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
I figured I wouldn't have listened to any of these songs before, but I've heard Free Bird. It's a decent song, I way prefer it now that I've heard it from start to finish (I always just hear the part with the guitar riff). My favourite song was I Ain't The One. I would probably listen to it again.
Arguably the best American rock album start to finish.
Is Freebird alone enough to save this album? From obscurity and mediocrity yes, but to become a good album, not really. It’s very similar country rock, bluegrass music that sounds like a thousand other songs, and it’s really dragging and the same, but then it hits Freebird and you’re like yeah, lord knows I can’t change. Freebird 5, album 2.
Southern rock with outdated attitudes. Nope
Very much not the 70s rock slop that you sometimes get from classic albums. Plenty of bangers and heart in this album.
First, truly incredible album title that would have helped me historically. This was a lovely listen! Fun to hear Free Bird in context for the first time. Love Tuesday’s Gone.
5 stars of course
Knew almost every song. Vibes.
My opinions about Lynyrd Skynyrd politically aside, really fucking good album. Definitely one of the best that southern rock has to offer. It is physically impossible to not exhibit intense emotions when "Free Bird" comes on. From the lonesome first notes to the celebratory concluding guitar solo, it is really an impeccable rock song. Not to mention the other hits like "Tuesday's Gone" and "Simple Man". I wasn't sure if the other tracks would live up to these three, but they all were really solid and easily stood on their own. Great album. Fuck your confederate flag obsession though. Fav Tracks: "I Ain't The One", "Tuesday's Gone" and "Free Bird".
I associate this so strongly with overplayed classic rock radio, basic-ass bars, and conservative boomers bitching about how nobody makes “real music” anymore. But there are four all-time bangers. Tuesday's Gone always reminds me of the end of Happy Gilmore.
Simple man and free bird are so great. The rest is just kind of ok for me
I’ve been dismissive of lynyrd skynyrd in the past but this album is really good, Ronnie van zant sounds great on it and all the guitar work is awesome. Obviously free bird and simple man are highlights
What a shot out of the gate. Simple Man. Tuesday's Gone. Freebird. Wow. Being in a band, it was a common thing for someone to shout "Freebird!" The iconic guitar solos were next level. One has to wonder what might have happened if that plane didn't crash. Though the survivors did successfully rally. Anyway, this is genre-defining southern rock at its very best.
when someone says southern rock, i think of this album. not because this album is an iconic album and a great representation of the genre, but because it's pretty much the only southern rock album that i can think of and bother remembering. anyways, half of the songs are embarrassingly mediocre, the other half is good but not really great.
Nie wiem, żaden kawałek z tej płyty nie był dobry. Nie był nawet godny zapamiętania, a cała płyta zlała się w jedno. No trudno, może następnym razem.
Not bad. Good southern bluesy country rock
Nice bit of Southern rock. 3 star album but an extra star for Freebird.
I like the instrumentals, but not really my style in terms of lyrics and general vibe. It’s not bad though.
3.5 Enjoyed it but not enough that I'd replay in the future
Ok
How much more Lynard Skynard could anyone ever need? It’s all here in one place.
🤠🤠
Love it
4.4/5 Free Bird, Simple Man, Tuesdays Gone, and Gimmie Three Steps are all classic. I also enjoyed a few other songs like I Ain't The One and Poison Whiskey. Hard rock with some southern twang.
I mainly know Lynyrd Skynyrd from “Sweet Home Alabama” and their feud with Neil Young. As such, I’ve mostly associated them with a somewhat pastiche version of the American South. This was way better than “Sweet Home Alabama,” though. It’s a great mix of blues and rock, and “I Ain’t the One,” “Simple Man,” and “Free Bird” were the tracks that stood out the most. They reminded me of ZZ Top at times, as well as the Swedish band Graveyard, who I guess took quite a bit of inspiration from Lynyrd Skynyrd. There weren’t too many duds on this album, so 4 stars seems about right.
Very American. You can literally hear the Southern men in every note. It’s cool in that straightforward, no nonsense way, even if I have never been a big fan of the band. There are still some cool tunes here that land. Simple Man has always been a favorite. It feels honest and grounded. Free Bird is very relatable to me even though I don’t think it’s that great as a song, and the solo isn’t as amazing as people always say. Still, it carries a lot of weight because of childhood and hearing it on radio K-DST. That nostalgia does real work. The rest of the album stays in the same lane: solid Southern rock with strong guitars, clear vocals and a lived-in feel. The production is clean for its time and lets the band sound natural without too much polish. This debut is a good, consistent record. Not a personal favorite overall, but it has moments that stick and a clear sense of place.
