Garage Sale Vinyl: Lynyrd Skynyrd
One More From the Road / MCA / September 1976
by Christopher Long
Hey! I want you to welcome some very old friends of ours — LYNYRD SKYNYRD!
The gruff, biker-vibe, spoken album intro from legendary concert promoter Alex Cooley was as no-nonsense as the ensuing 80-some-minute live music performance delivered by one of the most no-nonsense rock bands of the day.
A true blue workingman’s rock and roll band, Lynyrd Skynyrd was the real deal — a bona fide, walking, talking, breathing specimen of the fabled sex, drugs, & rock and roll lifestyle. While I have no desire to ruffle the feathers of any Jonestown-type followers, I will say that as a purist, I personally believe that the heart and soul of Skynyrd died in Gillsburg, Mississippi on October 20, 1977. As a result, I recognize only the band’s pre-plane crash recordings as authentic Skynyrd albums. And to this day, those first six studio sets (including Skynyrd’s First and… Last) stand tall as blameless, timeless, tough-as-nails testaments. However, the stage was where the band earned its legendary status. On the street, Skynyrd took no shit. But on the stage, the fellas took no prisoners.
Overseen by celebrated veteran producer Tom Dowd (Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart), One More From the Road was recorded over a three-night stint in July ‘76 at the famed Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. At the time, the rock music market was being flooded by a sea of live albums. Although many of them became iconic, others were desperate cash grabs and faded away. But One More From the Road REALLY raised the bar. It was recorded and produced so beautifully, so meticulously — every note, even every one of Billy Powell’s magical, barroom-birthed ivory twinkles were ALL so crisp, so crystal clear, it provided listeners a virtual in-the-flesh concert experience — placing them center stage, tenth row. Dude! I smell reefer!
Sales for the band’s then-current studio album, Gimme Back My Bullets, were sluggish compared to the previous three LPs. And the word around the ol’ water cooler was that band patriarch and charismatic frontman Ronnie Van Zant was growing increasingly concerned about his band’s escalating partying and the management’s continued fast and loose business practices. However, if there were problems in the Skynyrd camp, none of it managed to seep from the grooves of One More From the Road, as the band was firing on ALL cylinders.
With the ferociousness of an agitated grizzly, the opening double whammy of “Workin’ for MCA” and “I Ain’t the One” possessed the power to pummel and maul anyone foolhardy enough to get in the way. Over the years, much has been written and discussed about Van Zant’s mystique and the blazing brutality of guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins. And One More From the Road captures ALL of that. But what it arguably reveals most vividly is the fat and throaty splendor of bassist Leon Wilkeson pinned to the powerhouse chops of drummer Artimus Pyle. As a result of Wilkeson’s signature style chug and Pyle’s rock-ribbed precision, such tracks as “Gimme Back My Bullets,” “Call Me the Breeze,” and “The Needle and the Spoon” hit like 200-pound sacks-a-taters, making a strong case for the skin-tight rhythm section being the key ingredient to Skynyrd’s sauce.
Unlike the “cheesecake” trotted out on stage by other bands, Skynyrd’s backup-singing trio, The Honkettes, wasn’t merely “eye candy.” Bringing nothing but value and cred to the table, Leslie Hawkins, Cassie Gaines, and JoJo Billingsley came from professional backgrounds. They sparkled like diamonds from start to finish, especially on such standouts as “Searching,” “Tuesday’s Gone,” “Travelin’ Man,” “Whiskey Rock-A-Roller,” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” Also making his Skynyrd LP debut, newly-recruited Oklahoma guitarist Steve Gaines went nose-to-nose with Rossington and Collins throughout the record, particularly on the Jimmie Rodgers staple, “T for Texas.”
Ugh, do I dare mention that song? Honestly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t. Truth be told, Skynyrd’s soaring, 11-minute version of “Free Bird” on One More From the Road remains heart-stopping, indeed. And along with Frampton’s “Do You Feel Like We Do,” it could be said that this version of “Free Bird” has rightfully become one of the two most iconic live rock tracks ever. I heard it then!
I’ve owned One More From the Road in various configurations since purchasing my first copy on vinyl as a crazed 15-year-old rock consumer in 1977, all of which have vanished over the years. My most recent vinyl copy was acquired last summer at a little used joint in Florida just before I split to Oklahoma. Although it was an ‘80s-era reissue, it plays great, and it only cost me $6. I just wish it had come with the photo-plastered insert.
5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
One More From the Road Track List
SIDE ONE
1. Workin’ for MCA (E. King, R. Van Zant) – 4:38
2. I Ain’t the One (G. Rossington, R. Van Zant) – 3:37
3. Searching (A. Collins, R. Van Zant) – 3:51
4. Tuesday’s Gone (A. Collins, R. Van Zant) – 7:39
SIDE TWO
1. Saturday Night Special (E. King, R. Van Zant) – 5:30
2. Travellin’ Man (L. Wilkeson, R. Van Zant) – 4:08
3. Whiskey Rock-A-Roller (E. King, R. Van Zant, B. Powell) – 4:14
4. Sweet Home Alabama (E. King, R. Van Zant, G. Rossington) – 6:49
SIDE THREE
1. Gimme Three Steps (A. Collins, R. Van Zant) – 5:00
2. Call Me the Breeze (J. Cale) – 5:27
3. T for Texas (J. Rodgers) – 8:26
SIDE FOUR
1. The Needle and the Spoon (A. Collins, R. Van Zant) – 4:17
2. Crossroads (R. Johnson) – 3:44
3. Free Bird (A. Collins, R. Van Zant) – 11:30
