Customer Reviews

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Of the pre-1977 lineups of Skynyrd, this is the best history so far. It ends in 1977 with the fateful crash but still doesn't give us a keen insight to Van Zant but it does shed a little more light on Allen Collins. However, this is written with a sharper and more jaundiced eye than Marley Brant's books. The fact that Odom was an insider lends more credence to the volume than Brant's books which contain quite a bit of hearsay and mud slinging. The definitive history of this enduring band has yet to be written.

If you love lynyrd skynyrd you need to read this book. The book gives you an insight to the life of Ronnie Van Zant, who the author grew up with as a young boy. The author also was the security chief for the band, so he gives good insight on life on the road with the band. The author also talks about the other members of the band and talks about the talent that all of the members brought to the band. This book is great and should be read by anyone who wants to know more about this ledgendary rock band. I could not put this book down. The pictures were also great

This book is excellent. It tells the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd as only a friend could. The fact that Gene Odom loved the guys in the band is apparent from the first pages. He provides an honest and insighful portrait of young musicians who loved their art and worked their rear ends off to make it in the music business. Odom doesn't whitewash the facts - he presents all characters as they were, warts and all. If you are a fan of Skynyrd, you'll consider this book a walk down memory lane with a few old friends - you'll hear some familiar stories about the band and maybe a few you've not heard before. Even if you are not a fan, you'll find this book to be a heartfelt story of a bunch of poor boys from Jacksonville who believed in the American Dream - that if you believe in yourself and are willing to work hard enough you will acheive your goals. A good read!

Gene Odom explains how this book came about. After the first of his books was published, he was hoping that someone would write a more detailed account of the band. When those hopes weren't realized, he wrote this book.

The Prologue recounted some of the mechanical problems with the plane on the band's last few trips on tour leading up to the crash.

This book had a lot of trivia type information about Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Some of that information was:
*The source of the band's name,which is already widely-known.
*Explains what the "bullets" in "Give Me Back My Bullets" actually were.
*Who Curtis Lowe was.
*The source for some of the lyrics, "Freebird" comes to mind.
*The real reason behind the mention of Neil Young in "Sweet Home Alabama" and Young's reaction to it.
*The identity of "the Swampers" from "Sweet Home Alabama."
*Some of the musical influences on various band members were listed.

This is an entertaining book that details some of the growing pains of early Lynyrd Skynyrd. He tells of the revolving door of members and some of the contributions those members made. Paticularly Ed King and Ricky Medlocke, who rejoined the latest version of the band. The many bass players that were involved over time and the dynamic additions of Steve Gaines and the female backup singers.
The guidance from Al Kooper in the studio proved beneficial for the band.

The rare, close partnership of Gary Rossington and Allen Collins really made the Skynyrd sound what it was from early on.

The work ethic was lengendary and brutal. Ronnie Van Zant's financial management skills were detailed. He was the leader and the authors spend more time reminiscing about Van Zant because of it. I don't think that's detrimental to the book.

The authors also told of some of the contemporary bands that Lynyrd Skynyrd had ties with, most notably the Allman Brothers Band and many musicians in the area.

Another interesting aspect of the band was how Ronnie Van Zant went about putting the band together.

"Lynyrd Skynyrd:Remembering the Freebirds of Rock" is a no-frills book and it doesn't ignore ugly issues like drug use or the fights. None of the band members were saints. They were a very talented group of musicians that had the right music at precisely the right time.

Gene Odom ends the book with the crash, the aftermath, and the events leading up to the reforming of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
He also discusses three main theories on what could have caused the airplane to run out of fuel. That's a mystery in itself. The tragedy didn't end at the plane crash as surviving members have suffered various deaths and troubles later on.

This is an entertaining biography of one of the classic southern rock bands that would be enjoyed by any Lynyrd Skynyrd fan.

The writer does not have GREAT writing skills. His style is somewhat abrupt and occasionaly juvenile. But that lends charm to the book. He tries to recapture his past in the book. In order to do so, he reveals pieces of information about himself, and the band that you wouldn't normally find in a major publication. Just regular-home-boy, back on the block stuff.

You live through what happened on the plane. Because he was there. And he was there growing up with the band as teenagers. It doesn't get more involved than this. So if you are looking for an Oxford calibur bio of Skynyrd, look elsewhere. But, if you are trying to get an insiders view of how the band evolved, and their impact on American culture, this is a good book.

The narrative is there, but the author too often only teases at the details that are the core of any book about the rich and famous.

There's quite a bit of discussion about the very strong personalities in Skynyrd, but again, detail is lacking.

Lastly, the writing is at times overwrought, like a fifth grader just learning to write. I hold no grudge with the writer other than to say this story deserved a more competent writer's touch and direction.

