|
|
Music CD - Lynyrd Skynyrd: Street Survivors
|
Music CD: Street Survivors
Artist: Lynyrd Skynyrd
List Price: $13.98
Our Price: $9.97
Your Save: $ 4.01 ( 29% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Mca
|
Average Customer Rating:  
|
|
Tracks:
|
1. What's Your Name
2. That Smell
3. One More Time
4. I Know A Little
5. You Got That Right
6. I Never Dreamed
7. Honky Tonk Night Time Man
8. Ain't No Good Life
9. Georgia Peaches
10. Sweet Little Missy
11. You Got That Right (alternate version)
12. I Never Dreamed (alternate version)
13. Jacksonville Kid
|
|
|
Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0008811275020
Format: Extra tracks
Label: Mca
Manufacturer: Mca
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Mca
Release Date: 2001-11-20
Studio: Mca
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Can't think of a title. Doesn't matter.
Comment: The original line-up's last album opens with the Chuck Berry-like rock n' roll romp "What's Your Name", followed by another of the band's best-known songs, "That Smell".
Lynyrd Skynyrd were tighter than ever on this their fifth album, and there are several excellent songs to be found here. The swinging, mid-tempo "One More Time" was originally recorded back in 1971, six years before "Street Survivors" came out, but never released, and if it isn't one of the band's best-known songs, it is nevertheless one of their best.
"You Got That Right" is okay, it's not one of my favorites, but I know that a lot of people feel differently. And the melodic country-rock ballad "I Never Dreamed" is easy to like as well.
It's not all joy, though..."I Know A Little" isn't particularly memorable, and Skynyrd's version of Merle Haggard's "Honky Tonk Night Time Man" is too much Okie from Muskogee for me. Guitarist Steve Gaines' "Ain't No Good Life" is good enough, but no more than that.
This 2001 reissue features five bonus tracks, three alternates and two non-album tracks, "Georgia Peaches" and "Sweet Little Missy". Both are good, neither is great.
But the alternate "You Got That Right" is actually quite interesting, a little faster and more hard-hitting than the one originally issued, and the alternate and slightly shorter "I Never Dreamed" is very good as well, although not much different from the original.
Lots of great stuff here. "Pronounced..." remains Lynyrd Skynyrd's best studio album, and I would probably put "Bullets" before this one as well. But being Skynyrd's third-best album isn't half bad at all. Fans will certainly not want to be without this one.
Customer Rating:
Summary: What a crying shame...
Comment: that this album had to be the swan song for a great lineup of a great band.The addition of Steve Gaines to the band gave them a shot in the arm both creatively and instrumentally and if not for the unfortunate accident that ended it all, I believe they would have soared to new heights.I was , along with friends , set to go see them in concert(would have been the third time for me) when the plane crash occurred just three days prior to our going. This album ranks with their best(really probably was their best IMHO)and I never tire of listening to it.RIP Ronnie, Allen and Steve.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lynyrd Skynyrd - Enter Steve Gaines
Comment: When "Street Survivors" first came out in 1977 the cover depicted the band standing in a street filled with flames. 3 days after the album was release the band was involved in a horrific plane crash that took the lives of lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, new guitarist Steve Gaines, and seriously injured the rest of the members of the band. The album cover (which in particular showed Steve Gains engulfed in flames) was pulled immediately and replaced with a cover without the flames. The original vinyl album became quite the collector's item and is to this day. The album itself was a new beginning for Skynyrd. Stalwart guitarists Allen Collins and Gary Rossington were augmented by the new kid Steve Gaines to bring the band back to it's patented three guitar lineup. Gaines brought a fresh vitality to the band and he either writes or co-writes some of the best material to be found here. The album had 3 big hits "What's Your Name", "That Smell" and "You Got That Right" all great songs. The rest of the album is solid southern rock as well, with the highlight being Gaines bluesy closer "Ain't No Good Life". "Street Survivors" ranks up with the band's first two albums as the best they had produced. It would certainly have been interesting to see how far this version of the band could have gone had tragedy not struck in a Mississippi swamp.
Customer Rating:
Summary: THE CLASSIC LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S FINAL ACT.
