Say it right!

Album: Pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd
Artist: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Label: Sounds of the South, MCA
Release date: 13 August, 1973
Peak chart position/sales: (US) #27, 3x Platinum (UK) 2x Platinum

RATING: 3/5 stars.

Obviously wanting to get off on the right foot, the quirky title of American Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd made sure that when they achieved world domination their name would be pronounced the same way in both hemispheres. As it were, the name that was on everyone’s lips following the release of their debut and highest-selling album Pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd was “Free bird”, their second entry into Billboard’s Top 40 and arguably their most recognisable song (Forrest Gump fans will recognise it and later hit “Sweet Home Alabama” from the film soundtrack), which provides the breath-taking nine-minute finale to the album. An at times naive, at others brash and feisty fusion of blues, country and rock, the young band’s debut album put Southern rock on the charts and set an impressive benchmark for any ensuing acts hopeful of repeating their success.

If there’s one thing Lynyrd Skynyrd do ridiculously well, it’s soulfully groovy riffs and extended guitar solos of epic proportions that swoop and soar their way through the instrumentals. Album opener “I Ain’t The One” defies those of you who claim you don’t like dancing with its toe-tapping exemplary riffage and fearless vocals. The mood goes from rocky punch to languid south-county drawl with ‘Tuesday’s Gone’, the sort of song that makes you drool with boredom before you realise it, despite the pretty guitar riffs and baroque-style piano solo; but the humorously self-deprecating “Gimme Three Steps” will pick up the corners of your mouth with its quick-fire wit and peppy rock pace.

 

Amongst pleasingly quirky but ever-so-slightly tedious filler tracks such as “Things Goin’ On”, “Mississippi Kid” and “Poison Whiskey”, it is “Simple Man” that takes the album up a notch and safely away from the realms of mediocrity with a heavy dose of heart and soul in one soaring rock ballad. Sentimentally recalling parental advice to be a ‘simple kind of man’, the 5’56” epic is a man-to-man kind of cautionary tale against the glitter of riches and the value of simplicity, complete with growling rock riffs and a breathtaking howl of a chorus whose wisdom rings in your ears long after the track has finished. Four tracks later “Freebird” picks up where “Simple Man” left off with a 9’12” romp through Ronnie Van Zant’s souful vocals to increasingly ridiculous levels of lead guitar acrobatics. Beginning with the wistful plea “If I leave here tomorrow will you still remember me?” and flowing into the less forgiving catch-call “And this bird you cannot change / Lord knows I cannot change”, the masterpiece of the album ends the track listing with an undeniably impressive bang – it’s not until it’s over that you realise you were holding your breath in amazement.

What it lacks in experience, it makes up for with innovation and what it lacks in consistency, it makes up for with technical and emotional fireworks and a good deal of unpretentiousness and wit in the tracks that really count. An explosive debut album and a rather timeless classic.

Is it worth my $$$? – There’s certainly a reason this album went many times platinum, but there is no denying that the solid sophistication of “Freebird” and “Simple Man” is the leg upon which this album heavily relies to stand on…personally, I’d be more inclined to grab a few favourite tracks off iTunes.

Listen to: Free bird, I Ain’t The One, Simple Man