Southern Rock Opera

I'm European.

If you took a group of good-ole-boys, fed them nothing but Skynyrd, Tom Petty, and the Eagles from the time they were born until they dropped out of high school halfway through their sophomore year, gave them 2 weeks worth of free music lessons, and then locked them in a studio with three half barrels of Busch and a brick of cocaine - this album would be the result. It's trash (a fuckin' hour and a half of trash) - minus Plastic Flowers and Cassie's Brother, which were okay (but still derivative). Oh - and did I mention Skynyrd? Because they did. Like probably 40 times. At least it was 90+ minutes long . . . .

I don't dislike it at the normal 2 star level, but the problem is, if you're going to do 90 minutes, you at least have to have a few songs that GRAB you, which this doesn't have. It just goes on and on and on remaining passable but never great.

Are you getting ready for a lengthy stay at a nearby state or federal penitentiary and not sure how to prep? Southern Rock Opera has you covered. So, close your eyes, turn it up and get baptized. This is a straight-up southern-culture record and these are some of my takeaways in no particular order: Skynyrd | Grit | Racist Governors | Cheap Cocaine | Stale Beer | Ronnie Van Zant | Sweat-Stained Trucker Hats | Southern Pride | Shady Shit | Tanktops (No Bras) | Roscoe P. Coltrane | Rock and Roll | Humidity | Skynyrd | Whiskey | Bushy Beards | Skynyrd | Good Ole [fill-in-the-blank] | Skynyrd | Airplane Crash The more I listened to this, the less I liked it, but the more I appreciated it. Individually, each song is forgettable but as a package it forms a picture of southern life and rock and roll. The album is a collection of anecdotes, explanations and accounts centering around Lynyrd Skynyrd. Two songs stand out to connect the disparate parts: Three Great Alabama Icons and Angels and Fuselage. Through loose narratives, bass-y guitar riffs and southern drawl crooning, DBT has created a window into the soul of the unapologetic south. Southern Rock Opera is like required reading, Sunday school, cafeteria food or Cracker Barrel... if you have your way, and you've done it once, you'll never do it again. So, a big 'thank you' to Drive-By Truckers for making this. It's not for everyone. But, if you’re southern-culture-curious, love Skynyrd, Alabama or have family in prison, you're gonna love Southern Rock Opera.

This ain't no southern rock. This is watered down Kid Rock. This album sets some sort of record for most George Wallace shout outs, which is....something? Stick with '70's Skynyrd instead.

Sounds like a parody in places. I know too little about USA history to get too deep into the lyrics, and the vocalists' voices didn't motivate me to listen more intently. Musically, I found it dull, and everything instrument blended into the others.

If Tom Petty and Blue Hammer smashed and created a child that ought to have be drowned at birth.

This album is massive in both literal size and in scope. I feel like I could write three reviews: one about the sound, one about the Lynyrd Skynyrd metanarrative, and one about the attempt to rehabilitate the Southern image in the popular imagination. I'll focus on the last, because it's the most interesting. It's a noble attempt, and they mostly succeed, but they try a little to hard to have it both ways (i.e. "the duality of the Southern Thing"), and while the effort is respectable, I don't love that there are no less than three songs that lionize or at least soften George Fucking Wallace. Sure, they're being ironic when they celebrate that "George Wallace stared them Yankees down," but it's a hell of a singable line that's no doubt sung by a certain subset of their fandom with gusto, a fact they well recognize themselves later on: "few saw beyond the rebel flag/And this applies not only to their critics and detractors/but also their fans and followers." Patterson Hood wants so badly to redefine what it means to be a Southern man, but he can't help but throw a bone to the peanut gallery he himself happily dismisses. I found myself respecting this album more and more as I listened to it, but ultimately it's got some fundamental flaws that it can't fully overcome. One note about the sound: It's damn good. Best track: Dead, Drunk and Naked

As if Lynyrd Skynyrd records aren’t bad enough on their own, here’s a double disc concept album *about* Lynyrd Skynyrd that rarely rises above the level of your friendly neighborhood bar band. Had it been a single disc album…fine, two stars. The fact that it is a double album is what makes it unforgivable.

A long, long album, but I really appreciated this deep-dive into Southern Rock and the mythos of Alabama. A lot of good tracks, like the one about George Wallace being welcomed to hell by the Devil himself, or the really sweet, almost Flaming Lips inspired ballad about the moments right before the Skynyrd plane crash. May not return to this as it's a hefty album, but it definitely deserves its place here I think.

