Compilations / Reissues

Gold & Platinum - 1979

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Produced by Al Kooper, Tom Dowd, Jimmy Johnson, Tim Smith

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals); Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines (guitars); Ed King (guitar, bass); Leon Wilkeson (bass); Billy Powell (keyboards); Bob Burns, Artimus Pyle (drums).

Comments:

This 2 record set was Skynyrd's first greatest hits package. There's not a bad song here, but then Skynyrd never recorded any bad songs. Now out of print on CD, but you can still get it on casette. Makes a pretty good introduction, but The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Box Set pretty much render this one useless. Worth the price just for the late Dean Kilpatrick's drawing of the band, enclosed on the inner sleeve.

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Best Of The Rest - 1982

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Produced by Tom Dowd, Al Kooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals); Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines (guitars); Ed King (guitar, bass); Leon Wilkeson (bass); Billy Powell (keyboards); Bob Burns, Artimus Pyle (drums).

Comments:

A nice companion to Gold & Platinum, comprising some of the band's best lesser-known and underrated songs. The most notable inclusion here is that of two previously unreleased songs, "I've Been Your Fool" and "Gotta Go". To this day, this is the only place you can get these two songs. The sleeve incorrectly infers that they were recorded with Jimmy Johnson & Tim Smith at Muscle Shoals, but this is not the case. It's more likely that they were a part of the Al Kooper demos (which yielded such songs as Truck Drivin' Man and Mr. Banker as well). These two songs are excellent, and are worth the price of admission alone. Not a bad track on here.

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Legend - 1987

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Produced by Al Kooper, Tom Dowd, John Ryan.

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals); Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines (guitars); Ed King (guitar, bass); Leon Wilkeson (bass); Billy Powell (keyboards); Bob Burns, Artimus Pyle (drums).

Additional personnel: Don Barnes, Jeff Carlisi (guitar); Ron Brooks, Steve Brookins (drums); Larry Junstrom (bass).

Comments:

A collection of B-Sides (Mr. Banker, Take Your Time), a live track recorded at the Fox Theater (Simlpe Man), and some unfinished tracks and demos as well. The only bad part of this album is what Tom Dowd did to "Four Walls Of Raiford". Dowd totally destroys this track with added keyboards, bass, and guitar, and also speeds it up so much that Ronnie almost sounds like Alvin & The Chipmunks. Check out the undubbed demo on the Box Set to see how this song was supposed to sound, with Ronnie singing his heart out accompanied only by .38 Special's Jeff Carlisi on acoustic guitar. Everything else on here is great, particularly the live version of "Simple Man" and Steve Gaines' "One In The Sun" (to which Dowd added Rossington on guitar; it actually adds to this one though). Worth checking out.

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Skynyrd's Innyrds - 1989

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Produced by Al Kooper, Tom Dowd. Compiled by Andy McKaie.

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals); Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines (guitar); Billy Powell (keyboards); Ed King (bass, guitar, slide guitar); Leon Wilkeson (bass, background vocals); Bob Burns, Artimus Pyle (drums).

Additional personnel: Bobby Keys, Trevor Lawrence, Steve Madiao (horns); Al Kooper (organ, Moog synthesizer, piano); Bobbi Hall (percussion); Wicker, Toby, Cockroach, Moochie, Punnel, Wolfman, Kooder, Mr. Feedback, Gooshie (handclaps); Clydie King, Merry Clayton, Cassie Gaines, Jo Billingsley, Leslie Hawkins (background vocals).

Comments:

Another compilation. Has two previously unrelased versions of "Double Trouble" and "Free Bird". "Double Trouble" is a studio outtake, although the differences in this and the regular version are slight. "Free Bird" is also listed as an "outtake version", but a more appropriate term would be "extended version". It's the same exact track as the original, but it doesn't fade out and keeps on going for another minute or so and ends similarly to concert versions.. I prefer this version to the original actually. A terrific introduction to the band, but leaves out a lot of good songs (as do all Skynyrd compilations). Unfortunately, as of 1999, this album is out-of-print.

Album Out-Of-Print

Lynyrd Skynyrd (Box Set) - 1991

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Compiled by Andy McKaie & Ron O'Brien

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals); Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines (guitars); Ed King (guitar, bass); Leon Wilkeson, Larry Junstrom, Greg Walker (bass); Billy Powell (keyboards); Bob Burns, Artimus Pyle (drums); Rickey Medlocke (drums, background vocals).

Comments:

A lavish 3-CD box set with a 64 page booklet. This one has almost everything you'd ever want. There are a total of 16 rarities on here, including the first ever recording of "Free Bird" (sans epic guitar solo ending). This is the way to go. If you want a good introduction to the band, buy this box set. It's a little pricey, but WELL worth it. GET THIS NOW!!!!

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Freebird The Movie [Soundtrack] - 1996

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Produced by Ron O'Brien.

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals); Steve Gaines (guitar, background vocals); Allen Collins, Gary Rossington (guitar); Billy Powell (piano, keyboards); Leon Wilkeson (bass, background vocals); Artimus Pyle (drums).

The Honkettes: Jo Jo Billingsley, Cassie Gaines, Leslie Hawkins (background vocals).

Comments:

All tracks recorded live at Knebworth, England 8-21-76, except for tracks 7 and 8 live at Asbury Park, NJ 7-13-77 and track 13 live at Oakland, CA 7-3-77. Excellent live album shows how the band blew the Stones off the stage at Knebworth. Since the Knebworth show took place only a month after the recordings for One More From The Road, the set list is quite similar. The band was really on fire that day. Also included are the only commercially released live versions of That Smell and What's Your Name by the original band. Excellent.

