Customer Reviews
Definitely a classic! - By: rockingchick, 30 Nov 2008 
Speaking as someone who has seen Lynyrd Skynyrd, well, a gazillion times, this album (boy! does that date me!)is a must for anyone who likes guitar rock. Let's face it - it doesn't get better than Freebird. I can still remember the excitement of just hearing that Lynyrd Skynyrd were coming to town to play. The excitement that I felt when they were on stage was indescribable. Their music is great, simply great. I also had the privilege of knowing them personally & when Ronnie died...we never got over it. They were all nice guys - long-haired, greasy, Southern gentlemen. Their songs are pretty autobiographical. 'Gimme Three Steps' really did happen. Also listen to their second album, Second Helping, & the ballad of Curtis Loew. That really happened too. It was an age when race relations were so much better than they are nowin the South - what went wrong? Ronnie had a problem with the old booze & some nasty drugs but he was getting over it (listen to 'That Smell' on Street Survivors)which makes his death all the more tragic.
I cannot recommend this band enough!
Skynyrd's finest hour - By: Docendo Discimus, 26 Apr 2008 Okay, so this isn't Dylan or the Beatles, but it sure is fun.
Lynyrd Skynyrd's debut album isn't just "the one with 'Free Bird' on it", it's much more than that, one of the original group's best efforts, & quite possibly the best one of the lot. It mixes heartfelt ballads, country, swaggering riff-rockers, & the delightfully silly down-home boogie-rock of "Gimme Three Steps" & "I Ain't The One".
I do prefer the slightly tougher (and string-less) live rendition of "Tuesday's Gone" from the "One More From The Road" album, but this one is no throwayay either. And you can't help but love the aforementioned "Gimme Three Steps" & "I Ain't The One", a wonderful blend of self-deprecating "hick" lyrics & gritty guitar riffs.
The stately slow rock number "Simple Man" is not one of Skynyrd's best-known songs, but it's certainly one of their best, & it showcases what a talented vocalist the late Ronnie van Zant really was. And the rollicking country-rock bounce of "Things Goin' On" makes you want to jerk your shoulders up & down while pushing out your lower lip. (Seriously.)
Skynyrd also try their hand at an acoustic country blues pastiche, "Mississippi Kid", & with plenty of succes at that.
"Poison Whiskey" is probably the most sincere hard rocker on the album, a rough but juicy slice of prime Southern rock. Oh, & then there's a looong number called "Free Bird" tacked on to the end of the original album.
...This expanded 2001 edition features five excellent bonus tracks, demo versions of "Tuesday's Gone" (a tougher version with no strings, which I consider a plus), "Gimme Three Steps", "Free Bird", & the non-album tracks "Mr Banker" & "Down South Jukin'". Three of them are previously unreleased; the low-key "Mr Banker" & the melodic rock n' roll of "Down South Jukin'" have seen the light of day earlier, but they are certainly great to have if you don't own them already.
Great bonus tracks on a great, great album, one of the classics of Southern rock. 70s rock n' roll. Or just American rock n' rollin general. Don't let Skynyrd's (partly tongue-in-cheek) redneck image scare you off; this is really good stuff. Four & three-quarter stars!
Pronounced 'leh-nerd skin-nerd' - By: S. Smith, 10 Nov 2006 I'm gonna keep this review short & sweet!
Lynyrd Skynyrd's debut 'Pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd' is,in my opinion, probably the greatest album ever made... ever! It is as close to perfection as is humanly possible! Every song is spot on so I won't bother naming highlights... Not even Free Bird can steal the show... well, just about! If you like rock music, orin fact any music, this album is a mustin your collection. The musicianship on this album is second to none...
I really can't recommend this enough... It truly is a work of music art, & is a lasting memory of why 20th October 1977 was the darkest dayin the history of music. Buy & you won't be disappointed, it's that good!
Fly high Free Bird...
Very,very good......In fact ,it's brilliant. - By: DavyA, 13 Sep 2006 This Skynyrd line up were superb & this is a very fine record. No quibbles - it's just pure brilliance. Every track is outstanding - great tunes, gritty vocals & superb musicianship. An absolute "must have" (along with all the other albums from the pre plane crash Synyrd).
To be honest, you'd have to be barking mad not to buy this record - it's more than "just" a rock album, it's touched by genius.
Superbin every sense. A truly marvellous record by a truly excellent band.
'Pronounced' - By: , 26 Aug 2005 
Good album, I prefer the 2nd one though. Great riffs, drums & basslines on this one, worth every penny. You wont be dissapointed.
