This Review and 241 More Like It Can Be Found In My AMAZON e-Book
PICK UP THE PIECES - 1974
Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional
CD Reissues and Remasters
Classic Albums, Compilations, 45's...
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"...Dig You Georgia Peaches..."
Containing the epoch-making
9-minute "Freebird" - it's hardly surprising that Lynyrd Skynyrd's
1973 debut album "Pronounced..." usually gets all the plaudits when
it comes to appraising their Seventies catalogue. But for me their next platter
"Second Helping" has always been their Southern Rock masterpiece and
a far better album overall. If anything the years have been more than kind to
those 'Sounds Of The South' - up to a point where the album's legend continues
to grow and regularly gets rediscovered as people dig out Classic 1970s Rock
albums. I bought "Second Helping" in 1974 along with Joe Walsh's
"So What" and Todd Rundgren's "Utopia" and all have been
firmly wedged in my soft machine ever since.
There are three versions of
Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Second Helping" on CD of note – one cheap and the
other two pricey (but worth it).
The star in a reasonably
priced car is the American 'Expanded' CD Remaster on MCA Records B001171902
(Barcode 602517805125) issued in November 1997 (sells for as little as four
quid at times - us the Barcode to get that issue). It was remastered by DOUG SCHWARTZ
from the original two-track master tapes, features a nicely featured 16-page
booklet and three bonus tracks worth having (53:55 minutes). I own this version
and the Remaster is ballsy if not a little overly loud. The three bonus cuts
however are a real treat for Skynyrd fans – "Don't Ask Me No Questions
(Single Version)", "Was I Right Or Wrong (Sounds Of The South
Demo)" (5:33 minutes) and "Take Your Time (Sounds Of The South
Demo)" (7:29 minutes). The last two are barroom boogie outtakes and
feature some tremendous slide and piano bolstered up here with fabulous audio
("...take my time and love 'em slow...") Ronnie assures the ladies.
"Take Your Time" was also a non-album B-side in the USA to the 45 of
"Don't Ask Me No Questions".
There's a 2014 Hybrid SACD
reissue by the American company Analogue Productions on CAPP 413 SA (Barcode
753088041365) remastered by a Sound Engineer of real repute - KEVIN GRAY (see
Joe Walsh's "The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get" and Randy
Newman's "12 Songs" both on Audio Fidelity). The Analogue Productions
issue features the straightforward 8-track LP in one of those round-corner
jewel cases, restored artwork, wonderfully clear sound quality and doesn't
require SACD playback to get the CD Remaster. However it regularly clocks in at
thirty quid or more.
But my personal poison is
the 2009 HDCD Audiophile straightforward transfer of the eight track album on
Audio Fidelity AFZ 054 (Barcode 780014205423) – a limited Numbered Edition of
3000 (No'd on the rear) which is again a KEVIN GRAY remaster (37:16 minutes).
Initial pressings of the HDCD had a glitch just ahead of the "Call Me The
Breeze" track where it was mastered with a false start. Mistakes were
quickly admitted – it was withdrawn and replaced with the AFZ 054 X suffix
(same Barcode) and all was well. The die-cut black and gold card slipcase and
the foldout inlay (reproduced artwork, Sounds Of The South logo etc) are both
very pretty and the 24KT Gold CD itself looks and feels impressive.
1. Sweet Home Alabama
2. I Need You
3. Don't Ask Me No Questions
4. Workin' For MCA
5. The Ballad Of Curtis Loew
[Side 2]
6. Swamp Music
7. The Needle And The Spoon
8. Call Me The Breeze
Tracks 1 to 8 are their 2nd
studio album "Second Helping" – released 15 April 1974 in the USA on MCA/Sounds
Of The South MCA-413 and June 1974 in the UK on MCA Records MCF 2547. It peaked
at No. 12 on the US Album charts.
LYNYRD SKYNYRD were:
RONNIE VAN ZANT – Lead
Vocals
GARY ROSSINGTON – Lead
Guitar (Gibson Les Paul) and Acoustic Guitar
ALLEN COLLINS – Lead Guitar
(Gibson Firebird)
ED KING – Guitars (Bass on
"I Need You" and "Don't Ask Me No Questions")
BILLY POWELL – Keyboards
LEON WILKINSON – Bass
BOB BURNS – Drums
CLYDIE KING, SHIRLEY
MATTHEWS and MERRY CLAYTON – Backing Vocals on "Sweet Home Alabama"
BOBBY KEYS, TREVOR LAWRENCE
and STEVE MADIAO – Horns on "Don't Ask Me No Questions" and
"Call Me The Breeze"
AL KOOPER – Producer - also
Backing Vocals and Piano on "Don't Ask Me No Questions" and "The
Ballad Of Curtis Loew"
But what gets you about this
remaster is the clarity on all the instruments. You may have to give
"Sweet Home Alabama" a bit of welly on your amp for sure – but when
you do - the results are thrilling. This simple, funky and cool tune leaps out
of the speakers at you rocking and ready to kick your teeth in (even old Neil
would be proud of this). Listen close enough too and you’ll hear the dulcet
tones of Merry Clayton who did that duet vocal with Mick Jagger on "Gimme
Shelter" back in 1969. Their very best Blues song ever "I Need
You" follows. I suspect many die-hard fans see "I Need You" as
their penultimate track in truth – a gritty slow burning guitar Blues that
captures their truly unique sound - Gary Rossington and Allen Collins battling
it out on their Gibson Les Paul and Firebird. It's also a tune fans have had
not heard in the live environment for over 45 years - check out the YouTube
footage of the new band with Johnny Van Zant on Lead Vocals doing the song in
Calgary in March of 2015 for the first time.
The take-no-prisoners lyrics and
boogie of "Don't Ask Me No Questions" still sounds so spiky –
"...I don't ask you about your business...don't ask me about mine..."
as those huge brass punches from Bobby Keys, Trevor Lawrence and Steve Madiao
add real power. They issued a 7" 'Single Version' of "Don't Ask Me No
Questions" April 1974 in the USA on MCA 40231 with the seven-minute
non-album "Take Your Time" on the B-side. Ronnie warns of dodgy
contracts and fast bucks "...Along comes some city slicker sayin'...you
what I want!" on the staggeringly hard-hitting "Workin' For
MCA". I remember thinking - kudos to the label for letting the band vent
like that...
Side 2 opens with the life
affirming and touching "Ballad Of Curtis Loew" – a young Ronnie
enamoured with a black man who'd "...tune up his Dobro..." and play
the Blues for a fistful of wine. His mama would whoop him –but Ronnie would go
see him again – stunning stuff - and it still gets to me. "Swamp
Music" is a down-home 'hound dog' rocker featuring zippy guitar pings and
'fills' from Ed King that will have you doing your best air guitar. The druggy
cautionary tale of "The Needle And The Spoon" sounds so close to real
life as to be frightening – a band fuelled by Bourbon and other upbeat
substances. It ends on their truly fantastic cover version of J. J. Cale's
"Call Me The Breeze" (originally on his 1972 Shelter Records debut
album "Naturally") – a rollicking barnstormer that sees the trio of
brass players come in half way through like a cool breeze. It romps this great
Rock LP home in proper gobsmacking style (lyrics from it title this review).
The AF release has been
deleted years now and acquired something of a price tag accordingly (as does
much of the Audio Fidelity catalogue) – but if you can go the few extra quid –
this is one 70ts Classic Rock LP that’s worth the few extra doubloons me
hearties...
