(pronounced ’lĕh-’nérd ’skin-’nérd)

Awesome, definitely going to come back to this. Can't listen to free bird without saying hell yea 4

Shame the rest of the album wasn't as ambitious structure-wise and sonicly as Free Bird. But still good.

I was familiar with the band’s name, the story behind it, and a few of their songs. However, I had assumed they played a slightly different style. I’m not really into southern rock, and I feel the same way about this album. The exception is the song “Free Bird.” But that’s not enough to make me want to listen to this album again. 3/5

Solid album. Feels like Free Bird was written by the some other band also called Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Better than Coldplay

There are 7 of them??????? 90s looking album cover.

First of all, "'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd" is not IPA and so I don't know know to interpret it. Like what are the 's for? The actual pronunciation is supposedly [lɛnərd skɪnərd], so I guess they got the gist across. Might as well have named themselves Leonard Skinnard if they weren't so obsessed with Y. But I do like that they thought to name the album after a pronunciation guide, anyway. Respectable decision.

LS are basically a country-ish version of their sister band LZ, two extremely hated bands (by me - extremely loved by the masses, which doesn't help their case). You'd think the +country feature would make them worse, but I find they're actually a bit better. A cleaner sound and some little piano ("keyboard") bits in there. The songs are very long though, and also 70s "southern rock", so there's no way I'd ever be liking it. 'Free Bird' has a lot more to it than I realised (this is not a compliment).

This is the point where I am supposed to debate the merits of musical excellence versus reactionary politics but honestly I don't think it’s necessary, because so many of these Southern rock jams I find to be pretty dull in the first place. That there is a Confederate flag somewhere in the background isn’t shocking, only sadly expected.

“Free Bird” is just the exception that proves the rule.

Like a lot of kids my age I got my early musical education through the Forrest Gump soundtrack. That’s how I came to love The Doors, who play in Jenny’s druggy 70s scenes. So when she is on the windowsill contemplating suicide or maybe just the nature of falling, I assumed the awesome screaming guitars were just more Doors. No, it's "Free Bird," but it's not on the soundtrack CD.

You couldn't just Google things like that in those days, so it took me a while to find out that the band that made that music is the same one that came up with "Sweet Home Alabama," which I've disliked ever since I understood what Watergate was. Pretty sure people asking "Does your conscience bother you?" like it's some profound response to crimes against the Republic is how we got into this mess. But I said I wouldn't get political.

Anyway, ever since I made the connection, I've assumed there was some better, more legit version of Skynyrd that I would discovery one day, perhaps through a project like this. But I still haven't found it. It's part of the absurd nature of our reality that a band that the people who recorded "What's Your Name Little Girl?" can also give you one track that transcends reality yet it also somehow the punchline of every musical joke for my entire life. Freeeeee biiiiiiiirrrrrrd...

So many hits on this one. A great album.

5.0/5.0: Iconic

four iconic songs make up over half of the runtime. the other four songs exist in the shadow of the others but are good in their own right

Can’t separate the art from the artist. Confederacy apologists.

Released that I don't really know much of Lynyrd Skynryd beyond Sweet Home Alabama. This is a very underwhelming album, not sure why it would be in 1001 that you MUST hear before you die, it's just not that interesting. The rockers are OK (e.g. I Ain't The One and Poison Whiskey) but the slower jams are a bit boring (e.g. Simple Man and especially Free Bird). Not good, not bad, just a bit bland.

Iconic debut album. It is very enjoyable and solid throughout. It does legitimately deserves it inclusion as perhaps the most representative album of its era in Southern Rock.

8/10 [KEEP]

I’ll get my only negative out of the way first. Didn’t like Mississippi Kid at all. Such a shame since that’s all that is keeping this album from five stars.

As for the rest, bloody brilliant. I know the hits from Skynyrd but this is my first time listening to a full album. Free Bird is obviously a classic but from what I’ve heard from them Simple Man is by far my favourite song.

Top Track - Simple Man

I guess I have this out of the way now at least. Also given this album’s reputation, I figured there’d be at least a few other good songs besides Free Bird

I find it hard to rate Lynyrd Skynyrd as I like their style - e.g. the simple but non-standard harmonic structures as in "Simple Man", their overall groove as in "Poison Whiskey", their guitar playing as in "Free Bird" or the piano arrangements as in "Things Goin' On" - but there is not a single song that I distinctly like. I cannot even say why - maybe it's due to the country vibe that blurs every good idea through repetition before drowning it in clichees or due to their lyrics that I just cannot relate to.
Still a good album.

Some all time classics. 4/5.

Really did not expect this to be such a fun listen! Happy to have heard it!

It’s Lynard Skynard. It’s Southern Rock. It’s got Free Bird. Any questions?

Get it, glad I listened to it. But probably not going pick it out again.

Glad to get this.
I now have a benchmark for bang average.