Lynyrd Skynyrd

Free Bird is one of the best songs I have ever heard, it is like a lullaby to me. I love that song and it is my callertune for my phone

"Free Bird" will go down as one of rock's best song's ever. Too bad the group couldn't face their own heritage (see "Sweet Home Alabama")...

Highly overated... probably because they made the wise career move of going down in flames. In Birmingham, only the wrong they loved the governor before he repented of his vicious racist ways.

"Freebird" ranks as one of the best songs ever. However, don't know just why Van Zandt took such personal exception to Neil Young's "Southern Man"--maybe it hit a bit too close to home? Check your history, if you're man enough to face it...

There are some real underrated gems like "The Ballad of Curtis Loew" . . .certainly there was talent in this band. . .but too many redneck crooning anthems for me.  "Free Bird" has become a 70's iconic song that is the best and worst of rock from this era- solid musicianship counter-balanced by ridiculously long songs that went on longer than Les Miserables.  A long body of work that can't earn less than three from me, but that's where it stays. . .

5 stars up until 1977.  After the plane crash and the reformation of the band, LS was just a shadow of it's former greatness.  Nobody could replace Ronnie and losing Allen Collins to injury and ultimately death was another serious blow.  The way Ed King was jerked around by the band when he became ill didn't didn't score many points with me and I have completly lost interest in the "new" version of Skynyrd.

Sweet Home Alabama - Roll Tide Roll

t-fin***** this band was the best bar none, if there wasn,t a plane crash than they would be on top of the world. Ronnie my hero he was a ausome song writer, he had the best songs from the heart.(tuesday gone,simple man,I,m a country boy,and railroad song kicks ass. (10 voted this helpful) 9/27/8 (5= great) **********

The classic line-up was five star. Johnny Van Zant is a poor singer but they still play well. The song-writing was best when Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant were collaborating. Most people probably don't realize Lynyrd Skynyrd released any recordings after the 70's. Lynyrd Skynyrd are an iconic band, but they are moving toward becoming a shell of themselves.

i am about sick and tired of people on here disrespecting the dead.let me ask any of you haters when did you ever record top 10 hits,play sold out shows or get inducted into the rock n' roll hall of fame? if you don't like skynyrd i guess that is your (wrong) opinion but that gives you no right to be disrespectful to the deceased.grow the F ^ what if it was your brother or son and people were treating them that way? think before you speak you heartless punks! to all true skynyrd fans of the old and new skynyrd who believe they are great and johnny has a tremendous amount of balls for keeping the music alive and making his big brother proud to have him continue his music, i say much love and respect to you .. johnny has said himself he can't sing his brothers songs better than him and he is not out here trying to he just goes out everynight and sings them to the best of his ability and nobody is gonna tell me that ronnie does not have a good reason to look down from heaven and be nothi... Read more

There's no denying their durability and for their limitations, they certainly were the definitive sound of their time and place.  As a testament to their status as a classic, my 12 year old daughter discovered them all by herself and wears a Skynyrd t-shirt to school regularly.

I'm snure I'll get ripped apart by the diehard Skynyrd fans out there, but as a big country fan, I actually like the newer Lynyrd Skynyrd better than the original. Some of the newer stuff like "Red, White, and Blue" is really good, although it definitely sounds a little more country than the original Skynyrd. I also tend to prefer Johnny Van Zant's vocals on the older stuff as opposed to Ronnie Van Zant.

Lynyrd Skynyrd is no longer my thing musically, but there really isn't any dispute that the band (at least prior to the plane crash) is the pinnacle of southern rock. For those who are older than (say) 25, singles like "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird" have been overplayed to the point of nausea, but these songs remain popular since they are good and new generations are hearing them for the first time. Nevertheless, the songwriting and performances are strong as evidenced by singles such as "Gimme Back My Bullets", "I Know A Little", and "Call Me The Breeze". The bottom line is that Lynyrd Skynyrd loses a star for subjective reasons, but if the band doesn't get in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, then something is wrong with the selection process.

Lynchyrd SKKKynyrd if you ask me! Never liked these southern-fried rednecks or any of their music. They always came across to me as a bunch of assholes in cowboy hats in a pool hall that would beat the shit out of you for looking at them funny or daring to say the wrong thing. Their music sounds like some south of the Mason/Dixon line garage group with a singer that seemed inable to keep from writing a line of lyrics that didn't sound like some silly masculine cliche.

