because it's only eight songs, so there isn't a wasted moment, but that doesn't discount the sheer strength of each song. Consider the opening juxtaposition of the rollicking "I Ain't the One" with the heartbreaking "Tuesday's Gone." Two songs couldn't be more opposed, yet Skynyrd sounds equally convincing on both. If that's all the record did, it would still be fondly regarded, but it wouldn't have been influential. The genius of Skynyrd is that they un-self-consciously blended album-oriented hard rock, blues, country, and garage rock, turning it all into a distinctive sound that sounds familiar but thoroughly unique. On top of that, there's the highly individual voice of Ronnie Van Zant, a songwriter who isn't afraid to be nakedly sentimental, spin tales of the South, or to twist macho conventions with humor. And, lest we forget, while he does this, the band rocks like a motherf*cker. It's the birth of a great band that birthed an entire genre with this album. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Lynyrd Skynyrd to, obok The Allman Brothers Band i ZZ Top, najbardziej znany rockowy zespół lat 70. z południa Stanów. Grupa powstała już w 1966 roku - siedem lat przed płytowym debiutem. Przez cały ten czas zaskakująco stabilny był skład. Od samego początku w zespole występował wokalista Ronnie Van Zant, gitarzyści Gary Rossington i Allen Collins, oraz perkusista Bob Burns (którego przez krótki czas zastępował Rickey Medlocke). Często zmieniało się natomiast stanowisko basisty - początkowo rolę tę pełnił Larry Junstrom, następnie Greg T. Walker i Leon Wilkeson, aż w końcu, od 1972 roku, Ed King. Niedługo później skład poszerzył się o klawiszowca Billy'ego Powella. Na początku 1973 zespół zarejestrował swój debiutancki album, "(pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd)". Niedługo po zakończeniu sesji, do grupy postanowił wrócić Wilkeson. Na albumie nie zagrał ani dźwięku, ale załapał się na okładkową fotografię. King od tamtej pory pełnił rolę trzeciego gitarzysty.

Zespół zaczynał od grania muzyki na pograniczu country i bluesa, jednak z czasem muzycy zafascynowali się brytyjskim blues rockiem, zwłaszcza grupami Free i Cream. Debiutancki longplay Lynyrd Skynyrd brzmi jak odpowiedź na tego typu granie, ale zaprezentowana z luzem typowym dla południa Stanów. Tej "południowości" jest tutaj zdecydowanie więcej, niż w twórczości The Allman Brothers Band, do których Lynardzi są często porównywani, a którzy brzmią zdecydowanie bardziej brytyjsko (przynajmniej na albumach nagranych przed śmiercią Duane'a Allmana).

Album "(pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd)" rozpoczyna się od zadziornego "I Ain't the One", zbudowanego na bardzo charakterystycznym riffie, ze świetnymi gitarowymi solówkami. Po takim - bardzo zresztą udanym - otwarciu, dobrze byłoby umieścić jeszcze jeden czy dwa kawałki w tym stylu, aby potrzymać napięcie. Niestety, "Tuesday's Gone" to zwrot o 180 stopni. Sam w sobie utwór jest naprawdę udany - to łagodna, bardzo melodyjna ballada, z długimi solówkami i melotronem w tle. Ale na albumie pojawia się zdecydowanie za szybko, gdy jest jeszcze za wcześnie na takie uspokojenie. Tym bardziej, że kompozycja trwa ponad siedem minut, a tak naprawdę niewiele się w niej dzieje. Bardziej dynamicznie robi się w nieco banalnym "Gimme Three Steps", ale tuż po nim pojawia się... kolejna ballada, "Simple Man". Tym razem jednak bardziej zwarta, z cięższymi refrenami i ostrą solówką. A jednocześnie czarująca przepiękną melodią.

"Things Goin' On" i akustyczny "Mississippi Kid" bliższe są nowoorleańskiego bluesa, niż rocka. Niestety oba są dość monotonne i zupełnie niezapadające w pamięć. Ten sam problem dotyczy także ostrzejszego "Poison Whiskey", w którym wraca inspiracja brytyjskim graniem. Dopiero na sam koniec albumu pojawia się kolejna perła - dziewięciominutowy "Free Bird". To prawdopodobnie najważniejsza kompozycja w całym dorobku Lynyrd Skynyrd, a na pewno najpiękniejsza. Napisana przez Ronniego Van Zanta jako hołd dla Duane'a Allmana, zaledwie cztery lata później stała się w pewnym sensie epitafium dla niego samego. Jednak wcale nie tekst robi tu największe wrażenie, a muzyka. Z początku utwór jest bardzo stonowany - melodyjnej partii wokalnej towarzyszą delikatne dźwięki gitary i organowe tło - jednak stopniowo nabiera mocy, zaś ostatnie cztery minuty to elektryzujące gitarowe popisy Rossingtona i Collinsa.