As for the band, we all know that over thirty years after their plane crashed into that Mississippi swamp, their catalog is still required listening for any student of rock and roll.

Great to see the kinds of things they did as kids and the kind of things they were exposed to and thought about. Well written book. Gets you behind the scenes from a very personal and apparently honest perspective.
Thanks.

I have read books about other musicians and bands (Hank Williams, the Beatles, Paul McCartney, Bill Monroe, Waylon Jennings, Ralph Stanley etc.) and, in comparison, I would have to rank this Lynyrd Skynyrd book as the least impressive of them all.

That said, I did find the book entertaining and would recommend it to fans. As a lifelong friend of and former roadie for the band, Gene Odom brings (with the assistance of the co-author) some great stories as well as some very touching narrative, and this is the true value of the book. Otherwise, you will find a standard history of the band that you probably can get from other books about them.

The details of the crash are second to none. Odom, of course, was present for the event and therefore he is able to provide a unique perspective. I think the book is worth the read for these parts alone. Also, Gene's knowledge of the pre-fame years of the band are a valuable addition. His admiration for Ronnie Van Zant is unmistakable and real without being overly sentimental. He really provides a sense of what a tragedy the crash was for those involved and their families.

I agree with other viewers that more detail might have improved the book. The reader is often given simple characterizations of the band members which may be summarized here as "they were bad, but deep down, they were good." Also, the book would have benefited from the input of a popular music historian. For example, the name of Jimmie Rodgers (the Father of Country Music) is misspelled. Also, there is a slightly annoying habit in which the authors describe Skynyrd songs by comparing them to later tunes by different artists. It's just weird and anachronostic.

Although Odom and the co-author did not set out to do it, there is a need for someone to craft a very focused, thorough, and unbiased history of this very influential and legendary band.

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BIOGRAPHY OF "PRE-PLANE CRASH" LYNYRD SKYNYRD AS "REMEMBERED" BY A LIFETIME FRIEND OF RONNIE VAN ZANT AND THE ORIGINAL AND OTHER EARLY MEMBERS OF LYNYRD SKYNYRD. THIS LIFETIME FRIEND IS GENE ODOM, HE WAS WITH SKYNYRD FROM CHILDHOOD AND ON THOUGHOUT THEIR CAREER, EVEN THROUGH THE PLANE CRASH, (YES HE WAS IN THE PLANE WHEN IT CRASHED). HE TRAVELED WITH EARLY SKYNYRD AND WAS A SECURITY AGENT FOR THE BAND.

THIS IS A STORY OF "PRE-PLANE CRASH" LYNYRD SKYNYRD AS TOLD BY A DEAR FRIEND AND AN INSIDER TO THE BAND (GENE ODOM with the help of Frank Dorman).

THE BOOK CONSISTS OF OVER 200 PAGES, AND CONTAINS LOTS OF ILLUSTRATIONS. THERE ARE PHOTOS AND COPIES OF DOCUMENTS THAT ONLY AN "INSIDER" WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO.

Gene gives a good respectible story of the band in vivid detail. He deeply knew these band members and associates including Dean Kilpatrick (the band road manager who died in the plane crash.) His story is very thorough and comprehensive. He gives a very good account of the plane crash (because he was on the plane, and lost an eye due to the crash). He tells what lead up to the crash and how he tried to prevent it.

THIS BOOK HAS A COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY OF SKYNYRD RELEASES FROM THEIR FIRST RELEASE IN 1973 THROUGH 2000.

THIS BOOK HAS A TOUR SCHEDULE OF EVERY SHOW LYNYRD SKYNYRD PERFORMED FROM
SEPTEMBER 16, 1973 IN JONESBORO, GEORGIA THROUGH OCTOBER 19, 1977 IN GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA (THE LAST SHOW BEFORE THE PLANE WENT DOWN).

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK TOLD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A LIFELONG FRIEND and AN ASSOCIATE OF THE BAND WHO WAS THERE FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END OF THIS VERSION OF LYNYRD SKYNYRD.

IT'S A GREAT BOOK, ABOUT A GREAT BAND, AND IS PRESENTED VERY WELL!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT !!!

For any Skynyrd fan, this is a book that will inform, but more than that, touch your hearts just as their music did when first heard and continues through the years to do. Written from the perspective and first hand knowledge of a personal friend and then employee of the band, it gives credence to certain stories. For one reading between the lines, it also makes it possible to take accounts written by other authors and place them in the timeline of this book and see how things actually could have occurred. This book makes the band more real, closer to being able to imagine just sitting down with any one of them and feel like you know them as a long time friend. A treasured long time friend.