There was a 20 year period when you couldn't go in a juke joint in the south with live music and not hear Skynyrd covered. People would start calling for Skynyrd tunes during the first set. That's never happened for any other band anywhere. They are the greatest rock and roll band ever. I was in Chicago 1986 at one of the largest hotels in the city. In the atrium they had a guy playing piano, nobody paid much attention to what he played, until he started playing freebird. People who were strangers to each other from totally different cities started cheering. Then around 200 people gathered around the piano and sang freebird with the piano player. It was more than this southern boy could handle and I sobbed through the song. If Ronnie hadn't died so young, Skynyrd would be regarded like the Beatles. They always will be in the south. At NFL Jacksonville Jaguar football games they usually play A Skynyrd song and the crowd will go wild everytime, once prompting the TV play by play man to ... Read more

Basic meat'n'ptates no nonsense hard rock the way its supposed to be played ... from the heart w/ chops ... drive on boys ...

I dont get all the rave reviews here. LS wrote some good songs but also even on their 'classic' albums there's a fair bit of filler even though they contain only around 8 tracks. Listen to 'One from the road' and the playing's pretty sloppy and nowhere near as tight and balls-out rocking as the Allman's 'Fillmore East' or even Molly Hatchet's first live album. The 'Platinum and Gold' comp is good though but pretty much the only album non-die hard fans need bother with.

best band ever

LETS BE CLEAR: "PICKER" REFERS TO A MUSICIAN "PICKING" AT AN INSTRUMENT WITH STRINGS; LOOK IT UP IN THE DICTIONARY. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH CURTIS LOWE BEING BLACK AND HENCE A "COTTON-PICKER." IT WAS ALWAYS OBVIOUS TO ME, BUT OBVIOUSLY NOT TO THOSE WHO ARE EASILY EXCITED AND ARE HYPERSENSITIVE RACIALISTS.

i was so lucky to get to go and see lynyrd skynyrd in concert over the summer. man it was awesome.

I hate to break the streak of 5 stars but they shoudn't be around today they should have ended and started another band after that tragedy. This band has some absolute masterpieces. In my opinion this is one of the few bands that probably wouldn't bore you if you kept on listening to them

28 years ago today is when the plane crashed. 10/20/77. RIP Skynyrd

The best band ever to come out of the south and the usa also

best band ever.

The new skynyrd isn't that good. But the original before the plane crash were awesome

These guys are seriously the best ever. Too bad for the plane crash.

to the guy who posted that the planecrash was on April 20th he needs 2 take history lesson it was Oct 19th,1977,I have the ticket stub and cuz I was there the nite b4

I like the old Skynyrd with Ronnie Van Zant. Jonny Van Zant is just riding Skynyrd's popularity, not to mention the fact that he can't sing. Just for reference I have this opinion about old and new AC/DC. New is always just a rip-off.

This band was great! I use the term was because the surviving family members who still use the name are Pimping out the Lynyrd Skynrd name. These imposters should retire. The original deceased members of LS would not have shared the stage with a bunch of Country Poseurs like Tim Mcgraw and Gretchen Wilson at the Grammys. That was a fiasco

Lynyrd Skynrd rocks. As for BEOP's comment that they are inbred racists...this is not true....First....Sweet Home Alabama has been misinterpretted....it was a joke and a punchline at Neil Young....They wrote a song that honored a black guitar player from their home town...the song....old Curt was a black man with long curly hair.....Curtis Lowe....Sing me a song Curtis Lowe, Curtis Lowe....cuz Curtis Lowe was the finest picker to ever sing the blues....They are the best Southern Rock Band. They have donated to charities and performed to raise money for minorities to work for NASCAR and have donated to Hospices (you know people who have Cancer...and Cancer is COLORBLIND)...It's about Southern Pride with them NOT RACISM! I saw them in concert in 1993, and they gave a tremendous live performance...Freebird...I don't know how to describe the feeling and the way they played that song. They also played with Bad Company....another group that deserves to be in the Top Rock bands ever. VanZA... Read more

Lynyrd Skynyrd is the best southern rock band in the world... allmans also very good ones but they are bascially blues-rockers with southern touch... but if there is one dedicated southern rock band in the world, that is Lynyrd Skynyrd... there is no second thought about it... keep it up skynyrd...

freebird alone gives them 5 stars. they were one of the greatest.