I was fully expecting to hate this - looking at the cover it gives off country hipster vibes and I really wasn't in the mood. But instead it's pretty good country rock, doesn't seem to be any hipster shit involved, more like someone trying to recreate 70s southern rock, which is cool. Big fuzzy guitars, has that country flavour in places without being overbearing (the country parts kinda remind me of Johnny Cash, see "guitar man upstairs"), and they have a good ear for choruses. Only major gripe is: does this really need to go for an hour and a fucking half? Jesus H. Christ, are you serious? This shouldn't be more than 45min. Even after about 25 I understood what it was about (not the cultural references, which are neither here nor there to me), and it wasn't offering up anything new. 3/5 all the same - would be a 4 if not for the length.

Yeah...this is not good.

Have this a very solid two and a half listens through and can now safely say this is my new favourite alt country rock concept album about the rise and fall of Lynyrd Skynyrd. A very very solid album.

While this isn’t something I’ll likely listen to again anytime soon, I do appreciate how evocative and thought provoking some of their lyrics are. “Three Great Alabama Icons” definitely lead me on a rabbit hole of researching the band and their perspective on things. I don’t agree with the notion that we should praise George Wallace for eventually coming around to a perspective that I think should be the bare minimum for a decent human being, but they did present their perspective fairly and honestly & it definitely made me think - which is what good political/protest music does.

The title “Southern Rock Opera” suggests a novelty record, the length suggests obnoxiousness, while what lyrics I caught suggest a whisky-rock liker’s Bildungsroman; an uneasy mix that needs banging riffs and a lot of soaring to work. The record’s pleasant to have in the background, the guitar sounds are there, but the songs and riffs don’t stick, apart from maybe Life In The Factory and Let There Be Rock. Is that a goat I hear? “Meh meh meh…” Bumping up to three because “Angels and Fuselage” is a title redolent of a lost JG Ballard novel set in the Nevada desert, “Shut Up and Get On The Plane” made me laugh, and because I enjoyed the album enough to listen to it exactly twice. This means any other rock operas on this list defaults to 1, apart from “Tommy”, which will be DNF. Never make me visit the Lynrd Skyrnd Wikipedia page again.

Should have just listened to Lynyrd Skynyrd

Boring, long, and not that good.

Perhaps went on a little too long but I won't hold that against it. Brilliant album in the main. Loved it.

I was ready to dismiss this album as an unwelcome defense of a South with the old references to Neil Young and for Northerners to stay out of Southern business. And maybe they just wanted to put a barrier for only the interested or committed to reach track eight “Three Great Americans,” which was a genuine education for me. I had no idea that Sweet Home Alabama was a character’s perspective, that Young loved the track, the deeper story of George Wallace, or the story of the singers themselves. And it brought me to a real appreciation of their histories, the storytelling and the artistry that went into this and the rest of the album. But why the hell would you stick this track so deep into the album? It clarifies everything? Almost seems like a “you don’t get to understand me till you see me at my worst,” which is shitty behavior whether that’s a Southern thing or not. Just throw it at the first couple of tracks and teach someone something. Damn. Otherwise, a great, epic album.

