Track Listing

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

Disc 2:

1. What's Your Name
2. Whiskey Rock-A-Roller
3. Tuesday's Gone
4. Double Trouble
5. I Know A Little
6. Four Walls Of Raiford
7. I Never Dreamed
8. Gimme Back My Bullets
9. You Got That Right
10. All I Can Do Is Write About It
11. That Smell
12. Free Bird

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35950 in Music
• Released on: 1999-03-20
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Box set, Double CD, Extra tracks
• Running time: 130 minutes

CD Description
The 1998 Lynyrd Skynyrd compilation THE ESSENTIAL follows for the most part the same set-up as its 1979 set, GOLD AND PLATINUM, the two discs both collecting the best tracks Skynyrd recorded during its original run from 1973-1977. But whatmakes the two sets different is the inclusion of several rarities--demo versions of "Four Walls of Raiford" and "Comin'Home", as well as an unplugged version of "All I Can Do Is Write About It". Add to this such Skynyrd classics as "SweetHome Alabama", "Gimme Three Steps", "What's Your Name", "Whiskey Rock-A-Roller", "Freebird", and "Tuesday's Gone", and you have another solid career overview of these Southern rock co-founders.

Customer Reviews

The Essential Lynyrd Skynrd
What can I say!! I bought this double cd after I had just found my old vinyl 45 of Freebird/Sweet Home Alabama/Double Trouble in the attic, I decided I needed to test out some more of Skynrd as those were the only tracks which I had previously heard. If you are like myself and only know Skynrd for those few tracks then I do strongly advise you to purchase this double cd!! Its rock, its boogie, its bluesy, its smoltzy and the guitar playing is exceptional, this is music which should be listened to, (for those midnight mellow moments), the vocals by Van Zant are fabulous. This is one of my best buys this year along with the Deep Purple 2cd Made in Japan album. If you only remember Lynyrd Skynrd for Freebird, give this a try...you won't be disapointed, you will be taken into a whole new form of music, I was!!. American boogie rock at its best.

Southern rock at its best
Lynyrd Skynyrd are primarily remembered for two songs - Sweet home Alabama and Free bird - but there is so much more of their music that is worth listening to.

Sweet home Alabama is an ode to the pleasures of living in Alabama, whatever Neil Young might think - the Canadian rock icon (whose music I also enjoy) had recorded a couple of songs, one titled Southern man and the other titled Alabama, which offended them. Despite the reference to Neil Young and another controversial reference to Alabama's then-governor (George Wallace), this song is essentially a joyous, fun song and should be taken as such. I've never been to Alabama, but this song makes it sound like paradise. Neil Young's song made it sound anything but.

Free bird has become a classic piece of rock music. Apart from its sheer quality, its length (almost ten minutes) helps its popularity in jukeboxes - you pay the same to play a record whatever its length, so you get your money's worth with Free bird. And you get two versions here - the original studio version from 1973 plus a live version from 1976.

There are many other great tracks here, among them I ain't the one, Simple man, Saturday night special, Tuesday's gone and an amazing cover of J J Cale's Call me the breeze.

Lynyrd Skynyrd were among the best southern rock bands of the seventies, perhaps even the best of all. This collection contains all their best music, superbly re-mastered and with extensive liner notes.

Fantastic stuff!
Only being familiar with "Sweet Home, Alabamha" and the ubiquitous"Freebird", I listened to this with a fair degree of expectation. I haveto say that it only took a couple of listenings to grow to LOVE thisalbum...highly recommended if you aren't too knowledgable about LynyrdSkynyrd and want to be blown away at the variety and sheer hard-rockingtunes you'll get here!