“Honky Tonk Night Time Man” is energetically performed and shows that Van Zant certainly could have had a career in country music had he chosen that path. And the similarities are understandable given the mutual musical influences of the two bands and how close they were in age and geography. It’s as Allman-like as Skynyrd ever sounded, which isn’t a complaint. “One More Time” dated back to some of the band’s earliest sessions. Its jazzy western swing sounds playful, an amusing juxtaposition to its subject matter (basically “Hey! I know you’re cheating on me”). “Georgia Peaches” and “Sweet Little Missy” were also dropped. Instead of Van Vant’s “Jacksonville Kid”, a rewrite of Merle Haggard’s “Honky Tonk Night Time Man”, the band just covered the original. ![]() “I Know a Little” and “One More Time” were added. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the originals, but they do sound like demos compared to the livelier version that was released.Ĭhanges also improved the tracklist. Skynyrd went to Atlanta to re-record some material, make tweaks elsewhere and rearrange the album overall. The 2008 deluxe reissue showed Elson and Gaines (who agreed with him) were on to something. It turned out that the band’s live engineer, Kevin Elson, had been on to something when he heard the original version of the album, recorded in Miami with Tom Dowd, and told the band, “If you release this album, your career’s over.” The paralysis led to numerous health problems and he died from pneumonia almost four years later.įor an album with its fair share of blues and boogie, Street Survivors stays light on its feet, never becoming leaden. The accident claimed the life of his girlfriend Debra Jean Watts and left Collins permanently paralyzed from the waist down. On January 29, 1986, an intoxicated Collins, driving on a suspended license, lost control in Jacksonville. Collins, whose addiction was exaerbated by the 1980 death of his wife Kathy due to miscarriage complications, wasn’t able to heed the warnings of his own co-write. Rossington got lucky that day, as the passenger side of his took the brunt of the damage. The song, with music by Collins and lyrics by Van Zant, was inspired by a car crash Rossington had one night while high (“oak tree you’re in my way”) and about other people the band knew with drug problems. But even that can be related more to events years later. Street Survivors is generally light in tone and the only retrospective foreshadowing is on the bluntly honest “That Smell” (which nicked “All Along the Watchtower” musically). They also came across a lot less predatory than the Stones did on “Stray Cat Blues”, for that matter. Skynyrd may have also been an American band, but they were way more nimble than Grand Funk. ![]() “What’s Your Name” is an ode to enjoying the temptations of female companionship on the road. It also comes through in the defiant vocals (“You won’t see me in an old folks home!”). There’s a real joy in the tight playing, between the solos and Billy Powell’s piano work. “You Got That Right” showed off his presence, as he traded vocals with Van Zant, who he co-wrote the song with. Lynyrd Skynyrd Street Survivors, MCA Records 1977 Street Survivors, recorded in spring and early summer the following year, would mark his Skynyrd studio debut. Gaines first appeared on their 1976 live album One More For the Road. Initially reluctant, they were quickly won over by his talent, with Van Zant later saying, “One day, we’ll all be in Steve Gaines’ shadow.” After one skirmish with Van Zant too many, he quit the band during a 1975 tour.Īfter initially continuing with just their two remaining guitarists - Gary Rossington and Allen Collins - backing singer Cassie Gaines got them to give her brother Steve a shot. Guitarist Ed King had grown tired of touring life as Skynyrd did it. The crash cut short what had promised to be the band’s best lineup yet. That, on top of Van Zant’s death, meant the end of Skynyrd for 10 years. While the rest of the band survived, they all suffered serious injuries. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines were killed, along with the pilots and the band’s assistant road manager. ![]() The pilots, who hadn’t made sure the plane was properly fueled, couldn’t get to a safe spot to land before it crashed into trees just short of an open field they were aiming for. It was intended to be the band’s last flight in the plane, as they were going to switch to a Learjet in Louisiana for the rest of the tour. One week into a tour, the band was flying from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge in a plane that Aerosmith rejected for the Draw the Line tour. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Street Survivors, which turns 45 today, is sadly inseparable from the tragedy which took place three days after its release.
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