I have a lot to say about this album. It’s the album that I’ve been most excited to see included on this list so far, as I think it’s under appreciated despite its acclaim among those that have listened to it. If you want to categorize it as such, I think it’s the best “southern rock” album ever made. I think Drive-By Truckers are one of the best and probably the most criminally under-listened to and underrated American rock bands of all time. Most of all, I think this album is the most effective work of art I’ve ever seen at articulating the human culture in the southern United States. I grew up (and still live) in the south and at some point I recognized, but couldn’t quite put my finger on, a contrast between what were described as southern values and the actions and behaviors I witnessed and read about in southern history. I was raised in a very conservative home in a very politically and culturally conservative region, and I grew up thinking that the “Bible belt” was the kindest and most hospitable place on earth. Over time, I also witnessed occasional implicit (sometimes explicit) racism and even more frequent homophobia and general intolerance of people that were slightly off from southern norms. I didn’t know how to describe it until I heard Patterson Hood’s words “the duality of the southern thing”. That’s nail meets head into some deep deep shit. Southern Rock Opera loosely follows the career of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but I think it’s more effective to listen to it as allegory for living in the south. There’s beauty, ugliness, kindness, cruelty, love, hate, wealth, poverty, triumph and tragedy all woven into the southern thing and represented in this album. It does another important thing: it walks through some of the history of why the south has a reputation for racism while acknowledging an overlooked attribute of the southern thing: not everyone is racist! The Three Great Icons of Alabama is the core of Southern Rock Opera to me, and it tells a story of the social dangers of politician pandering and how they may sell their soul for votes at the expense of the reputation of their people. This is something that has always bothered me in the United States: the south is not the only place where racism (and homophobia, etc.) exists! This doesn’t excuse Jim Crowe and other systemic issues that were more prevalent in the south and perpetuated by politicians by Wallace, but it highlights that at an individual level racism was not siloed on the south: it’s rampant throughout our nation. Racial issues aren’t the only topic here. This album is full of great stories. Mike Cooley (one of the two criminally underrated songwriters in this band) crushes it on Zip City, a small town tale of a horny teenager weighing prostitution against his girlfriend’s chastity and southern Christian father. Cooley also presents Whisky Without Women, with lyrics that poignantly present the alcoholic’s dilemma: “You know the bottle ain't to blame and I ain't trying to It don't make you do a thing it just lets you.” The other brilliant songwriter in the band, Patterson Hood, puts together most of the story of the southern thing: Ronnie and Neil, Let There Be Rock, Plastic Flowers on the Highway, Greenville to Baton Rouge, and the heart wrenching finale Angels and Fuselage string together the Lynyrd Skynrd story in a brilliant way that’s bigger that the band it focuses on. The last song is about the plane crash that killed most of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, which has these haunting words about those last seconds: “I’m scared shitless, of what’s coming next and I’m scared shitless, these angels I see in the trees are waiting for me.” Anyway: this album also ROCKS. Hood and Cooley shred throughout the record with a dueling guitar attack that sounds like 12 guitars at times. The songs are incredibly written too: each song is great as its own story but each also fits into the larger concept presented on the album, an essential element of an album masterpiece. It’s absolutely insane that the band hired a 22 year old Jason Isbell, one of rock’s great current talents and one of the best songwriters in recorded music history, to go on tour to support this album. If you haven’t heard the music of the Drive-By Truckers, listen to their albums Decoration Day, The Dirty South, and American Band as soon as possible, then listen to all their other albums because they’re all good to great. Listen to all of Jason Isbell’s music too if you haven’t yet.

So many good songs, so many great lines. An interesting attempt at trying to explain their "duality of the southern thing" - worth reading more from Patterson about the album and his life in the south. He's far more thoughtful about it than anyone else I've run across. I can't really be objective here - this is another album I've heard way too many times. For probably a full year I'd blast "Greenville To Baton Rouge" every Friday evening as I was leaving a shitty job. And this could be 5 stars for "Zip City" alone. I wish that song had been around when I was in high school. But, the whole album is incredible - well worth your time! I get 10 miles to the gallon, I ain't got no good intentions…

Phenomenal album

A lot of my favourite albums/movies/tv shows are ones that feel disctintive to a time and place and culture. In addition to being just a flat out awesome rock album, the album transports you to the late 90s/early 00s rural south. I feel like I’m drinking a beer in a field somewhere with a bunch of dudes with Skynard sleeveless shirts. It helps when you have Cooley and Hood writing all the songs too.

Southern Rock Opera is double-disc, concept album from Drive-By Truckers. They imagine a world through the eyes of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band plays heavy guitar drive, Southern country rock, and Southern Rock Opera was the break-through release. The band "crowd-funded" the album, before crowd-funding was a term. The strong critical reception to the album led to a re-release, and the band began tour nationally. The band's gritty, rich sound became part of the mixture of popular alt-rock in the aughts and the 10s. This album is a daring attempt to express the "duality of the Southern thing." The song "Three Great Alabama Icons" is a spoken word piece at the center of this theme. It voices the tension of a culture that is addressing its racist past.

A little bloated and maybe only their 3rd best album. But DBT rules. Worth sticking around for the 2nd half. And the George Wallace saga.

This is epic. I was daunted by the 90-minute running time and put it off until time to make dinner. I put it on while I cooked and wasn't really listening, wasn't really enjoying it. After dinner, I put my headphones on and started where I left off, at The Three Great Alabama Icons, at which point I realized that I needed to start it over. And I'm glad I did. It is definitely long but there are lyrics worth really hearing and an appealing southern rock sound throughout. Moreover DBT really stick the landing --- I was riveted through most of the second act. I don't think that this will necessarily become a favorite album but it certainly fits the brief of being an album to hear at least once, especially having read the origin story. Glad the band was persistent in its efforts to get it made.

I’ve heard of but never really paid attention to Drive-By Truckers. On the one hand, having my first exposure be their giant two-album Southern Rock Opera seemed like maybe jumping into the deep end and fraught with peril. On the other, this was referred to as their magnum opus. This was a very good thing. I loved this album. These guys have that southern country rock thing down, write about interesting subjects from the grave to the mundane, and sound fantastic. I love a good road song and this had plenty of that, while also exploring expected subjects like whisky, relationships, death, longing, and lots of personal touches clearly reflecting their lives. A really great collection of music that never did wear out its welcome despite the long runtime.

