20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Lynyrd Skynyrd [Dig

Performer: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Lynyrd Skynyrd: Ed King (guitar, bass instrument); Gary Rossington (guitar); Billy Powell (keyboards); Leon Wilkeson (bass instrument, background vocals); Artimus Pyle (drums, percussion); Robert Burns (drums); Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant. This compilation, which compiles pretty much all of the group's best-known material, provides the casual fan an excellent entry point into the work of Lynyrd Skynyrd, the quintessential Southern rock band. While Skynyrd was fully capable of writing anthems for the unreconstructed South (the pro-Nixon, Neil Young-baiting "Sweet Home Alabama"), it often transcended the macho breast-beating of its peers. "Gimme Three Steps," for instance, finds the narrator studiously sidestepping a barroom brawl, while "Saturday Night Special" details a blatantly anti-gun stance, about as common in '70s Southern rock as drum machines and hair spray. Skynyrd's undeniable mastery of Southern boogie is what keeps the whole thing moving. Of course, this collection ends with the ultimate power ballad and bane of cover bands worldwide, "Free Bird"; without this and "Stairway to Heaven," the "classic rock" radio format as we know it might never have existed.

During their 1970s heyday, Lynryd Skynyrd emerged as the preeminent practitioners of Southern rock. Their triple-guitar attack and country-tinged songs carved a permanent spot on the playlists of classic rock radio. Since its first release in 1973 their epic hit "Freebird" has received more airplay than anything this side of "Stairway to Heaven." The tragic deaths of visionary lead guitarist Steven Gaines and lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zandt in a 1977 plane crash cut down the band at its peak; but after parting ways for several years, the surviving members re-formed the group, with Van Zandt's little brother Johnny at the helm.

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