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Lynyrd Skynyrd
They took the name of one of their teachers, modified it, and made it the name of their band, and a household name. One has to wonder at what could have been if a tragic plane crash had not cut short the lives of Ronnie Van Zandt, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines. The new, reunited version of the band, featuring little brother Johnny, it great, but the early version of the band had some special that can never be matched. Skynyrd's first two albums, the self titled "Lynyrd Skynyrd" and "Second Helping" were absolutely jam-packed with hits and classic favorites. Among them are:
One More From the Road, recorded live at the Fox Theater, Atlanta, Georgia in July 1976, captured the band's live energy at it's best, and includes many of the above songs as well as other classics. Favorite moments from this album are Gary Rossington's bird calls at the start of 'Free Bird' and Billy Powell's keyboard solos in 'Free Bird' and 'Tuesday's Gone'. The way that the band could blend hard driving rock with the mellower tunes is what Southern Rock is all about. How many bands have attempted to mimic the success of Free Bird, with its beautiful and lyrical start and its hard rock ending, and not even come close? Among the band's many recent releases are "The Last Rebel" and "Edge of Forever". On "Edge", there is a beautiful ballad called 'Tomorrow's Goodbye' that, in my opinion, ranks up there with early ballads, and is a cry for our environment. This is typical of some of the socially conscious songs that have been part of Skynyrd's lineup, like "Saturday Night Special" and one of my biggest favorites, "That Smell". Let's hope the band keeps playing on for a long time to come.
Update Jan 28,2009. Keyboardist Billy Powell passed away, of an apparent heart attack.
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Lynyrd Skynyrd on
2 Skynyrd films on one DVD
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