Radcliffe Wrote:
tentoze Wrote:
At the risk of being burned at the stake, I still credit Kooper's production as much as anything to the resulting success of the album. I was around locally for the 2-3 years prior to the big debut album- they played somewhere here just about every weekend. Wasn't a fan then, never became one either.
I'm curious to hear more about this - because those recently unearthed Muscle Shoals tapes suggest that Skynyrd had arrived at their sound before Kooper got a hold of them. But I'm totally interested in your firsthand perspective.
On reflection, my initial time line was a bit off- for some reason I was thinking the debut was in '71. Hell getting old, but no matter. The local period I initially referred to was 68-69, and possibly the very early part of '70, meaning there was maybe a 2 year gap between when I left Jacksonville and the release of the first album.
In the 68-69 time frame, they played everywhere here (except the Northside where I grew up), often free. They were a second rate covers band- never heard an original tune during that period, which I don't condemn them for, just an observation. They couldn't play very well as individuals, or together as a unit. Van Zant had minimal talent as a singer. And that redneck swagger that became associated with them later in their career was pure posing at the time. Maybe they grew into it honestly over the years, I don't know.
There was another local band playing around at about the same time called the Second Coming who were absolutely terrific. They changed their name when Duane and Greg Allman and Jaimoe joined them a year so later. Them, I liked. A lot.
I didn't see much improvement in their musical skills over maybe 20 club shows during that period, then, as I said, I left JAX, and didn't think about them at all until well after the debut had been released, and Freebird was an FM smash.
Odd side note, my first wife and I were trying a reconciliation about that time, and she kept telling me about this song that we had to go get the album, but didn't know who it was, or even the name of the song- not a very bright girl, but I digress- I didn't listen to radio even back then, so based on her description (not very apt), we bought Marshall Tucker Band's "A New Life" first. Oops, she hated that (I didn't), then we found the "right" album, and I was shocked that Skynyrd had been recorded doing anything.
My impressions of the debut were that they were somewhat improved technically, played more as a band than earlier, had written some pretty banal songs, and Van Zant still couldn't sing for shit. Never bought another of their albums.
I haven't heard that Muscle Shoals thing, and have no desire to- was that blurb written by the record company?
