Lynyrd Skynyrd: Pronounced 'Leh-Nerd' Skin'-Nerd (Original CD) CD Track Listing

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Lynyrd Skynyrd Pronounced 'Leh-Nerd' Skin'-Nerd (Original CD) (1973)
1987 MCA Records, Inc.\n\nOriginally Released September 1973\nCD Edition Released \nGold Edition Released December 7, 1993\nRemastered Edition Released September 24, 1996\nRemastered Expanded Edition Released November 20, 2001\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Known simply as Pronounced by most enthusiasts, this is the debut long-player for Southern rock gurus Lynyrd Skynyrd. This edition has been expanded to include five demos, three of which are available here for the first time. Likewise, Pronounced would introduce several seminal entries into the Skynyrd catalog: "Gimmie Three Steps" and "Simple Man," as well as their most enduring contribution, the epic rocker "Free Bird." Lynyrd Skynyrd had in fact released several 45s dating as far back as 1968 on the regionally distributed Shade Tree label out of their hometown of Jacksonville, FL. Not only was Pronounced their debut album, it also contained notable contributions credited to Roosevelt Gook, who was in reality Al Kooper. After spotting the band in an Atlanta, GA, bar called Funochio's, Kooper signed them to his MCA Records-distributed vanity label Sounds of the South. The influence that Kooper had on the band has infinitely more to do with presentation than style, as Lynyrd Skynyrd's own distinct brand of sonic Southern comfort pervades every note of this swamp-rocking release. Even the lilting and melodic arrangements worked up by Kooper for "Tuesday's Gone" and "Mississippi Kid" can't disguise Ronnie Van Zant's edgy lead vocals and the punchy, aggressive fretwork of Garry Rossington, Allen Collins, and former Strawberry Alarm Clock member Ed King. Although normally relegated to bass, King's distinctive lead guitar licks on "Mississippi Kid" prove beyond doubt he was a master blues player as well as a thumping bassist. This expanded edition deserves high marks for the infinite improvement in sound quality -- going so far as to best even the pricey gold-disc version. No longer does the orchestrated synthesizer accompaniment in "Tuesday's Gone" sound harsh and brittle. Likewise, the unmistakable opening guitar riff to "Gimmie Three Steps" now sounds clean and raw with the attack delivered with previously unheard precision. The bonus demos -- recorded with the advance monies given to the band from MCA -- were also produced by Kooper with a more hands-off approach needed to accurately assess the band's strengths and weaknesses. Standout performances include non-album tracks "Down South Jukin'" and "Mr. Banker." The latter was actually released as a B-side on the 45 rpm issue of "Free Bird." Enthusiasts interested in other primitive Lynyrd Skynyrd recordings should check out Skynyrd's First: Complete Muscle Shoals Album as well as Skynyrd Collectybles -- which contains a not-to-be-missed live six-song radio simulcast from WMC-FM on October 30, 1973. -- Lindsay Planer\n\nAMG Review Of Standard Edition\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: 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 it unself-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 VanZant, a songwriter that 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 mother******. It's the birth of a great band who birthed an entire genre with this album. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Reviews\nWhere the Allman Brothers and Marshall Tucker had a more restrained, accomplished rock sound, Florida's Lynyrd Skynyrd took another approach, evoking images of whiskey, Confederate flags, hard luck, and greasy dive bars in their music. The like-minded Molly Hatchet and .38 Special couldn't come close to matching the lyrical talent and natural-born rock-and-boogie abilities of Skynyrd. And, of course, no other band can lay claim to the most-requested song in the history of rock music, the anthemic "Free Bird," the focal point of this, their 1973 debut. Aside from spawning countless tomes of bad poetry by pockmarked 15-year-olds everywhere with "Free Bird," they demonstrated a mastery of the rock ballad with the time-tested "Tuesday's Gone," another highlight of this notable first offering. --Lorry Fleming
This rock cd contains 8 tracks and runs 43min 4sec.
Freedb: 620a1608
Buy: from Amazon.com

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