Southern Rock Opera

Pretty much right up my street. It's a curious and rather long journey through a lot of subjects but all framed around Lynyrd Skynyrd, and that's fine by me. It's the sort of southern rock sound I could happily listen to all day long as background radio music but it doesn't really stick with me enough to be truly memorable. That said, Zip City, Let There Be Rock, Shut Up And Get On The Plane and Greenville to Baton Rouge are all excellent, but the last song really misses, it's got the potential to be a terrific closer but the vocals just don't do it, and it goes on too long. I think it's probably a high 3 rather than a 4 but there are songs I'll definitely add to my rotation.

Was ready to dismiss as southern fried rock but the storytelling and lyrics really are a cut above.

I didn't know what to expect having never heard of this band before. I was definitely not disappointed with this album.

Good album .

I know I'm supposed to love it, but... some great songs, some not that great. And too long. 3.5

The Three Great Alabama Icons is a fascinating listen - I really enjoyed it. The album is pretty long, but definitely good quality music. 3.5

I decided to listen to this while putting Christmas away. It was not actually a bad soundtrack for the activity. I was jamming to the southern rock. After getting almost everything put away, I figured it had been at least an hour, probably a bit more. So, I checked to see how close to the end of the album I was. When I looked, I was on Track 3. WHAT?!? Apparently I had been on shuffle. Not sure how many tracks I had heard. So, I tried again, this time in order, and found many of the tracks to be quite appealing and none of them to be repulsive. I do think it better to hear the album in track order, for sure!

Quite good 👍

Bardzo fajny rock. Podoba mi się. 4/5

Nyt oli yllättävä. Hurja määrä bängereitä ja cool ja orginelli meno ylipäätään. Inspiroivaa. Ehkä 2h on vaan pikkasen liikaa, eikä ihan kanna koko matkaa.

I fine album that uses the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd to tell the story of southern music and politics, and growing up listening to the music of the time. Given the subject matter it is probably DBT's 'rockiest' album, covering the spectrum of southern rock, hard rock and punk. slightly uneven so not an absolute classic but a fine album nonetheless

Some great, some average. A very bloated album that could have been thinned out.

Spicy

Expecting shallow rockabilly, but this is pretty good, kinda deep-south AC/DC. Did not outstay its welcome despite its length.

It's probably not what the band want to hear, but this was 'nice'. The music was good Southern Rock, and really pleasant to listen to for the whole 90 minutes. I gather that the lyrics are quite political, and intended to be thought provoking....but I just liked the music :)

This was an enjoyable romp into Southern fueled rock.

Some good fun listening to this, with surprising depth and history to the lyrics layered between good alt-country tunes. Will give their other albums a try!

This was a lot more enjoyable than I thought. A few great riffs throughout

Okay I was expecting to dislike this record but I actually loved it. The story-telling is incredible, and the instrumentals are top-tier.

Good

Favourite songs: Greenville to Baton Rouge, Shut Up and Get on the Plane, The Southern Thing, Women Without Whiskey, Plastic Flowers on the Highway, Road Cases, Let There Be Rock, Ronnie and Neil, Zip City, "Dead, Drunk and Naked", Guitar Man Upstairs, Life in the Factory, Angels and Fuselage Least favourite songs: Birmingham, Moved 4/5

A pretty cool album dealing with the tumultuous history of Lynyrd Skynyrd. A good story put to some good tunes. I particularly liked the moments of reflection on the rest of the world's impression and stereotyping of the south, an issue that is quite nuanced and I think paints a good picture well with its example of George Wallace, even though I personally find it a little misplaced. All in all, a good listen, pretty interesting, and a cool rock opera, as the title of the album advertises.

I’m not a huge fan of double albums and I still wasn’t a huge fan of it here but overall I liked the sound and vibe of this album. It felt similar to the black keys but with worse vocals and went on 45 minutes too long. I was also a lil drunk when I listened to it which may have biased me but the couple of songs I relistened to I still mostly enjoyed. It gets a very qualified 4.

I absolutely loved this. I didn’t think I would but then I just kept listening. Loved it.

I liked the music and style, singers had good voices, the album told an interesting story / established a good atmosphere. I do think 90 minutes was excessive.

It was long. But I finally got to dig in to this band and really enjoyed it. I want more. I also want to discover more about the concept. Redefining and defending southern culture while also sarcastically roasting it is a fine line that probably gets misinterpreted pretty regularly.

Drive-by Truckers fan, so yeah I really do like this album, it does get a little long and a bit repetitive on the narrative and the music. So it's not quite a 5 stars and I do like some of there other albums more but it's probably the right choice for this list.

There is one really good southern rock albums worth of songs here.

A good throw back to 70s southern rock. Enjoyable, but they sure do like talking about Lynyrd Skynyrd.

A throwback to 70s Southern Rock and done very well. There's a few tracks that I could do without, I find most double albums could use some editing, but overall I was pleasently surprised. This is not a band that I would've thought that I would like before giving them a chance. Surprises are good.

Raw, over-driven, and honest. A great effort by DBT to present their version of the south, with a great homage to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines. Something else.

This was actually very great. I never heard of them before but I like their mix of southern rock, punk and country.

first song had me amped as fuck, it sounded great and i was ready for something heavy another genrehopping album ZZZZZZzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzz it was pretty good all things considered. Days of Graduation was really good and Three Great Alabama Icons was really nice, it reminded me of H2O Gate Blues by Gil-Scott Heron that we listened to album #72

4.0

Well, I was all over the map on this one. Liked it, disliked it, loved it, was put off, couldn't always figure if I was on the side of the narrator or not. It's long, took me 4-5 listens to get through it, but at the end, I have to give a 4 with a caveat that it needs another listen to solidify whether that's right on or too low or too high. But it made me think, made me listen, made me wonder... I enjoyed the high-minded intelligent narrative, the spoken-word tunes stood out, and while some of the fraught vocal stylings sometimes approached grating on my nerves, there was an earnestness that always kept me connected and interested, even if it wasn't always exactly pleasant.

I approached this with trepidation. The band name sounded vaguely familiar but when I started the album, I quickly realized I was not familiar with them. I dismissed the first couple songs and wondered how I'd get through this double-album commitment. Then...Three Great Alabama Icons hit and I was enthralled. Wallace followed and I was fully on board. I spent the rest of the album by the river with my dog, which felt like a perfect place to spin this record. By the time I got to Let There Be Rock, I realized I had heard of this band, or at least this song, before. A lot of the songs and indeed the album would benefit from the kill-your-darlings approach but I'm happy to have listened to this and think I'll spin Great Alabama Icons again right now.

What could’ve been a absolute one-hour slog of a country album here is instead raised to a gripping sonic narrative thanks to some of the strongest lyricism I’ve encountered on the list yet. Though there’s a fair share of straight yokel tunes played for laughs, the dark heart at the album’s middle goes straight for some brutally honest evaluations of humanity through a Southern lens. I’m probably right in the target audience given my upbringing in the Bible Belt, but it was still refreshing to hear a genre that’s commonly associated with evangelism and exclusion warped back on itself for what honestly borders on spoken word slam poetry about problems which still plague American society today. Overlong? Maybe. On the nose? Definitely. But there’s a prescient sense of warning and prophecy wrapped up in this country album, and it’s an intoxicating mix I’ll venture no one else has come close to replicating since.

Not my usual but I must have been in the mood. The lyrics were cool and it had a nice feel to it. Will I listen again? Probably not on purpose, but I hope it finds me at random some time in the distant future when I've almost forgotten.

The modern world needs more guitar-driven rock like this. Cool narratives, beefy production and classic electric guitar, bass, drums 'n' balls arrangements.

Surprisingly thoughtful, with a good narrative throughline and fun tunes.

A bit long, but I am a sucker for a narrative record. And the songs are quality.

Keep my attention through the whole album but I never had the urge to hit the repeat button.

This one surprised me. I actually really liked it and will probably listen to more of them.

