Jump to content

Free Bird


DrWho

Recommended Posts

So I couldn't believe that tonight was my first time hearing free bird and I was the guy mixing! I've been to hundreds of live shows, plenty of which had encores and took on requests from the crowd but just about every band is like "ok comeon, something else" and I've never had the chance to hear it...Man, what a wild fun song! I seriously was born 20 years too late...

Apparently you're supposed to have 3 guitar solos at once? I overheard someone mentioning that the dude was playing all 3 at the same time or something...regardless, it was fricken amazing. Nothing like a good musical mashing of the guitar.

Tally Hall was the headliner tonight and the show was amazing awesome. They're from Ann Arbor, MI but are out touring all over the place (next stop Albany, NY). I would highly recommend checking them out if they're in your area:

http://www.tallyhall.com

I think they got potential to be one of the next big bands provided the market is there. Man the show was crazy. They had such good control over the crowd and such insane dynamic range...Thank goodness for compressors! (haha, and thanks Colter for some of the tips....) [Y]

You can hear some full length samples here:

http://www.myspace.com/iucourtyard

http://www.myspace.com/tallyhall

(though none of their recordings do their live show justice...'tis a very visual thing)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah Doc, Southern Rock, the 70's, my area of knowledge......................there is a couple of versions of that song.......the first on Skynryd's first album with Rossington , Collins, and Eddie King on Guitars......................the second, my favorite, off the live album, with Rossington, Collins, and, in my opinion, the FINEST Guitarist they ever had, Steve Gaines................Steve Gaines, the Okie, what a talented Guitarist the guy was, added awhole new sound to the band......Such a short stay untill the plane crash, and Steve's death........R.I.P. Steve, Ronnie, and Cassie...FREE BIRDS INDEED

Check out "Street Survivors"................Steve's only Studio album with them........their best in my view..........

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Time for another visit to Colter's den of music, eh Doc? Welcome to the fraternity- you are experience 'trial by fire'. Ain't it fun? Congratulations are in order for recognizing that you were mixing one of the quintessential rock songs of my era.

One the highly lauded live version of the song "One more for/from the road", singer Ronnie Van Zant cajoles the players to 'bring out all my mules and kick it one time" as the three pull forward and layer it on thick with a Les Paul, Gibson Firebird, and Gibson SG on slide which adds different guitar timbres to the guitarists varying playing styles. You've got one guy chugging away on power chords, one on slide and one picking up the lead- tremendously powerful, especially that it keeps creeping the neck of the guitar high and higher and then just breaks loose as all solo out at the end.Frequently on rock albums different guitars like a Les Paul and Strat will double up on solos, it adds a greater degree of 'thickness' to the tonality than just having a double track of the same solo on the same guitar.

It's one of the classic rock showpieces for cover bands. Frequently at drinking establishments all over the world, someone will shout 'PLAY FREEBIRD', often at very inopportune moments. I used to tease the high class bands with horn sections at the weddings I'd do by walking by the stage and offering to the bandleader if they knew 'Freebird' which was usually greeted with a chuckle, because EVERYONE knows it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gee, don't want to start an arguement, but Steve Gaines played Fenders, Rossington a Gibson Les Paul, and Allen Collins a Gibson Firebird, the line-up with Eddie King was all Gibson, Eddie liked SG's and Firebirds.................The FENDER is what made Steve Gaines stick out. The only other 3 Guitar attack that came close was the OUTLAWS...................Although Freebird is alittle over played.......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the strat in there at first from memory, but changed it after viewing the Oakland YouTube tape. Perhaps it was Les Paul, Strat and Firebird most of the time.

Twice the band had 3 guitars, First go round it was Eddie King.............he left the band in the middle of a tour, which I happened to see, they carried on with just Allen and Gary handling guitars, then they hooked up with Cassie Gaines brother Steve, to end their run before that fateful October night. What a waste, just pull out your copy of STREET SURVIVORS...........listen to it, THEY NEVER SOUNDED BETTER, NEVER, the sky would have been the limit for that line-up.................Get a copy of Freebird the Movie.........of course, that's just my opinion............The line up out there now, doesn't do much for me at all..............a Tribute Band at Best..............Allen Collins, R.I.P., was damn good himself......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about Artimus Pyle ? Why did'nt he want to go on with the band?

Rossington and Billy Powell threw him out, they say he's a lousy drummer...........I don't buy that..........they don't speak to him after the crash.....

Wasn't the crash story that Artimus crawled to get help with open chest wounds from the crash? He might be credited with saving the rest of the crash victims. Perhaps that's folklore, but I thought I read that soon after the accident. I remember hearing about it on the radio coming home from a theatre gig. I had to pull over, it was tragic.[ap]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw an interview with Powell/Rossington where they both called Artimus a Coward, and would never speak to him again. We can only imagine the horror of that plane crash. People respond to things differently, I'll bet he was in shock, they claim he saved himself, instead of helping the others. I really don't know, I wasn't there..............To say he was a lousy drummer is not true, I thought he was good, and he recorded a few albums with them, couldn't have been too bad.........................EH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.............Yesterday's Gone, listen to Artimus on that song, and tell me he's lousy........

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pyle crawled out of the plane wreckage with several broken ribs, yet ran nearly a mile to a

farmhouse to try to get help. Farmer, Johnny Mote, on first seeing the wild-haired blood- and mud-encrusted drummer babbling

incoherently, greeted him with a (non-fatal) shotgun blast to his shoulder. Only when Mote realized that this person was

connected with the plane crash he had just heard did he call for help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rossington/Powell contend that he left to save himself, and didn't care about the rest of the people onboard...........I don't know what version is true, but I do know, Artimus Pyle is NOT their drummer...............kinda' strange after being in that crash like that, I would think it would draw them closer together, wouldn't you????????? Artimus is also being sued by the band for touring using the Skynyrd name.........The whole thing is not good......Really tragic happenings in that band, Steve, Ronnie, Cassie in the crash, Leon Wilkerson, and Allen Collins dying, Artimus in exile...not good outcomes at all.................

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was a Skynyrd fan,after the live album(best they ever done,imo)I Iost interest.Today I would not go see em' for free(which my wife did and hated).On the Artimus thing,best drummer they ever,or ever will have,and a fantastic,powerful drummer to boot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was a Skynyrd fan,after the live album(best they ever done,imo)I Iost interest.Today I would not go see em' for free(which my wife did and hated).On the Artimus thing,best drummer they ever,or ever will have,and a fantastic,powerful drummer to boot.

Did you like Street Survivors ? Your right about Artimus........he stands right out on the Live album.......although the sound on that album kinda' sucked..what's out on the road today, is not a good version at all..............

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...