(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd) by Lynyrd Skynyrd

(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nérd 'Skin-'Nérd)

Lynyrd Skynyrd

3.74
Rating
25882
Votes
1
2%
2
8%
3
28%
4
38%
5
24%
Distribution

Album Summary

(Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) is the debut album by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released in 1973. Several of the album's songs remain among the band's most well-known: "Gimme Three Steps", "Simple Man", "Tuesday's Gone", and "Free Bird", the last of which launched the band to national stardom. The album was certified gold on December 18, 1974, and double platinum on July 21, 1987, by the RIAA. It peaked at 27 on the Billboard 200 in 1975.

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Reviews

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Rating: All 5★ 4★ 3★ 2★ 1★
Length: All Short Long
May 01 2021 Author
2
I kept asking for them to play 'free bird' and then they did.
Aug 19 2021 Author
5
Come on. This is such a great album. Half of the songs are all time classics. Tuesday, 3 Steps, Simple Man, Free Bird. There's only 8 songs on the album and four of them are not just classic, but all time classics. What a great album!
Oct 04 2022 Author
2
On the one hand, this Southern fried album has a lot of great tracks that I remember from growing up and listening to it in the South. On the other hand, it's hard to ignore the rift between the band and Neil Young (though he would later come to temper that somewhat). But Neil was spot on that the band was racist and rocking the confederate flag at their shows. After everything that has happened in our country since this came out, I can honestly say, it's hate not heritage-- and that makes it hard to want to hear.
Sep 27 2022 Author
2
This is such a conflict. Do you reject what you know b/c the band members are racist assholes? I know that good can come from a trash heap. That people grow and growth is fucking hard. It is not linear. Once I held many of the same views. That we are toxic when we are hurting. There's maybe something really great here in this album but also it is a terrible place to stay or be stuck. I can't fully reject the South. It's in my heart so I can't fully walk away from this album. But I can't listen to it without all the extra convos that come with it. That makes it so goddamn weighty for something that is supposed to rock.
Oct 04 2021 Author
5
I mean, "Tuesday's Gone," "Gimme Three Steps," "Simple Man," and "Free Bird" all on the same album. How you gonna argue with that? I almost gave this a 4 but I couldn't actually come up with anything wrong with the album especially given the release date. I sometimes find myself a bit put off by Van Zant's penchant for socio-political posturing but, for 1973, several of these songs are super pointed and progressive. That's worth a star.
Jun 27 2021 Author
4
Love Tuesdays Gone thanks to Happy Gilmore. Likewise Free Bird which was the perfect soundtrack for running over prostitutes on GTA
May 11 2023 Author
5
I’ve enjoyed each song I’ve heard by Lynyrd Skynyrd, but never listened to an album in full. One of my friends (who I co-host a music review show with on YouTube) went through a phase where he was very much into country rock and always encouraged me to try Skynyrd. Naturally, I ignored him because he’s an idiot. Songs I already knew: Tuesday’s Gone, Gimme Three Steps, Simple Man, Free Bird Favourites: Tuesday’s Gone, Free Bird, Things Goin’ On Much like other songs of legendary status, it’s hard to imagine a time before Free Bird. I feel this way with songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, Hey Jude, and Barbie Girl. They’re all amazing songs that feel like they’ve existed forever (hey, calm down, Barbie Girl is a banger). This album from front to back is full of amazing tracks. Free Bird is long, but keeps things different enough to never get boring. The vocals are fairly simple, but it adds a lot of charm. The general music itself isn’t too perfect like lots of modern day music. Its slight flaws in timing here and there make it feel more real and less manufactured. Overall, an amazing album. Maybe I should have listened to my friend many years ago. He is still an idiot though.
May 30 2021 Author
4
Giving this a 4 because the first half of the album is much better than the last (save Free Bird), but this is still phenomenal, especially for a debut album. Love the blues elements and even the country twang Already Saved: Free Bird Saved After Listening: Tuesday's Gone, Simple Man
Dec 20 2022 Author
2
Music to empty the bar.
May 24 2021 Author
5
Why would I need a Greatest Hits album? This exists. Only truly "weak" spot is "Poison Whiskey," but then "Freebird" comes right after that and southern rock nirvana is achieved, so it balances out.
