Geffen are releasing several authorised bootlegs from the famous Wolfgangs Vault. The first two are by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The band played this sold-out show at San Francisco’s Winterland ballroom, they had become the unmistakable kings of Southern Rock. Spearheaded by charismatic frontman, Ronnie Van Zant, the group had taken southern boogie from the swamps and brought it to the masses.
There is an enormous amount of energy and power in the multiple guitar mix of the band, and that is clearly apparent when they launch into solos on these songs. The group had built a solid following via AOR radio by 1975, and songs like “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird” had given the band enormous crossover appeal. The group was coming off two hugely successful albums, its debut (pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd) and 1974’s Second Helping, and they had recently replaced original drummer Bob Burns with Artimus Pyle.
This show was recorded during the band’s tour promoting their 1975 album, Nuthin’ Fancy, and it features the band at the top of their game. It was also one of the last shows featuring their original three-guitar lineup, as Ed King left the band midway through the tour. Skynyrd confidently played its brand of riff-driving Southern fried rock boogie to near capacity crowds on this entire ‘75 tour.
Poignant songs like “The Needle And The Spoon” are balanced against established Skynyrd rockers such as “Saturday Night Special” and “Gimmie Three Steps.” Songs like “Whiskey Rock-A-Roller”, “Call Me The Breeze”, and “Sweet Home Alabama” are played here in their early forms—many of these classics would re-emerge as part of the must-do repertoire of so many country artists.
The band ends the show with a predictable but crowd-pleasing, version of its radio anthem, “Free Bird.” Sadly, the band would change drastically when some of its members, including lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, would die in a plane crash two years after this show was recorded.
Members:
Allen Collins – guitar
Ed King – guitar
Artimus Pyle – drums
Gary Rossington – guitar
Ronnie Van Zant – lead vocals
Leon Wilkeson – bass, background vocals
Tracklisting:
1. Cry For the Bad Man
2. Saturday Night Special
3. Searching
4. I Got the Same Old Blues
5. Gimme Back My Bullets
6. Tuesday’s Gone
7. Needle and the Spoon, The
8. Gimme Three Steps/Call Me the Breeze
9. Sweet Home Alabama
10. Free Bird
Lynyrd Skynyrd was performing in the United Kingdom on a tour promoting their third studio album, Nuthin’ Fancy. The band was coming off two hugely successful albums, their debut, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd and 1974’s Second Helping, and they had recently changed both their drummer (from Bob Berns to Artimus Pyle) and lost their original guitarists, Ed King. The changes had appeared to revitalize the band, which, although down to six pieces, played with more energy and passion than they had before.
This show features the band in an environment where the band felt comfortable and was at the top of their game. With the exception of the Allman Brothers, most Southern Rock bands had stayed away from the U.K. during this period because the country’s music scene was so wrapped up in the emerging punk movement. But that didn’t scare Skynyrd, who confidently played their brand of riff-driving Southern fried rock boogie to near capacity crowds on this tour.
Kicking off with the raucous “Double Trouble” they quickly move into “I Ain’t The One,” from their debut album. Poignant songs like “Needle And Spoon” are balanced against established Skynyrd rockers such as, “Saturday Night Special” and “Gimmie Three Steps.” Songs like “Whiskey Rock A Roller,” “Call Me The Breeze,” and “Sweet Home Alabama” are played here in their original form, and it is somehow strangely ironic that many of these classics would re-emerge as part of the must-do repertoire of so many country artists.
The band ends the show with a predictable, but crowd-pleasing version of their radio hit, “Free Bird,” which clocks in at 12:20. Sadly, the band would change drastically when some of their members, including lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, died in a plane crash less than two years after this show was recorded.
Members:
Allen Collins – guitar
Ed King – guitar
Artimus Pyle – drums
Gary Rossington – guitar
Ronnie Van Zant – lead vocals
Leon Wilkeson – bass, background vocals
Tracklisting:
1. Double Trouble
2. I Ain’t the One
3. Needle and the Spoon, The
4. Saturday Night Special
5. Gimme Three Steps
6. Whiskey Rock-a-Roller
7. Call Me the Breeze
8. Sweet Home Alabama
9. Free Bird
Authorized Bootleg: Live at the Cardiff Capitol Theater – Cardiff, Wales Nov. 04 1975 [LIVE] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Buy your copy at our store or buy it here
Buy your copy at our store or buy it here
Authorized Bootleg: Live at Winterland – San Francisco Mar. 07 1976 [Live] [Original recording remastered]
Buy your copy at our store or buy it here
Buy your copy at our store or buy it here
Follow YourWayToMusic