I enjoy a lot of the DBT discography and I have to say that this wouldn't be my top choice from them, it might be as low as maybe 6th or 7th? To be fair they do have a pretty big discography. This album comes right before Jason Isbell would join the band and put out 3 great records even Brighter Than Creation's Dark, made after Isbell left far outshines this. Seriously check out any of those records if you liked this album at all and are intrigued for more. This album has a cool concept, which is its biggest strength. There are good songs and a lot of really average ones. Listening to it in 1 sitting isn't fun. Best to do 1 half at a time. It's like a 3 or 3.5 for me but it's getting a 4 because the band has given me so much enjoyment over the years. I don't know if any of their other albums made this list, but its a shame if this made the list over far superior records by the band.

Very fun album! From what I (briefly) read about it and about Drive-By Truckers, it is a tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd, and a really good one at that. There are plenty of songs that could have been composed by Lynyrd, the atmosphere, crazy guitar solos and southern-style vocal is really well fitting into composition. Tracks like "Greenville to Baton Rouge" or "Birmingham" are quite on par with monumental songs like "Freebird" (well, maybe a little scaled down though). My only issue is that some of the slower song are getting too much into the country genre, completely losing the southern rock style, which made me really dislike the second part of first half of the album. But otherwise, it was really like a southern rock opera! Movie-like album, great work.

4 stars just for the first part: solid southern rock, heavy and with thought-through lyrics. The second part could be fun if you are a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan or enjoy general country themes.

Good southern rock, but long and unlikely to regularly listen end to end like The Wall or Fragile

Great music here, ambitious, grandiose, melodramatic. Much to query here - an obsession with Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Neil Young feud, the occasional refrain of ‘Yes but the north is just as racist’ and this peculiar revisionism of George Wallace (a poisonous, racist man who degraded political discourse in the US) - but does render an album to get your teeth into. If a little over long but nevertheless some quality south rock.

What's not to like about this southern rock opera? Maybe it's length. Great songs, great musicians and great lyrics.

Solid southern rock

Solid

*sobs in guitar noises*

Nice

Good solid rock and roll. It's long though.and they like lynars skynard it seems, which isn't a bad thing. Well worth a listen

Didn’t listen

I can really admire the talent that went into this this must have been a difficult album to make but it’s not really my style - 7/10

As someone who grew up in Alabama, I get real uncomfortable any time someone starts "singing songs about the southland." There are too many songs that glorify a past that should be vilified and a present that should be a source of shame. As such, I was really turned off by this album at first. Sure, the music was really good but all the songs seemed to glorify the south which is just... it's hard. About the time I heard the line, "the south will rise again," I wrote the whole thing off. But then I hit the track "Three Great Alabama Icons" - a spoken-word piece (which is usually a no-go for me) that laid out exactly my problems with what Patterson Hood calls "the duality of the southern thing." That's when I realized that Patterson and I share the same struggle as kids from Alabama. It's possible to love our place and our people and our culture and hate the history of hate that it carries with it. It's possible to love the south while recognizing and denouncing its racist past. It's possible... but it's incredibly uncomfortable. Do I think Patterson got it all right? No. He glorifies division, spends a lot of breath on his "rebel" identity, and points fingers at other places saying, "other folks are racists, too," which is a cop-out that I can't abide. But that's what it's like being from the south. Even when we agree on racism and that damn rebel flag, we struggle with understanding our modern, southern identity in the context of history. I think, as a culture, southerners have earned that struggle. We've earned the discomfort of trying to explain that southerners - all of us, regardless of our racial background - are a beautiful people with an ugly past. Anyway, is it a good album? Yeah, it really is. The sound is perfectly executed, the lyrics are (by-and-large) cleverly written and extremely effective at communicating their message. It's a solid piece of cultural commentary wrapped in some damn fine guitar licks.

I liked this ramshackle love story for skynnard a lot.

Raw and cool, like it!

Les des edants de lynurd ? De toute facon j’ai vraiment aime. Un bon rock tres sudistes pour un album demrock de 2001 ? 4

Love these guys. And a rock opera about the south... hell yeah!

Thought this ruled but went on a bit

Not sure why I never much listened to these guys before, living in or close to the South for much of my life. I kind of had a natural aversion to Southern rock (or just have heard enough of it in my life) and the red politics that are associated with it, so it's really cool to hear some that comes from a different perspective.

I think some reviewers here are missing the point on what Southern Rock Opera is all about. You should go back, listen to Randy Newman's Good Old Boys, and then come back to Southern Rock Opera. Just because a lyric states something (about the "South" rising again, for instance), that doesn't mean the line was delivered unironically, or from a perspective that the songwriter doesn't want you to critique. You'll appreciate this album more if you understand that. This is an amazing album. It's smart, lyrically and musically ambitious, and it rocks really hard. It's one of the best recordings of the past 25 years, and has really stood the test of time. Drive-By Truckers is the only band I can think of that ever really captured the musical vibe of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but it's even deeper than that. This is a fully fleshed out, beautifully crafted examination of what "the Southern thing" is, that sense of identity, ghosts and burdens of the past included. But they never hit you over the head with it. The message is nuanced, the tragedy of history framed through the smaller tragedy of what happened to Lynyrd Skynyrd. The storytelling is simple, but really impactful and frequently haunting. That final three song sequence of "Shut Up and Get on the Plane"/"Greenville to Baton Rouge"/"Angels and Fuselage" is ominous and heartbreaking. Fave Songs: Birmingham, Women Without Whiskey, 72 (This Highway's Mean), Zip City, Plastic Flowers on the Highway, Angels and Fuselage, The Southern Thing, Let There Be Rock

I'll have a double, please! It tells a story that I can understand. I suppose the other albums on this list also tell stories. But the vast majority of them don't do as much to keep you engaged and entertained as this album does.

so good!

Not sure what happened to my previous rating but I really enjoyed this just a little lomg

Country silver

Enjoyed this album mostly, it had a couple songs I really liked

Good, fun rock album

A country rock opera? I called bullshit on SF Sorrow influencing Pete Townshend's Tommy but am glad to let SF Sorrow take the credit for influencing this one. lol It's long so I only listened to it once and didn't have time to sort through the lyrics. There is a lot of good jamming and some good ole southern harmonies. Very guitar dominated rock but with messy long sleeve shirts rather than messy long hair.

Mellow

Looooved this! What a nice surprise. Not every song was great but the majority were really fun country/rock. Will listen again for sure.

Honestly, was very worried this was going to be a super conservative rock album, was pleasantly surprised.

Concept album for the agea

I was pleasantly surprised by this. I was a bit in and out of it, but the parts that punched through were really interesting. And kind of naive in an early 2000s kind of way? But the kind of heart in the right place, struggling with that Southern identity that I kind of identify with having grown up in the South. I will be listening to this again.

Sprawling, ambitious and yet I feel like the songwriting never tapers off. Essentially a meditation upon southern identity viewed through the lens of the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash - feels like the hardscrabble obverse to Randy Newman's more arch and mannered 'Good Ol' Boys'. 'Ronnie and Neil' is one of the best rock songs I've heard in a good while. There's another track that kicks off by talking about seeing Blue Oyster Cult on acid, aged 14 - excellent.

4.5 stars. Really great listen. Sums up classic southern rock in a really neat package without being corny or cliche.

What a pleasant surprise. This is a lot better than I expected and much better than Lynard Skynard deserve.

A love letter to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Southern living. It does them justice and 'three great alabama icons' is a classic.

i kind of hated the first track and thought it boded poorly for the album but,,, i actually ended up really liking it. the three great alabama icons / wallace package was DOPE

Great band.

Bangerzz

Äger rätt hårt!