Oct 05 2023 Author
2
Nö…
Aug 16 2022 Author
4
Ah, brings back so many fond memories with my mildly racist father. I don't really support the band anymore, but the nostalgia here hits oh so hard.
Jun 26 2021 Author
3
Good old Southern Boogie Woogie. Not something I'd listen to again though. However, I'm sure I'll hear Free Bird another 10,000 times in my lifetime.
Sep 30 2023 Author
2
2/5 Ja, es ist gute Musik, es ist nichts falsch daran. Aber ich disassoziiere aus Langeweile. Ich höre 2 Gitarren mit Vocals,Bass, Drums Wer sind die 7 Leute auf dem Cover, schwingt der Rest die Confederate flag? Freebird ist ein guter Track
May 07 2021 Author
1
I can't tell if I've just grown out of 5 minute guitar solos or if this really just missed the mark hard for me. Felt really forgettable with no stand out moments, and I don't think any of the songs on here are ones I'd actively seek listening to again.
Mar 16 2024 Author
5
The absolute peak of Southern Rock. These Skynyrd boys have it all, from rock solid bass and drums to beautiful piano and crunchy organ, not to mention their three-guitar army and killer southern vocals. The band stays mostly in the rock and blues genre, but crafts songs with surprising diversity and intentionality; no two songs sound quite the same. Even in their wildest moments, the band never gets sloppy or chaotic; all guitar solo work is carefully planned and expertly executed. Simply a joy to hear. Also, "Free Bird" is a masterpiece; How a band can get three guitarist to arpeggiate in harmony for that long is beyond me. Stand out tracks include "Tuesday's Gone", "Gimme Three Steps", "Simple Man", "Mississippi Kid", and "Free Bird".
Oct 26 2021 Author
4
Lynyrd Skynyrd's Three Guitar Army and Ronnie Van Zant's growl resonate deep in my bones. These songs feel surprisingly like home. Maybe it's because Gimme Three Steps was one of the songs that my brother's garage band rehearsed in our basement. (We did not have a garage.) My brother must've had a Greatest Hits album on 8-Track or something because several of these sound familiar but not all of them. I've never heard this whole album before, I'm sure of that. At least 3 songs mention guns but I don't think they ever get used, just held threateningly. I said "uh-oh" when they started talking about the ghetto in Things Goin' On but the rest of the words seemed ok and then the honky-tonk piano came in sounding exactly like something Paul Williams would write for the Muppets or Bugsy Malone and I was totally charmed. I prefer the upbeat songs like I Ain't the One, Gimme Three Steps, and Things Goin' On to the ballads but I cannot deny that Free Bird is a great song even if it's nine minutes long and I've heard it a million times. If I get to see the original Skynyrd line-up in the afterlife, you bet I'll ask to hear Free Bird.
Jan 14 2024 Author
5
One of the best
Nov 12 2023 Author
4
An album from the Southern U.S. that embraces what it is, and because of that, it soars to excellence.
Apr 24 2025 Author
5
Better than I remembered. Been years since listening to this from top to bottom.
Jan 30 2025 Author
2
I imagine this is music people would like to have sex too.
Sep 09 2023 Author
2
No
May 18 2023 Author
2
On their debut, Lehner Skinnerd manages to sound like 3 people playing while being 6 people (7 on the cover?) in the band. Impressive. While much more authentic than the southern rock coming out of Creedence Clearwater Revival (as authentic you can get by telling the stories of hardship in the south from the point of view of some white guys), songs about guns and god just doesn't do it for me. Overall, the album just feels like one long wait until 'Free Bird' finally kicks in, and although that's a legendary track, I'm not quite sure it's worth it sitting through the first 7 songs.