Comment: Lynyrd Skynyrd's Street Survivors was released on October 17, 1977. Three days later, on October 20, three members of the band (Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines) were killed in a plane crash in Mississippi while touring. Street Survivors is different, in a number of ways, from Skynyrd's earlier albums. Steve Gaines had taken up residence as third guitarist in the band's three guitar lineup. Also a vocalist and songwriter, Steve's contributions would be more than just instrumental. Another difference was the band's collective state of mind. Playing music in the rowdy beer joints of Jacksonville, Florida for just enough money to survive was just a memory now. Lynyrd Skynyrd were southern rock legends by 1977, playing their special brand of that music on the world stage. The album's first two songs, What's Your Name and That Smell, reveal the band's mental state at the time. What's Your Name is a Lynyrd Skynyrd classic. A song about their rowdy life on the road, it has a familiar guitar riff and lead guitar solo that Skynyrd is famous for, and tells a story of drinking, fighting, and motel room sex (just another day at the office!). That Smell kicks things up another notch. It's both a regret and a warning of how drug and alcohol abuse can destroy lives. With Van Zandt singing like he means it, The Honkettes providing impassioned backing vocals, and a fantastic triple attack lead guitar assault, this is one of Skynyrd's best songs ever. I Know A Little is another one of their best songs. It's high energy rock and roll boogie woogie with lightning fast guitar, a slide guitar, and a great Billy Powell piano solo. If this song doesn't get you moving, check for a pulse. You Got That Right is another Skynyrd classic about life on on the road with Lynyrd Skynyrd. This song features something new from the band, dual lead singers. Van Zant and Gaines trade lines on the verses, and join in to sing harmony on the chourus.
I like to drink and dance all night,
If it comes to a fix I ain't afraid to fight,
You Got That Right, You Got That Right,
You Got That Right, You sure got that right!
That can't be anybody but Lynyrd Skynyrd! One More Time and I Never Dreamed are slower songs, more like ballads, and both have trademark Skynyrd guitar in them. Their cover of Merle Haggard's Honky Tonk Nite Time Man is high energy country complete with dobro and references to Merle, "Here's one for Bakersfield!" and "Sounds like Roy!" (Roy Nichols, Haggard's long time lead guitarist). The album closes with Steve Gaines singing the bluesy Ain't No Good Life. Great vocals, great guitar, and great Lynyrd Skynyrd. The first two bonus cuts, Georgia Peaches and Sweet Little Missy are good, but the last three, which are lesser versions of songs on the original album, are just curiosities. Street Survivors is a very good, energetic Lynyrd Skynyrd album, with great guitar work all over it. While not streetfighter raw and ready as their earlier albums, it's a rowdy testimonial to the life of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1977. Sadly, soon after it was released, three of their best would leave our world forever.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An Excellent, Though Tragic, Final Album
Comment: But now it's common knowledge. A mere three days after the triumphant release of one of their greatest albums, STREET SURVIVORS, Lynyrd Skynyrd would be struck down at their peak by the hands of fate. That we would never again hear from Ronnie Van Zant is a true tragedy, but we can take some comfort in knowing that he went down doing what he loved, traveling and singing his song, and that the band left us with this excellent final masterpiece.
Much praise has been heaped on this album since long before I started reviewing, with undoubtedly more to come, but I have listened to this time and again over the years, and am willing to stand by all the accolades. STREET SURVIVORS is a great album, and in many ways could be called Skynyrd's masterpiece.
From the get-go, STREET SURVIVORS establishes itself as something of a 'fresh start' for Skynyrd. Gone is the road-weariness and exhaustion of GIMME BACK MY BULLETS; in its place is a renewed sense of vitality and creative energy. "What's Your Name" and "You Got That Right" are the most energetic southern boogies Skynyrd has cut since SECOND HELPING, while "That Smell" grabs the dark edginess of "Saturday Night Special." On the flip side, "I Never Dreamed" is one of Ronnie's most poignant and accomplished ballades, as is "One More Time," a revival of a forgotten early gem.
Of course, while Ronnie's songwriting is the anchor of Skynyrd's sound, it wouldn't come to life without the excellent musicians Van Zant surrounded himself with. At the forefront is Steve Gaines, the rookie whose slick guitar picking goes a long way in giving this album its strength and energy. Gaines also proves to be a solid songwriter, collaborating with Ronnie on some of the albums highlights, and even contributing a few of his own songs, not least of which is the excellent honkey-tonk-meets-blues number "Ain't No Good Life." Meanwhile, Rossington and Collins are clearly inspired by the new guy, as their solos here are as fresh and captivating as they've ever been. And, of course Billy Powell submits some outstanding saloon style piano, especially on "Honkey Tonk Night Time Man," while Artimus and Leon manage the task of keeping the beat.
Really, praise of this album at this point is superfluous. But in this case, I feel compelled to contribute my two cents anyway. This is an excellent album, no doubt one of Skynyrd's best. And if the original band had to go out, at least they managed to go out on top. Highly recommended.
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
Lynyrd Skynyrd had already fulfilled a good deal of its promise on definitive Southern-rock albums such as Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd and the live One More From the Road when they stepped up their ambition a few more notches for this October 1977 release. Fueled by new member Steve Gaines, the Florida band produced its best album. Gaines, Gary Rossington, and Allen Collins interlocked on guitars as if they'd learned it all in the womb together, while singer Ronnie Van Zant came up with his most evocative lyrics yet. The shadow of death he detected on "That Smell" was closer than perhaps even he thought, however: three days after the record's appearance in stores, he was killed along with five others in a Mississippi crash of the group's tour plane. Street Survivors remains as a classic of American guitar rock. --Rickey Wright
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