Na debiutanckim albumie muzykom Lynyrd Skynyrd zdecydowanie najlepiej wyszły utwory łączące balladowy nastrój z rockowym czadem ("Free Bird", "Simple Man"), chociaż nieźle odnaleźli się też w ostrzejszym ("I Ain't the One") i bardziej subtelnym ("Tuesday's Gone") graniu. Gdyby cały album utrzymany był na poziomie utworów wymienionych w nawiasach, ocena byłaby wyższa. Ale stanowią one tylko połowę albumu (ilościowo, bo czasowo prawie dwie trzecie), a pozostałe utwory pełnią rolę niezbyt udanych wypełniaczy. ---pablosreviews.blogspot.com

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Lynyrd Skynyrd – Second Helping (1974)

2010-06-10T22:13:07Z

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Second Helping (1974)


01. Sweet Home Alabama (Ed King/Gary Rossington/Ronnie Van Zant) – 4:43
02. I Need You (Ed King/Gary Rossington/Ronnie Van Zant) – 6:51
03. Don't Ask Me No Questions (Gary Rossington/Ronnie Van Zant) – 3:24
04. Workin' For MCA (Ed King/Ronnie Van Zant) – 4:47
05. The Ballad Of Curtis Loew (Allen Collins/Ronnie Van Zant) – 4:51
06. Swamp Music (Ed King/Ronnie Van Zant) – 3:30
07. The Needle And The Spoon (Allen Collins/Ronnie Van Zant) – 3:53
08. Call Me The Breeze (J.J.Cale) – 5:08
+
09. Don't Ask Me No Questions (Gary Rossington/Ronnie Van Zant) - 3:32
10. Was I Right Or Wrong (Gary Rossington/Ronnie Van Zant) - 5:33
11. Take Your Time (Ed King/Ronnie Van Zant) - 	7:29

Personnel:
- Ronnie Van Zant - lead & backing vocals, J&B
- Gary Rossington - guitar, rhythm & acoustic guitar on "Sweet Home Alabama"
- Allen Collins - guitar
- Ed King - guitar, slide guitar, rhythm & bass on "I Need You"
- Billy Powell - keyboards, piano on "Sweet Home Alabama"
- Leon Wilkeson - bass
- Bob Burns - drums except "I Need You"
+
- Mike Porter - drums on "I Need You"
- Clydie King - background vocals on "Sweet Home Alabama"
- Merry Clayton & Friends - background vocals on "Sweet Home Alabama"
- Bobby Keys, Trewor Lawrence & Steve Madiao - horns on "Don't Ask Me No Questions " & "Call Me The Breeze"
- Al Kooper - backing vocals, piano on "Don't Ask..." & "The Ballad Of Curtis Loew", 
also producer

Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote the book on Southern rock with their first album, so it only made sense that they followed it for their second album, aptly titled Second Helping. Sticking with producer Al Kooper (who, after all, discovered them), the group turned out a record that replicated all the strengths of the original, but was a little tighter and a little more professional. It also revealed that the band, under the direction of songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, was developing a truly original voice. Of course, the band had already developed their own musical voice, but it was enhanced considerably by Van Zant's writing, which was at turns plainly poetic, surprisingly clever, and always revealing. Though Second Helping isn't as hard a rock record as Pronounced, it's the songs that make the record. "Sweet Home Alabama" became ubiquitous, yet it's rivaled by such terrific songs as the snide, punkish "Workin' for MCA," the Southern groove of "Don't Ask Me No Questions," the affecting "The Ballad of Curtis Loew," and "The Needle and the Spoon," a drug tale as affecting as their rival Neil Young's "Needle and the Damage Done," but much harder rocking. This is the part of Skynyrd that most people forget -- they were a great band, but they were indelible because that was married to great writing. And nowhere was that more evident than on Second Helping. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

