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Class 6(66)
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Street survivors
24/06/10 || InquisitorGeneralis
Introduction
Before the tragic plane crash in 1977 that killed front man Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines, Lynyrd Skynyrd was the best fucking rock band in the world… in my not so humble opinion. No band had the combination of musical ability and genuine, from-the-dirt personality that Skynyrd possessed. They didn’t need the high-handed aloofness of Pink Floyd, the make-up and fireworks of Kiss, the outlandish excesses of Led Zeppelin, or the clean-cut image of stadium rockers like Peter Frampton to make an impact. Skynyrd let the music do the talking and on “Street Survivors” they perfected hard-edged southern rock. They were 100% no fucken bullshit.
How does this relate to metal you ask? Just listen to the guitars. No other band has ever been able to perfect three-guitar Shaolin Kung-Fu like Lynyrd Skynyrd. Iron Maiden are still trying. Skynyrd set the standard for incredible leads and solos. Think about it, before them the great bands had one guitarist: Townsend, Page, Iommi, etc etc. On “Street Survivors” Skynyrd had three, more on that later. The real tragedy is that this near-perfect record was the last one to feature the true Lynyrd Skynyrd band and even though the survivors have soldiered on admirably they have, and will never reach this point again.
Songwriting
10. Skynyrd were masters of many song trades: the ballad, the country jingle, and the straight up rocker. “Street Survivors” has ‘em all. “That smell” is a hard hitting indictment of the drug filled, booze soaked of a rock star. “What’s your name?” and the honky-tonk infused “I know a little” definitely shows the bands country roots. Shit even gets a little bluestastic on “Ain’t no good life” while the ballads “I never dreamed” and “You got that right” are emotional but in no way emo or pussied out. Say that and Ronnie Van Zant’s corpse will resurrect and rip your fucking throat out. Newly added guitarist Steve Gaines chipped in alot during the songwriting process for “Street Survivors” and his influence clearly gave the band a shot in the arm of creativity.
Production
10. “Street Survivors” sounds great. This was a major label release so that is no surprise. Each instrument sounds clear and distinct. I could have used a bit more UUUMMMPPPHHH from the drums but that just not a high priority back then so I am willing to overlook this one extremely slight issue in light of the fact that everything else, including the piano, sounds excellent.
Guitars
10. Collins, Gaines, and Rossington is one of, if not, the best trio of guitarists to play together on a rock/metal album. They play together, off of each other, solo, and everything in between effortlessly. Listen to the intro of “That smell” and you will get my drift. Other highlights include the solo and opening sections of “I never dreamed” and the leads on “What’s your name” and “You got that right”. While most people think “Freebird” was the pinnacle of Skynyrd guitar style and sound, song after song on “Street Survivors” prove that things were only getting better before the tragic plane crash.
Drums
8. Artemis Pyle was definitely underrated for his time: certainly overshadowed by the other great drummers of the 70’s like John Bonham and Keith Moon. Still, his playing is solid and he creates a solid backbone for the music on “Street Survivors” as the tone and style of the songs change significantly throughout the record. It’s a shame ole’ Artemis is not in the band anymore due to extreme personal issues that I think make him introduce himself to his neighbors any time he has to move. While he may be an old redneck dirt bag now, his performance on ‘Street Survivors” was damn good.
Bass
9. Leon Wilkinson (RIP) is another Skynyrd member who was a master at his instrument but was overshadowed by other bass players of the time like John Paul Jones, John Entwhistle, and Geezer Butler. Wilkinson is still a strong presence on “Street Survivors” even with three muthafucken ace guitarists in front of him: what more do you need to hear? His death a few years ago was as much of a loss to the band as the plane crash that took Van Zant and Gaines. Wilkinson especially shines on the country-style numbers “I know a little” and “You got that right”.
