Lynyrd Skynyrd: Classic or Dud?

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sweet home alabama is well cool, yes, i know you like it. but what about the rest. is it all, like, bar room boogie, and where does this stand critically today? and where, more importantly, does it stand with you?

gareth, Monday, 29 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Classic - so many great songs: "Simple Man," "Tuesday's Gone," "Saturday Night Special," "That Smell," "Workin' for MCA," "Gimme 3 Steps," "Sweet Home Alabama," etc., etc.

hstencil, Monday, 29 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

there's quite a bit of dull straightahead boog. but there's much good stuff too in the dept of (1) slow yearning type #s ("Thursday's Gone" & y'know that other one), (2) country rock like that one about bummin' on the railway so you can understand where Jimmie Rodgers & Merle H. were comin from, (3) badass heavy blues rock #s like "The Needle & the Spoon" & "Sat. Night Special".

I don't know much after the 1st 3 alb's tho. Diminishing returns I wd imagine.

unknown or illegal user, Monday, 29 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

oops, yeah right it's Tuesday that's gone isnt it.

unknown or illegal user, Monday, 29 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Another useless classic. Important to know who they are, but not important enough to warrant putting any on the turntable. Kids should study it and then forget it until the subject comes up at a party.

And don't fuckin' yell "FreeBird!" at concerts. It isn't funny anymore.

Lloyd Cole said (when "FreeBird" was requested) "It's strange how that FreeBird guy shows up at every single concert, regardless of location or who's performing."

Dave225, Monday, 29 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

When a band produces both "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird", they could produce a pile of shite for the rest of their career, and still be classic. Which is what Skynyrd did...

Judd Nelson, Monday, 29 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Classic AND fun to listen to. "Workin' for MCA" and "Call Me the Breeze" are uniformly excellent southern workouts...

Joe, Monday, 29 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

It's incredible how many hits, huh? They're like the southern boogie- rock AC/DC, just putting the same two great songs over and over. God bless those conservative little cockfarmers.

Tracer hand, Monday, 29 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

"down south jukin'" and "gimme back my bullets are classic".

jel --, Monday, 29 April 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Dud.

jonathan thrak, Thursday, 2 May 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

'And don't fuckin' yell "FreeBird!" at concerts. It isn't funny anymore'


WHIPPING POST!!!

dave q, Thursday, 2 May 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

the allman bros aren't as good as lynyrd skynyrd

unknown or illegal user, Thursday, 2 May 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

The Allman Brothers weren't even as good as the Outhere Brothers

dave q, Thursday, 2 May 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

I recommend going to audiogalaxy and downloading Freeway To Stairbird by the Reverend Billy C. Wirtz. It's better than everything Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded put together.

Martin Skidmore, Thursday, 2 May 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

Tracer's post is very much OTM.

Sean, Thursday, 2 May 2002 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

7 months pass...
Tracer's post is very condescending. Conservative sure, after Ronnie died in the plane wreck, but listen to their early stuff and tell me they have a conservative pov.

hstencil, Friday, 13 December 2002 17:08 (10 years ago) Permalink

Tell me how putting out the same song 40 times in a row isn't conservative!

Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 13 December 2002 17:44 (10 years ago) Permalink

Tell me how putting out the same song 40 times in a row isn't conservative!

Yeah, all their songs sound alike, blah blah blah, BUY YOURSELF SOME NEW EARS, MISTER.

hstencil, Friday, 13 December 2002 17:48 (10 years ago) Permalink

For you Skynyrd fans out there, have you heard the new Drive-By Truckers, Southern Rock Opera, yet? I've heard several tracks off of it, and they've all been quite good. I'm thinking I may have to buy it. The AMG review calls it "a song cycle about Southern rock, in particular Lynyrd Skynyrd" and says that it summons "a swampy intensity recalling a grittier, less commercially viable early version of Skynyrd".

o. nate (onate), Friday, 13 December 2002 18:34 (10 years ago) Permalink

Patterson Hood's a HUGE Skynrd fan. That album was in the works forever also, was originally supposed to be titled Betamax Guillotine, which is a better title I think. It's very good, but it's not the Drive-By Truckers best album, just their longest.