Good classic southern rock. Full of great songs. A few in the back half aren’t quite as good, but all solid. 4/5
I think this is up there in my top 10 classic rock albums. 5 Boolean: True
I really got a kick out of "(PLNSN)". Half of the songs on it are masterpieces that will be remembered forever. The only thing wrong with "(PLNSN)" is the fact that the second half is underwhelming compared to the first. The only song I thoroughly enjoyed in the second half is the legendary "Free Bird". "Poison Whiskey" should've been a B-side instead of an album track. 4 stars for "(Pronounced 'Leh-'Nerd 'Skin-'Nerd)".
Shit maing is the best thing to do when you have a lot of time to do it and you have to do all the things
It's ok, I think Free Bird carries. Sorry for the superficial review
LY SKY NYRD!!!
I aint the one-got caught off guard from the start but is not bad after 6/10 Tuesdays gone-somewhat melancholic to me tittle didnt lie 7.2/10 Gimme three steps-reminded of the first song but more calm7 .5/10 Simple man-simple 5/10 Things goin on-guitar/base? intro is good 8/10 Mississippi kid-nah 4/10 Poison whiskey-sounds like whiskey 8/10 Free bird-WONT U FLY HIGH FREE BIRD YEAH!!!!!!!! 10/10
Side 1 is as good as it gets-just flawless. Tuesday’s Gone and Simple Man especially jam. Side 2 has a noticeable drop off before ending w the still transcendent Free Bird.
I can see some of the origins of bands I love here.
It contains the classic "Free Bird". Has a nice vibe.
4/10
Jag gillar inte medioker grillrock. Jag nöjer mig så istället för att sitta å häva ur mig en massa plattityder
Det här är inte så tokigt. LS har fått ta mycket skit för sin stora hit, som lyckligtvis inte är med på den här skivan. Här visar de att det finns mer än Sweet home Alabama, t ex Tuesdays gone och Free bird. Rekommenderar också dokumentären If I leave here tomorrow på SVT Play.
Grillrock kan vara rätt trevligt ibland. Lynnards är väl så där. B-sidan är bättre än A-sidan. Avslutande Free bird som höjdaren. Räcker till en stark tvåa men inte mer.
Sydstatsrock. Lite roligare än bluesrock.
freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee bird yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah now what about those other songs....
a landmark album and must listen. Is there a better short story told in a song than Gimme 3 steps?
Nice listen.
Free Bird
Got this one on my birthday its an immediate 5
Talking about Skynyrd can be a bit of a minefield, so I'll just skip all that and say that the tunes freaking ROCK. 4.5 bumped down to 4.
I’m way above a 5. It’s not quite a 10, but it’s pretty damn close & it’ll probably get there someday. Let’s address the big elephant in the room first & foremost: the modern-day Ship of Theseus version of Lynyrd Skynyrd that’s touring around without a single original member of the band is racist as hell for continuing to fly that fucking Confederate flag. I have absolutely no love for them, and I suspect, based on the lyricism here, perhaps Ronnie Van Zant would hate what his band has become. I mean, he’s bringing light to inner city issues on “Things Going On”, as well as calling out the Vietnam War, the excess spending of the vanity affair of the Space Race (it was probably worth it though), a quick line in there about climate change, & a callout against lazy politicians. I’m inclined to think he’s about as simple as he proclaims to be on “Simple Man”. I feel like if the plane wreck hadn’t happened, they would’ve probably dropped the flag down the line & he’d have made his stances a bit more clear past “Watergate does not bother me”. Either that, or I’m just naive. Ultimately, I think it’s fine to listen to classic Lynyrd Skynyrd like that. Not the new guys, though. Now that that’s been addressed… yeah, this fucking kicks ass. No mincing words about it; the only thing stopping this from being a 10 is a little paranoia about “Mississippi Kid”, & a few tracks that aren’t as dazzling as the big 4. They’re still good, & rooted in classic Southern blues standards, but they’re just a little softer on the energy. Regardless, this is an album that wears its inspirations on its sleeve with a band that can fucking play. They don’t miss a single note or beat here, and Ronnie’s got some good range in those naturally twangy vocals of his. He can somehow feel like Jimi Hendrix & Neil Young at the same time, and I don’t know how he does it. A lot of these tracks are very straightforward, leading to the instrumentation & delivery to take charge of the show, and… you just gotta hear it, really. It’s quintessential classic Southern rock that’s far better heard than described. Hence, something way above a 5. Not quite a 10. It’ll probably get there though. There’s something about “Mississippi Kid” & the weird threatening nature of a character that’s dragging guns with him to Alabama that just has me a bit iffy. I don’t know, maybe I’m just paranoid about the implications. Even past the lyrics, it’s just a little slowly paced compared to the rest of the album. I can’t compliment the entire package enough though; it’s 43 minutes that mostly knock it out of the park, and even with “Free Bird” ending on a fadeout, I can’t complain. It’s very deserving to be on the list.