I like southern rock a lot, but had never listened to DBT before and was pleasantly surprised. Only complaint is how long it was, so only able to give it one listen. 4

An absolutely mental concept double album interweaving the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd with that of a fictional band. The heavier rock numbers are great and when this album clicks its superb but with 90 minutes playing time there is a bit of excess baggage to sift through. Could they have achieved their goal on a single disk 50 to 60 minutes album? I think so and it would have turned this solid Southern rock epic into a classic. Regardless, this is a hugely ambitious undertaking for band and listener. I get that it won't be everyone's cup of tea. But I bloody loved it. Well most of it anyway. 4/5

Im gonna keep listening to this one

I'm a big fan of DBT - not many people come close to their lyrics and the stories they tell. But for me, this album (like most of their others) contains just a few too many mid-tempo chuggers that all go on for a couple of minutes too long.

Loved this double album now adding it to my album rotation . Great guitar, lyrics, Vibe. Took me awhile to get into it but 1/2 way through the first album i was hooked.

It's good-humored blend of southern rock, ranging from cow-punk to Southern boogie, from Tom Petty to the Rolling Stones, from "the Band" to Neil Young. (7/10) Favourite Track: Zip City

a generic rock album at first but as i listened it grew on me and the southern twang combined with the story told with the songs makes it different from the rest

Wow this is great! I will definitely listen to more of there work.

Tenen aquesta manera tan peculiar i personal d'enfocar el rock sureny barrejat amb el rock alternatiu que tots els seus discos són inconfundiblement seus, a més que es fa difícil no disfrutar-los. Com a falta, sempre sonen una mica lineals, sense grans tonades ni singles... però és que ells són així

Muy bueno, aunque no he podido encontrarlo entero. Rock.

Different but fine

I never considered these guys southern rock though they clearly play southern rock. Just, decades after the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Jason Isbell was in DBT for a few years but was not on this particular record Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley are the primary DBT guys. Patterson's father is David Hood who was the bass player in the famous Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section who played on countless albums recorded there in the 60s to the 80s. Also known as The Swampers. Here's a great playlist of songs the Swampers played on https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3fJ30XwyRO5kPAvvKzgkWT?si=0b1f4e56766a46cb

Terrific album. I had listened to this a little while living in Austin in the early 2000s, but I totally did not appreciate it at the time. The story of this album really captures the tension between the good parts of the South and all the bad. I love the storytelling and the connections to Skynyrd and Young. Will definitely put this and other Drive-By Truckers albums in my regular rotation.

Been meaning to listen to this band for a while. Been way into this kinda sound for a little bit now. I dig the concept of this record and how well they executed it

better than I thought, typical trappings of Lynrd Skynryd type of band, traces of George Thorogood.

A sprawling southern classic.

Does exactly what it says on the tin. Also offers up a glimpse to the duality of the Southern states of the US. BT: Ronnie and Neil, Guitar Man Upstairs, Women Without Whiskey

I’m not so sure about this one—but I’ll be generous cause it seems more enjoyable than I normally find this genre

Was big into these guys when this came out. prefer decoration day. but this one is good too.

Poderoso disco de rock sureño. Me apunto el grupo...

Wow, what an interesting project! I've heard the album these guys released in 2016, "What It Means" is such an incredible track, so I knew to expect some politics on here, and they delivered. The vocals at times hit me like a southern Mark Kozelek. I love the sometimes brazen, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, exploration of the southern psyche (including the racism), which is often emblematically personified by artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd. This album started so strong, with a handful of genuinely fantastic tracks in the first half. Were this a single album (rather than a double), it would get a 4.5 from me. But I can't deny that the second half didn't reach the same heights for me; very little stuck out on the back end aside from the closer. But still, this is incredibly ambitious and absolutely deserving of attention and a spot on this list. Favorite tracks: The Three Great Alabama Icons (wow), Dead Drunk and Naked, Days of Graduation, 72, Let There Be Rock, Angels and Fuselage. Album cover: Love this art style, and loved finding out that they maintained this on so many of their albums. I dig this one a lot. 4/5

Nice load of southern rock. Bit much a times

Aangename verrassing! Ruwe rock en zeer gevarieerd. Blijvertje!

Love this album, love DBTs.

maneiro southern

Like this. Was going to pass but thought i would give it a try and glad i did

Veryyyy southern rock. Dig the political vibes to this also.

This album surprised me. Very much an introspection into the stereotypes of the south and the " the duality of the southern thing." Thoughtful lyrics and some good jams too.

QUe ótima descoberta (pra mim). Rock excelente, bem tocado, músicas muito boas! A mescla de instrumentos country/folk compô muito bem o conjunto. Pra ouvir mais vezes

Bom album de country rock, jamais esperava uma opera contry rock!

Banda muito interessante e conceito do disco também. Referências a Lynyrd Skynyrd e Neil Young, referências claras. Vale ouvir os discos mais novos, pareceram muito bons

4/27 A country epic, at an hour and a half it drags on at some points, but it does draw a compelling narrative of life down south, growing up in the 70s and 80s, some history of the area and the groups that influenced them, all wrapped up in some hard, southern rock. Standout Tracks: Days Of Graduation, Birmingham, Three Alabama Icons, Moved, Let There Be Rock, Plastic Flowers On The Highway, Cassie's Brother, Shut Up And Get On The Plane, Angels And Fuselage

It is good, but too long. 3.5 stars

Not bad but VERY LONG

Best Song: Zip City I think the message for this album is Lynard Skynard. If you don't believe me, just give it a listen. Lynard Skynard is mentioned in each song a good 780,025 times. I don't mind Skynard but I surely will not write a 90 minute opus to, what to this band seems to be, the greatest southern rock band in their lives. I don't have quite the same hatred for this as some reviews I read but I will have to admit it is rather stock rock n' roll. I can see what it was included and I can even see why some people may really like it but for me, it started ok but is just too long to keep the momentum. If they had shaved 40 minutes, it would have gotten a 4 but they didn't so a 3/5 it is.

Not bad for a country rock opera.

Big fan of rock operas so had high hopes for this album. Southern rock just isnt my favourite, but it was thought provoking at parts and undeniably pretty groovy.

Decent concept album leaning all the way into southern rock. I enjoyed the musical references to Lynyrd Skynyrd; several songs either use LS riffs or start to reference those riffs before changing it up. Favorite track was probably Shut Up and Get On the Plane. Didn't care for the vocals and vocal mixing in a lot of the songs though.

this was something. there is a lot of good here but the length of the album and the dedication to the concept was a huge hindrance

3*

Long, très long, trop long mais.. c'est vraiment pas mal. Le thème ne me touche pas vraiment personnellement et doit être plus adapté à un ricain. Au delà du thème, la musicalité est sympa mais redondante de par ces 1h30. Le rock sudiste ne m'a jamais interessé plus que ça. Et je comprends pourquoi ici: bonne vibe mais pas beaucoup de variation / inventivité à mon goût. Ça reste un album agréable à écouter si on fait des pauses pendant l'écoute. Je me verrais bien écouter ça lors d'un roadtrip sur les longues routes américaines. Quelques très bon highlights mais le reste est oubliable. 1) Let There Be Rock 2) Plastic Flowers On The Highway 3) Angels and Fuselage

Putain de truck (petite vanne) d'américain

I enjoyed this enough while it was playing. The guitar work is pretty good and it rocks, although not much really stuck in the mind

solid - good songs but sound a bit the same

This is going to be an interesting listen... I will be evaluating this both as an album and as a representative of what the southern US is like(granted, I live in suburban Florida, so my knowledge of these places is probably limited). A lot of this album is very mediocre classic "Southern rock" that was well out of the musical mainstream by 2001. They are surprisingly good at evoking the classic sound of the style, but don't really do anything particularly interesting with it. The lyrics go for poetic and deep explorations of what it means to be a Southerner, but mostly fail at this and end up very superficial. For some reason, there's a spoken word song about Alabama's history and former racist governor. The singer sounds incredibly bro-country, oftentimes reminding me of the local bar bands of the northern Florida coasts. While this album is not bad by any means, it is incredibly derivative. I don't think it does enough to transcend the Southern stereotypes and sonic constraints of its chosen genre, leaving it to essentially be a rock revival act that's not better than the originals. This is the #16 ranked album of the 17 2001 albums on the list. Other 2001 albums rated by me: Is This It(1/17)-4 Gorillaz(3/17)-3 Vespertine(8/17)-4 Gold(15/17)-1 Bright Flight(17/17)-3

