LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-AUGUST 13, 2019…ON THIS DATE IN 1973 LYNYRD SKYNYRD RELEASED THEIR DEBUT ALBUM Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd.
HERE ARE SOME QUICK FACTOIDS SURROUNDING THE ALBUM AND SKYNYRD:
-THE BAND WAS DISCOVERED BY MUSICIAN AND PRODUCER AL KOOPER
-KOOPER HAD THEM PLAY THEIR 12 SONGS AND 9 MADE THE DEBUT ALBUM
-THE RECORD PRODUCED FOUR CLASSIC SKYNYRD SONGS ‘TUESDAY’S GONE’ ‘GIMME THREE STEPS’ ‘SIMPLE MAN’ AND ‘FREE BIRD’
-THE RECORD COMPANY DIDN’T WANT ‘FREEBIRD’ ON THE ALBUM, SAYING IT WAS TOO LONG
– ‘GIMME THREE STEPS’ WAS BASED ON A TRUE LIFE STORY. RONNIE VAN ZANT WAS 18 AND USED A FAKE I.D. TO GET INTO A BAR. ROSSINGTON AND COLLINS WERE YOUNGER AND WAITING FOR HIM IN THE TRUCK. VAN ZANT WAS WAS DANCING WITH A GAL AND HER BOYFRIEND CAME AFTER VAN ZANT AND REACHED FOR SOMETHING IN HIS BOOT. RONNIE TOLD HIM:
“If you’re going to shoot me it will be in the ass or the elbows…just gimme three steps and I’ll be gone.”
HE MADE IT TO THE TRUCK AND THE THREE OF THEM WROTE THE SONG THAT NIGHT
-‘TUESDAY’S GONE’ IS ABOUT A GIRL ACTUALLY NAMED TUESDAY, AND IS ABOUT GOING AWAY AND LEAVING HER BEHIND
-BASSIST LEON WILKESON LEFT THE GROUP BEFORE THE RECORDING SESSIONS STARTED
-HE WAS REPLACED BY GUITARIST ED KING
-AFTER THE ALBUM WAS RECORDED THE BAND MOVED KING TO GUITAR AND BEGGED WILKESON TO COME BACK
-WILKESON MADE IT BACK IN TIME TO SHOOT THE ALBUM COVER
-THE PHOTO USED WAS THE LAST PICTURE SHOT IN WHAT WAS A MARATHON ALL DAY PHOTO SESSION
-MOMENTS AFTER THE PICTURE WAS SHOT, GARY ROSSINGTON THREW UP ON THE SIDEWALK
-Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd HAS NOW SOLD OVER 4 MILLION COPIES WITH TOTAL SALES AND STREAMING
-ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE HAS RANKED THIS ALBUM AT #403 IN THEIR LIST OF “THE TOP 500 ALBUMS OF ALL TIME”
HERE’S A GREAT VERSION OF ‘SIMPLE MAN’
