The Classic Record Review by Rob Samuels
Welcome my loyal listeners to today's edition of ‘The Classic Record Review'. I am your host with the most (most what?) Rob Samuels – (Insert ego-maniacal comment here) I hope you have all had an enjoyable weekend. Yes, I did as well, thanks for asking. Liverpool won easily and I enjoyed a pleasant evening followed by an all-night piss up to celebrate my friends' 21st. Good times.
Aside from all this craziness I've somehow found time to participate in this months ‘Music Roundtable' and ‘Music Fact or Fiction' so make sure you check ‘em out when they hit the site.
Anyway, on to this weeks record. The rumours/ teaser are true I am finally reviewing an album by an American artist. Here are the clues; This band is from the deep south, (sorry) they were almost completely obliterated by a tragic plane crash in the 70's but reformed some years later to bring the rockin' back…
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Figured it out yet?
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You're warm
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Warmer
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Hot hot hot!
Lynyrd Skynyrd - (pronounced 'leh-'nerd 'skin-'nerd)
Honestly that's the correct name of the record. It's often known as just ‘Pronounced…' which is incidentally what I'll be referring to it as. Anyway it's an absolute stormer of an album, I recently remembered this record after I missed it off of my ‘Top 5 Debut Albums' list. Bollocks. Ah well it's here now, so let's learn a bit about it, eh?
The background
Lynyrd Skynyrd are renowned of course for the hits ‘Free bird' and ‘Sweet Home Alabama', but Skynyrd are a lot more than that. They were formed in the mid-sixties and named (somewhat ironically) for one of their teachers Leonard Skinner, quite why they went with the bizarre spelling is beyond me, but it's a name you're not going to forget in a hurry. After expanding the line-up to seven members, which include three guitarists, 1 bassist, a keyboard player, a drummer and a vocalist Skynyrd eventually earned themselves a record deal.
They begun work on their debut album but before its release bassist Leon Wilkeson surprisingly dropped out. Skynyrd quickly replaced him with makeshift bass player Ed King (Who was really a guitarist) Wilkeson did record most of the tracks on the record before his departure, which is fortunate as lead singer Ronnie Van Zant described his replacement King as ‘the worst bassist (he's) ever played with'. Incidentally Wilkeson would later rejoin, and King would move back to his preferred role as an axe wielder.
Some would question why I have chosen this record – it certainly wasn't their most successful. It's still a personal favorite of mine, plus it contains ‘Free Bird' so it is a landmark album in the long history of RAWK. Shall we have a listen to the music?
The music
The record kicks off with a reversed cymbal effect which gives the impression of waves. Which is surprisingly Psychedelic for a country rock record. But don't panic because the country comes flying in with the gloriously honky-tonk riff, which is doubled up on guitar and bass to create a powerful melody. A brief but strong solo makes ‘I Aint the one' a nice rhythmic, yet punchy opening track.
We then immediately get the unforgettable intro to ‘Tuesdays Gone' featuring a melodic lead line over some nice acoustic chords. This is a very heartfelt song leaning much more toward the band's country influences. ‘Tuesdays Gone' feels like ‘Free Birds' little brother just without that ending. (That's certainly not an insult though) Throwing in a beautiful track like this early on really shows the versatility of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and this record as a whole.
We then liven things up with the jaunty ‘Gimme Three Steps' which kicks off with a swaggering lead guitar riff before delving back into the country vibe with the vocals. The rhythm section in this song really does a stellar job – a driving and dominant bass line flows nicely and is surrounded by some nice percussive sounds. Each chorus has a rapid feel to it before falling effortlessly into a bluesy solo each time. A nice contrast from the previous track.
‘Simple man' follows in a contemplative mood. Some saucy high octave bass fills do it for me frankly (but I am obsessed with bass) A very heavily distorted lead guitar line appears in the chorus which adds to the drama of this song. If I had to describe this number I would say it's a ballad but not shit. Sorry Mr. M. Loaf but In my household the word ‘ballad' is a swear word (it's as bad as saying fuck or Bono)
‘Things Goin' On starts in serious country mood with some excellent little guitar ditties accompanied by a 2 step ‘1 string broom handle attached to a barrel' bass line. We even get a bit of country honk piani (I said piani not piano!) making an appearance at regular intervals. Musically this song feels a lot lighter than the previous number - A nice piece to change the ambience of the record.
‘Mississippi Kid' does what it says on the tin; delivering an acoustic intro topped with some nice bluesy vocals. We also get some slide guitar in the background which adds a bit more country depth to the song. The drums do a good job in this number - all that is really going on is a kick drum but it gives the song a backbone allowing the guitars to noodle effectively. A harmonica solo follows just in case it wasn't southern enough.
‘Poison Whiskey' is next which funks the record up a bit with some sexy organ foolery going on. The vocals also reference the Stones - which goes down well with me. A rakish solo follows which is almost like a little teaser for the song we all know is coming next. This track is a good example of the bands versatility as I mentioned above, it also serves as a good break before the big'un.
Here we go. The one we've all been waiting for. I'm sure everyone in the world has heard Free Bird a million times so I'm going to try and not focus on the obvious aspects within this song. Although I may get carried away during the solo(s) because y'know three guitars soloing at the same time that's my Viagra. On that note I think I should point out how damn good the bass lines are in this record – the bass is understandably underrated, but Mr. Wilkeson does a damn fine job on this record. Ok the solo is about to start… here we go! Right just to warn you I'm now adopting my air guitar stance and wah face here, so I'm not going to write anything for the next 4 minutes…
Seriously I actually had to stop to listen to that. Wow. If you haven't heard Free Bird then step out of your cave and grab a pair of headphones.
The 411
Seriously, words don't describe the mastery of that song's solo. They nearly didn't record it either… Anyway overall this album is a fantastic one. Aside from Free Bird there are plenty of stand out tracks, and as a whole this record flows very well from start to finish. (which is very important to me when listening to an album – badly placed songs can kill a good record)
Overall I shall award ‘Pronounced…'
5 bottles of Bourbon out of 5 (I'm not naming any brands - I prefer scotch anyway)
As always, if you have any feedback, album suggestions for me to review, or indeed scotch drop me an email/parcel or visit myspace.com/robsamuels.
Warmest Regards friends,
Rob Samuels (Dream weaver)