Excellent album. Really smart and funny songs that also rock. The opener “Days of Graduation” was a surprise. Cool vibe and dark energy, and I definitely wasn’t expecting it to end with a “Free Bird” joke. The other spoken-word song, “Three Great Alabama Icons,” was mesmerizing. Fascinating story about the former governor of Alabama. Incredible opening line too: “I grew up in north Alabama back in the 1970s when dinosaurs still roamed the earth.” Lots of funny vignettes and plenty of memorable songwriting. And I think it’s cool that about half of these songs form a loose concept album about the legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd. It’s an interesting idea and ties the songs together. I want to buy this on cd so that it can live in my car because it’s a very long album and all of these songs are interesting and deserving of repeat listens.

ok this might sound crazy considering all the other reviews on this album but I thought this was excellent. it's going to take a lot to convince me to pay attention to a 93-minute double album, but I thought the rock opera/concept album approach worked very well here. listening to each song and reading through the background/explanation and lyrics via DBT's website and Genius annotations really helped to contextualize what I was hearing. obviously, you'll need to have a penchant for southern rock, lynyrd skynyrd, or late 20th century US history to get the most out of this album. but even without those, it still evokes a mood and time period very well. it handles a wide variety of concepts and themes in a moving and respectful way, and definitely deserves your time and attention. favorites: about half of these honestly. in disc/track order, ronnie and neil through the southern thing, zip city, let there be rock through plastic flowers on the highway, angels and fuselage

Awesome - like the skynyrd/steinman crossover that we didn't know we needed! It's long, and heavy, and emotional, and absolutely brilliant. I will definitely listen to this again (and again) and look forward to checking out the rest of their stuff.

This was amazing. Holds it's own over a double length album that is tightly pulled together, intelligently written and sounds like a whiskey-fueled bar band with a strong southern Tom Petty feel. Surprised. Very enjoyable.

Modern southern rock classic

Trying to get enjoyment out of country/western music is usually like trying to bucket dry rivers, but this one was great. Husky vocals, good music, tells a great story.

I went down a deep rabbit hole on Lynyrd Skynrd because of this and I think that's what makes music so great, that it can teach as well as entertain

This was actually surprisingly good. The first few songs especially I liked. Then there's an interesting monologue about George Wallace and the perception of southerners by the rest of the country. It was pretty thoughtful, but then there's another song that says stuff like, "the south will rise again" so I dont really know what to think about these guys haha.

Rock operas never work and this one is no exception. Musically, this fine if not all that interesting. And it goes on way too long in a samey Southern-fried vein. Both vocalists are sub-par and the one is occasionally painful to hear. The Southern navel-gazing is a bit much, too; as a Southerner one has got awfully tired of it. As for the storyline ... well, it's not exactly Faulkner or Flannery O'Connor, now is it? The real shame is that there at least a dozen (and maybe several) of more deserving choices for the southern rock sub-section of this list.

Even though I know this is a crowd funded concept album about the experience of living in the Deep South, it still confuses the heck out of me when they start singing about living in Birmingham. Anyhoo, this takes as its starting point the tragic story of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the plane crash in 1977 that killed half the band, as well as the pilots. It’s a wildly ambitious project, but they just about pull it off, tackling some touchy subjects. Bostintastic!

Lynyrd Skynyrd was an influential band, but a two disc album centered around their mythology just isn't as appealing as one would think.