I was really anticipating hating this, but was better than expected. A love letter to the South and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Crunchy guitar tones, strong hints of Sweet Home Alabama, with notes of Jack Daniels. Could do a bingo game with the southern references. Okay guitar riffs and solos, but no standout ones, but with some noticeably bad ones too. I lost count of the Lynyrd Skynyrd references - it's not just the lyrics, it's the overall sound. The album itself is not a rock opera in the way you might expect. It's vaguely a concept album, but not too on the nose, like Pink Floyd might do. Just a few monologues, and lyrics describing the duality of southern culture, with a focus on a love for southern rock. This duality which is discussed throughout the album can be simplified to this:- southern hospitality vs "The South Will Rise Again" racism. The exploration of racism might be a bit woke for some modern audiences, but for everyone else its quite interesting to learn about segregationists like Wallace and what it was like to grow up in such a divisive time. That said it mostly focuses on the more nuanced facets, and rock history, of a culture which is to often demonised for it's dark past. Enjoyable, but 2 CDs worth of it was a bit much. but if that's your jam then this is 4/5, but for everyone else 3/5 at best.

isso é um lynyrd skynyrd pra jovens dos anos 90 que queriam uma guitarra um pouco mais distorcida né no geral eu achei mei ruim, mas plastic flowers on the highway e cassie's brother me pegaram pra caralho

3.5

This was interesting at moments

"Southern Rock Opera" is a hit-and-miss album with a few gems. The best one being "Dead, Drunk and Naked". There are some great guitar solos on "Southern Rock Opera", especially on "Plastic Flowers on the Highway". As for the bad songs, they're simply forgettable. I'm not keen on any of the singers' voices; their lyricism makes them a bit more bearable. 3 stars for "Southern Rock Opera".

3 de 5 Aclamado por su ambiciosa narrativa y sonido crudo de triple guitarra, es un disco doble fundamental del rock sureño. Utilizando la historia de Lynyrd Skynyrd y una banda ficticia, explora la dualidad del Sur de EE. UU. para examinar temas profundos como la política racial, la clase social, el orgullo y la vergüenza de la identidad sureña, reflejando una intensa y brillante reflexión sobre lo que significa el rock de estadios de los años 70. A destacar: Track 2 - Ronnie And Neil Track 3 - 72 (This Highway's Mean Track 4 - Dead, Drunk And Naked Track 5 - Guitar Man Upstairs Track 7 - The Southern Thing Track 8 - The Three Great Alabama Icons Track 10 - Zip City Track 1 - Let There Be Rock Track 6 - Life In The Factory

Esta divertido por momentos. Creo que es tan largo que por momentos se siente monótono. Un poco me aburrió tanta refe a lynird skynyrd en lo personal pero entiendo que no soy de alabama asi que bueno. No queda guardado pero me alegra haberlo escuchado

This was a lot better than I'd expected, especially considering the 93 minute runtime. I especially enjoyed some of the historical monologues that really added some depth to the album. It's still not my style, but I enjoyed it which surprised me. Favourites: 72 (This Highways Mean) Three Great Alabama Icons Angels and Fuselage

Some really good songs hidden away but I could do without an ode to Bear Bryant and George Wallace

While southern rock is not a go-to, this was an enjoyable listen with interesting talking bridge sections

Cool concept. Raw, energetic country tunes. Too long.

310526 22:05 3

I was already familiar with this band and some of this album. I listened to some of it, but I'm not a huge fan.

Standard fayre. Listenable southern rock boogie.

Before listening, I had assumed Drive-By Truckers were an older 1970s Southern rock band, but I could hear a strong garage-rock revival and 2000s alternative rock influence, especially in the guitar work. The riffs on Birmingham and Plastic Flowers on the Highway were my favorites. At the same time, the album felt far too long overall. It often felt like “this is kind of cool” stretched on for too long without enough focus.

they keep talking about Lynyrd Skynyrd which is pretty annoying. A few decent rock songs on here though

I liked this album. So sue me

This is a tough one. Some solid southern rock but what’s up with the obsession with Ronnie Van zant and Neil young? Every lyric seemed to be talking about Alabama or a town in Alabama or some other band, or going to a concert of another band…or lynyrd skynyrd. I’ve heard of these guys but I’m not too familiar. I expect they have a modest but very loyal following. For me, don’t think we needed 2 discs, 20 songs and 90 minutes. 2.75

Did I google to confirm these guys aren't racist? Yes. Is the album way too long? Yes. Should they CHILL OUT with all the southern references. Yes. But despite all that, I found myself enjoying much of this album. Cut it down by half and I may be rounding up. 3.25/5

Light 3

The cowboys got their hands on an electric guitar

Better than I thought it’d be. Some really charming moments.

I like these guys, but this really was an entire od to the south, which myself I do not know what he's talking about

strangely enjoyable. but i'm not really a fan

Nice

It sounds like something a bunch of dudes I know from high school would make (complimentary), in an alternate universe where we're all from the south. But it's sooooo long!!! Coulda been a 4-star contender, but I must deem you a 3.

Didnt give it the most thorough listen. Liked some didnt like other. Very long

I was not expecting so much of this album to be about segregationist presidential candidate and Alabama Governor-for-life George Wallace specifically. It’s probably a better album than I’m giving it credit for with its intense reckoning with southern atrocities but this kind of alt country music has just never been my thing

This did not have to be two disks. The music itself is not bad, but it’s an overly long bloated album. Pros: this would make a good drinking game. Take a sip anytime they say Lynard Skynard or Alabama.

if it wasn't about semi-recent events with a little talking storytelling put in, probably woulda been a 2, but its a 3 for me

Grew on me as it went on. But it really did go on.

I originally thought I would like this more than I did, and kinda came around in the end (okay partially related to their politics). It's a rock opera, but besides two songs (the one leading into Wallace and then Wallace) I didn't really know if they were related. Wikipedia didn't have a summary! Glad I heard them though.

nice enough

Way too long. Too many monologues and spoken word over the top. I get the premise but it was a slog for me. Giving it neutral because unique.

Not too bad, however the album is very long.

This had several cool songs, but what is it w/ this Lynyrd Skynyrd fixation? lol In any case, it was fun, but way too long.

Neat album. Took me a while to get through but week's been pretty busy. Missed the next two albums lol. Definitely Southern and definitely rock, and the storytelling elements were nice too like in Three Great Alabama Icons and the first song. Dead, Drunk And Naked has to be my favorite, and the guitar part in Greenville to Baton Rouge was nice too. 6.6/10

Almost Skynyrd.

Hey, this album. I have it in the list of long albums that I intend to assemble pre-written reviews for. It's an hour thirty, apparently. Joy. I'm pretty sure I've seen this album cover before as well, though I didn't know it came from the 2000s. I'd initially corrected my prediction to be an indie rock album with a prominent bluegrass/Americana influence based on the artwork, though the feature-length runtime throws my prediction off even further. I'm not entirely sure what to expect. I'll settle for my initial prediction of bluegrass indie rock anyways. Here goes. Alt-country, Southern rock. I could be getting ahead of myself, but I think I was more or less on the money with my prediction. However, in all fairness the genre was in the album name. While this kind of music isn't exactly in my rotation, I can always get down to some good alt-country - particularly the stuff from around the time this album released. The main singer has a nice voice. Normally I'd drag this chainsmoker, raspy intonation, though he adds a good level of attitude and grit which is befitting of the music and is aided further by the competent songwriting. The instrumentals are my kind of alt-country with their heavy, atmospheric, bluesy sound, though I must admit that they're a bit of a one-trick pony. By the time I was reaching the end of this album I'd heard all that it had to offer about half an hour prior, with the album flat out recycling melodies and vocal hooks at points. Being stretched thin to the point of rehashing material does beckon the question as to why this album is as long as it is, though the stretches I didn't care for were ultimately tolerable. Overall, this was a solid, if belaboured listen. Book time. Tells a story about the rise and fall of rock star as filtered through Lynyrd Skynyrd references and variety of subject matters, apparently. "...championed by some as the best American rock record of 2001." CD 1 of this album is centered around dreams of becoming a rock star, and CD 2 is centered around the reality it entails, culminating in the death of the album's protagonist in a plane crash. Lost Highway signed the band just to put out a reissue of this album in 2002, but they were promptly dropped when it once again failed to land with audiences. Tragic. "...a masterpiece that stands tall next to anything in the Southern rock oeuvre-including that of Lynyrd Skynyrd." Wikipedia says this album was crowdfunded by fans, friends and family of the band. The album was also very well-received by critics, but that's about it. Yeah, I'm favourable to this pick. It isn't prominent or influential, but I enjoyed it and the general sound fits with where a lot of indie music was at during the time. Hopefully I'll come to appreciate it more if I ever get around to giving this album a second listen, though for the time being I'm content with just liking it. I cosign this inclusion.