Mar 10 2025 Author
1
Blegh. In researching this album, I’ve dug up some archival transcripts from a real conversation between Allen Collins and Al Kooper: AK: You know what’d be great? A guitar solo to end the album AC: Oh hell yeah, sounds cool, man! People love solos! What are you thinking? AK: Make it…. Long AC: Ahhh great, brother! Like a minute-long closer?! AK: No. Longer. AC: …2 minutes? AK: Try 4. AC: Uhhh but I only know like five licks AK: Bah, so much to learn, Leh-nerd. You just gotta repeat them a bunch! Like, I’m talking multiple bars of the same thing. And when your five riffs run dry, just bend the strings! Trust me, the audience won’t know the difference. AC: Hmm what about my artistic integrity? AK: BROTHER JUST REPEAT IT. WE’LL FADE IT OUT AT THE END. (Free Bird would go on to inspire millions) Official count of unique riffs in Free Bird: 7
Apr 24 2025 Author
5
Love every bit of it. Things Goin' On was a new find for me
Feb 21 2024 Author
5
An amazing debut album. But honestly if free bird were the only good song on the album I would probably still have to give the album a 5 -one of the most epic guitar solos ever. But that’s not the case, as all the songs are really good and Three steps, simple man, Tuesday’s gone are all pretty great. Album cover is great, just the band hanging out. Very sad, everyone on that cover has passed. No current surviving members of the band which is very unusual. After the plane crash and loss of many in the band it was never the same, seemed more like a tribute band. An the name of the band is great!
Feb 16 2024 Author
5
I've mostly avoided Lynyrd Skynyrd my whole life. I'm not sure really why. The meme of Freebird might be the reason. Growing up my parent's listened mostly to classic country, outlaw country and classic rock and roll. So those were my building blocks. Later in life I learned to play the harmonica and became fascinated with the Blues. Anyway this album feels like a concentrated collection of my personal history with music.
Oct 01 2021 Author
5
Rock & roll de la vieja escuela.
Jul 26 2021 Author
5
Quintessential blues rock. If I were to show classic rock to aliens, this would probably be the top candidate. It's loud and energetic with both short hard songs and longer softer songs. And it swaps between short then long back to short and so forth to not get tiring. Now usually I'd get bored with such long songs, but if you listen to "Tuesday's Gone", the instruments vary so often throughout the song, taking turns with leads. Just start listening from the piano solo to hear what I mean. It also has a different drum sound from the other songs. "Gimme Three Steps" sounds like their later song "What's your name" but since it's not the same album it doesn't count. Each song is distinctive and inviting with catchy tunes and poppy lyrics, and the back vocals during the choruses help audience participation. With the 2nd side you can actually convince someone why it's called "blues" rock but a lot of people can get bored by it. I still think they're strong tracks. Love that old-timey piano solo in "Things goin on". Also "Mississippi Kid" gets bonus points for me just so happening to be passing through Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans, visiting the Delta Blues Museum. "Poison Whiskey", especially the solos, does sound lazier and uninnovative than the other tracks, but I do sorta like that hard piano sound. And finally there's the most famous rock song of all time "Free Bird". I don't have much to say other than what I aready said. Great song, and the length does not hinder it. Love when it goes higher pace around 4:35. I will comment is that the ending felt anticlimatic. Overall fantastic influential album that define the era, with bangers all throughout. Despite the flaws, I still believe it deserves the 5 stars.
May 04 2021 Author
5
About as perfect an A-side as you can have... oh and then there's Freebird!
Apr 25 2021 Author
5
I remember the first time my dad put this album on. We were at my grandparents house one sunday while they were installing a ceiling fan in and other stuff. I was 10 at the time, and man, this album had me moving my head and hadn't heard anything like this before. Now, I was used to rock, we'd listen to CCR, Sabbath, The Beatles etc, but this southern rock was something else, man. Listening to "Gimme Three Steps" still takes me back to sitting in that wicker chair and grooving, and my little mind being blown....and subsequently kinda bored after a while with "Freebird" but still, lol. every damn song is perfect on the album, no notes!
Jan 19 2026 Author
4
Cool mais persuadé qu’ils votent tous Trump
Aug 20 2025 Author
4
[[music]], [[rock music]], [[blues]] #music #rock #blues I've heard the name a lot but never listened to them fully. Everyone knows Sweet Home Alabama and Free Bird but aside from that? need to listen more. I Aint The One - Great tone setting song. really loved the vibes of it being 70s music rock for sure Tuesday's Gone - Country feeling but seeing as they're southern rock, makes sense. Blues feelings as well. Long song, bit slow but still nice to listen probably Gimme Three Steps - Vibey, dancey song. Love it. great bass and guitar mix Simple Man - Lovely message. Be a simple man. Great story about mom and son too. What's not to love? It's one of the most popular songs of theirs on the album Things Goin On - Blues guitar focused. Alright. Mississippi Kid - Guitar focused. Love the rhythym and sound Poison Whiskey - Love the sound of this song. Great start with the guitar, the drums and guitar working together Free Bird - Classic Free Bird 4/5 stars
May 21 2025 Author
4
50% of this album is all time classic songs. Of the rest Things Goin' On is great, Mississippi Kid is good and the other two are mercifully short. If you take away the band's history and bullshit confederate flags it'd be an easy 5 but this defining 'Southern' so much for the worse means I can't separate the art from the artist as much as I'd like.
