A Great American Rock Band, tragically gone to soon. I think their five studio albums are all fantastic, and the double live album is one of the classic double live albums of the 1970s. After the crash, that band was gone; Lynyrd Skynyrd ended then. Ever incarnation after that I can't be bother with. Those bands ARE NOT Lyryrd Skynyrd, I don't care what the cover says! But man those five albums all have a bunch of great rock songs on them, especially the first two. In fact, push came to shove, I could live with just my "Sounds of the South" yellow label original L.p.s as the truly essential Skynyrd. I'm a "Simple Man."
Around 1980 (age 7) we had a cassette of Gold and Platinum, that was played repeatedly during a family road trip to Panama City. Those were simpler times and good memories. I recall thinking that "Saturday Night Special" was my first favorite song by them. I think that one tended more towards the hard rock side of things I preferred at the time. The live version of "Gimme Three Steps" was another early fave.
Yeah, as great a singer (& songwriter) as Ronnie was I loved Steve's contributions to Street Survivors including his vocals, especially the songs with them singing back & forth in the same song (EG: You Got That Right). This is probably a dumb question, but what was the origin of the album title Street Survivors? Who came up with it etc? Also, I'm not big on lyrics in music, my brain does not absorb them well (spends most of its emphasis listening to the melodies, vocals, geetar playing especially the solos, other instruments) but the line "oak tree yer in my way" in That Smell is just brilliant, evoking the drunken druggin' lifetstyle commented on in That Smell. It was YEARS b4 I even knew what Ronnie was singing there. I always thought it was "oh, treat her in my way"...
That was written about Gary, who had recently crashed his car into an tree. Ronnie wrote great lyrics, always honest and what he knew.
I agree, he was the real deal and added a new dimension to their music. There's a video on YouTube with Gary Rossington about the first time Gaines sat in with them. They were impressed from the get go.
One of the all time greats IMO, one of my favorites. Powerful music with authentic lyrics that came straight from the heart. Ronnie had one of the best voices in rock, and the band was tight and well-seasoned by the time they’re debut album was released. Simple Man is one of the most greatest songs ever recorded. And yes there’s a few great documentaries about the band.
I've seen Freebird The Movie and If I Leave Here Tomorrow...are there any others worth looking into? That recent dramatized biopic looks horrible..
My fave off of Second Helping is the sublime "The Ballad of Curtis Lowe". Ronnie was a keen observer and critic of the Southern Racism he grew up in and around and had a wicked clever way of putting it into words. See "Things Going On" as well...
I love em both, but I wouldn’t go that far- Aerosmith from ‘73-‘77 was also one of the greatest..just sayin..
Well I guess it's long passed due. I have the first five albums and the complete Muscle Shoals album on the way. Cheers for the prompt @Michael
I still have the original Street Survivors album with the original cover. I've never really wanted to sell it, but have to admit I don't really like seeing it. As you said, a great band tragically gone too soon.
I only said that cause there's a depth to Skynyrd that I don't get from Aerosmith. I agree that '73 - '77 Aerosmith was no joke though. I believe the story is the plane that went down with LS was once used by Aerosmith?
Congratulations, I am sure you will enjoy. If possible, look into watching the If I Leave Here Tomorrow documentary. The band's complete Knebworth '76 show is about to be released, and the Blu-Ray edition contains this documentary as a bonus. (There has been a recent thread on this)
Nicely done, all essential listening. Looks like the Muscle Shoals album is the re-released and updated version of 'Skynyrd's First and..Last' which I have.