3.5 I really didn’t come into this thinking it would be the kind of thing I’d like, but hearing my dad blast Them Dirty Roses over the past year or so must have rubbed off on me to some capacity because I actually quite enjoyed this album - there’s a lot of really catchy, rocking music here. At first, I did think it was weird how much of this is just kind of about Lynyrd Skynyrd, and in some ways, I still do (why would you focus your self-described “magnum opus” on another band?), but the arching narrative about the group starting growing on me across my listens. Granted, said narrative is pretty loosely tied together, but it is structured in ways that I thought were done well. In particular, I like how it kicks off with a sort of prologue about two high school kids found dead in a car crash and how Free Bird was still blasting by the time the ambulances arrived, leading into a story actually about the band - and Neil Young. I actually had no idea Ronnie and Neil had a friendship and mutual admiration despite their infamous callouts of each other, so I found the song just as informative as it is well-told and fun. After that, I sort of get lost in the plot, but the series of tracks that end the album - describing the fateful night of Skynyrd’s plane crash - is a great conclusion and send-off to the band this album inspired. Though, at the same time, I also think this could have maybe benefitted from a sort of epilogue track to bookend the opener and also just to not end on the note of the band’s death, but whatever, it still mostly works for me as-is. However, there are definitely some quirks to this album that stuck out to me. I genuinely do think the band’s intentions here are mostly grounded, and I don’t remember the exact context behind each of these mentions, so take this with a grain of salt, but there’s definitely a “south will rise again” quip or two and some confederate flag imagery. The biggest thing for me though was, besides just name-dropping Lynyrd Skynyrd like 125 times (despite I guess having never seen them), George Wallace was mentioned a weirdly frequent number of times - most of those on tracks titled, “Three Great Alabama Icons” and simply, “Wallace”. Look, I know they call the guy out for his racist actions on the songs and even mentions that the dude’s in Hell now, but I still can’t help but feel there’s a small hint of admiration in there. And yes, I’m also aware the dude did some good in his last few years of office by renouncing his past racist views and actually putting black Americans in government positions, but calling him a “great” just doesn’t sit right with me, especially over someone like, say, MLK. Totally realizing I’m overanalyzing the track though and will move on from the topic… though since the song mentions Bear Bryant, I also gotta throw an “F Bama” out there. Tbh, I’m not old enough to know much about Bear, but Lord knows I root against the Roll Tide any time I see them on my TV - unless they’re playing the University of Michigan. F them first and foremost always. Anyway, want to circle back to the positives - I really think just about every track here is enjoyable musically, though the first half as a whole in particular is far and away the best. While not bad, there’s a bit of fluff in the middle/back half that definitely could have been cut to help with the pacing, and honestly, I think my score here would have been even higher if they did. Though, I’ve gotta say, buried in that slump of the middle, the opening to Side 2 provided my favorite moment across my whole listen. There are a lot of great bands the guys give a shoutout to on Let There Be Rock, but I couldn’t help but smile when I realized what the song was building up to with the title. It was at the very mention of Bon Scott that I knew the album would go from good to great for my Dad, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t have nearly the same effect on me as well. A couple questionable themes aside, I think this is really solid Southern rock - pare this down just a bit, and you may quite possibly have my favorite album of the genre. Either way, I gotta imagine this would be a fun show to see live.

Musically, this album is a fantastic rendition of southern rock with twanging guitars, gravelly vocals, and rebellious spirit. Conceptually, this album is re-litigating southern pride. These rockers who grew up in the racist south say "it's complicated" and "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater". They turn the mirror on the high-horse northerners. Unfortunately, it isn't up to some white rockers to decide the legacy of George Wallace and the Confederate flag. There is a nugget of truth in here though: I love America despite it being a fucked up place. Rebellious free spirit IS cool.

Well, that was a rollercoaster! Started out as a clear 1 given the length and subject matter. First impressions - sounds more like Butthole Surfers than Skynyrd, amusingly macabre opening track! Then: OK, more like I expected; please don't ask me to indulge George Wallace apologia - "southern culture" yadda yadda is just good ol' cynical racism, stop excusing that shit. Next: I really don't want to hear a litany of shit concerts you went to as a high schooler, or trite southern fried thematic effluvia. They really like teasing that Sweet Home Alabama riff, eh? Finally: Oh, this is the Skynyrd story *in media res* and I am *totally here for it*. Last track is remarkable; I played the whole thing through again immediately and appreciated it *a lot more* (ditching my oh-so-witty "2nd worst thing to happen in 2001" quip - could also have worked a plane crash angle in with a bit more effort..) Excise the sub-Kid Rock shit in the middle and I'd give this a 4. For now: unexpectedly, 3 hours of my day I did not begrudge spending with these hicks.

1st song: Sounds like a collaboration between Jack White, Beck, and Cake. 2nd song: very repetitive riff, but I don't hate it. It works for the genre. Getting some Tom Waits mixed with Skynyrd influences. 3rd song: Yeah this is just a Skynyrd cover band that branched out and made their own album. I don't hate it. 4th song: Not vibing with it. Too boring. 5th song: Feel like I should be in a trashy backwoods bar. All the Skynyrd is gone. Only left with trashy southern rock. 6th song: final song I'm able to listen to. Can't handle any more Southern Rock Overall, pretty meh. If you like Southern Rock, pretty solid. I really thought the first song had a lot of potential. I liked how it was presented, and it reminded me of The Raconteurs. If Skynyrd is pinnacle southern rock, this is a 6.5. It's safe, doesn't try to do anything new, and a bit redundant at times. Honestly, I just want to listen to The Ballad of Curtis Loew now and not this band. After going back to Skynyrd, the biggest difference is the diversity of instruments and sick riffs. Upon instigation I have listened to more songs. 7: okay, this is much better than the last few songs. I'm definitely getting some early day Tom Waits here, and I dig Tom Waits. This singer needs to be more prominent. 8: hell yeah. This is what I was looking for from the first song. That storytelling kind of song. I went ahead and listened to the last song on the album and I really liked it. I think my review hasn't changed. I think if they took out half of the songs on this album and left them on the chopping block, you'd have a really solid album. Too many meh to bad songs to make it better than a 6.5

Did this really need to be a double album? It was fine. I was bored while listening.