Feb 10 2025 Author
4
I'll confess to having only really listened to a couple of Skynyrd's biggest hits. You can't avoid "Freebird", it's become woven into pop culture, although as it and those around in the 70s have aged, it's faded. I gotta say this is an impressive debut album, self-assured and fully fleshed-out. Having "heard it all" at this stage in life, I am impressed with "Tuesday's Gone" which I think I've heard before. I did, however, want it to be over half-way through, instead of it repeating itself with riffs on top ad infinitum, but that tends to be how I feel about a lot of classic rock I missed that I've gone back to... "Gimmie Three Steps" is one of those hits I've heard. Didn't know it nor "Free Bird" were on the debut album. Classic rock riffs and solos. "Simple Man" I hadn't known but learned last year, as a friend who died had requested it be played at the memorial service. I can appreciate its earnestness more through my friend's love of the song He was a good, good dude. Hey there's seven people on the album cover... did they really need that many to make this record? --- Okay, checked out the comments. Folks, I can't help but notice there's no racism nor is there a confederate flag on the album cover or in the lyrics. The only political-leaning song complains about Vietnam and the government not protecting the people from the effects of pollution, and instead spending money on going to the moon. "Help the poor", it seems to say. You want to argue against any of that? I'm trying to take this journey like a visitor from another planet, without relying so heavily on all the baggage surrounding the record and the people who made it. It's impossible to completely leave your biases at the door but it's a fun exercise while going through these albums. The more I think about "southern rock" and sunburned jerks in tank tops that used to be t-shirts drinking American whiskey in front of a confederate flag, the less I like this record. The more I just focus on the music, the more I like it.
Mar 20 2024 Author
4
This is one of those albums that absolutely blows my mind to find out it was the bands first album. Nearly prefect with some of the bands biggest hits. And then to end it with Free Bird may be one of the biggest mic drops in musical history. Really enjoyed this one!
May 26 2023 Author
4
FREE BIRD!! Great classic rock album. 8.5/10
Jul 06 2022 Author
4
Tuesday's Gone is an excellent ballad. You have to be very confident with your soloing to put a guitar solo before the first verse. The solo after the first verse is also mighty fine as are the good 'ole boys' southern rock harmonies. Things Going On is quite clearly an anti-segregation song. This is interesting given that one of the band's slightly more popular songs led to allegations that Ronnie was pro Wallace. Some of the "filler"on side 2 is really quite good. The Mississippi blues song Mississippi Kid shows their prowess with the broken coke bottle and the anti-alcohol song Poison Whisky has is also an excellent jam. Free Bird is the best song in the album and the band's second best song overall - next to that tune about folks in Birmingham loving Wallace.
Dec 23 2021 Author
4
This album has some really nice moments on it, and despite the fact that this type of music sounds stereotypically southern now, it only became that way because of this band At the same time, the album sags in places. I've never been a huge fan of Free Bird, perhaps because I grew up in the Beavis and Butthead era when this song was already a meme. Trying to listen to it with fresh ears is hard as a result. I think that it's a pretty enough song, but not the all time great the way it tends to be portrayed by people who really like it. Fuck it, 4/5 by the skin of it's teeth. Maybe I like Free Bird after all. Or at least, I like 4/5ths of Free Bird. That song could have been shut down a full minute earlier with no negative impact
Oct 27 2021 Author
4
weirdly enough, free bird was my least favorite part of this. really surprisingly enjoyable as an album, good length. 8/10
Jun 18 2021 Author
4
Lynyrd Skynyrd were at the top of their game when they released their debut album. Excellent songwriting, perfected tone, and THE GUITARS! Oh man, this is guitar heaven. Can't call yourself a fan of rock until you've heard Skynyrd absolutely tear it up. Good album.
