LYNYRD SKYNYRD PRONOUNCED LEH NERD SKIN NERD
Release Date: August 13, 1973
Label: Sounds of the South/MCA Records
Recorded At Studio One, Doraville, Georgia
Format: Mp3@320


The Allman Brothers came first, but Lynyrd Skynyrd epitomized Southern rock. The Allmans were exceptionally gifted musicians, as much bluesmen as rockers. Skynyrd was nothing but rockers, and they were Southern rockers to the bone. This didn't just mean that they were rednecks, but that they brought it all together -- the blues, country, garage rock, Southern poetry -- in a way that sounded more like the South than even the Allmans. And a large portion of that derives from their hard, lean edge, which was nowhere more apparent than on their debut album, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd. Produced by Al Kooper, there are few records that sound this raw and uncompromising, especially records by debut bands. Then again, few bands sound this confident and fully formed with their first record. Perhaps the record is stronger because it's only eight songs, so there isn't a wasted moment, but that doesn't discount the sheer strength of each song. Consider the opening juxtaposition of the rollicking "I Ain't the One" with the heartbreaking "Tuesday's Gone." Two songs couldn't be more opposed, yet Skynyrd sounds equally convincing on both. If that's all the record did, it would still be fondly regarded, but it wouldn't have been influential. The genius of Skynyrd is that they un-self-consciously blended album-oriented hard rock, blues, country, and garage rock, turning it all into a distinctive sound that sounds familiar but thoroughly unique. On top of that, there's the highly individual voice of Ronnie Van Zant, a songwriter who isn't afraid to be nakedly sentimental, spin tales of the South, or to twist macho conventions with humor. And, lest we forget, while he does this, the band rocks like a motherf*cker. It's the birth of a great band that birthed an entire genre with this album.

Track List
1. I Ain't The One
2. Tuesday's Gone
3. Gimme Three Steps
4. Simple Man
5. Things Goin' On
6. Mississippi Kid
7. Poison Whiskey
8. Freebird

Personnel:
Ronnie Van Zant - lead vocals, lyrics
Gary Rossington - lead guitar on "Tuesday's Gone", "Gimme Three Steps", "Things Goin' On", "Poison Whiskey", "Simple Man", rhythm guitar on the others, slide guitar on "Free Bird"
Allen Collins - lead guitar on "I Ain't The One" & "Free Bird", rhythm guitar on the others
Ed King - lead guitar on "Mississippi Kid", bass on all tracks except "Mississippi Kid" and "Tuesday's Gone"
Billy Powell – keyboards
Bob Burns - drums except on "Tuesday's Gone"
Leon Wilkeson - bass guitar
Additional musicians:
Al Kooper (Roosevelt Gook) - bass, Mellotron & back-up harmony on "Tuesday's Gone", mandolin & bass drum on "Mississippi Kid", organ on "Simple Man", "Poison Whiskey" & "Free Bird", Mellotron on "Free Bird"
Robert Nix - drums on "Tuesday's Gone"
Bobbye Hall - percussion on "Gimme Three Steps" & "Things Goin' On"
Steve Katz - harmonica on "Mississippi Kid"