Vocals
10. Ronnie Van Zant was an iconic front man who should be mentioned along with Page, Mercury, and Daltrey as one of the best ever. He was clearly humble and unassuming yet maintained a striking presence on stage. Oh, and the fucker could sing too. His vocals match the tone and feel of each individual song perfectly: on “That smell” you can feel the anger mixed with depression. While obviously not a classically trained singer, his voice and style were a perfect match for Skynryd. Want proof? The only person who could have a snowball’s chance in hell of replacing him was his almost clone-like twin brother who (and he will admit) is not up the level of his brother but honors him and represents his music well. Anyway, Ronne VZ was the fucken man and on “Street Survivors” he howls, croons, and boogies like no other and every time I hear this record I wish I could have heard him in person. /endRonnieloverant
Lyrics
10. Genuine, heartfelt, emotional, and not shitty is what you get on “Street Survivors”. Not once while listening to you ever feel that these songs were written for you to like or to be pop-successes. This is not glossy, stadium rock fodder… although Skynyrd fucking filled stadiums. “What’s your name” is a great song about trying to get laid while “I never dreamed” is a bit more on the romantic side, but still about sending your love dolphin into the bearded clam. “That smell” is a mind-blowing song so I am sorry if it keeps coming up again and again. You want some classic lyrics? Put these up yer nose…
Angel of darkness is upon you
Stuck a needle in your arm
So take another toke, have a blow for your nose
One more drink fool, will drown you
Yeah you motherfucker, you’re a weepy, yeasty, vaggy douche if you deny to awesomeness of “Street Survivors”.
Cover
8. The cover is one of the most controversial aspects of “Street Survivors”. The original version had the band standing with flames and shit behind them. After the crash it was changed because several of the members, including Steve Gaines who died, where portrayed as being surrounded by flames. Seeing as they died in a fiery plane crash, this was considered in bad taste and the cover was changed. The original fire one was awesome but I understand why it got switched. The newer one is ok too. Here is the original cover. I would gladly wear any one of those outfits.
Logo
7. Just he band’s name in somewhat-style type, logos were not a big fucken deal then I suppose so no big deal. This was before the era when logos had dead babies, vaginas, anuses, impaled Christians, and grim reapers in them. Do logos really matter anyway?
Booklet
N/A Honestly, I do not remember where I got my burned copy of “Street Survivors” from. I think I originally bought this back in high school and burned a back-up because the original is long fucken gone. Either way, I don’t have it currently so nothing more I can say. Oh, but I did not throw it away like somebody around here.
Overall and Ending Rant
When people think Skynyrd, they think “Freebird”… and I fucken hate that. I love me some “Freebird”, hell I’ve had to pull my car over and sit on the side of the road while rocking out to that song. But, it is not the ultimate achievement of the band’s career, ‘Street Survivors” is because it has the best variety and largest number of quality tracks while be the best sounding, most professional record the band made. This should have made Skynyrd the biggest band in the world and if the plane crash had not taken three core members from them, it most certainly would have. I’m not lying when I tell you it’s that good.
“Street survivors” is one of the most overlooked and best rock albums of the 1970’s or any other decade. It is a masterpiece filled with varied, diverse songs that flow from heavy and angry to emotional and melodic. If you are looking for a place to start when it comes to Skynyrd, this is it. If you like Skynyrd and don’t own this, you fucken suck and need to pick it up immediately. I know it is easy to go buy some “Millennium Collection” or some other bullshit Rhino-produced compilation. To get the true feeling of what this band was about you need the albums, period…and “Street Survivors’ is the best. As Charlie Daniels once said…
Long live the Lynryd Skynyrd band!!!
- Info
- Released: 1977
- Label: (Working for) MCA
- Website: www.lynyrdskynyrd.com
- Band
- Ronnie Van Zant: lead vocals
- Steve Gaines: guitar, backing vocals
- Allen Collins: guitar
- Gary Rossington: guitar
- Billy Powell: keyboards
- Leon Wilkeson: bass
- Artimus Pyle: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. What’s Your Name?
- 02. That Smell
- 03. One More Time
- 04. I Know A Little
- 05. You Got That Right
- 06. I Never Dreamed
- 07. Honky Tonk Night Time Man
- 08. Ain’t No Good Life