Jun 24 2021 Author
4
Gritty, raw, and delightful
Jun 04 2025 Author
3
Sweet home Alabama extended versions, alt takes and mixes, + hit single Free Bird.
Dec 10 2024 Author
3
The epitome of southern "hard" rock - really exemplary. Better than their follow up album, 'Most of Us Are Dead"
Oct 19 2023 Author
3
average
Oct 10 2023 Author
3
much guitar. lots of hits
May 18 2023 Author
3
Let’s for a moment do something Lynyrd Skynyrd never quite got around to doing - forget about the confederate flag. “Tuesday’s Gone” is a treat and “Simple Man” is a great tune. But the only real reason this debut album is on the list is because of its legendary closing track. Not quite enough in itself. But almost.
Oct 07 2025 Author
2
I am trusting the process with this site, but I will be damned if I don't keep getting sent total stinkers for albums to trudge through. Classic rock (which has now been coined Dinosaur rock by the younger generations, because I guess they use Oldies for something else...) purists will tell you this is one of the best albums of all time by a legendary band who helped invent southern rock. I am not one of those people.
Sep 12 2025 Author
2
At the time, I’m sure that collecting the sounds of a hoe down mixing it with blues guitar noodling and an over reliance on southern stereotypes was magic to a select group of young people who were inundated with the psychedelic sounds of the late 60s. There is no doubt that Sweet Home Alabama is Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Stairway to heaven and there are some remarkable similarities in the way both songs start pastoral and build to an anthem. The similarities stop there. This album is a rather boring and dreary affair and best left to those folks who thought the 8:33 of Sweet Home was the whole album.
May 25 2025 Author
2
I guess maybe it’s necessary to separate the original incarnation of the band from what they became, since we can’t really tell whether Ronnie Van Zant would’ve made the same decisions that the band did, had he lived. Maybe they were more liberal-minded in the early days and Sweet Home Alabama really is a skewering of conservative policies and values and they actually didn’t care for segregationist governor George Wallace - which would make sense with the “Boo Boo Boo” chant following his mention in the song, but it’s contradicted by accounts that Van Zant did, in fact, like Wallace by Skynyrd bassist Ed King and Charlie Daniels. One thing that overlaps both versions of this band is the use of the Confederate Flag in their imagery and stage shows. That was kind of a constant and is also a choice where their intent is unclear. It’s been explained away by the band that their record label, MCA, encouraged them to use the flag as a way to accent their Southernness and rebellious nature, but they also continued to associate themselves with it in their merchandise and stage shows for nearly 40 years following the band’s formation. Accepting the charitable interpretation, that Skynyrd merely used the flag as a marketing ploy, leaves us with an explanation: Lynyrd Skynyrd was fine with being tied to all the things that flag stood for, so long as they made money off of it, which is…a different kind of awful. So Skynyrd has left us with a choice to make: Do we accept their explanation that they were just playing the game, that they were actually more socially progressive, but had to lean into stereotype to make money? There’s an old saying, “If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything” and I think that applies here. By adopting the rebel flag, they’ve forever tied themselves to its history and whatever good intentions they may have had outside of that are tarnished by the flag’s legacy. …and like I said, that’s the charitable explanation.
May 22 2022 Author
2
Free Bird is a good tune, the rest not so great
Mar 24 2026 Author
1
Longest wait for “Free Bird” I’ve ever had to endure. -1 star, partially because I’m just irritable today, and partially for proudly supporting one of the most repugnant and embarrassing failed attempts at a nation-state in the history of man. Never forget that the Confederacy only lasted for 4 fucking years, and was an enormous economic and domestic disaster for all states involved. Anyone thinking that it’s something worth celebrating is not just an ignorant white supremacist, but also a historically/politically illiterate moron.
Oct 03 2023 Author
1
Boring
Sep 20 2023 Author
1
One good song. Free bird.
Feb 04 2022 Author
1
This stinks
Apr 28 2026 Author
5
Not the biggest Skynyrd fan, but can't deny this one. Only question is, why the FUCK isn't the extended version of Freedbird on here?!? 5
Apr 28 2026 Author
5
I typically scoff at Skynyrd.. but damn. This album has their best work (imo) and despite free bird being a joke at concerts, it still rocks
Apr 25 2026 Author
5
Great debut, fucking Freebird first time out? Cmon.