It was cool, prefer their rock songs over the country ones. Would give 3.5
Yeah, this is definitely not my thing. This type of 'Murican Rock doesn't translate very well elsewhere. But damn, if "Free Bird" isn't a great track! Key tracks: Simple Man Free Bird
The USA is a pretty dark place nowadays under the current political climate, doesn't seem appealing to me at all, but I get why people believed in the american dream back in the day. What a meltpot of genres in this album, best thing about it are the instrumentals for sure.
Much like yesterday's Peter Frampton album, but obviously for very different reasons, I struggle to separate my thoughts about the music and the band's personal(?) legacy. There's some all-time classics on this record, but it's tough to endorse this with my whole chest.
Good album, but nothing other than Free Bird really stands out. This song on it's own is worth listening to the album though.
This was actually pretty good! A number of memorable/recognizable songs. Beef with Neil Young aside.
Def some classics but kinda background music to me minus Free Bird, which rules. Never took them seriously as a southern rock group.
good album, really liked "tuesday's gone", "simple man", "things goin' on" and "free bird". very solid 4
This was a pleasant surprise; I didn't realize so many of LS's biggest hits were on one album, and the songs I hadn't heard felt instantly catchy and memorable. Good stuff.
Another rock band that I didn’t really know. But one I wish I had known better.
Yes I know and remember
Makes me smile :)
Great album that sounds amazing and holds you in its grips till the very end. The individual instruments just work really well and the separation and clarity of them is just amazing. Best song is obviously Free Bird.
Spent the whole album waiting for free bird.
I of course knew the hits of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but hadn’t heard an album from the band. I wasn’t quite expecting this. It’s much slower than I anticipated, quite in common with the rock excess of the ‘70s. I was expecting something distinctively southern, but it ended up sounding much more like the rest of the genre at that time. That’s by no means a bad thing given its quality in that period, but if meant that this didn’t feel as unique as I might have expected.
A really good album, one of the definitive ‘Southern rock’ records. Side one is especially strong, with all four of its tracks among the band’s best work, especially ‘Tuesday’s Gone’. Side two isn’t quite as exceptional, however, although it does end with the all-timer ‘Free Bird’. The ‘Three Guitar Army’ is the main draw of this album for me, with fantastic solos on almost every track, but the other band members put in a great shift too. Ronnie Van Zant was no powerhouse vocalist, but he certainly does the job, and the lyrics are great. A very strong 4 stars.
I really like the opening track, especially the guitar solo. Really enjoy the guitar solo on Tuesday's Gone. Did it really have to be over 7 minutes though? Gimme Three Steps is kind of forgettable compared to the previous two tracks. I like Simple Man. I like the first two tracks more though. Mississippi Kid is a decent song. Apparently Ronnie Van Zant was born and raised in Florida. He ironically died in Mississippi. Very interesting tidbit, RIP. Poison Whiskey was okay. Free Bird blew me away. The solos are amazing! It makes me want to drive extremely fast down an empty road. This is a great song!
Like many other acts, if you set aside some of the problematic context of Skynyrd, this album is a jam.
As much as this music slaps, I can't ignore the racist asshole vibes and them flaunting the Traitor Rag at their shows.
(Pronounced Eye-D’ownt Lyk This!)
I don’t really care about most of this album but Tuesday’s Gone is such a nostalgic song from its use in Happy Gilmore than I can’t give this below a 3
this is like a 3/5 album for me, i guess im just not a fan of southern rock. I like the little riffs and choruses, but it's just not hitting me emotionally. It's not music that I can bop to or that gives me chills. I guess part of it is just not being able to maybe relate to the experience that the artist is trying to describe.
