Look no further than "Second Helping" to experience vintage Lynyrd Skynyrd. The current version of the band is a weak facsimile that probably has Ronnie Van Zant rolling in his grave.
There were eight cuts on the Southern rockers' second effort, each one a standalone classic. Clearly this recording is the definitive Southern rock album from the progenitors of the genre. It was this "Second Helping" from the boys that put them over the top and gave life to so many other bands like Molly Hatchet and 38 Special a few years later.
Tracks
01.
Sweet Home Alabama
05.
Ballad of Curtis Loew
02.
I Need You
06.
Swamp Music
03.
Don't Ask Me No Questions
07.
Needle and the Spoon
04.
Workin' for MCA
08.
Call Me the Breeze
Genre: Southern Rock Label: Audio Fidelity Website AmazonLinkSourceLink
Audio Fidelity sure knows how to pick 'em! This version of "Second Helping" does the legendary rockers justice with a crisp and driving version of the recording. The power and rhythm of the band along with Van Zant's distinctive vocals all comes through nicely on this CD. The master tape transfer must have been handled with kid gloves because this music sounds reborn, just as if the band released the album this year. That is the entire idea when the label takes these classic recordings through its meticulous process of remastering. It never seems to fail.
"Sweet Home Alabama" is an eternal rock classic and one of those songs, like "Stairway to Heaven," you are likely to hear at any given time up and down the radio dial or on any Internet rock radio station. "Don't Ask Me No Question," "Needle and the Spoon" and "Call Me The Breeze" were not given as much attention as the aforementioned Southern-rock anthem, however, they were just as strong, making this recording a rock-solid foundation for a soon-to-be mushrooming genre.
You gotta have this one if you love Lynyrd Skynyrd or Southern rock, any which way you look at it brother, Alabama never sounded so sweet.
Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck offers up weekly music picks for iBerkshires. Find more reviews at muzikreviews.com and contact at info@muzikreviews.com.
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