Taking over where Lynyrd Skynyrd left off. This album has a really interesting concept and I like the difference in the two singers voices (although I prefer the one that sounds like he gargles nails every morning). This has some truly rocking tunes on it and I think I’m going to revisit it at some point. My only complaint is that it is a bit long but honestly I didn’t mind. Favorite song: Ronnie and Neil Least favorite song: Moved

Good musically and the concept behind the album was great but the singer wasn’t my favorite.

Very standard (alt-?)country rock that goes on forever. A few standout tracks, but also a whole bunch of nothing, especially during the second half. Took me a while to realize that the Scottish guy was named William Wallace and that they're singing about a completely different Wallace. That should give you a good idea of how well I was following the American political commentary on this one.

If you're going to make a 90 minute album you better damn well be sure it's over 2/3s bangers. This was so fucking BORING. And 90 minutes? Yeah the south blah blah blah.... get a more interesting topic and chop half of it off and maybe you'll have a passable album. 1.5/5

I'd heard some DBTs before, specifically remembering "My Sweet Annette" which I really like as a standalone song. I cant say that about anything on this record. I'll give it 2 but it's in dangerous territory...

Muuuurica

I don't know what to make of that. At times it sounded like a bootleg version of the Eagles, just with shittier songs. At other times it sounded like a counterfeit Bryan Adams, but with shittier songs - and his songs are shitty enough as it is, so make of that what you will will. I made it all the way through, so it gets 2 stars, but I just can't bring myself to give it 3 stars. More than once I checked to see how long was left - and that, to me, is not a good sign. I'm sticking with 2 stars.

It's mid. Just some plain country rock with a sprinkle of the era's alt-rock vibes. I prefer Steve Earle, Uncle Tupelo/early Wilco, and the Old 97s of which the Drive-by Truckers seem to be the more generic mix of.

On first impressions I was thinking this is yet another typical lyrical American myopic vision which is focused on a small part of their large country. The other impression I had was this sounds like traditional 'Southern' rock done in the style of Lynard Skynard. By the end, my first impressions were correct. My only question is - why? Musically it's very competent, but not anything I'll ever want to listen to again. 2 stars

I feel as if I were to enjoy this album too much, I would become the physical embodiment of what white trash truly is. But in all honesty, if you've heard 3 songs on this album, you've heard all 90+ minutes of it. I can't tell if they're being truly honest, or comically ironic, but this album is a strange wife-beater wearing, Natty Light-induced love letter to Lynyrd Skynyrd, George Wallace, and the state of Alabama.

I know the band by name only. Dark first song, wow, quite the story and what an intro to the album. Can't say I love his voice across the first few songs, rough with no warmth (think Lemmy Kilmister). It switches to a softer delivery later and I believe "72", which is textbook new country, is sung by someone else altogether. Regardless this album is overall boring, not groundbreaking, no real hooks to want you to revisit and relisten, it plods along like a late 90's album. "Zip City" was the only tune I'd give a second listen if I was required to. A poor man's Seven Mary Three is what comes to mind. C- in my book! Definitely not Top 1001 worthy.

Saw these guys in concert a few years ago opening for Tedeschi Trucks Band... they did nothing for me then. Vanilla southern rock. After listening to this album in full... still nothing. In no way does release deserve to be 90+ minutes long, it's incredibly same-y throughout. DBT essentially dedicated an entire release to outlining the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd. I understand that Skynyrd == southern rock, but my god, the idea of a band writing, recording, and releasing a double-side album about a wholly separate band (no matter the genre) feels kind of sad. Skip this and go re-listen to '(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)'

I appreciate what it's doing. But it's very long and the music isn't super interesting. There's moments I like, some I didn't. A Desmond

If I was in a bar a few beers deep I could enjoy this. But if you are going to do any album that so closely sticks to one genre, ie southern rock, you can't afford to do such a long album. It gets stale. 2*

somehow I feel fatter after listening to this album

This one just isn't for me, it seems rather redneck white trash in my opinion. I remember everybody talking about it when it came out. I didn't like it then either. At least I gave it a full run through today.