"Second Helping" to jeden z tych albumów, które oceniane są przez pryzmat jednego przeboju. "Sweet Home Alabama" przez te czterdzieści lat, jakie minęły od jego powstania, został niemiłosiernie ograny na wszystkie możliwe sposoby. I w sumie trudno się temu dziwić, bo chwytliwość tego kawałka jest niezaprzeczalna: skoczna, od razu zapadająca w pamięć melodia i ewidentnie popowy charakter (lekkie brzmienie, zabiegi aranżacyjne typu żeńskie chórki) czynią z niego prawdziwy hit. Co jednak ciekawe, wydawca Lynyrd Skynyrd nie od razu dostrzegł potencjał "Sweet Home Alabama" i na pierwszy singiel wytypował "Don't Ask Me No Questions". Utwór również popowy (dużo klawiszy i... dęciaków), ale raczej w negatywnym znaczeniu (banalna melodia, w dodatku niezbyt zapadająca w pamięć). W każdym razie singiel przeszedł niezauważony. Dopiero płytka z "Sweet Home Alabama" okazała się sukcesem i tak naprawdę od jej wydania zespół zaczął zdobywać popularność, a z czasem zapewniła mu nieśmiertelność.

Poza dwoma singlowymi kawałkami album zawiera także sześć innych kompozycji. Oczywiście nie mogło zabraknąć wśród nich kilku ballad - w końcu poprzednim longplayem muzycy udowodnili, że w takim graniu mało kto może się z nimi równać. I o ile "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" to tylko dość zgrabna piosenka, tak bluesowa "I Need You" (z rewelacyjnymi partiami gitar) należy do czołówki najpiękniejszych utworów z amerykańskiego południa. Pod względem stylistycznym na przeciwnym biegunie mieści się zadziorny "Workin' for MCA". Fantastyczny utwór, oparty na bardzo nośnym, bujającym riffie, wpartym ostrymi gitarowymi solówkami. Rockowej energii, chociaż już w lżejszym wydaniu, nie brakuje także w "Swamp Music" i "The Needle and the Spoon", jednak drugi z nich opiera się na melodii bardzo podobnej do... "Sweet Home Alabama". Całości dopełnia zaostrzona wersja "Call Me the Breeze" z repertuaru J.J. Cale'a, zachowująca przebojowy charakter oryginału.

"Second Helping" to kopalnia świetnych melodii, zapadających w pamieć refrenów i motywów. Może i nie ma tutaj dzieła na miarę "Free Bird" z poprzedniego albumu, ale całość jest równiejsza - stąd wyższa ocena, niż w recenzji debiutanckiego albumu Lynyrd Skynyrd. "Second Helping" idealnie nadaje się do słuchania latem, szczególnie podczas aktualnych upałów. ---pablosreviews.blogspot.com

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Lynyrd Skynyrd – Street Survivors (2012)

2012-05-06T15:42:16Z

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Street Survivors (2012)


1. What's Your Name
2. That Smell
3. One More Time
4. I Know A Little
5. You Got That Right
6. I Never Dreamed
7. Honky Tonk Night Time Man
8. Ain't No Good Life

Personnel
    Ronnie Van Zant – lead vocals
    Steve Gaines - guitar, backing vocals, lead vocal on "Ain't No Good Life", co-lead vocal on "You Got     That Right"
    Allen Collins – guitar
    Gary Rossington – guitar
    Billy Powell – keyboards
    Leon Wilkeson – bass, backing vocals
    Artimus Pyle – drums
    The Honkettes (JoJo Billingsley, Cassie Gaines, Leslie Hawkins): backing vocals on "That Smell" and "One More Time"

Street Survivors appeared in stores just days before Lynyrd Skynyrd's touring plane crashed, tragically killing many members of the band, including lead singer and songwriter Ronnie Van Zant. Consequently, it's hard to see Street Survivors outside of the tragedy, especially since the best-known song here, "That Smell," reeks of death and foreboding. If the band had lived, however, Street Survivors would have been seen as an unqualified triumph, a record that firmly re-established Skynyrd's status as the great Southern rock band. As it stands, it's a triumph tinged with a hint of sadness, sadness that's projected onto it from listeners aware of what happened to the band after recording. Viewed as merely a record, it's a hell of an album. The band springs back to life with the addition of guitarist Steve Gaines, and Van Zant used the time off the road to write a strong set of songs, highlighted by "That Smell," "You Got That Right," and the relentless boogie "I Know a Little." It's tighter than any record since Second Helping and as raw as Nuthin' Fancy. If the original band was fated to leave after this record, at least they left with a record that serves as a testament to Skynyrd's unique greatness. --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

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