James Blount, Friday, 13 December 2002 19:22 (10 years ago) Permalink

What is their best album, if you don't mind my asking?

o. nate (onate), Friday, 13 December 2002 22:34 (10 years ago) Permalink

Dudyrd Dudyrd.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 13 December 2002 22:36 (10 years ago) Permalink

(pronounced...

The first one.

I'd rather listen to them than Killing Joke any day of the week.

hstencil, Friday, 13 December 2002 22:38 (10 years ago) Permalink

Frankly, stencil, all consenting members of estimable Killing Joke alumni -- including its current administration -- concur that they'd RATHER you listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd than Killing Joke, as you have roundly fallen quite short in your duty to honor the fire and thus, do not deserve to listen to Killing Joke. So, why not go fetch yourself a nice tin of chewing tobacco and some moonshine and enjoy the fruits of the Van Zant Klan. Lynyrd Skynard can have you.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 13 December 2002 23:12 (10 years ago) Permalink

But they honor the fire!

hstencil, Friday, 13 December 2002 23:14 (10 years ago) Permalink

BAhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 13 December 2002 23:23 (10 years ago) Permalink

3 years pass...
From the locked thread:

I also resent them for the redneck following they've developed

I don't know if I like blaming bands for their audience.

Except for maybe ICP... No, they suck no matter who listens...

Brian O'Neill (NYCNative), Sunday, 15 January 2006 15:22 (7 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

Lynryd Skynryd are a bunch of drunk rednecks from Florida who pretend to be from Alabama and have songs in commercials about food from Kentucky. Fuck them.

Richard Wood Johnson, Monday, 13 August 2007 14:58 (5 years ago) Permalink

Richard Wood Johnson, you're a dick.

rogermexico., Monday, 13 August 2007 18:21 (5 years ago) Permalink

the user name would certainly suggest so.

classic all day long, esp. first two lp's.

S: "Working For MCA" and "Gimme Back My Bullets" and whole lot of others.

will, Monday, 13 August 2007 18:33 (5 years ago) Permalink

Richard Wood Johnson, you're a dick.

Eh. I'd rather be a dick than like SKYNYRD, DUUUDDE!!

Richard Wood Johnson, Monday, 13 August 2007 18:50 (5 years ago) Permalink

the vision of drunk, toothless rednecks with confederate flags plastered all over their rusting pick-up trucks, air guitaring to "Gimme Three Steps" in white trash bars has cemented my hatred for this sort of country-fried nonsense forever. and i'm not just knocking the band for their audience, either. their music is pure, unadulterated bullshit cooked down to its purest form and smeared all over the last few vestiges of passable artistic taste that still exist in this world.

Richard Wood Johnson, Monday, 13 August 2007 18:59 (5 years ago) Permalink

BAN RICHARD WOOD JOHNSON

Dom Passantino, Monday, 13 August 2007 19:01 (5 years ago) Permalink

Dud. I know there's not much point in posting negative opinion here, but really people - two words: "Free bird". RWJ OTM.

Soukesian, Monday, 13 August 2007 20:05 (5 years ago) Permalink

DOM OTM

If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 01:28 (5 years ago) Permalink

Ban people who don't like Skynyrd. That's the kind of legislated sense of aesthetics that ILM really needs.

Richard Wood Johnson, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 01:58 (5 years ago) Permalink

Ban people who don't like Skynyrd.

co-sign

people who don't like Skynyrd are one aesthetic step from not liking the Allmans, which in a just world would be a capital offense

J0hn D., Tuesday, 14 August 2007 02:02 (5 years ago) Permalink

Really, people, two words: THAT SMELL

If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Tuesday, 14 August 2007 02:04 (5 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

I really am digging 'Simple Man' lately.

Chelvis, Tuesday, 26 August 2008 01:23 (4 years ago) Permalink

*puts 'Ban people who don't like Skynyrd' on a t-shirt*

Kerm, Tuesday, 26 August 2008 01:38 (4 years ago) Permalink

5 months pass...

RIP Billy Powell.

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 28 January 2009 20:57 (4 years ago) Permalink

RIP indeed

double bird strike (gabbneb), Wednesday, 28 January 2009 21:03 (4 years ago) Permalink

play it pretty for atlanta

mookieproof, Wednesday, 28 January 2009 21:09 (4 years ago) Permalink

people who don't like Skynyrd are one aesthetic step from not liking the Allmans, which in a just world would be a capital offense

Gee, I guess that means we should make alcohol illegal too, since people who drink are one step away from smoking pot.

