Customer Reviews

Thyrty: 30th Anniversary Collection

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Thyrty is a very poor representation of one of the world's greatest bands. If you are looking to get a variety of Skynyrd in one fell swoop, skip Thyrty and go for a couple of the original albums -- Pronounced, Second Helping, Street Survivors, One from the Road -- instead. It will cost the same and there will be no letdowns.

There are several flaws in this album. The most glaring is the song order. It starts out great with Sweet Home Alabama, but instantly nose dives with an obscure outtake that while not bad is also very mellow and not the signature Skynyrd sound. This is followed by another obscure, slow blues number that is also an outtake. There is a reason these songs never made it onto an album. They should have been saved for much later in the collection or a different collection of similar matrial. By the time the blues cut ends, 15 min. have passed and the momentum and kick of typical Skynyrd is totally gone. Down South Jukin starts the momentum again but once again the next song is an obscure acoustic tune. Finally, the first CD rocks out with 5-6 tunes from Pronounced and Second Helping only to end with another outtake.

The second CD starts out great, but here is the next flaw. Most of the tunes on this CD are from the reunion tour in 87 and the "new" Skynyrd fronted by Johnny Van Zandt. There is no way to know this until you open up the CD. The flow also sucks on the second half of this CD.

Thyrty could have been incredible if the song order had been done differently - either cronological or by simply putting the outtakes together on the second CD along with the newer stuff.

Take my advise and get the original albums. They rock beginning to end!

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.

This latest Lynyrd Skynyrd 2-cd collection simply called "Thyrty" includes some hits and some rather odd choices for this "Limited Edition" compilation. The same old songs are rehashed over again such as "Sweet Home Alabama", "I Ain't The One", "Tuesday's Gone", "Gimme Three Steps", "Call Me The Breeze", "Freebird", "Workin' For The MCA", "Saturday Night Special", etc. There are "live" versions of "Whiskey Rock-A-Roller", "Simple Man", "Coming Home", "Swamp Music", "Gimme Back My Bullets" and "We Ain't Much Different". Universal Records was trying to put together a collection representing Lynyrd Skynyrd's career output from 1973 to 2003 (hence the title "Thyrty") but they fall short by adding a number of poor choices such as "Need All My Friends", "Blues Medley" (never released until now), "The Ballad Of Curtis Lowe", and "All I Can Do Is Write About It" (acoustic version). Better choices would have been "Don't Ask Me No Questions", "I'm A Country Boy", "On The Hunt", "Searchin'", and even "Traveling Man". Universal also blunders by adding only seven songs from Skynyrd's output from 1991 to 2003 such as "Smokestack Lightening", "The Last Rebel", "Things Goin' On (live), "Talked Myself Right Into It", "We Ain't Much Different"(live),"Workin'" and "Mad Hatter" (a tribute to bassist Leon Wilkeson who died recently). Where is the hit "Red, White And Blue" from their latest cd "Vicious Cycle"? If Universal Records wanted to release a more complete "Thyrty" year collection then this should have been a triple disc set. My suggestion, if you already own "The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd" which is also a 2-cd set, remastered and contains all the classic hits (including several of the "live" tracks that are on this cd) without the later stuff, skip this collection altogether.

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.

Having read all the listener reviews I have come to the conclusion that there will always be those who can't accept that Lynyrd Skynyrd without Ronnie Van Zant can be authentically Lynyrd Skynyrd since he was the compositional soul of the band. I have long been guilty of being one of those who feel like that. But after listening to Thyrty, I am convinced that the spirit of Lynyrd Skynyrd, diminished as it is by Van Zant's absence, lives on.
This CD is not for old time, hard core fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd as it was, but is an excellent primer of the band and its sound as it has evolved through the years for younger listeners and for those who can't afford to buy every CD. I remain partial to the old sound. For good raucous party music, its hard to beat the sounds of I Ain't the One, Gimme Three Steps, Call Me The Breeze, Free Bird, That Smell, and What's Your Name.
While the new lineup just doesn't have the song-writing wizardry of Ronnie Van Zant to help the band back to the lofty heights it once occupied, there remains plenty of the raw energy and redneck rock attitude to please most fans. Thyrty offers a nice mix of studio recordings,live cuts, and acoustic versions to give the new fan an overall feel for the band's sound. And incidentally, Smokestack Lightnin' is not at all the same great song so often covered by the Yardbirds and others in the 1960s.
Long-time fans already know the old stuff. For new fans, I recommend One More From The Road in addition to this as a CD that reveals what the band was capable of at its height. In the meantime, enjoy this for what it is and hope for thyrty more years.

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.

