Search - Lynyrd Skynyrd :: Endangered Species

Skynyrd Unplugged

L. Lawhead | SW Illinois | 05/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Released in 1994, Endangered Species is Lynyrd Skynyrd's response to the "unplugged" phenomenon, featuring all acoustic instruments. Typically, Skynyrd delivers the goods, and this is a great disc!! While it has a couple of their hits ("Sweet Home Alabama", "Saturday Night Special" & "I Ain't The One"), it also has a strong collection of lesser known songs ("Down South Jukin", "Things Goin' On", "Am I Losin'", "Poison Whiskey"), as well as "The Last Rebel", from the post-crash version of the band. All of these are great, especially Sweet Home Alabama. The acoustic versions have a wonderful "laid back" feel, like your hanging out while the guys jam. The guitar playing is predictably strong, there's some great slide guitar or dobro on a couple of songs. The best part, though, is the 5 new songs. "Devil In The Bottle", is worth the price of the CD, up there among my favorite Skynyrd songs. "All I have is a Song", "Good Luck, Bad Luck" and "Hillbilly Blues" are all top-notch. There's also a cover of "Heatbreak Hotel", with a bluesy feel.From a personel standpoint, there's 4 of the original members: guitarists Gary Rossington and Ed King, bassist Leon Wilkerson, and, of course, Billy Powell on the piano. Johnny Van Zant continues to fill brother Ronnie's shoes as vocalist, as he has on all of the post-crash Skynyrd efforts. Also on guitar is Mike Estes, and Owen Hale plays drums. This disc is a must-have for any Skynyrd fan!!"

Acoustic Masterpiece

A. Huss | Shakopee, MN | 02/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although the new line-up struggles to live up to the original line-up (regardless of member changes), this album is by far one of the greatest sounds to come from Lynyrd Skynyrd. Getting away from the Arena Rock style of Southern Rock they play so well, this album removes the loud and inserts the calm. The all acoustic album recreates some of the better songs released by the original Lynyrd Skynyrd and brings forth a few new ones as well. Songs like "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Saturday Night Special" sound better arena style, but "Things Goin' On" and "Am I Losin'" sound so much sweeter acoustic. A definite must for true Lynyrd Skynyrd fans, and a recommended album for those interested in what the new line-up has to offer."

Skynyrd unplugged

Docendo Discimus | Vita scholae | 05/11/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"To say that this is the best studio album by the Johnny van Zant-led latter-day version of Lynyrd Skynyrd is perhaps a bit "duh"...most of these songs are from the 70s repertoire, after all, and the reformed band have never truly been able to match albums like "Pronounced" or "Second Helping".

But it is, even if the recent "Vicious Cycle" comes in a close second. Johnny van Zant, Ed King, Gary Rossington, Billy Powell, Leon WIlkeson and Owen Hale perform crisp and melodic versions of songs like "Down South Jukin'", "Things Goin' On", "Poison Whiskey", and "I Ain't The One" which manage to be both tight and mellow at the same time.



Skynyrd's cover of "Heartbreak Hotel" is flat and uninteresting, but most of these songs take very well to the acoustic treatment. Only really good songs work in such a bare-bones arrangement, and apparently Ronnie van Zant and co. wrote really good songs. In case you didn't know that.

A couple of numbers, "Saturday Night Special" in particular, lack a little punch, and some more piano would have been very welcome, but it's very hard to complain about this gently swinging "Sweet Home Alabama" or the organic, almost folkish "Am I Losin'" with its bright mandolin and dobro fills. Great performance by Johnny van Zant as well, and better, in my opinion, than the original 1975 version. And the latter-day originals "Good Luck, Bad Luck" and "The Last Rebel" are definitely worth a listen as well.



Some listeners may find this album too laid-back, and there is obviously a noticeable lack of electric guitar solos and power chords. Guitar solos in general, actually. But if you enjoy mellow acoustic rock with a pinch of folkish-ness, good melodies, and a generous helping of Ronnie van Zant-material, you really can't go wrong with this one."