Lynyrd Skynyrd: Lyve

Elly Roberts reviews

Lynyrd Skynyrd
LyveDistributed by
Sanctuary

• Year: 2004
• Rating: 9/10
• Cat. No: SANDD262

Track listing:

Disc One:

1. That’s How I Like It
2. What Your Name
3. I Know A Little
4. Pick ‘Em Up
5. Simple Man
6. That Smell
7. Red White And Blue
8. Down South Jukin’
9. Gimme Back My Bullets
10. Double Trouble
11. The Ballad Of Curtis Lowe
12. Tuesday’s Gone
13. Mississippi Kid

Disc Two:

1. Workin’
2. Gimme Three Steps
3. Call Me The Breeze
4. Sweet Home Alabama
5. The Way
6. Freebird

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This is a fantastic 2-CD set of Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s Vicious Cycle Tourwhich celebrates 30 years for the band. Formed in Jacksonville Florida in1966, they epitomized regional pride that stressed boisterous hard rock.

Amazingly this group only charted in the UK with one single : Sweet HomeAlabama / Double Trouble alternatively listed as the Freebird EP.Originally released in September 1976, it became a jukebox favourite atmy teacher training college student union bar. Alabama was extremelypopular, but somehow Freebird, which turned up on various single releasesaround the same time (yes, it was very confusing, and still is trackingdown the formats ) became the cult Rock record of the time.

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Then when Isaw them play Freebird live in America, probably on the Old Grey WhistleTest (before most of the band were killed in a plane crash in 1977) andI was smitten by them, as it contains one of the greatest guitar solosof all time. Stalwarts of the American touring scene, these 19 hottracks recorded in Nashville Tennessee in July 2003 catches them on topform. Including two original members, Gary Rossington (guitar) andBilly Powell (piano) Johnny Van Zant, brother of deceased originalsinger Ronnie, they take you through 30 years of their best work and isthe perfect CD for ‘ musos’ or ‘ air guitarists ‘.

Charismatic frontmanJohnny Van Zant shows his rugged vocals off to perfection all throughthe show. In essence they are a subtle Southern Blues outfit, and eventhough they can rock it up a bit, they never forget their roots andinfluences such as That Smell and Red White And Blue. But there’s alsopower ballads like Tuesday’s Gone, which features glorious guitars,harmonica, strings and backing vocals. Of the 19 tracks, highlightsinclude Freebird, (obviously) Sweet Home Alabama, Tuesday’s Gone andThat’s How I Like It – and so do the crowd !

Instrumental highlights are the arrangements (particularly strings andbrass section), Billy Powell’s piano work, and Blues lead guitar andbottleneck by Rossington.

Review copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004.

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