Lynyrd Skynyrd: A Retrospective, 1971-1977

Lynyrd Skynyrd A Retrospective: 1971-1977

Overview: Southern-rock group formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. They named themselves after founding members’ junior high school gym teacher, Leonard Skinner. They disbanded in 1977 after Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines were killed in a plane crash. Rossington, Collins Powell and Wilkeson formed the Rossington Collins Band in 1979, which lasted until 1982. Ronnie’s younger brother, Johnny, revived Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987. Note: This page focuses only on the classic years up through 1977. The Players: Highlighted names indicate which members of the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Ronnie Van Zant (vocals: 1964-77). Died 1977. Gary Rossington (guitar: 1964-77,1987-2023). Died 2023. Allen Collins (guitar: 1964-77). Died 1990. Bob Burns (drums: 1964-71, 1972-74). Died 2015. Larry Junstrom (bass: 1964-71). Died 2019. Billy Powell (keyboards: 1972-77, 1987-2009). Died 2009. Rickey Medlocke (drums, vocals, mandolin: 1971-72), (guitar vocals, mandolin: 1996-present) Greg T. Walker (bass: 1971-72) Leon Wilkeson (bass: 1972-77, 1987-2001). Died 2001. Ed King (bass: 1972-75, 1987-96). Died 2018. Artimus Pyle (drum: 1975-77, 1987-91) Steve Gaines (guitar: 1976-77). Died 1977. Cassie Gaines (backing vocals). Died 1977. On the Web: LynyrdSkynyrd.com (official site) Facebook Wikipedia Lists: DMDB podcast: Top 10 Songs Top 30 Songs

Awards:

The Studio Albums:

Compilations: GP Gold & Platinum (1972-77, released 1979) IN Skynyrd’s Innyrds (1973-77, released 1989) ES The Essential (1971-77, released 1998) 20 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection (1973-77, released 1999) AT All Time Greatest Hits (1972-77, released 2000) GH Greatest Hits (1972-77, released 2008) IC Icon (1972-77, released 2010) Under each album snapshot, songs featured on the anthologies are noted. If the song charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts.

Skynyrd’s First…and Last

Rating: 2.886 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Released: September 5, 1978 Recorded: 1971-72 Peak: 15 US, 50 UK, 35 CN, 89 AU Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Tracks: Down South Jukin’ GP, GH Preacher’s Daughter White Dove Was I Right or Wrong? ES, IC Lend a Helpin’ Hand Wino Comin’ Home GP, ES, AT, IC The Seasons Things Goin’ On Total Running Time: 36:36

Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd Lynyrd Skynyrd

Rating: 4.445 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more). Notes: See the DMDB page here.

Released: August 13, 1973 Peak: 27 US, 4 UK, 47 CN, 14 DF Sales (in millions): 2.0 US Tracks: I Ain’t the One (20 CL, 21 DF) GP, IN, ES, 20, GH, IC Tuesday’s Gone (6 CL, 7 DF) GP, ES, GH, IC Gimme Three Steps (11/5/73, 2 CL, 5 DF) GP, IN, ES, 20, AT, GH, IC Simple Man (1 CL, 7 DF) GP, ES, AT, GH, IC Things Goin’ On (25 DF) Mississippi Kid (25 DF) Poison Whiskey Free Bird (11/16/74, 19 US, 25 CB, 24 GR, 31 HR, 23 RR, 1 CL, 21 UK, 47 CN, 1 DF) GP, IN, ES, 20, AT, GH, IC Total Running Time: 43:03

Second Helping Lynyrd Skynyrd

Rating: 4.425 out of 5.00 (average of 19 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more). Notes: See the DMDB page here.