The album is filled with Southern-rock musical tropes and reveals the state of the genre in 2001. "Three Great Alabama Icons", "Mood", and "Shut Up And Get On The Plane" are great tracks.

3/5 hella long in a bad way

5/10

Мені сподобалось звучання, проте це було довго і трохи нудно. Можливо просто я була не надто в настрої

I have a lot of respect for this band and the journey behind making this record, but I find it a little bit confusing that Southern Rock Opera is considered better than the 4 albums that followed it. The songwriting here is quite raw and the concept never pops for me the way the stories and characters of later albums do. It was truly refreshing in 2001 to hear a band as versed in southern rock vernacular to address and pick apart Alabama’s troubled legacy, and it was stunning to hear a band that previously had been, arguably, a ‘joke’ band get serious and anthropological. But other than that, I think of this record more as the starting gun for the massive legacy of DBT, and not its pinnacle.

Enjoyable guitar-work and it rocks, but long and scattered, hard to digest it all.

3.5 This was pretty fun

A bit long

The Hamilton of the south. Much like the south, it has its moments, but mostly leaves me wanting more.

If you’re in the mood for redneck country music, this is a pretty good album. Not as good as Lynyrd Skynyrd for sure.

I'd probably give it a 4 if it was a lot shorter.

Huge respect for the ambition, especially after reading how they funded it. 90 minutes on the deep south was a bit much for me to take in one listen, but I wouldn’t rule out going back and giving this another whirl at some point. 3 stars feels harsh, 4 stars feels high

I can understand its inclusion on the list while listening to it, but it doesn't necessarily do that much for me. I imagine not being American doesn't help.

Long Road Album

It seems like they're trying real hard. And it's not bad per se. I think some of it's even smart. It sounds pretty generic tho. There's probably sthg more that I'd get if I gave it some more spins. It's not interesting enough to want more spins tho. Three stars

I don't think this needed to be a double album, midway through the second album MY voice started to hurt. I learned a lot about the history of Southern Rock as well as the state of Alabama, so I guess I'm smarter than I was before I listened. It was fine, nothing too special.... I don't know, I'm tired

This was country rock but the rock side of things was a lot better than usual, I did unexpectedly enjoy a good chunk of this. Particularly liked the spoken singing style one which I was shocked wasn't the last track of the album, instead it was just halfway through side one. It wasn't good enough for a double album mind and while there weren't many songs that were too country z there were a good few that were just a bit bland. Loads better than expected, overall okay.

They're clearly obsessed with Lynyrd Skynyrd ! The last song slaps tho

I was having a hard time with this one, but it redeemed itself a little bit as it went on. Some songs rock, others have annoying talking or vocals that just don't gel with me. Is it too long? Yes, but I try not to let that color my reviews with my kneejerk reaction. Kelly Hogan's vocals were a welcome respite on Cassie's Brother

Can’t say the reviews have got me particularly excited and 90 minutes is quite the commitment. Let’s see… “Hey AI, can you give me a country rock album from the Deep South, think bottles of bud, trucks and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Grade 1 instrument level. Thanks” Also, SIX years in the making?!? Kinda cute that it’s split into two acts for each CD. I guess it does what it’s meant to do, genre wise, but the end product just falls so short for me. I usually give 3.5 to things that don’t land for me but are done well for their genre. I don’t think this even meets the latter. 3* and being generous.

Not really sure about this one. It just did nothing for me either way. It was so background and dull, and I wanted to like it. But I also didn't dislike it. I dunno, might need another few plays through, but it's so long that I can't be arsed with it.

There ain't much to country living Sweat, piss, jizz and blood

Wide-ranging and powerful country.

Fun listen, but countrys meh

It’s been a few weeks since I listened to this. I’m not a candidate for southern rock in general but I enjoyed this more contemporary band’s thoughtful and lyrical take, with just great band chemistry. I do look askance at the over abundance of lyrics trying to explain away Lynyrd Skynyrd and the South’s bad reputation in general. Still, the storytelling and music are strong. High 3

Southern Rock/Alt Country. Theres a lot of Steve Earle influence in here. Some tracks denote an interesting view in what it means to be southern and grapple with the history of racism and the association of southerners as racist. Notable tracks include Ronnie and Neil, 72, Dead Drunk and Naked, Zip City, Let There Be Rock, Women Without Whiskey, Plastic Flowers on the Highway, Life in the Factory, Angels and Fuselage.

Kind of exactly as expected. Very southern rock.

This was a pretty good album, I wasn't like totally blown away by it but it was good

Da ist genau das drin was draufsteht. Southern Rock. Ok, aber nicht stilprägend oder herausragend.

Its good, like fine good. Not like anything to write home about. Quite tropy at times, but also very heartfelt and honest too. I love the instrumentations, enjoy thematic concepts, appreciate the story telling, and hate the vocals. This early oughts southern rock revival comes through as a little daft and uninspiring. But, it is in fact a sober look back on being raised in the south in the 1970s. Looked good in pictures but boy was it problematic. Also this was a bit ambitious, a double album. I land somewhere between 2 and 3 stars on this. But I gotta round up or down, and I'm rounding down.

An interesting concept that musically falls short of its ambitions. I enjoy several moments on this album, particularly the moments of throat-shredding vocals and the monologue about George Wallace meeting Satan (himself a Southerner) in Hell, but I prefer the Truckers' tighter releases to this sprawling opera.

This was fine and few catchy tunes, but nothing great.

Interesting concept and some nuanced tongue in cheek lyrics. Liked the parts about Wallace - the Devil having a Wallace sticker on the back of his Cadillac got a chuckle. Just too long and too country for me. "I get 10 miles to the gallon. I ain't got no good intentions."

Nothing wrong with it musically...just too much southern rock at one time.

pretty good, very long

Reminded me of Queen someone

This is an interesting one. First redneck album on the list, but with apparently massive scope. Southern history, culture and traditions rolled into one double LP package. Despite all of that, this is quite boring and repetitive music, probably 2, 3 if I'm feeling generous. Rated 2.5 on RYM.

Zone out a fair bit. Too long for what it's worth. Good to listen to it once and peek into the southern culture but that's it. Three great Alabama icons was the most interesting one.

It was ok, I enjoyed some of it, but I did get bored by the end.

I liked this album. I just think it could have been half an hour shorter. Did we really need three songs in a row about George Wallace? Feels like they could have got the point across in one. The style is entertaining and fits within that 70’s southern rock theme. Favorite songs were Ronnie And Neil, Zip City, Let There Be Rock, and Plastic Flowers On The Highway.

Labeled well.

Gritty and rough, this is music that would definitely be pouring out of a yellow 1977 Firebird or a lifted mud-covered ford truck with a gun rack and a set of plastic truck nuts below bumper stickers faded past legibility.

Rootin', rootin', rock and/or roll. There's probably some guy named Skeeter in the band.

It's alright, but just because I really like rock. If one doesn't, then this album feels like it has nothing distinct to remember it by. For me, it's a default 3 just because I already enjoy the genre.

