Yeah "Alabama" and "Free Bird" are really overplayed.
I really love That Smell. It's my personal favorite. That and Tuesday's Gone probably.
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I've been listening to a lot of Skynyrd lately and I've realized I have all of their DVDs except "Freebird the Movie" which is about the plane crash and their tour just before it. I want to get it but it looks like it isn't sold anymore in the US. I'm gonna have to do some eBaying I think!!!
Here's a little somethin' for you all today:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-SIbttHSg0[/ame]
Glad to see there's a Lynyrd Skynyrd thread here, I'm quite a big fan of them myself. They are my second favourite American band (wonder who number one could be? :wink:).
My favourite album would have to be Pronounced..., which is also my favourite debut album of all time (I even like it more than Led Zeppelin I). There are so many great songs on that record and no filler tracks, and I think it's unbelievably confident for a debut. I currently only own Pronounced, Second Helping and Street Survivors, but I really like almost all of the tracks on those three records. I'm still fairly new to the last one compared to the first two, but I like it a lot, especially the awesome That Smell.
My overall top ten songs at the time of writing would probably be:
Simple Man
Free Bird
That Smell
Sweet Home Alabama
The Ballad Of Curtis Loew
Tuesday's Gone
Gimme Three Steps
What's Your Name
Don't Ask Me No Questions
Things Goin' On
I have a couple of questions to ask, hope no one minds:
1) What do people make of Nuthin' Fancy and Gimme Back My Bullets? I'll probably end up getting them eventually anyway, but they definitely seem harder to find in the UK (in the Skynyrd sections of most music stores I visit, they usually have the three I've already got plus the compilations).
2) I have a question for Austin specifically - how do you tell which guitarist is playing which parts? I was talking about Skynyrd with my Dad (who is also a fan - I think he saw them twice in the 1970s before the plane crash) and it occurred to me that I although I absolutely love Skynyrd's guitars, I know very little about the guitarists, especially their playing style and preferred axe (especially compared to the Eagles, where I know what to listen out for and can tell Felder from Walsh or Glenn from Bernie etc.). Given that many of their songs have multiple guitar solos I'd really love to have some idea of who plays which parts, or at least be able to identify the likely player. Are there any solos or guitar parts which stand out as being particularly recognisable as Allen Collins, Gary Rossington or others? I know Allen and Gary played the Free Bird solos, but that is the extent of my current knowledge.
Let's discuss post crash Skynyrd now obviously they are controversial but some of my favorite post Ronnie songs are
1.The Last Rebel
2.Still Unbroken
3.Gifted Hands
4.Smokestack Lighting
5.Mad Hatter
6.Last of A dying breed.
My favorite albums are Street Survivors and Second Helping. I've loved Skynyrd since I was born. It's almost a requirement of being a Southerner. My top 20 songs are: ( all are subject to change except #1)
1. That Smell
Call Me the Breeze
Red White and Blue
What's Your Name
Ballad of Curtis Loew
Saturday Night Special
Tuesday's Gone
Gimme Three Steps
Travelin' Man
Sweet Home Alabama
Four Walls of Raiford
Still Unbroken
You Got That Right
Workin' For MCA
I Know A Little
Whiskey Rock-a-Roller
Don't Ask Me No Questions
The Needle and The Spoon
Last of a Dyin' Breed
Freebird
I haven't listened to stuff with Johnny as much as I the stuff with Ronnie, but 3 of the songs feature his vocals ands Travelin' Man is a deut with them sharing co-lead vocals.
Jonny, I'm not as familiar with Nuthin' Fancy and Gimme Back My Bullets, but both are good albums.
Freebird has grown on me, but I much prefer other southern bands doing similar songs. ( See The Outlaws' Green Grass and High Tides and Blackfoot's Highway Song)
ETA: I just realized that I forgot Simple Man... Oops.
Love Lynyrd Skynyrd too!!! :D I agree with AG as my Mom's family Southern that it's like mandatory to like them. LOL Another group my whole family are fans of. Their music even makes me think of the last time I saw some of my Mom's side of the family in West Virginia as the only radio stations there played either country or Southern rock and Skynyrd was on almost all the time. LOL :lol:
Yeah, I grew up in NC, and I have to agree with AG95! We all loved Skynyrd, and as far as I know, we all still do! :rockguitar:
Nuthin' Fancy is a GREAT record (it features On The Hunt which is so underrated)....I'm not a fan of Gimme Back My Bullets. The song and the record. It's the weakest of all of the original 70s output, IMO.
Normally I find that out by listening if it's a humbucker guitar (darker, warmer, heavier) or a single coil (brighter, twangier, wirey). Skynyrd had 3 guitarists, two of them used humbucker guitars, one of them single coil guitars. You can pick the different guitars apart, and therefore, the guitarist. Allen's guitar had humbuckers but was bassy and murky sounding. Gary's guitar which also had humbuckers had a bit more bite to it. And Ed/Steve's guitar was bright and twangy and was obvious.
Also if you watch old videos it becomes apparent who did what on the record. Allen played most of the Free Bird solo himself. Gary played slide. Ed played rhythm. The dueling bits at the end are Allen and Ed (IIRC).
Gary has always played the Les Paul except on Free Bird where he plays an SG. Both Gibson guitars.
Allen played a Firebird early on and then switched to the Explorer. Again, both Gibson guitars.
Ed King played a Strat (Fender) mostly and on songs like Free Bird, a Gibson SG.
Steve Gaines (who replaced Ed) played a Strat mostly and then a Les Paul for certain songs (like Free Bird).
To me the shining song for their "three guitar army" was That Smell. Everyone had a solo in that and the three guitar tones and styles are plain as day to me personally. That would have been Gary on the Les Paul, Allen on the Explorer, and Steve on the Strat. My favorite solo in the song has to be Steve's. Steve brought so much to the band and I prefer him over Ed. Steve brought the band "I Know A Little" and "Ain't No Good Life". Steve was a monster guitarist and so underrated.