Southern Rock Opera

would be better without the country stuff and just rock instead

Tremendous story album with great music. I need the opportunity to spend more time with the lyrics, and unfortunately it’s a little long. But it’s a great listen.

Not as bad as I expected. I do enjoy that American road rock sound every now and then. For an album that’s over 90 minutes long, there wasn’t enough variety to keep me hooked. But maybe I’ll even give it another listen. 3/5

This is actually 3.5 stars rounded down because it's beyond way too long. There were some good songs but christ on the cross this couldn't been halved and still too long

Unforgivably long and unconscionably bad.

Fantastic album, but as far as Drive-By Truckers albums go, I prefer Decoration Day and The Dirty South. Really wish one of those were the one picked for the list instead of this one.

Definitely a little harder hitting and more country than those two later albums, and the more country stuff does lose me a tad (Such as Cassie's Brother).

But songs like Birmingham are great, and the spoken word track Three Great Alabama Icons is fantastic.

Really good record. I'd say this is a right artist wrong album situation, but I don't know if The Truckers are necessarily a list-worthy band, although I'm not complaining.

I’ll admit, staring down a 90-minute, double-disc rock opera about Lynyrd Skynyrd is intimidating, and the album is undeniably polarizing. This one’s a real head-scratcher to have on the list, it doesn’t really feel like an essential pick. It’s pretty bloated, the vocals are hit or miss, and there are definitely a few tracks that should’ve been cut. But beneath all the gritty, whiskey-soaked dive-bar vibes, there’s actually a surprisingly deep look at the "duality of the Southern thing".

The band doesn’t dodge the messy realities of the region, hitting on the legacy of racism and the twisted mythology of people like George Wallace, all while laying down some great storytelling and killer riffs. Honestly, it hit way harder than I expected, though I imagine you’ve gotta have some experience living in the South to fully get it. It nails that weird mix of pride, frustration, and survival that defines the place.

Liked this much more than I thought i would

Woah, what's this album cover? Very Americana with the highway sign, not to mention the red eyed black owl. Cool stuff. Might just move it in my favorite album covers list!

Act One: 4/5
Act Two: 4/5

Overall: 4/5, solid southern rock, very solid.

I sort of understand why the editors went with this one because journos and critics can't resist an album with a story, and it is a good story. Definitely worth reading up on this one as you listen from reliable sources.

I get it some reviewers are going to take the surface route with their prejudices and hear Skynyrd, Wallace and southern rock and roll and think this is an album displaying the worst of the south. But even one or two of the more attentive listeners seem to think there's an attempt at redemption for Wallace on here? I can't hear that at all. There's literally a song from the devil looking forward to tormenting him.

I think DBT have made better albums, certainly ones that would be more approachable in a single day's listen. Like a lot of concept albums it can feel like the concept is restricting the songwriters a little here in terms of melody. But you can't fault its audacity especially when they have a song called Let There Be Rock that is referencing the AC/DC song of the same name.

How do you guys say it in the States? It’s like going to a campaign rally and being subjected to 90 minutes of talk about values, conservatism, the rise of - I don’t know what else… Clearly, this isn’t meant for anyone outside the U.S., let alone a list of albums to listen to before you die!

Once again, I find myself wondering about the criteria behind the choices made by whoever wrote this book/list - there’s no way this thing has any universal appeal! Albums like this are only of interest to those who share the nationality and values represented in them.

And there you go, bring on the next wave of hate for my opinion :-(

EDIT: After 40+ minutes, I gave up and went to listen to the “Reddit: Songs to Hear at Least Once” playlist on Spotify instead. Now that’s a more balanced playlist ;-)

Boring, ignorant Southern Rock. Real "heritage, not hate" vibes.

Shut up about lynyrd skynyrd!

Intense. Took me half of the first part to get into it, but oncew I did it was completely engaging. Interesting. I love the stories, like on "Let There Be Rock" where he describes not really being into the whole Skynrd thing in high school, he's speaking for me. A great work of art, I will definitely listen again. Love the second part especially... heavier emotion, heavier music. Great stuff.

(White) Southern progressives, as Lynyrd Skynyrd had been in their earlier renditions, Drive-By Truckers are by nature a band I'm liable to recommend w/o hearing one track of theirs. But this goes beyond ideology & is really a matter of Hood/Cooley being the necessary, impossible fusion of Ronnie Van Zandt & Neil Young, w/ a little added Lucinda Williams there for style & lyricism, & the fact that Southern Rock Opera is somehow long - real long - & conceptual but isn't overly experimental or indulgent. Nah, this is just an hour & a half of a lot of good songs. & yeah, the politics are mostly good & clean, if at times overly simple. 'Ain't about the races, the crying shame / To the fuckin' rich man / All poor people are the same.' & you learn to boot.

actually not bad, just too long and a little tedious. really liked "the three great alabama icons" though!

Pre Listen:
The album cover looks like something I'd find at a scholastic book fair, and the title fits. Never heard of them, but I am ready. No expectations.

Notable Tracks:
N/A

Post Listen:
This is most certainly Trucker music. I can almost hear the 18 wheeler's noises in spirit.

I'm a bit low energy as of recent, and this album's tracks really blended for me, so rather than giving specific reasons on why this album was a 3, I'm just gonna rate it a 3 and leave it at that.

I am not a Trucker. 3/5

boring, bloated, the first track was very good and gave me hope but the rest of it was completely different and mid

Southern Rock Opera was a surprisingly very good album. I'm not well acquainted with this band as i haven't heard much of their stuff before this but they still sounded exactly like i expected them to sound. I really do like this album for a variety of reasons. The lyrical themes are very interesting from stuff like racial politics to Lynyrd Skynyrd, The production is top notch, the guitars sound great, the vocals fit well and in general, It sounds exactly like a country rock album from 2001 should. The only thing holding it back is the fact that it is an hour and a half long which i think is a bit too long for this album, That being said though, i really enjoyed my time with it.
Best Song: Zip City
Worst Song: Days Of Graduation

moj brat imao je nekakvu igračku ritam-mašinu, u principu komad plosnate plastike na kojem su bili nacrtani bubnjevi i ovisno o tome na koji bi se dio pritisnulo začuo bi se zvuk toga dijela bubnjeva. teoretski su se mogli "svirati" bubnjevi barata li netko vješto svima prstima po toj ploči. fora igračka, no s jednom manom: imala je nekakvu "sempl" tipku pritiskom koje krenula bi, uz jasno izraženu pratnju bubnjeva, neka generična američka kantri rok pjesma koja je bila neopisivo loša i nesnosna.

čitav ovaj album (koji nipošto nije opera kao što naslov upućuje) zvuči upravo kao taj sempl, samo što umjesto dvadesetak sekundi traje sat i pol. užas