A few guys are making a rock opera about Lynyrd Skynyrd—that sounds like something between cool and kitschy... And that's exactly how it is; the album holds no surprises. How you rate the result depends heavily on your taste: if you like Southern blues rock, you'll enjoy Drive By Truckers, because they're a really tight band with a distinctive singer. If you're not into blues rock/alternative country, "Southern Rock Opera" will be a waste of your time. I like the blues rock sound but I'll only go with 3/5 for the total lack of originality.

Not as good as Newtopia Rising but decent enough background rock

Serviceable

Honestly not very good, or memorable singer(s) - its kind of like a really good local band who loves southern rock, and puts all of their heart and energy into making a statement. I admire the ambition, they stated with a vision (apparently even before they were officially a band), and recorded other albums prior to finally completing this one. But jesus christ is it long. At a certain point it becomes an exercise in how many variations of the same chords you can write. Like they wrote a song, then decided to rewrite with different lyrics and a slightly different vocal, but kept both on the record. I just wasn’t blown away by it, there are some compelling moments buried in the 96 minute run time. I can respect the ambition and sure, I guess I’m glad I gave it a spin before I die.

A sort of country rock that I have never heard before. It's good and the lyrics are really good too. The music is honestly about what you would expect but the lyrics put them over the top for me, it's good stuff and I'm sure I will listen to it again.

i liked it, and it's bluesy rock roots, but just too long. i think if they pared down the tracks, it would have been a killer album. sounded like the lead singer smoked twenty packs before the recording session.

Enjoyed listening to new (for me) (non 70s) Southern Rock. Liked the Geo Wallace song. Some of it sounded like early stones

Never heard of this group before. Pretty decent album.

Not keen on Country music but I enjoyed this. Defo has elements of rock and some good guitaring.

Ye ha Rednecks rock

I don't know if I can listen to this whole thing. I'll give it 3 stars.

Alright. A bit too long for my taste but liked the vocals and the story

Fun but kinda boring after a few songs.

I’m not sure what to think of this one. It seemed to shift between a parody of southern rock and southerners in general to a homage of Skynrd, to the point I didn’t know whether to laugh or take it seriously. Musically, there were some decent tracks, but the best way I can sum it up is that I’m glad I listened to it, but have no desire to listen to it again.

Good enough to listen to twice.

3.5 I wasn’t excited to listen to a 90 minute double album by Drive-By Truckers that’s for sure, but ultimately, I enjoyed this. Now don’t get me wrong, it is seriously a 90 minute concept album about Lynyrd Skynyrd - like, every song is about them in some way - but I was surprised at the variety and musicianship. It’s one of those albums where I’m not sure I’m going to listen to it again, and, as a double album it still has a lot of the problems those usually do, but I enjoyed listening to it and see what they’re going for.

6/10

Thoroughly enjoyable, not sure if they were being satirical or serious but it has an interesting theatrical concept. Great guitars too

Kinda nice

Standouts Ronnie and Neil Cassie's Brother Shut Up and Get on the Plane

Yeah I surprisingly really enjoyed Drive-By Truckers, I hope we get more of them on the list because they definitely have a 4 in them, going high 3 for this one as it is a little long and doesn’t all land with me It’s not my genre but they have real mastery over it. I like the characters, I like the guitar playing, and I think they’ve done something pretty solid conceptually here too. High 3.

56/1089 2.4889* Definitely not my kind of music. Southern Rock is a genre unto itself and this album follows the script precisely. I could see some of these tunes being included in the movie Roadhouse (or similar) during the lead up to fight scene or during a fight scene itself. Could also be heard while the protagonist overlooks "his" bar and grins, knowing that peace is kept and the customers are safe and happy. I enjoyed a few songs and listened to the album twice so it grew on me a bit. Still, not something I'd go back to but something I would recommend to someone who is onto country and/or western. Hits...dead, drink and naked, let there be rock

Rock ballads, but too country. 3/5

Wow, super weird! Definitely not what I would expect from a band in this genre. I wouldn't say that I loved it, but I have big respect for its uniqueness.

Having two discs is crazy!

This album is really good. Better than Skynyrd. The length is really what's keeping me from giving it 4 stars. I had a moment of "why is this even on the list," but it is a very very good example of modern southern rock. Not my favorite genre, but there are certainly things to appreciate.

Although not a great album, some of the music wasn’t too bad

This Southern Rock Opera album has such an interesting concept, but I fear Drive-By Truckers were too ambitious with their too long double album. The two sides of the album are disjointed, even though they tried to connect them. The album title is accurate, at the very least. And I enjoyed both concepts (contradictory Southern culture and mentality, and Lynyrd Skynyrd's story) enough. This album's genre is southern rock, in the vein of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but not as swampy so it sounds only inspired instead of a carbon copy. The choice to use spoken word to be understandable in "The Three Great Alabama Icons" was smart, and its execution forced the song's meaning upon the listener. The lyrics were funny (the "Free Bird" joke in the first track) or biting ("To the fucking rich man all poor people look the same" from "The Southern Thing"), but were rather plain without any nuance. "Dead, Drunk and Naked" (and the meaning behind it) amused me, but there was a point that Patterson Hood's vocals broke and it was cringe. The second half of the album serves as a nice memory to Lynyrd Skynyrd, and also to deceased bandmate Chris Quillen in "Plastic Flowers on the Highway." Drive-By Truckers created a concept album with significance and purpose. I think the album would have been stronger as two separate albums, or at least with sticking in one direction. The first half was stronger when the Drive-By Truckers had more to say. Still, Southern Rock Opera was catchy and I'll enjoy any album that denounces racism. 3.5

um sure!

This is an overlong ode to Lynyrd Skynyrd. I'm not sure why its on this list. While it has some decent tracks and a fair amount of diversity, it seems to all be made in the vein of 70s and 80s southern rock and country. What makes this unique?

This album seems a like cool unique idea, I love the album cover which helps set the mood; gives off great vibes. The lyrics seem quite thought-out. I'm not sure how much sarcasm is supposed to be on here, it seems at times it's mocking southern culture whilst other times it seems to be supportive of being from a southern background. Maybe it just hates the bad of the south, and wants only good whilst acknowledging some bad things definitely have happened. I saw it was 90 minutes long, It feel quicker than that - Act I at least - it did start to drag during Act II, especially the second half. Highlight Song/s: "72 (This Highway's Mean)", "Guitar Man Upstairs", "Three Great Alabama Icons" and "Life in the Factory"

I liked this more than I thought I would, but not all the (multiple) vocalists were equally to my taste, and it went on far too long; distilled down to a single 45-minute album, this might have got a four.

Definitely a band I respect. I think as I grow older and wiser, I find this kind of music hits harder. It could be the old man drawls. The americana of it. Just also the fact that these guys really do feel like a working band. As a full album, it can blur between just fine and then some actual rockers but I've enjoyed so many random singles over the years from these guys that this is pretty solid.

Cool, rockier than I expected

I liked it! True rock and roll and i love their accent. Its so funny :)

As stated in the title it is southern rock, heavy on the country aspect with some rock-a-billy sprinkled in. There are some really good songs and some, spoken word numbers, that I just couldn't get into. I thought the second album really picked up and maintained its momentum. As a whole it feels bloated, remove about half the songs and this would have been a killer album.

an interesting POV from a southerner. especially about Wallace. never really considered the later chunk of his live regretting and redeeming himself for his earlier more public claim to fame. 2/5

Surprisingly quite decent imo. Had some actually catchy riffs and really fun songs. Drags a bit, obviously. Not exactly something for me, but I can respect it. 3.5

I can see why people hate this. I think it’s very ok, but it is overlong. Wouldn’t put this one back on.

There's something about Drive-By Truckers that has the foundations of a great band, but lacks that certain something to be a memorable Alt-Country group. Vocals aren't especially memorable, and there's no great break-out guitar solos and thrashing over the course of 2 disks. The writing is great here though -- showcasing some gifted storytelling. I dunno...I didn't hate it, but I'll probably never come back to this.