Apr 23 2026 Author
5
Definitely in top 5 greatest southern rock albums no doubt. Big part of childhood and discovering music. These days I do prefer Neil Young.. From 8 tracks 4 are classics and 3 of them are on side A with Free Bird ending the album. However side B has some great super bluesy and dirty deep cuts. Just rated 4.5 on RYM, but not exactly sure if I want to give 5 stars here, but I probably should, morning will be wiser than night, during which I am writing this review, Free Bird is playing now after all cmon
Apr 22 2026 Author
5
Some albums on this list have one truly great song on them, some have two, a few have three. This album has 4 songs that personally I think should be in the list of top 100 best classic rock songs of all time: "Tuesday's Gone", "Gimme Three Steps", "Simple Man", and "Free Bird", with "Free Bird" probably being a top 10 in the genre. Personally I've gone through this record many times and have always loved it through many different settings and eras in my life. My dad loved them so I listened to them when I was very young, my metal head friends and I loved them in high school, and now as a lot of my tastes have gotten softer a bit I still really love them, and this record in particular. "Simple Man" is a star, and it's one of those corny songs that's actually quite beautiful when you get past the idea that it's a bit dated. "Tuesday's Gone" is also really incredible. The melody plays so nice with the harmony, and the band couldn't be more in sync with eachother. Everything is super tasteful and nothing overshadows anything else. "Gimme Three Steps" is a great rowdy dancing tune, and "Free Bird" is one of the most American songs ever, with what might be the most famous guitar solo ever. Great album. One of the best classic rock albums ever.
Apr 21 2026 Author
5
Solid southern Rock.
Apr 21 2026 Author
5
I Ain't The One
Apr 20 2026 Author
5
This album fuckin slaps. From front to back, it's just so good, no skips. Free bird is simply legendary, some say they're still playing that solo to this day. Also Love the "gimme some baby" call out to a solo in Mississippi Kid, so good. But goddamn it did they have to fly that flag?
Apr 18 2026 Author
5
More than a solid debut, an all-time great album, even if some of these have been played a gazillion times. There's a reason for that.
Apr 17 2026 Author
5
Awesome debut album with some megahits. Ending on the Free Bird solo is class.
Apr 17 2026 Author
5
Classic album. Not much more today. Amazing mix of blues, bluegrass, rock. Immaculate
Apr 17 2026 Author
5
I loved this. Obviously know free bird, but this entire album was soulful, warming and fun. Definitely will be back to this
Apr 16 2026 Author
5
This debut album is the blueprint for Southern rock, a super confident three guitar army attack that's a total masterclass in grit and soul. It's insane that bangers like "Tuesday's Gone", "Simple Man", and "Gimme Three Steps" are all on the same first record. The music's got that killer blend of bluesy riffs, honky tonk piano, and Ronnie Van Zant's awesome, gravelly voice. And of course you got "Free Bird"! It's the highlight. Even if you've heard it a million times or think it's a bit of a joke, it's the perfect closer on this album. That four-minute guitar solo is pure, over-the-top awesome and it totally works, taking you to Southern rock nirvana that sums up the whole era. It's a nine minute masterpiece that's one of the best endings ever, finishing off an album that's still a super energetic cornerstone of American rock.
Apr 15 2026 Author
5
Top banana
Apr 15 2026 Author
5
Too many bangers in this album to give it anything less.