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The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd - 1998

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Produced and compiled by Ron O'Brien

Personnel: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals); Al Kooper (acoustic guitar, piano, organ, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, bass, background vocals); Ed King (guitar, slide guitar, bass); Gary Rossington (guitar, slide guitar); Allen Collins, Steve Gaines, Jeff Carlisi (guitar); Bobby Keys, Trevor Lawrence, Steve Madaio (horns); Billy Powell (piano, keyboards); Leon Wilkeson (bass, background vocals); Greg Walker (bass); Artimus Pyle (drums, percussion); Bob Burns, Robert Nix (drums); Rickey Medlocke (drums, background vocals); Bobbi Hall (percussion); Clydie King, Merry Clayton, Leslie Hawkins, Cassie Gaines, Jo Billingsley, Tim Smith, The Honnicutts (background vocals).

Comments:

Probably the best introduction to the band, outside of the box set. Excellent track selection, but there are just too many songs not included. That's the problem with all Skynyrd compilations. You have to hear the whole story, not just bits and pieces. What's here in incredible, along with great liner notes by Ron O'Brien. The one previously unreleased track here is a remix of Comin' Home, featuring Ronnie Van Zant's original vocal track. (Van Zant recorded another vocal track in 1976, which was used on the previously released version.) Check it out, if for the liner notes alone.

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Skynyrd's First: The Complete Muscle Shoals Sessions - 1998

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Produced by Jimmy Johnson and Tim Smith. Reissue produced by Ron O'Brien

Personnel includes: Ronnie Van Zant, Tim Smith (vocals); Rickey Medlocke (vocals, drums); Allen Collins, Gary Rossington, Wayne Perkins, Jimmy Johnson, Ed King (guitar); Billy Powell (piano); Ed King, Greg T. Walker, (bass); Bob Burns (drums).

Comments:

This album is an expanded release of 1978's Skynyrd's First And Last, augmented with 8 bonus tracks. Standing out among the bonues tracks are early versions of Free Bird, Simple Man, and I Ain't The One, plus two previously unreleased songs written and sung by Rickey Medlocke, Ain't Too Proud To Pray and You Run Around. Sound here is excellent, with the tracks from the original release sounding much better here. A must have for any Skynyrd fan.

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Extended Versions: The Encore Collection - 1998

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Lynyrd Skynyrd: Johnny Van Zant (vocals); Gary Rossington, Rickey Medlocke, Hughie Thomasson (guitars); Leon Wilkeson (Bass); Billy Powell (piano); Owen Hale (Drums)

Comments:

This album is a compilation of the bands first two albums for CMC International, Twenty and Live From Steel Town. I don't have it, but all the songs here are great. If you want an introduction to neo-Skynyrd, this might be a good (cheap) place to look,

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Best Of Lynyrd Skynyrd: The Millennium Collection- 1998

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Personnel: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals); Al Kooper (acoustic guitar, piano, organ, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, bass, background vocals); Ed King (guitar, slide guitar, bass); Gary Rossington (guitar, slide guitar); Allen Collins, Steve Gaines; Billy Powell (piano, keyboards); Leon Wilkeson (bass, background vocals); Artimus Pyle, Bob Burns (drums, percussion); Bobbi Hall (percussion); Clydie King, Merry Clayton, Leslie Hawkins, Cassie Gaines, Jo Billingsley, The Honnicutts (background vocals).

Comments:

Another compilation. If you want a budget intro to the band, start here.

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Solo Flytes - 1999

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Produced and compiled by Ron O'Brien

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This album is a compilation of the various Skynyrd "spyn-off" bands that Skynyrd members were involved in after the plane crash. Excellent through and through, it's a shame that most of the albums these songs were taken from are now out of print. While one could argue that there is too much RCB on this album, it's still a great listen. Some terrific liner notes (by the always informative Ron O'Brien) tell the story of the bands' rises and falls. On the music side of the spectrum, highlites include Steve Gaines' "One In The Sun", appearing here in a remixed and slightly longer version, the live "Don't Misunderstand Me", featuring Deep Purple/Kansas guitarist Steve Morse on lead guitar, the acapella ballad "Pine Box" (sung by Dale Krantz and Barry Lee Harwood), and "Chapter One", the one song here by the short-lived Allen Collins band. Actually, there's not a weak track on this album. Buy this album now, especially if you've never heard any of these bands.

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Collectybles - 2000

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Produced and compiled by Ron O'Brien

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Absolutely indespensible collection of Skynyrd rarities. From the Shade Tree recordings, to the Memphis radio show, and to the One More From The Road and Street Survivors outtakes, it doesn't get much better than this. Get it now.

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One More From The Road (Deluxe Edition) - 2001

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Originally produced by Tom Dowd. Deluxe Edition produced and compiled by Ron O'Brien
Newly remixed by Kevin Elson

Personnel: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals); Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines (guitar);Billy Powell (piano, keyboards); Leon Wilkeson (bass, background vocals); Artimus Pyle (drums, percussion); Leslie Hawkins, Cassie Gaines, Jo Billingsley (background vocals).

Comments:

The greatest live album ever just got better. This version adds 7 tracks to the 1996 version, 3 of which (MCA, Ain't The One, and Searching) are previously unreleased. The new remix is superb, and much better on tracks like "Travelin' Man" (Leon's bass sounds much better). "Tuesday's Gone" features some additional snippets of vocals from the Honkettes that were wiped from the original album. Allen Collins' original "Free Bird" solo is used here (the original album's solo had been overdubbed by Allen in the studio). And to top it all off, there is a ton of new Ronnie Van Zant stage chatter. A great release, get it now.

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