After the initial psych opening (the reverse drums got me listening closely) but once the trudging country-blues-rock riff came crashing in, the album more or less completely passed me by.... until the last five minutes of Free Bird's pure guitar heaven. It's fine. It's servicable meat and potatoes rock. If it was 1973, or I was in a pickup truck in Tennessee, then I'm sure it would sound fantastic. Sadly I'm not.
Oh this is the one with "Free Bird"! I liked that some of the songs were a little silly while the rest were very earnest. Big fan of the bluesier tracks.
I wanted to give this a 4 because I did enjoy it. But I absolutely despite long guitar solos, and that's what about 25% of every song is, so it gets a 3.
I was born and raised in Alabama, so I’m pretty sure I’m legally required to like this album. But seriously, there’s a lot of great stuff here. “Free Bird,” “Simple Man,” and “Tuesday’s Gone” are classics for a reason. Metallica even covered “Tuesday’s Gone” on Garage Inc., so if it’s good enough for them, I’m not arguing. “Gimme Three Steps” is just a fun song. Catchy as hell and hard not to sing along with. But I think “I Ain’t the One” might be the most underrated song on the album, especially compared to the ones everybody already knows. That riff is nasty and it’s a great opener. You can hear blues, country, and straight rock all over this thing, but it never feels like they’re trying to check boxes. It just sounds Southern. Some of the big songs are so overplayed that it’s hard to hear them with fresh ears anymore, but taken as a whole, this is still a damn good debut.
To address the free bird in the room: The song is overrated. It is 2 good songs mushed into one 9 minute long piece. It should have been 2 in order. Now to the rest of the album. It is really good. It appears down to earth but has so many atmospheric and harmonious pieces that carry the southern style Lynyrd Skynyrd are so famous for. I can see myself listening again to this one some day, which is more than I can say for many other albums on the list. Best songs are I Ain't The One and Gimme Three Steps. 8/10, memorable and inviting.
I got the classic vibes.
kind of mid
The greatest Southern rock album of all time.
No you’re Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)
It's an iconic album but after listening to it, it really wasn't better than average.
Lot of bangers
A couple of songs veer a little too close to country for me personally but the rest is just a great classic southern rock record. 3.5
I chose not to listen even though I know the big songs on the album. I would rather not listen to this band. Yes the songs are good and I heard them but I can’t support them.
It has all the hits.
Sensational album. Already loved most of the tracks but liked listening to some I hadn’t heard before
I liked this
3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/lynyrd-skynyrd/_pronounced-leh-nerd-skin-nerd/ Just perfectly fine, but if this list is showing me anything, it’s that I’m just not that much into classic rock.
It’s an all around really solid hard rock album with the closing track free bird being the obvious highlight of the whole album.
10/10
I really enjoyed this album in spite of all the flack Lynyrd Skynyrd gets.
4.5
Absolute classic with some of the most iconic songs of all time. However I wasn't feeling it as much probably because I hear these songs a lot and it didn't have the same impact as the first time I heard it. Still a fantastic album
Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of those bands that I've always heard one off songs from, and they have some classics that feel integrated into the music culture of the US. I've never actually listened to an album straight through before, and I was pleasantly surprised. Am I suddenly a fan? No. But this was more fun, and easier, to listen to than I expected. Also Free Bird is a such a great song.
Love it love it
I know of this band. I decide to listen to the "big hits" first, they actually weren't familiar to me - the music was not particularly appealing, the lyrics were offputting. The music not as tight or coherent as I was expecting from Wikipedia description that they were already playing the songs live and rehearsed a lot before recording. It also sounds hokey creaky croaky - it was 1973, so maybe they were setting a template, but still, today it sounds hokey. I listen to the other songs, I'm not impressed. If I wanted to hear Southern rock, I would go back to Drive By Truckers, that was an interesting album (though too long :-) This album, is Not Good, 4/10.
A classic! Recognized more songs than free bird. Guitar ripped, but the slow songs were not as good as the rest
So this is what FreeBird is from
Pronunciation Is crucial, but not needed To enjoy these songs.
Love Skynyrd
Though it lets itself down with some moments of outright corn, there’s a funky rock vibe that leads directly to a lot of my favourite music (read the Drive-By Truckers)