Apr 15 2026 Author
5
Nostalgia playing a heavy hand here, but this is solid throughout
Apr 14 2026 Author
5
Full Album Thoughts: Album Rating: 6.5 (S) Its crazy that 3 stone cold classics, which feel entirely different in tone, come from this, a debut album. There isn't a stinker song on here. This is a "listen straight through" album with the ultimate album closer. Of course this was going to be an S tier, I'm glad its the first! Track Thoughts "I Ain't the One" A The panning and the reverse and whatever else is being done on the drums in the intro absolutely gets me. I love Van Zant's gravel and howl. This deep bass doubled guitar riff, and overblown electric sound, while still having clean mixing so you can hear everything as its playing? A touch of honkey tonk piano? I live for this. This is the side of country, more bayou then haybale, that I can get down with. "Tuesday's Gone" B I cant say've heard this before? I wasnt really ready for the little organ sting here. We are getting a little too laid back, but the guitar twinkles, and has some blues hits in there... It inching towards Standard Country Song, but I find it endlessly more listenable. I think the vocal delivery has a bit more yowl than howl... I still find that grating. Its also a long song, and while it does develop to be more operatic with the string+piano section in the back half, im not sure THIS song needed the length (I see Free Bird as the closer and eagerly await it). "Gimme Three Steps" S I already liked this song, this was part of regular rotation on my background work mega playlist back in the day. A simple song told simply; comedic and catchy... what more could I ask for? Its got that instantly recognizable hook, a hell of a drive that just bounces along, and who doesn't love liberal use of cowbell? They knew they had gold on their hands, you get the chorus TWICE before its ever sung, just in guitar solo form, so you have two whole verses of build up in the story! Its the perfect GTFO song, it SOUNDS like a hasty retreat! Actually, I want to applaud the story telling even further: You have first verse, which is a recap of the night prior, then the second verse and chorus, which is a real time conversation, and the 3rd verse is THE SPLIT SECOND of the run to the door, as the song goes on time gets more and more compressed, until a whole verse spans just a moment. Its just excellent construction! "Simple Man" A Another classic that has escaped containment. The arpeggiated chords with the bass riff really help drive the song. The organ also lends a sense of the grandiose to the song, like a sermon being delivered. I worry that the lyrics are a bit preachy; I dont necessarily agree that a return to 'the simple things' is necessary, as I prefer to view things as complex and nuanced, with detail beyond what appears on the surface... but a plea to live "Authentically" without ostentatious trappings or delusions of grandeur... that I can get behind. I think I knock points off for being, say it with me, repetitive... the whole album has the "fade out ending" problem though. "Things Goin' On" A+ Yeah this is a finger picking good time. This is just fun for the band to play. Unexpectedly funky. I am not sure if the individual parts layer to make a greater whole, but those individual parts as they come and go just have me bopping in my seat. Did this need to be a 5 minute long jam song? No. Am I glad it is? Very Yes. Wild swing of an opener for a B Side. "Mississippi Kid" B This is very sparse, and very simple. It feels like spruced up generic folk blues song. Which it is. I think it leans to heavily on the highend, and really feels better when they bring the bass in halfway through. We just had a jam song though, idk if we need another. One of these days, this is going to be the Deep Cut to get covered in a Slowed Down Dark Trailer Version for some A24 movie mark my word. Weird ending too with the snare rattle? "Poison Whiskey" A Oh yeah we are back to funky organ hits and bass grove. Was this in a Rockband game? I wanna say maybe Rockband 3? I normally would complain about Country Tropes of the "gonna get me beer" but this is actually about the DANGERS of alcoholism... more in line with the tongue in cheek irish drinking songs of "this shit'll get you in trouble". The problem is I am having too much fun listening to the jazzy guitar and piano solos to care. "Free Bird" S Am I going to complain that this song is too long? You just simply do not get to do a Debut Album with a 9 minute closer. This did not need to be 9 minutes long. In a sane world this gets trimmed down and tightened up. All but the best bits get left on the cutting room floor. Therefor, after you remove everything unnecessary from the song, I think you can conservatively have a 9 minute long song. Free Bird is exactly what it needs to be. I dont even have words to describe the build up and then drop of this song, it is a magic trick to listen to. Its not a complex guitar solo, its THE Guitar Solo it needed to be. THIS is where you get grandiose self indulgent excess and it WORKS. Every rockband ever hopes they can EARN a "Freebird" and here Skynyrd is just doing it right out the gate.
Apr 13 2026 Author
5
Nice
Apr 10 2026 Author
5
Unlike meat & potatoes, a mirepoix, or a roux, Lynyrd Skynyrd doesn't exist for the foundation of anything else. If they're plain & simple, basic & a part of our everyday vicissitudes, they're this for themselves & only themselves, i.e., they're the nuts & bolts before they've been attached to a larger frame. It hasn't been seamless for this group to be taken seriously in the U.S. of A north, partly for political reasons, but mostly b/c 'Sweet Home Alabama' is an overplayed anthem that's essentially a parody at this point. But listen to their debut, & their effective combination of The Stones (Exile on Main St.) w/ Creedence will hit you like a delightful ton of bricks. 'Forget your lust for the rich man's gold / All that you need is in your soul.' That's leftist, right?