Pantheism F. Mohair (res), Thursday, 29 January 2009 01:16 (4 years ago) Permalink

We should make pot legal because it makes the Allmans sound better.

james k polk, Thursday, 29 January 2009 01:27 (4 years ago) Permalink

res with the penetrating insight into a joke post

J0hn D., Thursday, 29 January 2009 01:51 (4 years ago) Permalink

a year-old joke post

also, james polk otm

J0hn D., Thursday, 29 January 2009 01:55 (4 years ago) Permalink

res with the penetrating insight into a joke post

you got whooshed dude

Pantheism F. Mohair (res), Thursday, 29 January 2009 02:03 (4 years ago) Permalink

got any more awesome wikipedia links res

J0hn D., Thursday, 29 January 2009 02:13 (4 years ago) Permalink

i found this one yesterday.

Pantheism F. Mohair (res), Thursday, 29 January 2009 02:33 (4 years ago) Permalink

What them say. Made it about 2/3 of the way through, and I deserve a fucking medal.

Little GTFO (contenderizer), Thursday, 12 January 2012 22:37 (1 year ago) Permalink

"DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT RONNIE LIKE THAT" *cries*

Janet Snakehole (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 12 January 2012 22:39 (1 year ago) Permalink

WTF, is she suggesting she is more southern than Skynyrd?

Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 12 January 2012 22:52 (1 year ago) Permalink

I mean, damn, that excerpt is stupid on so many different levels.

Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 12 January 2012 22:55 (1 year ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

play it pretty for atlanta

mookieproof, Thursday, 8 March 2012 02:53 (1 year ago) Permalink

<3

Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 8 March 2012 03:10 (1 year ago) Permalink

Man, that boy is funky

You're a notch, I'm a legend (Bill Magill), Thursday, 8 March 2012 14:27 (1 year ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

it's hotter'n a fox in a forest fire

mookieproof, Wednesday, 6 June 2012 00:42 (1 year ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

New album now available for pre-order, comes with best T-shirt of 2012.

誤訳侮辱, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 20:54 (11 months ago) Permalink

Yeah, I would wear that with no shame.

Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 20:55 (11 months ago) Permalink

wow

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 10 July 2012 20:57 (11 months ago) Permalink

but that's the Yankee flag!

pplains, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 21:02 (11 months ago) Permalink

branchin' out:

1. Last of a Dyin' Breed
2. One Day at a Time
3. Homegrown
4. Ready to Fly
5. Mississippi Blood
6. Good Teacher
7. Something to Live For
8. Life's Twisted
9. Nothing Comes Easy
10. Honey Hole
11. Start Livin' Life Again

mookieproof, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 21:16 (11 months ago) Permalink

It's actually a pretty good record - I bet xhuxk will love it. Blurs the line between Southern rock and modern hard country, in a non-suck way. My favorite song is "Homegrown."

誤訳侮辱, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 21:17 (11 months ago) Permalink

I can't handle anything after 77...

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 10 July 2012 21:51 (11 months ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
The Liberals and Radical Extreme Leftists would wet their pants if they ever heard Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd is definitely not friendly to Liberals or Radical Extreme Leftists.

* 2 years ago
* Report Abuse

* 0 Rating: Good Answer
* 1 Rating: Bad Answer

Sorry, you must be Level 2 to rate

Asker's Rating:
5 out of 5
Asker's Comment:
HEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW

global tetrahedron, Friday, 3 August 2012 03:18 (10 months ago) Permalink

y'all heard saturday night special

what do y'all think about curtis loew

mookieproof, Friday, 3 August 2012 03:28 (10 months ago) Permalink

currrrtissss loew was the fiiiinest pickah to evaaaahhh play the blueeeeess

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 3 August 2012 04:31 (10 months ago) Permalink

otm

TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 3 August 2012 08:40 (10 months ago) Permalink

Did you ever see a she-gator protect her young
Or a fish in a river swimming free
Did you ever see the beauty of the hills of Carolina
Or the sweetness of the grass in Tennessee
And Lord I can't make any changes
All I can do is write 'em in a song
I can see the concrete slowly creepin'
Lord take me and mine before that comes

how's life, Friday, 3 August 2012 14:19 (10 months ago) Permalink

These idiots would probably be shocked to know how much money Skynryd and the Allmans raised to help Jimmy Carter get elected president. Carter was essentially unknown and they helped a ton.

