Thyrty: The 30th Anniversary Collection [Limited]

Performer: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: "THYRTY" celebrates the 30th anniversary of Lynyrd Skynyrd's debut album. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Ronnie Van Zandt (vocals); Ed King (guitar, bass); Gary Rossington, Allen Collins (guitar); Billy Powell (keyboards); Leon Wilkeson (bass); Robert Burns (drums). Additional personnel includes: Ed King, Jimmy Johnson (guitar); Ronnie Eades (saxophone); Leslie Hawkins, Cassie Gaines, Jo Billingsley (background vocals). Producers include: Al Kooper, David Johnson, Quin Ivy, Jimmy R. Johnson, Tim Smith. Compilation producers: Andy McKaie, Ron O'Brien. Recorded between 1973 & 2003. Includes liner notes by Ron O'Brien. Although it's easy for the hip intelligentsia to dismiss Lynyrd Skynyrd as no more than a hick Southern rock band, the fact remains that their canon is as worthy of critical praise as that of fellow Southerners, the Allman Brothers Band. The two-disc THYRTY commemorates this Florida outfit's 30th anniversary by revisiting their impressive musical legacy even as the band continues creating new music. Led by the fiery Ronnie Van Zandt and a three-guitar attack that essentially defined the Southern rock sound, Skynyrd has penned songs that manage to decry their Southern pride while chastising Neil Young ("Sweet Home Alabama"), give props to their record label ("Workin' For MCA"), and cast a dark light on the specter of drug abuse ("That Smell"). Also represented on this anthology is the band's equally potent in-concert talents as revealed by soaring versions of "Simple Man" and "Comin' Home." Although Lynyrd Skynyrd could be swaggering Southerners, some of the band's best moments come across on lighter, jauntier fare like their sprightly cover of J.J. Cale's "Call Me the Breeze" and late guitarist Steve Gaines' equally catchy "I Know a Little."

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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