Lynyrd Skynyrd

Not Skynyrd's strongest record, but the title track and "Cry For the Bad Man" are two of the toughest, fightin'-est, drunken-est Southern rock songs ever. You don't need two weeks of Jack Daniels and cocaine to appreciate the three guitar attack and barefoot vocals of these doomed rednecks, but God knows that was the idea back in 1976.

There was a time when Lynyrd Skynyrd's music was tough. It had drive and force; it was
impossible to ignore. But last year's Al Kooper - produced Nuthin' Fancy revealed the
band's soft underbelly and Gimme Back My Bullets, produced by Tom Dowd, is an extension
of its predecessor. It starts strong but fails to deliver. The title track is powerful --
relentless, a little dangerous -- with lead guitar wailing urgently behind one of th... More >

Ronnie Van Zant may intend those bullets for "pencil pushers" (which means not only me but you, I'll bet) but that's no reason to shoot him down. In fact, it's just the opposite--his attraction has always been the way he gets his unreconstructed say. Unfortunately, the music could use some Yankee calculation--from Al Kooper of Forest Hills, who I figure was good for two hooks per album, and Ed King of New Jersey, the guitarist turned born-againer whose guitar fills carried a lot more zing than three doodooing Honnicutts. (Grade - B+)