One Way Ticket on the 1277 Express (Bill Magill), Friday, 3 August 2012 14:30 (10 months ago) Permalink

Plus Saturday Night Special advocates tossing all guns into the sea. Not exactly NRA-friendly. Workin for MCA denigrates the "pencil pushers", which Mitt Romney seems to epitomize.

One could go on and on....

One Way Ticket on the 1277 Express (Bill Magill), Friday, 3 August 2012 14:31 (10 months ago) Permalink

These idiots would probably be shocked to know how much money Skynryd and the Allmans raised to help Jimmy Carter get elected president. Carter was essentially unknown and they helped a ton.

I agree with you completely, but as a footnote, the same could be said for Rick Perry.

pplains, Friday, 3 August 2012 14:50 (10 months ago) Permalink

looking at them right now...

Mark G, Friday, 3 August 2012 23:18 (10 months ago) Permalink

fkn perfect summer music really, innit? sweating my ass off in the car right now, skynyrd making it tolerable

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 3 August 2012 23:58 (10 months ago) Permalink

"[The Confederate flag] was strictly an MCA gimmick to start us off with some label. It was useful at first, but by now it’s embarrassing except in Europe, where they really like all that stuff because they think it's macho American." - Ronnie Van Zant

Seriously, if he were to resurface as a zombie, his second thought (his first thought being "braaaiins") would be, "Who the fuck are these fuckers claiming to be fucking Lynyrd fucking Skynyrd?!"

Sun? Sun? It's your cousin, Marvin Ra (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 4 August 2012 00:03 (10 months ago) Permalink

fkn perfect summer music really, innit?

Turn it up

Brad C., Saturday, 4 August 2012 00:17 (10 months ago) Permalink

So many good stories about Skynyrd, but I love how they discovered Billy Powell could play piano

[from Wiki]

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Powell grew up in a military family (his father was in the U.S. Navy) and spent several years of his childhood living in Italy where his father was stationed. After his father died of cancer in 1960, he moved with his family back to the United States and settled in Jacksonville, Florida. He met his lifelong friend, Leon Wilkeson in elementary school. Billy's interest in piano began to grow and he began taking piano lessons from a local teacher named Madalyn Brown. She swore he did not need her, claiming that Billy was a natural and picked things up well on his own. When it was time for high school, his mother enrolled Billy and his brother, Ricky at Sanford Naval Academy in Sanford, FL.
Musical career

Billy returned to Jacksonville where he enrolled at Bishop Kenny High School. When he graduated in 1970, he enrolled briefly in a community college, majoring in Music Theory. Around this time he found work as a roadie for Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Billy remained a member of the Skynyrd crew for two years (which included, amongst the grittier shows, highlights such as Skynyrd landing a support slot for Leslie West's "Mountain") In his second year with them, 1972, Skynyrd played one particular gig, a show at the Bolles school prom. After his usual routine working with Kevin Elson, Billy had time to rest for a short while. In the corner he spotted a piano, so Billy went over and sat down with it. Just fooling around, Billy launches into his piano based version of Freebird for the boys in the band to listen to. Ronnie, astonished at his roadies hitherto secret ability said 'You mean to tell me, you've been playing the piano like that and you've been workin' for us for a year....'. Billy replied, "Well, you know, I've been classically trained most of my life.' He was then told Skynyrd were looking for a keyboard man, and Billy was in![1]

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 4 August 2012 01:56 (10 months ago) Permalink

Love that. Also, supposedly, Ronnie locked Leon Wilkeson and Bob Burns in a room for 8 hours a day to get them to properly gel as a rhythm section. Dunno if that's true, but it sure sounds like it.

Sun? Sun? It's your cousin, Marvin Ra (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 4 August 2012 02:35 (10 months ago) Permalink

damn good story either way

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 4 August 2012 02:42 (10 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Gary Rossington finally turns his back on the Confederate flag! I guess he just realized it was sort of racist or something?

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-lynyrd-skynrd-denounces-confederate-flag-angering-some-fans-20120920,0,4023988.story

Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 22 September 2012 05:37 (8 months ago) Permalink

Ha, was just about to post that. Right on, Rossington.