Released: April 15, 1974 Peak: 12 US, UK, 9 CN, 14 DF Sales (in millions): 2.0 US Tracks: Sweet Home Alabama (6/24/74, 8 US, 7 CB, 4 GR, 8 HR, 4 RR, 1 CL, 31 UK, 6 CN, 56 AU, 1 DF) GP, IN, ES, 20, AT, GH, IC I Need You Don’t Ask Me No Questions (4/74, 8 CL, 9 DF) IN Workin’ for MCA (19 CL, 21 DF) IN, ES, GH, IC The Ballad of Curtis Loew (11 CL, 9 DF) ES, AT, IC Swamp Music (3/26/88, 36 CL, 16 AR, 21 DF) IN, ES, 20, AT, IC The Needle and the Spoon (12 CL) Call Me the Breeze (3 CL, 9 DF) IN, ES, AT, GH, IC Total Running Time: 37:15

Nuthin’ Fancy Lynyrd Skynyrd

Rating: 2.843 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings)

Released: March 24, 1975 Peak: 9 US, 43 UK, 17 CN, 91 AU Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Tracks: Saturday Night Special (5/19/75, 27 US, 41 CB, 34 GR, 46 HR, 5 CL, 6 DF) GP, IN, ES, 20, AT, GH, IC Cheatin’ Woman Railroad Song I’m a Country Boy On the Hunt (12 CL) GP, GH Am I Losin’ Made in the Shade Whiskey Rock-a-Roller GP, ES, GH, IC Total Running Time: 37:34

Gimme Back My Bullets Lynyrd Skynyrd

Rating: 3.375 out of 5.00 (average of 2 ratings)

Released: February 2, 1976 Peak: 20 US, 34 UK, 73 CN Sales (in millions): 0.5 US Tracks: Gimme Back My Bullets (1976, 8 CL, 21 DF) GP, ES, AT, GH, IC Every Mother’s Son Trust I Got the Same Old Blues Double Trouble (2/2/1976, 80 US, 86 CB, 25 CL, 31 UK) IN, ES, 20, GH, IC Roll Gypsy Roll Searching Cry for the Bad Man All I Can Do Is Write About It ES, AT, IC Total Running Time: 34:57

Street Survivors Lynyrd Skynyrd

Rating: 4.089 out of 5.00 (average of 17 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more). Notes: See the DMDB page here.

Released: October 17, 1977 Peak: 5 US, 13 UK, 3 CN Sales (in millions): 2.0 US Tracks: What’s Your Name? (11/26/77, 13 US, 17 CB, 14 GR, 16 HR, 14 RR, 2 CL, 6 DF) GP, IN, ES, 20, AT, GH, IC That Smell (6 CL, 9 DF) GP, IN, ES, 20, AT, IC One More Time I Know a Little (11 CL, 21 DF) GP, ES, IC You Got That Right (10/17/77, 69 US, 68 CB, 6 CL, 9 DF) GP, ES, 20, AT, GH, IC I Never Dreamed (16 CL) ES Honky Tonk Night Time Man Ain’t No Good Life Total Running Time: 35:26

Gold & Platinum

Rating: 3.965 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)

Released: December 1979 Covers: 1972-77 Peak: 12 US, 49 UK, 56 CN Sales (in millions): 3.0 US Genre: Southern rock Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Down South Jukin’ (2) Saturday Night Special (3) Gimme Three Steps (live) (4) What’s Your Name (5) You Got That Right (6) Gimme Back My Bullets (7) Sweet Home Alabama (8) Free Bird (live) Tracks, Disc 2: (1) That Smell (2) On the Hunt (3) I Ain’t the One (live) (4) Whiskey Rock-a-Roller (5) Simple Man (6) I Know a Little (7) Tuesday’s Gone (8) Comin’ Home Total Running Time: 84:09

Skynyrd’s Innyrds

Rating: 3.774 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Released: April 30, 1989 Covers: 1973-77 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): 5.0 US Genre: Southern rock Tracks: (1) Sweet Home Alabama (2) Swamp Music (3) I Ain’t the One (4) Gimme Three Steps (5) Double Trouble (outtake version) (6) Free Bird (7) Truck Drivin’ Man * (8) Saturday Night Special (9) Workin’ for MCA (10) What’s Your Name? (11) That Smell (12) Don’t Ask Me No Questions (13) Call Me the Breeze * tracks not on previously noted albums Total Running Time: 62:37

