Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't drive by, buy!, 12 Oct 2003
I like Lynyrd Skynyrd and it was this that drew me into buying this CD. Thank you to the Sunday Times for bringing this album to my attention. This is a concept album but the Drive By Truckers don't let the concept get in the way of the songs. The loose concept is the story of a rock fan growing up in the southern US and the linked story of Lynyrd Skynyrd, here disguised as Betamax Guillotine. The Truckers have three guitarists on this album, just like Lynyrd Skynyrd at their peak and the sound is awesome. This is not commercial, radio friendly rock, it is far superior to that and if you like Skynyrd you won't regret buying this.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant and essential, 14 Oct 2004
By A Customer
..A brilliant, intelligent homage to southern rock. Musically the Truckers put me in mind in different moments of Skynard, Green on Red, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Steve Earle - a growly, dirty southern rock style. There are different singers too which keeps things varied and intersting but still sounding consistent. If I had one contention its that the live production style muddies some of the dynamics of the three guitars. But its a minor niggle as the quality of the songwriting is quite superb - stylistically varied and with lyrics full of genuine feeling, reflection, insight and humour.The CD is really nicely packaged in a gatefold sleeve with lots of artwork and lyrics and you can just tell that its a real work of love which seems a rare thing for a record these days. If you like the southern rock thing, this CD is essential.
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
sweet home alabama, 29 Jan 2003
Don't be deterred by the rather misleading title. Not a rock opera in the sense of Tommy or Jesus Christ Superstar, this sprawling double disc is more akin to a song cycle about Southern rock, in particular Lynyrd Skynyrd. Almost six years in the making, the Drive-By Truckers have created a startlingly intelligent work that proudly stands with the best music of their obvious inspiration. Largely written and conceived by lead trucker Patterson Hood (son of famed Muscle Shoals bassist David Hood), who sings the majority of the songs in a torn, ragged but emotionally charged twangy voice somewhere between Tom Petty and Rod Stewart, these 20 literate tracks encapsulate a remarkably objective look at what Hood calls "the duality of the South." Rocking with a lean hardness, the story unfolds over 90 minutes, but the savvy lyrical observations never overburden the songs' clenched grip. While bands like the similarly styled Bottlerockets have worked this territory before, never has a group created an opus that's thematically tied to this genre while objectively exploring its conceptual limitations. The two discs are divided into Acts 1 and 2; the first sets the stage by exploring aspects of an unnamed Southern teen's background growing up as a music fan in an environment where sports stars, not rock stars, were idolized. The second follows him as he joins his Skynyrd-styled dream band, tours the world, and eventually crashes to his death in the same sort of airplane accident that claimed his heroes. The Drive-By Truckers proudly charge through these songs with their three guitars, grinding and soloing with a swampy intensity recalling a grittier, less commercially viable early version of Skynyrd. A potentially dodgy concept that's redeemed by magnificent songwriting, passionate singing, and ruggedly confident but far from over-the-top playing, Southern Rock Opera should be required listening not only for fans of the genre, but anyone interested in the history of '70s rock, or even the history of the South in that decade. More the story of Hood than Skynyrd, this is thought-provoking music that also slashes, burns, and kicks out the jams. Its narrative comes to life through these songs of alienation, excess, and, ultimately, salvation, as seen through the eyes of someone who lived and understands it better than most.
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