For Country-Fried Rock n Roll- it don't git no better than this!!!

A step below the Allman Brothers.

Skynyrd are my favourite band. They did a few honkytonk songs that have me reaching for the skip button, like Gimme Three Steps, and I wouldn't agree with Daddy Ray that their lyrics are all that brilliant (Mr. Banker and Four Walls of Raiford are pretty annoying), but the vocals are cool and the pure tunes, musicianship (the piano, drums and 3 guitars are all incredible) and guitar solos make them the best ever in my opinion. Alabama and Freebird are my favourites, but they did plenty of fantastic songs that I will never tire of, like the Ballad of Curtis Loew, Tuesday's Gone, Workin' for MCA, The Needle and The Spoon and All I Can Do Is Write About It. Quality.

If you don't like Skynyrd you probubly never listened to them. The tunes they play on the radio never do justice to any bands whole body of work. The truth and soulfulness of Ronnie Van Zandt's words are equal to any great American artist. From Muddy Waters to Hank Williams, John Fogarty to Johnny Cash. Skynyrd is truly American... and to put them down is to put down yourself.Dig it , Take a deep breath,have a cold beer,cook up some BBQ,and watch your kids play in the grass,and if your not satisfied ,crank up some Skynyrd as loud as you can and invite your neighbors over.If they dont come by wait for the cops to come so when the cops come you can share your BBQ and beer with them.Until then enjoy the blue sky ,the fresh air and Dance with your ol lady barefoot in the dirt. Family is so important dont forget to Love em. There are very few bands that effect whole generations of people,reason being very few have the gift to relate common feelings with common words. Lynyrd Skynyrd is one ... Read more

'One for the road ' is a cracking album but the studio albums seem to lack quality production, so some of the slower tracks sound loose and watery. I dont think they ever got their sh*t together after losing Ronnie van Zant. I guess they're one of those bands who are at their best live.

One of the best southern bands to play. Shoulda stayed out of planes though.

I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd in concert years ago with Tanya Tucker and the Charlie Daniels Band. Even though they are not my type of music, or anything I would normally listen too, I really enjoyed the show. Good live entertainers if nothing else. I can see why the older generation liked them.

Not my type of music. Sorry.

Lynyrd Skynyrd became like Elvis after the tragic accident. It gave them fame and glory they would not have achieved otherwise. It is a shame some are so misinformed or governed by hatred. Life is full of pathetic losers. I guess we see one more on this place now.

Redneck garbage aimed at those with unsophisticated mutant tastes and sensibilities. Cliche soundtrack that would be good background music for "The Jeff Foxworthy Show." The song "Free Bird" is so lame, so bad, so idiotic, syrupy and maudlin that it's a sad joke. The music is slick, but not necessarily well played, and the lyrics are trailer park white trash moronic. And anybody who would write a paean to a toilet like Alabama should lay off the corndogs and Milwaukee's Best and rejoin The Civilized World.

So how many of them are still alive?

Although their southern fried rock and roll is always a pleasure to hear, Skynyrd doesn't seem to have alot of depth to them. Their songs are slick and humerous with alot of excellent southern guitars, but just don't have alot of staying power for me.

I was fortunate enough to have dated Leon Wilkerson back in the 70's. He & Artemus came in to a club (C.W. Shaw's) I worked at in Atlanta carrying a bottle of Jack Daniels. Not knowing who they were (but of course knew their music) asked them to leave. My boss soon made it clear they were not leaving. They thought it was funny and the journey of a lifetime began as they say.I was so lucky to have gotten to spend a few months in Leon's presence and I remember those days with great fondness. They were wonderful, fun, don't-care-what-anybody-thinks type men, and the best Southern Rock band that has ever existed.

Inbred Racists

he is ok but you know i only no one song by him i think anyways is it sweet home alabama!

awesome, being fom england that may seem weird but this bunch r the best band i've heard or seen evvvveeeeerrrr!! the old stuff is the best but the new stuff is great . Ricky Medlocke is one rockin rattlesnake . See yo u all in London in 3 weeks