Apr 08 2026 Author
5
dammit I wish this album weren't so good
Apr 08 2026 Author
5
Very strong debut, based on a simple fact that nearly half the songs were pretty big hits.
Apr 04 2026 Author
5
Impossibile trovare qualcosa di sbagliato in questo album. Ha tutto: rabbia, affetto, delusione, liberazione. Non c'è una nota fuori posto, la musica ti accompagna emotivamente lungo un percorso quasi catartico che mescola narrazione, riflessione e trascendenza. Perfetto
Apr 02 2026 Author
5
freeeeeee birdddddd
Apr 02 2026 Author
5
Good
Apr 02 2026 Author
5
This is the classic southern rock. Obviously, this LP got a lot radio play on AM and FM stations. "Give Me Three Steps," "Simple Man, " "Tuesday's Gone," and, of course, "Free Bird" still receive a lot of airplay on current Classic Rock stations. I own this LP and it still gets a lot of play!
Mar 30 2026 Author
5
Genuinely brilliant rock album. Some truly great music here and some proper all time classics. Free Bird was my fav song of the album with Tuesday's Gone and Simple Man being my other highlights of the album. I Ain't The One was my fav first listen
Mar 30 2026 Author
5
Tops
Mar 28 2026 Author
5
Clásico del rock.
Mar 28 2026 Author
5
Entretenido, buen soundtrack para el día a dia
Mar 28 2026 Author
5
Yeah, would deffo listen again
Mar 28 2026 Author
5
Desconhecia a banda à parte do seu hit Free Bird. Após deepdive, iniciado por este mesmo álbum, fiquei fã e mantêm-se na minha rotation. Ao top 3 juntam-se Tuesday´s Gone e Poison Whiskey. 4.75, foi uma trip divertida aos anos 70
Mar 27 2026 Author
5
It’s actually crazy how many classics are on this album and these aren’t just any classics. Some of these (Tuesday’s Gone & Free Bird) are all time rock songs. This is a 5 and it’s pretty clear.
Mar 27 2026 Author
5
I love Skynyrd, and this album has some of my favorites. Five stars.
Mar 27 2026 Author
5
Sensational album I’d say they are one of the most influential American rock bands.
Mar 26 2026 Author
5
No tenía expectativas y es genial, lo amé de pies a cabeza. Mi canción favorita Fee Bird que de hecho ya la había escuchado pero no sabía que era de ellos. Uno de los mejores álbumes que he escuchado en mi vida, y lo digo porque no hubo canción que me aburriera o me hiciera desear dejar de escuchar el álbum.
Mar 24 2026 Author
5
Nothing but Cultural icon BANGERS - Freebird!
Mar 22 2026 Author
5
This is the whitest thing I’ve ever loved.
Mar 21 2026 Author
5
Just for the freebird guitar solo
Mar 19 2026 Author
5
MUY ICONICOS
Mar 19 2026 Author
5
Quintessential southern rock. Banger after Banger. No disrespect to Free Bird, but Gimme Three Steps might have one of my favorite riffs of all time. Easy 5!
Mar 19 2026 Author
5
Excellent
Mar 18 2026 Author
5
A few legendary songs that make this an all-timer, but all of the songs in between don't disappoint either. Amazing guitar riffs throughout and smooth rock vocals.
Mar 16 2026 Author
5
Depois disso, o country-rock nunca mais foi o mesmo. São músicas que se englobam muito bem em ambos os gêneros, tanto pra você ouvir num fim de tarde numa fazenda, quanto num motoclube. Muito bom HIGHLIGHTS: I Aint the One, Tuesdays Gone, Simple Man, Poison Whiksey, FREE BIRD 9/10
Mar 14 2026 Author
5
I really like Lynyrd Skynyrd… does that make me a bad person?? Super solid 4.7 Free bird…one of the best.
Mar 13 2026 Author
5
FREEE BIIIIIIIIIIIRD! And also some other Southern Rock classics.