THE BAND: The early era (prior to the '77 plane crash) includes Ronnie Van Zant (vocals)*, Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar)*, Steve Gaines (guitar)*, Ed King (guitar), Billy Powell (piano), Leon Wilkeson (bass), Larry Junstrum (bass), Bob Burns (drums), and Artimus Pyle (drums). The later era band (1980's - present) includes Johnny Van Zant (vocals), Rickey Medlocke (guitar), Hughie Thomasson (guitar), Randall Hall (guitar), Ean Evans (bass), Owen Hale (drums), etc. * deceased

THE DISC(S): (2003) Thirty tracks on two discs clocking in at approximately 152 total minutes (77+ minutes on disc-1, and 74+ on disc-2). Included with the discs is a 22-page booklet containing song titles/credits, a 12-page intro to the band covering good times and bad, numerous band photos, and what songs came from which albums and the year released. Songs range from 1973-2003, though the 2 unreleased songs are from 1970 (prior to Lynyrd Skynyrd's debut). Digitally remastered sound. Label - UTV Records / MCA.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Pronounced (4 songs), Second Helping (4), Nuthin' Fancy (1), Street Survivors (4), First And Last (2), One More From The Road (2), Southern By The Grace Of God (3), Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 (1), The Last Rebel (1), Endangered Species (1), Twenty (1), Lyve From Steel Town (1), Edge Of Forever (1), Vicious Cycle (1), Box Set (1), Unreleased (2).

COMMENTS: There are numerous Skynyrd compilations out there... "All Time Greatest Hits", "Gold & Platinum", "Essential", "Skynyrd's Innyrds", "Gold", "20th Century Masters", "Ultimate Collection", "Best Of The Rest", "Box Set", this "30th Anniversary" collection, and a few others. For me, this "30th Anniversary" set is the best career-spanning collection to date on the market. THE GOOD: Lots of music. All the staples are here - "Sweet Home Alabama", "Tuesday's Gone", "Gimme Three Steps", "Free Bird", "Saturday Night Special", "Call Me The Breeze", "Workin' For MCA", "Simple Man", "What's Your Name", "That Smell", "You Got That Right", etc. All the songs on disc-1 are early era tracks featuring Ronnie Van Zant on vocals. Disc-2 is a mix of early and late era songs. Extensive liner notes containing some good inside info and great vintage photos... only thing wrong - no song lyrics. 6 live tracks featuring old and new band members... two songs from pre '77, and four songs live from the 80's and 90's. Digitally remastered sound is crisp. THE NOT SO GOOD: Most compilations are not without flaws, and "Thyrty" is no exception. The faults here are minor but still worth mentioning. I strongly feel chronological order was needed here - a 30 year career proves deserving and it would show the band's sound evolution over the past four decades. Only a few songs missing that should have been included - "The Needle And The Spoon", "On The Hunt", "Ain't No Good Life" and "Don't Ask Me No Questions". Only one track from "Nuthin' Fancy"? The two unreleased tracks are decent, but by no means classic - they should have been placed at the end of disc-2... not in the beginning of disc-1 (and creating a poor start to a long listen). In fact, I'd have no issue had the 10+ minute "Blues Medley" been omitted and a few of the other missing songs (mentioned above) been added. Lastly, "One More From The Road" was a stunning live album... I put it right up there with other double-album vinyl classics of the day (i.e. - Frampton, UFO, Deep Purple, Kiss, Rush, etc). In my opinion, only 2 tracks from "One More From The Road" is a sin... if anything else Skynyrd's live version of "Free Bird" needs to be here. Skynyrd was always great in concert. OVERALL: An excellent mix. "Thyrty" is the best career-spanning Lynyrd Skynyrd package to date. Lots of music - great to have so many songs all in one place. Polished remastered sound. Nice package (4.5 stars).

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!

If you're a new Skynyrd fan and are thinking of buying a compilation to start with, I probably wouldn't reccomend this one. Start with "The Essential Skynyrd". But overall, this IS an OK compilation, seeing as how it includes stuff by the old band and the new band. Word of warning, though: the cuts that are marked "Live" on disc 2 are from the tribute tour, not the original band, just so you know. Another warning, if you're thinking of buying this 2-disc set just for the unreleased "Blues Medley", it's not worth it. Just download it for 99 cents instead. It's not one of the best unreleased tracks. The main thing that's wrong with this album is just what another reviewer said: the order of the songs. What I would have done differently is have the first disc be a compilation of songs by just the original band (with the outtakes at the end), and have the second be a compilation of songs by the new band. The main problem with disc 2 is that there aren't enough songs by the new band included; there are some from their albums and the rest are live cuts from the Tribute Tour, so the second disc is basically just one of those "Then & Now" albums.
So, again, this is an OK compilation, but don't put it at the top of your list of Skynyrd albums to buy.

You can not deny the place in Rock 'n Roll that Lynyrd Skynyrd holds!! Call in Southern Fried Rock if you wish, it ain't nothin but good time music comin' down. The dual guitar lead and the hard drivin' rhythms make this one band you can not deny had all the power to kick some serious butt. This is a great collection to have !!