Disco de Lynyrd Skynyrd: “Thyrty [Limited]”

Lynyrd Skynyrd commemorates the 30th anniversary of their debut album with the release of "Thyrty", a collection that spans Skynyrd's entire career from 1970 up to the present including music from every album the band has ever released.

"Thyrty" includes such Skynyrd classics as "Gimme Three Steps", "Workin' For MCA", "What's Your Name", "That Smell" and the immortal "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird". There are also tracks from the recent years of the band with Johnny Van Zant as vocalist. It's truly amazing to hear the similarities between the voices of Ronnie and Johnny. One would almost think it was the same person singing all the songs on this compilation.

For die-hard Skynyrd fanatics, "Thyrty" includes one unreleased track from 1970 entitled "Blues Medley" which is a 10-minute stellar blues jam featuring a youthful Ronnie Van Zant singing his heart out along with some jaw-dropping guitar work from Allen Collins and Gary Rossington. This compilation is almost worth it for this track alone.

This latest Lynyrd Skynyrd compilation is a definitive retrospective of Jacksonville, Florida's greatest band. If you don't own any of the other many Skynyrd compilations out there, "Thyrty" is definitely one to have. You get music from every era of the band plus an rare unreleased track and a CD booklet loaded with great photos and a brief but detailed history of the band. Definitely Essential.

Another greatest hits album! What?

There is nothing on here you need.

It has all been released on countless other "greatest hits" albums.

This one was done to add a couple of their newer lame tracks.

Another attempt at a quick buck off of the legend that is becoming a joke.

Don't buy this!

You will be glad you didn't.

A really good compilation with some excellent material (and that blues medley is great) but its still missing some great songs, and the last half of the 2nd Cd leaves much to be desired. Still, a reasonably good compilation of this most excellent southern rock band. oops, I mean, THE southern rock band.

I like Lynyrd Skynyrd. This CD contains many of their greatest songs. However, this compilation loses stars for a couple reasons...

1. Live cuts with Johnny instead of Ronnie. I understand that the corporate entity that Skynyrd has become tries to validate Johnny as the lead vocalist and, I'll admit that I never saw them live with Ronnie, but when I saw them with Johnny, he did a fine job. But. I'm sorry, Johnny ain't Ronnie. If you want to include live versions of songs on a greatest hits album use the cuts with Ronnie singing. If they're not available, go back to the studio cuts.

2. Ten minutes of an unreleased blues jam by a non-blues band is a waste of time. I won't deny that, at places, the jam has some good moments. However, more often than not, it's a great example of why Shynyrd was and is viewed as one of the greatest Southern Rock bands as opposed to one of the greatest blues rock bands. Influenced by the blues, yes. Blues players, no.

This set was given to me as a gift and I'm glad to have it. However, if I do decide to buy more Skynyrd for myself, I'm going to find their live album "One More From The Road". I wore out my cassette copy as a teenager and have never bothered to replace it on CD. I may also look for a greatest hits package of the Ronnie years.

By The Way - To any aspiring musicians - "One More From The Road" is an excellent tutorial for any up and coming guitarist or bassist (piano players could take note as well). I'm still playing licks I stole off of that album to this day.

If you believe in Heaven, then you have to know that Ronnie, Steve and Leon are smiling down on this great new release. Issued thirty years after they first hit the stage, the two disc album contains thirty of the most essential recordings of the best Southern Rock Band of all time.

Disc one covers 1973 through 1975, including such anthems as Sweet Home Alabama and Free Bird; Disc two begins with six of the best cuts prior to the tragic 1977 plane crash, which took Ronnie and Steve from us. Regrouped around Ronnie's brother, Johnny, the next ten songs bring us from 1987, when the recomposed band began their resurrection during their 1987 Tribute Tour, with "Comin' Home", through "Mad Hatter", which comes from their great 2003 album, "Vicious Cycle". Despite our loss of Ronnie, Johnny's work is eerily similar to some of the best of his brother's.

If you've grown up with this bank, as I have, and lived through the their triumphs and tragedies, this double album is a nice cross section of some of their best. If you're new to the group, this compilation will settle once and for all what's to love about Southern Rock in general, and Lynyrd Skynyrd in particular!