Yet another
Lynyrd Skynyrd
compilation -- as if there weren't already plenty -- not that there are that many available anymore, since CDs go out of print so quickly now.
Gold
is a bit different, though, in its bid to become a definitive double-disc overview. First of all there is the sound. Everything here has been remastered in 24-bit digital, so it's wonderful. Next, of course, is the track listing.
"Free Bird"
has a version on each disc. On disc one, the original studio version appears; on disc two, at the very end, is the extended live version issued on
One More from the Road
. The live version of
"Gimme Back My Bullets"
that's here was issued only on a white-label promo. OK, everything the somewhat-more-than-casual
Skynyrd
fan would want is here, from
"Sweet Home Alabama,"
their first hit, to the still-startling read of
J.J. Cale
's
"Call Me the Breeze,"
to the original recorded version of
"Comin' Home,"
which was originally issued on
The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd
.
"Workin' for the MCA,"
is here, as is
"Saturday Night Special,"
"Swamp Music,"
"What's Your Name,"
the live version of
"Whiskey Rock-A-Roller"
from
, there's the really killer demo of
"Four Walls of Raiford"
that was only released on the box set, so more casual listeners will get a chance to hear this wonderful cut. But then the rest of the hits are here too:
"Tuesday's Gone,"
"That Smell,"
"You Got That Right,"
and more. Bottom dollar is this: as a two-disc
comp, this will be the one to beat; it's solid top to bottom with a few goodies thrown in for measure. ~ Thom Jurek