God I hate this album. 90 fucking minutes of a bunch of hicks singing about Alabama and Skynyrd. What the hell

Decent at times but they had no business making it this long

I’ve tried many times to get into this band cause they’re on a lot of lists but it’s just not my thing. It’s an interesting concept I guess, but a double album? I gave it more of a try this time than I have in the past but still.. not hitting me. 2 points for them committing to the concept though.

Ovo izgleda ko parodija. Edit: čak i zvuči phahahah Srsly gitara je u dost vremena super, ostalo je sam dosadno.

Tomorrow is Election Day in the US (I'm Belgian, so I'm just an observer). So this was a good way to 'dive' in the vibe. After listening to it, I can conclude that I rather watch the Biden-Trump debate from earlier this year for 24 hours straight than listening to this abomination. 0.4 (I can't give 0 stars, so it's a 1).

I just can't get behind music apologizing for George Wallace saying, "you just don't understand him"

If the chip on a white southern man’s shoulder could write and produce an album, it would be this one. Fans of Kid Rock will adore this.

Seeing this band name and album name was a big reason for me not reviewing any albums for a while... I have finally listened to it in it's 90 minute entirety and needless to say I am now mad about it haha! I have been trying to figure out and understand why this album got such great critical reception, no success there. I saw there's some apparently raw and honest commentary on politics and racism in Southern America which I was worried wouldn't be done elegantly given the year of release was 2001. It was not done with elegance. If it wasn't bad enough that this music is made up of two lines of cliché and ultimate cringe broken up by what felt like hours of endless shitty guitar noodling, and repeat, the length of this double disc "opera" adds salt into the festering open wound tbh. Maybe if you are from Alabama this music could really speak to something in you?? Maybe if you like this type of music this album would be amazing?? I do not understand. When the lyrics aren't insufferable cliché after cliché, they're self indulgent inconsequential nonsense bull shit. Ok rant over, so excited to post this review so I can get back to daily album reviews. This deserves zero points.

Hèhè, eindelijk eens een keer goede muziek! Je wilt deze lijst toch luisteren voor je eigen lol, maar het begon de laatste tijd op corvee te lijken met al die bagger. Gelukkig hebben we hier moddervette bluesrock uit het zuiden van de VS, een soort spirituele opvolger van Lynyrd Skynyrd. De thematiek maakte dat ik wel een aantal teksten even actief heb meegeluisterd (hoe fout zijn deze gasten, hebben ze een confederatievlag op het tuinpad wapperen?), maar zo te horen hebben ze het hart op de juiste plek en mogen we ongestoord en met een schoon geweten genieten van anderhalf uur lang zuidelijke rock. Ik hoor eigenlijk geen nootje verkeerd en om de balans met de lage cijfers van de laatste tijd weer een beetje recht te trekken volle punten voor deze gasten.

awesome rock cd!

Southern rock from Bama riffs that slap. Tom Petty vibes

Great album. Love a bit of blues rock and this is so well done. They’ve got something to say and I wasn’t offended by it either! Some brilliant guitar work. More please!

This might have been my most... unexpectedly awesome album thus far. This thing is phenomenal. Great tracks, all the way through. It tells a really good story, and the music is top notch. Really fun listen, and one I think I'll add to my regular listening rotation.

Something I would never have discovered on my own, but I am glad I did. And while it is lacking the musical interest of the musicals, rock operas and prog rock epics that I love, the storytelling brings something fresh to the classic southern rock aesthetic.

Cross the gothic edges of Nick Cave, mix in the storytelling of Bruce Springsteen and George Thoroughgood's southern humour and put it behind some chicken wire in a truck stop. It doesn't get much more "out there" or unexpected than this. I thought it was satire at first but it was too well produced to dismiss. I really got into this interesting damaged music. Intelligent, surprising and varied southern stories with some gothic touches and humour. Then some history.

Enjoyed this album. Wasn't a hard rocking album, but there was still an edge. There was definitely a strong Southern Rock vibe throughout, and that was refreshing.

If you are pressed for time, just listen to Disc 2. It shifts gears from "typically good" to "sublime".

Kick ass kick ass kick ass

What a gem! I guess this stuff didn't make it to my 14 year old ears and I am not certain I would have got it then... not sue I do now fully. I do know it's an abolute treat.

loved it

This had some bona fide tones and juice!

Best enjoyed as, well, a Southern Rock Opera. Loved it all.

