Unlike previous shout outs where I'm reviewing several albums in one batch, One More From The Road is a two disc collection of 24 songs recorded during several performances at Atlanta's Fox Theatre in 1976. Since eight of those are alternate versions of tracks already on the album, I'll only be talking about the first 16 songs.
So why is this one of my favourite albums instead of the individual LPs the songs came from or a bog-standard compilation that contains most of these tracks anyway? Firstly, the obvious context. If memory serves correctly, I received this album on my 17th birthday & hadn't heard the original versions of over half the songs on it. I've listened to most of them now but I know there's a part of me that prefers the live versions just because it was my first experience with the music. Despite this, my love for the album isn't just blind nostalgia and when I say "obvious context", I'm not just referring to my discovery.
As I mentioned earlier, this was recorded in 1976, the year before the tragic plane crash that killed several crew/band members & ended what's now considered to be the classic Skynyrd era. This album captures the band in their prime and there isn't a single dull note in any of the songs. Ronnie Van Zant's vocals are pitch perfect from start to finish. Steve Gaines, Allen Collins & Gary Rossington are all on excellent form during their respective performances of main riffs and solos. Even Billy Powell's piano solo in "Call Me The Breeze" is fantastic, as are the efforts from the rest of the band.
I would assume one of the biggest differences in quality between the original live album and 2001 deluxe edition lies in the audio mix between the music and the audience. In the latter, you can hear the well deserved cheering and applause at the start of a track and right at the end. They've also slightly muted the crowd so that they don't distract you from the band, just as live albums should be arranged. You could listen to these songs halfway through & if you hadn't heard the tracks before, you could easily assume they were studio recordings.
As for the tracks chosen, all the hits are here as well as several songs you can't find on pre-Street Survivors albums. Whether you're a Skynyrd fan or not, there'll be something for any fan of classic Southern Rock on here but there's also something that puts it above the studio albums. Most Lynyrd Skynyrd tracks have the same irritating flaw; they fade out at the end, often during a guitar solo. Fortunately, it's a lot easier for a band to just end the song naturally rather than fade out during a live performance so all of the songs that fade out in studio recordings have proper endings.
The biggest downside to this is that it probably means you won't be able to listen to "Sweet Home Alabama" or "Free Bird" again without wishing they recorded a studio version of the ending solos. That really is the only downside, though. The song choices are great, the recording quality is fantastic, the band's performance is exceptional and it's CDs like this that stop me from completely writing off live albums. In other words, it's a 9/10 from me.
1. Workin' For MCA
2. I Ain't The One
3. Saturday Night Special
4. Searchin'
5. Travelin' Man
6. Simple Man
7. Whiskey Rock-A-Roller
8. The Needle & The Spoon
9. Gimme Back My Bullets
10. Tuesday's Gone
11. Gimme Three Steps
12. Call Me The Breeze
13. T For Texas (Blue Yodel #1)
14. Sweet Home Alabama
15. Crossroads
16. Free Bird
Unlike other bands who have the occasional great live track in a collection of crap ("Young Man Blues" - The Who springs to mind), this whole album flows so perfectly that it's definitely something you need to buy as a collection instead of a few random singles.
If you have any other live albums you recommend, list them in the comments. I doubt I'll ever enjoy a live album as much as I enjoyed One More From The Road but even if it was half as good as this album, it'll still be better than pretty much all the other live collections I've listened to.
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