5-Hour Enmity (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 22 September 2012 05:44 (8 months ago) Permalink

Just posted this in the comments section, but it hasn't shown up yet: "It's hilarious to me that old school Lynyrd Skynyrd fans conveniently gloss over the fact that the original band was actually left-leaning (they campaigned hard for Carter in 1976, wrote a pro-gun control song called "Saturday Night Special"). It's only after the replacements came in that they started spoonfeeding their conservative fanbase exactly what they wanted. The confederate flag may mean heritage to some people, but I grew up in Alabama and I know what it really means. It means that there was a point in history that states were willing to go to war with the union over the right to own human beings."

Johnny Fever, Saturday, 22 September 2012 05:47 (8 months ago) Permalink

*applause for Johnny Fever*

fuck yeah

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 22 September 2012 06:37 (8 months ago) Permalink

Rossington backpedaled on their facebook page though.

I wanted to clarify the discussion of the Confederate Flag in our recent CNN interview. Myself, the past and present members (that are from the South), are all extremely proud of our heritage and being from the South. We know what the Dixie flag represents and its heritage; the Civil War was fought over States rights.
We still utilize the Confederate (Rebel) flag on stage every night in our
shows, we are and always will be a Southern American Rock band, first and foremost. We also utilize the state flag of Alabama and the American flag, ‘cause at the end of the day, we are all Americans.
I only stated my opinion that the confederate flag, at times, was unfairly being used as a symbol by various hate groups, which is something that we don’t support the flag being used for. The Confederate flag means something more to us, Heritage not Hate…
-Gary Rossington

how's life, Saturday, 22 September 2012 08:53 (8 months ago) Permalink

Eh, that's as fair a backpedal as one can likely manage for flying the Confederate flag.

Of course, I have a hunch Skynyrd fans don't necessarily agree on what constitutes "hate." Like, I bet many of them, too, decry Nazis and the KKK, yet have no problem demanding illegal aliens be sent back to Mexico, where they belong, or that the socialist secret African Muslim president is destroying everything that made our country "great" or "good" or "white."

Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 22 September 2012 14:51 (8 months ago) Permalink

Considering that the guy who wrote and sang their songs was against using the flag in 197fucking5, the backpedal is disappointing.

5-Hour Enmity (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 22 September 2012 14:58 (8 months ago) Permalink

And Ed King, Bob Burns, and Artiumus Pyle might take issue with the statement that Rossington is "the group's lone surviving original member."

5-Hour Enmity (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 22 September 2012 15:20 (8 months ago) Permalink

sigh

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 22 September 2012 16:54 (8 months ago) Permalink

I might have to check out this fresh new Southern band, 'Obama's Politically Correct Sell Your Soul Make Believe Impostors'.

pplains, Saturday, 22 September 2012 17:02 (8 months ago) Permalink

Ed King and Artimus def. not original members, though they were every bit as essential to the Skynyrd story and rise as Burns. Also, Artimus Pyle is one of the coolest names ever.

Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 22 September 2012 17:26 (8 months ago) Permalink

4 weeks pass...

35 years

mookieproof, Saturday, 20 October 2012 22:35 (8 months ago) Permalink

35 years, and go figure, most of the rest of them are dead, too. RIP, guys.

Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 20 October 2012 23:09 (8 months ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

re-listening to Skynyrd's First: Complete Unreleased this afternoon

happy place, imo

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 20 December 2012 00:24 (6 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Feelin this

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 22 January 2013 18:54 (4 months ago) Permalink

"Freebird" is soooooooo underrated.

Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 22 January 2013 20:43 (4 months ago) Permalink

It's as affecting to me as Simple Man, for a lot of the same reasons. I think it's a really beautiful song

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 22 January 2013 20:46 (4 months ago) Permalink

4 months pass...

Ed King = underrated

had no idea he was a Strawberry Alarm Clock guy.

Elvis Telecom, Friday, 31 May 2013 01:55 (2 weeks ago) Permalink

WAY underrated. He contributed more than a few signature Skynyrd licks/riffs, but has largely been frozen out of most of the reunions.

Tarfumes The Escape Goat, Friday, 31 May 2013 02:05 (2 weeks ago) Permalink


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