If I have one pet peeve peevier than any other, it is how some bands carry on with so many new members that they are wholly new bands — or crucial members (like songwriters and singers) get replaced by other players (even good ones). Think Todd Rundgren replacing Ric Ocasek in The Cars; the Who carrying on without Keith Moon and John Entwistle; or Pink Floyd’s late ’80s, 10-member-strong concerts. Lynyrd Skynyrd is one such revamped outfit, presently sporting only two original members. But less my peeve get the better of me, I have put my prejudices aside for the DVD, Sweet Home Alabama: The Rockpalast Collection.
Opening with the same song they opened with when they played their famous multi-night stand at the Fox Theater in 1976 (this concert captured on the band’s One More From The Road album), this 1996 version of Skynyrd muscles up “Working For The MCA.” Not a great showing for the sound mix of DVD (the solos are buried under the volume of rhythm guitars at first), it’s still obvious even from this first number that
the band is tight.
“I Ain’t The One” comes next, though sorry to say Johnny Van Zant is not his brother Ronnie. He simply doesn’t have the pipes to handle some of these older Skynyrd tunes. The band does pull off the next batch of songs well enough though. “Down South Junkin’,” “Double Trouble,” and even songs from the last ‘real’ Skynyrd album — “What’s Your Name” and “That Smell” — fair pretty nicely here. “Gimmie Three Steps” benefits from the skills of original members guitarist Gary Rossington and pianist Billy Powell. For a seasoned fan like me, it’s nice to watch these guys step out a bit.
As expected, we get a decent “Sweet Home Alabama” (with what sounds like a little “Can’t You See” thrown in at the beginning), and then the ubiquitous “Freebird” (with some great slide playing from Rossington) ends the set. All in all, this pretty harmless well-played stuff. But this is not the Skynyrd I grew up on. “all things must pass”. It’s worth noting that late bassist Leon Wilkeson, funny hat and all, who passed away in 2001, is still very much alive and playing up a storm at this show.
This DVD’s bonus tracks are the real treat here. Filmed when Skynyrd played a short set in Germany in 1974, the original group (so original, in fact, that drummer Bob Burns and guitarist Ed King were in the band!) performs “Working For MCA,” “Freebird” (as the second song, not the encore!) and “Sweet Home Alabama.”
Beyond the blistering lead guitar playing of King and Allen Collins, the vocals and presence of diminutive Ronnie Van Zant, what makes this piece of Skynyrd history so amazing is the fact that our Southern boys are set up on this small German theater stage obviously warming-up for Queen! You can spy the Queen logo on Roger Taylor’s bass drum behind Skynyrd and stenciled on the stage monitors. Imagine what a night this must have been!? Back then, Lynyrd Skynyrd were a rowdy bunch of Southern boys, not too many albums under the belts, enjoying a recent hit with “Sweet Home Alabama,” huddled together and working at selling world on their unique brand of Southern rock. This three-song set is worth the price of this DVD alone. I have yet to see footage this old of Lynyrd Skynyrd and it’s an eye-opener!
Sweet Home Alabama: The Rockpalast Collection is a solid single DVD document of live Lynyrd Skynyrd, spanning over almost 30 years. It might be hard to watch both segments and not compare the line-ups, but it’s best to submerge your prejudices and regard the band for what they are and not for what they used to be, lest you end up a cynical old reviewer like me.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