Good but not great, A few good tunes

Listened Before? N Man, this thing started out so strong! The entirety of Disc 1 was really getting me. I like the mixture of humor, history, and country-rock. That being said.... this is WAY too long (as many others have said). Disc 2 should have been a different album, or never released. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Ronnie And Neil

Southern Rock / Alternative Country concept album about growing up in the Southern United States. Obvious comparison is with the band's heroes Lynyrd Skynyrd, but they're not as good.

Good old southern rock.

I liked it but way too long

I thought this was going to be walrus shit. It was not. It was levels above walrus shit and listenable. His voice isn't great tho.

6/10 - honestly not bad, my 23m ill son feel asleep to this happily so gets a small bump

This took a little getting used to but I kinda dug it. An interesting story ran through the album

Going with a 3 here. I like the music, but do we need a 90 minutes about Lynyrd Skynyrd and the politics of the south in the 70's?

love the guitar tone. too long for a genre that i admittedly dislike.

It's not awful, but it's not great. Found it listenable, but forgettable.

Not my thing but I can tell it’s really well done

This album is not bad at all... nor good at all. It's (just) nice. I'm not going to lie, I liked it, but not at the extent to love it. I've enjoyed some songs, other felt really insipid and forced. This album has fun music on it sometimes but it also tries to be deep in some sense I don't understand. Some songs are so long and uninteresting that I wonder why it has to be a double disc album if they could have chosen some nice tracks and make something more interesting. But, instead, the album is so long that, at some point, you've listened to all it has to offer (and there are still another ten songs more that don't add nothing new).

I love Drive-by Truckers so it was nice to see them crop up here. Wrong album though! This was the record that got them some attention, the concept double album that gave the critics lots to write about, but I’ve never really clicked with it. It’s lumpy southern rock by a great band one album away from really hitting their stride with Decoration Day, followed by The Dirty South - both records towering head and shoulders above this one. There’s still a lot to love here but there’s too much of it and the quality is inconsistent. A great band though, and some of the best live shows I’ve ever seen.

Quite fun blues but not something I’d listen to again

6.5/10

3.5

alabama

This was a weird one

Honestly, I know this is an important alt-country album, but I really found it kinda mid… 2.5, rounded up

Encore du rock qui s'écoute bien mais sans surprise. J'adore la pochette par contre !

Out of all of the days to get this album, this was probably the best day. I was actually in the American South (from Australia) on a day trip. So this album definitely was made for the environment that I was in. His love and appreciation for Neil Young and especially Lynyrd Skynyrd that were how old is the only thing that made sense in Alabama. That George Wallace guy can totally get screwed and headed to hell. For the actual album it was nothing particularly special but certainly southern influenced. Lynyrd Skynyrd.

I like this band, and it was interesting to hear their way earlier stuff. That didn't make it a great album, but I did learn a little bit about the south.

Interesting mix of alternative and country, but way to obsessed with Lynyrd Skynyrd

While listening to this I felt like I should be fixing machinery or building something out of wood.

Too few great moments, but when it was good it was good

Holy cow this is a long album for what it is. I was happy to hear some country music in the mix because the last many albums have been either rock or jazz and I was ready for some variety. I can't tell how satirical this album is supposed to be, but a rock opera about Lynyrd Skynyrd can't be fully serious. This is actually quite an enjoyable album overall. I like the grungy take on country. This reminded me of Neil Young and of some other Canadian rock/country bands that I like. The wide variety of subject matter really seems to encapsulate the culture and politics in the southern US in a fairly nuanced way (I assume, as I've never been there and don't know too much about it). Listening through the entire album was a bit of a slog and it definitely felt repetitive and slightly boring at times, but there were also great musical moments throughout. I'm not sure I would listen again, but this was really something! 7.5/10

Southern Rock Opera was quite the journey. I was expecting to not care for it personally. But it grew on me as it continued to play through. The Drive-By Truckers did a great job of creating a rock opera with story telling that took you along for a ride.

This was a very weird album. Some of the songs I liked and some I really didn't. The instrumentation was often good. But the signing was often really weird and off

I liked some of the songs, too long over all I think. Gave me the vibe of seeing a country rock band at a local festival in a good way. DIY Country rock vibes, was digging the vibe at times, other times I wished they leaned more into the twanggggg. The more country sounding segments I appreciated more than the standard rock sound, which sounded extremely standard. I actually really liked the album art for this, loved the style, simplicity and appreciated the human touch it had. 7/10 if I was driving along the highway, 6.5/10 in the right mood. 6/10 on a regular day...

Weird inclusion, weird subject matter, even more weirdly I kinda liked it! But this really is an extraordinarily arbitrary list, 70% of it anyway.

okay then. Here's a guy from the south talking about the south and singing songs about the songs from the south. It's very southernly south.

This was cool

I enjoyed this. Kind of long, but moved at a good pace. 3.5/5

Interesting. But not two disk, 90 minute interesting

Some decent songs, but the album is too long and contains too much defensiveness of veneration of the confederacy in the Southern USA to be enjoyable. 1hr 30 to say “I’m not racist, but I like Lynyrd Skynyrd”

I liked some of it, but also it was so long to get through that I didn't listen to it in one sitting. Which kind of defeats the point of an album.

I like this because there are 4 guitar players and a drummer like all southern rock ought to have.

Jeez, the intro got graphic. And Three Great Alabama Icons got real political. I don't know, I'll say a 3/5, I'm not exactly sure I enjoyed this.

It has that southern rock sound, like CCR, and the singer even has that kind of growly voice. But none of the songs are as catchy. The song "Three Great Alabama Icons" sparked some interesting discussion in our signal chat. It indicates that George Wallace was at times relatively liberal (for his place and time) and perhaps he was more ambitious than racist, though it doesn't excuse everything he did.

I appreciate that they are trying to present a version of poor, white Southerns that manage to be proud of their region, while also not turning a blind eye to its history a racism and other problematic aspects of its history; but the album is overlong to the point of repetition and I feel like I'm maybe just not the target audience.

2,6 - Die erste Hälfte läuft so durch, die zweite hat dann sogar ein paar Highlights. Insgesamt ein gut hörbares Durchschnittsalbum. Highlights: Let There Be Rock, Women Without Whiskey

3.5 stars. Long ballad-filled album that lives up to it's name. Can tell at times that they were low-budget, self-produced but it's still a pretty good listen. Filled with stories about the South, both semi-autobiographical and highlighting important figures in it's history including a lot of Lynyrd Skynyrd. "Birmingham" sounds a bit musically like bottom shelf Tom Petty. Nice simple bassline "Women Without Whiskey". Favorite is fast-paced "Guitar Man Upstairs".

pleasant album, not into the story though, but good old Southern Rock is always welcome. Now, is this one of the best albums of all time? not sure. Is this the best Southern Rock album? Not sure. There you go; have a listen, enjoy a 3 star album.

This album delivers exactly what its title promises. Not spectacular, but not bad at all either. I listened to it during a road trip, which made it a good fit. 3 stars.