Love these raw, heartfelt songs. Jason and company takes us on a crusade over the south. They taught us about history, traditions, love, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and alcohol for over 90 minutes. Great passionate voice and tasty guitar tone. I cannot ask for more in a rock and roll album.

Zalig album. Toffe sfeer

<3

Reminds me of college. This album is top 20 in the pantheon of left-country.

The mix is so murky, the outright theft of Lynyrd Skynyrd riffs is blatant. This just sounds so good. Days of Graduation made me laugh so much I had to pause the music and gather myself. There is darkness and humour. The correct name for this genre must be Southern Gothic. The Southern Thing sounds like Don Henley on guest vocals. I love the fact that we're getting history lessons. Good history, nuanced history. Then it finishes with the devastating Angels and Fuselages. Who would think that "Scared shitless" would be poetry. This is why I subscribed to this list, it's a totally unexpected piece of genius.

meh

Excellent. Remember their name from a poster at university, but never heard their music. An unexpected treat!

Love it catchy

pretty good album, though a bit lengthy. lynyrd skynyrd meets zz top by way of neil young. rockin’ good time from start to finish.

Another day and another more modern (comparatively) album. This is also the second day this week I have listened to a double album. I really like the Drive-By Truckers and I am not surprised this is the album that was chosen for this book. It is their opus. It is also not my favorite Drive-By Truckers album. I am not sure if this one is in my top 5 DBT albums, though this is their first actually really good album. I'm from the American South, so many of DBT's songs speak to me in some way but for some reason this one has not quite as much. I listen to the next three albums, Decoration Day, The Dirty South and A Blessing and a Curse more than I do this one. Perhaps it is the inclusion of Jason Isbell's writing that I enjoy most. I like my own personal version of Brighter Than Creation's Dark (cutting five songs) better than this one as well. Depending on my mood, I may even take their later political albums more than this one. Saying all that, this is a good album and it has a very clear vision of what is trying to be accomplished since it is a concept record. There is a high bar to reach with this band and their music, as much of it is very good. I would have put The Dirty South in this book over Southern Rock Opera and probably even put A Blessing and a Curse in over this one as well.

I really wasn’t expecting this to work, but I was pleasantly surprised! Even if you don’t much care for Lynyrd Skynyrd, this is a multilayered look at just what it means to be Southern—both the good and the bad.

Its far too long. But damn is it fun southern rock

I listen to a lot of Drive-By-Truckers, but typically the mid albums with Jason Isbell. So I admittedly, hadn't ever given this one a go. It's super ambitious and really well written. I love the concept nature of this record and the fact that its extremely self reflective about coming of age and the place where they grew up. Its definitely on the long side, and I think they could have shortened it a bit. But I love the outlaw country nature of the songwriting and carrying that tradition.

Good southern/country rock album, pretty long though

Not the biggest fan of double albums so made sure to listen to each side with a break in-between. Really good record, first time listening to this band, no bad songs on the record. Solid southern rock

So what did we learn from this? That Southerners work hard, drive hard, drink hard, and have complex feelings about racism and the views of southern America’s past. Oh, and a concept album about Lynyrd Skynyrd can actually produce more interesting results than one would think.

4/5. This almost felt like listening to a fantasy novel, a place of sin and debauchery with epic heroes who were lost long ago. Since then, we are waiting for our heroes to return to save us. It's specific enough to be generally relatable, similar to Bruce Springsteen. It's a tour through the south and although country music is not necessarily my thing, it's similar to listening to bigger epic albums from other countries in a different language. I may not be familiar with Spanish or French but if an album is enjoyable, it's enjoyable. It helps I understand this one because the lyrics are the highlight. It's not a perfect album for sure, some just okay country songs here and there but as an album all the way through, it is a good front to back. It's funny reading the reviews who can't listen to it because it's country and that's beneath you. Kind of proves what the album is talking about. Eh, c'est la vie. Best Song: The Southern Thing, Cassie's Brother, Angels And Fuselage

Problemet med de andre Drive-By Truckers plader jeg har hørt har altid været længden, men synes faktisk det giver mening her. For en gangs skyld er det lidt en del af charmen at det er for langt. Jeg kunne ikke lade være med at følge lidt med i plottet, hvilket er første gang jeg kan sige det om en "rock opera" på den her liste, og blev ret fanget af det. Synes også musikken var virkelig fed, sådan "subvervise-country-rock-men-alligevel-ikke" og spillet virkelig godt. Thumbs up, fik lyst til at høre Lynyrd Skynyrd men ironisk nok tror jeg at den her plade er meget mere mig end noget Lynyrd Skynyrd nogensinde udgav.

Surprisingly fun