The Essential

Rating: 3.696 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Released: August 25, 1998 Covers: 1971-1977 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Sweet Home Alabama (2) I Ain’t the One (3) Was I Right or Wrong? (4) Gimme Three Steps (5) Workin’ for MCA (6) Simple Man (7) Swamp Music (8) The Ballad of Curtis Loew (9) Saturday Night Special (10) Mr. Banker (11) Comin’ Home (12) Call Me the Breeze (13) Free Bird Tracks, Disc 2: (1) What’s Your Name? (2) Whiskey Rock-a-Roller (live) (3) Tuesday’s Gone (4) Double Trouble (5) I Know a Little (6) Four Walls of Railford (7) I Never Dreamed (8) Gimme Back My Bullets (live) (9) You Got That Right (10) All I Can Do Is Write About It (acoustic version) (11) That Smell (12) Free Bird (live) Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: Mr. Banker (recorded 1973) ES, IC Four Walls of Railford (recorded 1976) ES, IC Total Running Time: 2:10:47

20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection

Rating: 3.892 out of 5.00 (average of # ratings)

Released: March 9, 1999 Covers: 1973-1977 Peak: 60 US Sales (in millions): 2.9 US Tracks: (1) Sweet Home Alabama (2) What’s Your Name? (3) Gimme Three Steps (4) Double Trouble (5) You Got That Right (6) Saturday Night Special (7) That Smell (8) Swamp Music (9) I Ain’t the One (10) Free Bird Total Running Time: 47:02

All Time Greatest Hits

Rating: 4.107 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Released: March 14, 2000 Covers: 1972-1977 Peak: 56 US Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Tracks: (1) Sweet Home Alabama (2) Gimme Three Steps (3) Simple Man (4) Saturday Night Special (5) Swamp Music (6) The Ballad of Curtis Loew (7) Call Me the Breeze (8) Comin’ Home (9) Gimme Back My Bullets (10) What’s Your Name? (11) You Got That Right (12) All I Can Do Is Write About It (acoustic version) (13) That Smell (14) Free Bird (live) Total Running Time: 74:56

Greatest Hits

Rating: 3.510 out of 5.00 (average of 7 ratings)

Released: August 18, 2008 Covers: 1972-1977 Peak: -- US, 16 UK Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK Tracks: (1) Sweet Home Alabama (2) Free Bird (3) Saturday Night Special (4) Gimme Three Steps (5) Double Trouble (6) What’s Your Name? (7) Gimme Back My Bullets (8) I Ain’t the One (9) Whiskey Rock-a-Roller (10) Simple Man (11) Down South Jukin’ (12) You Got That Right (13) On the Hunt (14) Workin’ for MCA (15) Tuesday’s Gone (16) Call Me the Breeze Total Running Time: 76:17

Icon

Rating: 3.305 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings)

Released: August 31, 2010 Covers: 1973-1977 Peak: 145 US Sales (in millions): 0.5 US Tracks, Disc 1: (1) Sweet Home Alabama (2) Comin’ Home (3) I Ain’t the One (4) Mr. Banker (5) Tuesday’s Gone (6) Gimme Three Steps (7) The Ballad of Curtis Loew (8) Simple Man (9) Swamp Music (10) Was I Right or Wrong? (11) Workin’ for MCA (12) Free Bird Tracks, Disc 2: (1) Call Me the Breeze (2) Saturday Night Special (3) Double Trouble (4) All I Can Do Is Write About It (acoustic version) (5) Gimme Back My Bullets (6) Four Walls of Raiford (7) Whiskey Rock-a-Roller (live) (8) That Smell (9) I Know a Little (10) You Got That Right (11) What’s Your Name? (12) Free Bird (live)

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Lynyrd Skynyrd Dave’s Music Database: Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists Wikipedia page for Gold & Platinum Wikipedia page for Icon First posted 3/8/2023.