Ok ish, not their best in my opinion

I think I see the vision, but I don't really love it

Y'know ... the funny thing is that, at one point in time, I was looking forward to this album. Yeah, this is one I've known about for a while, actually. I can't remember exactly where or when I first heard about it, but ... I'unno. A rock opera in two acts about Lynyrd Skynyrd, culminating in the plane crash that nearly ended the band? A **Southern** rock opera, at that? Despite the fact that the whole package is 93 minutes, it doesn't sound too bad at all. And I'm quite the sucker for rock operas; I loved 'The Wall' and 'Tommy' and 'Joe's Garage' ... all of those albums How could I go wrong with this? Of course, I didn't get to find out back then (whenever it was). 'Southern Rock Opera' ended up being another one of those albums I'd randomly stumble across, read about, think would be cool, and then just never got around to listening to. It's not an unusual story for me; this must be one of hundreds of examples. But what makes this one in particular a strange case is, well ... most times, when I finally get around to an album, I don't recoil in dread re-reading their Wikipedia pages. And certainly I haven't recoiled as hard as I did reading **this one's**. "'Southern Rock Opera' is [...] a double album covering an ambitious range of subject matter [including] the politics of race[, filtered] through the context of [...] Lynyrd Skynyrd." Oh ... oh, boy. That sounds... I mean, the last time I heard someone try to discuss race by way of Lynyrd Skynyrd— it just didn't go over too well for Brad Paisley, let's just say. So the idea of sitting through 93 minutes of ... **that**? 93 minutes of "Accidental Racist"? Oh, lordie me — I'd wanted the randomizer to pick a scary record for my group's 666th pull, and it sure as hell delivered. So ... let's just get into this, huh? And I'll try to keep this as brief as possible — goodness knows **considering** all of this was exhausting enough as it is; I can't imagine how it would feel to **read about it**. I wanna begin with this: I get what these guys were tryna say on this album. Honestly, I do. And I really did take the time to listen to these lyrics. I mean, with a concept like this, I think it would've and **has** been really easy for people to just kind of balk at this concept and slap the whole thing with a low rating. You don't hafta look at it too hard to feel like they're repeating "Well, **I'm** not racist!" for 11 tracks. And I'll be honest, there **was** a part of me that really wanted to take that easy way out and save myself from the exhaustion of considering all of this. But I have never been the kind of person who goes "UH-OH, PROBLEMATIC!" at things like this. I mean, if it's openly conservative and reactionary — sure, yeah, it doesn't deserve the thought. But, for some reason going in, these guys didn't strike me that way. They deserved some fair consideration, at least. See, Act 1 is about "the Southern thing," as they call it. It's about how Alabama has this legacy as being an incredibly racist place, and how, in the eyes of DBT, it doesn't deserve to be judged so quickly as being **just** that. "Yes, this shit **happened** — and it's awful. But it's not like we're not **trying** to reckon with it. It's a hard thing to try and love where you live while constantly being told you and everyone else there is a redneck, racist piece of shit. There's more sides to Alabama than most people would think." And, y'know, it's not a position I'd be able to understand in the way that they would. I grew up pretty dang north of Alabama — in Canada, even. That makes it pretty hard to live in a red state and get to know some of the people who **don't** follow the kind of stereotypes the people who exist outside would imagine. But it's a position I **can** feel sort of sympathetic towards — and it helps that this is coming from a band in 2000, rather than some modern day Jason Aldean "Try That In A Small Town" nonsense. This album is coming from a world of politics I can't even imagine in 2025. So, y'know, they're not trying to pull some "Am I The Only One?" or "Rich Men North Of Richmond" shit on here at least. But then, that's also the problem, isn't it? It's not 2000; it's 2025. And the shit I've seen in the time in-between, let me tell you what ... I mean, I can't help but judge older art by modern standards; that's just the perspective and bias I'm coming in with, whether I'm conscious of it or not. And what **is** a review like this if not just judging older art by modern standards? So, as much as I'm sympathetic to these guys's position ... it can kind of be **really** taxing for me to hear them try and make their points? Like, I couldn't even believe their claim that Neil Young **liked** "Sweet Home Alabama" until I looked it up and confirmed it was true. That just **sounds** like some kind of defensive shit someone would say, right? Especially given what "Sweet Home Alabama" was written in **response** to. And lines like "I've seen white and black folks alike getting treated just like sin" and "[My grandfather] didn't believe in slavery, thought that all men should be free / But who are these soldiers marching through this land?" Like, y'man still fought for the Confederacy... This issue can all be summarized all within how they talk about George Wallace. They do not, whatsoever, deny that Wallace was a racist, and they make a point (and an entire song) to say that he's burning in Hell. But **not**, as they clarify, for his racism. To them, he's down there for being an opportunist. See, they explain that Wallace was **actually** a very progressive lawyer and judge back at the start of his career, with a nice humanitarian track record. It was only when they failed to win him an election that he became a segregationist and started spewing racist bullshit. And it **did** help him way — for a while. Until it didn't. And at that point, he made an attempt to redeem himself from his old, racist ways. From what the band says, he was successful enough to win with 90% of the black vote: thus, the "duality of the Southern thing." So, there was clearly more to George Wallace than just being a racist, and to the band it's a shame that more people don't remember his progressiveness at the beginning of his career and his redemption at the end. And, look. I'm not religious, but I believe in redemption. If someone truly wants to redeem themselves, then let them. And if what DBT says about George Wallace's redemption is true — fine. But, and I do not mean to speak about all of Alabama when I say this, there's a reason people only remember the racist middle part of Wallace's career. You can't shake the Devil's hand and say you're only kidding — even **if** the Devil is a Southerner. And I think it's a shame the discussion of racial politics took up so much of my thoughts about this album (so much for keeping things short, eh?). I gotta tell you, on a purely musical level, I actually kind of **liked** this disc. Put some of the more privileged lyrics and redder flags aside, it's still some cool Southern rock. It's nothing too incredible, but, hey, I like Skynyrd, and I like the Allman Brothers Band and that one really hard song from 'Rock Band'. I dig this sound! But I think it says something to me that my favorite song from this disc was "72 (This Highway's Mean)" — the first track on here that doesn't explicitly talk about racism. Or Skynyrd, for that matter. Speaking of Skynyrd, I think it's about time we get to Disc/Act 2 of this album. This is where the fact that I spent so long yapping about Act 1 even funnier. 'Coz, see, while Act 1 provided me with a position to chew on and sort of look within myself to judge how I react to art such as this ... Act 2 gives me basically nothing in comparison. In fact, if Act 1 was the album all by itself, I don't think I would've missed this act. And **this** is the one that actually fulfills not only what I'd originally read on Wikipedia, but the actual **original idea** for this whole mess. Goodness, right? Act 2 of this album is made up of semi-autobiographical songs about living in the South and ends with the plane crash that nearly destroyed Lynyrd Skynyrd. Now, it's a sort of a bummer to me that it's not **all** about Skynyrd, but ... y'know, it's something. I can see how this concept could be interesting. It's just a shame the songs hafta go and fuck it up by mostly failing to grab me in any meaningful way and largely just being fiiiiiiine. Like, seriously, besides "Plastic Flowers On The Highway" (a tribute to a friend who died in a car crash), I can't think of a single thing I really wanna say about any of these songs. I mean, what the hell is "Road Cases" doing here? What does it have to do with anything? Where does this fall in the story? **Is there** a story? I don't deny these guys' ambitions, but is this even a rock opera? I mean, if Skynyrd is such an important part of things, you'd think you'd wanna introduce them **first** with "Life In A Factory" instead of waiting 'till the **last four tracks**. I can see how they could have bookended this act with Skynyrd, but I guess they didn't wanna! And even when they **do** get to talking Skynyrd, besides a cool solo in "Greenville To Baton Rouge", there is just ... nothing I really wanna talk about! If there's **anything** I wanna bring up, it's simply the fact that nothing on this album sounds like Kid Rock. Not whatsoever. And anyone who makes that claim is probably just ... mad, honestly. And maybe they're not entirely unjustified in mad given some of the shit said on this album, but ... y'know, still. So, that's 'Southern Rock Opera'. It is far from what I expected it would've been, and I am far from loving it like I thought I would've. I do honestly I could hear past some of the more questionable shit on the first album, 'coz, musically speaking, it's when the album's at its best. It's **certainly** no Skynyrd, but for dumb Southern rock, it can hit the spot. And yet, like I said, there are just some things about my perspective I can't look past. And it's not like I can't if I really want to; I love 'The Incredibles' despite how Randian it ultimately is. But I guess, ultimately, I just don't want to. And it's not like the second disc makes up for the first anyway, so... I sort of wish I had a more positive note to leave things on, but frankly, I'm just kind of bummed. And a little tired. I really tried to be fair to you guys, DBT, given how much I was into the pitch originally. Really now. Maybe if I'd heard it all the way back then ... but we'll never know, I guess. And that's just how things go sometimes. "Train rolls on," as they say. Bye-bye, Tuesday...