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When I was trying to decide who to use as the first band in this new monthly feature so many artists came to mind. It would have been easy to choose the Beatles or the Stones. AC/DC, Zeppelin, and Floyd also came to mind. Ultimately, though, I decided to go with an underdog. While Lynyrd Skynyrd is famous worldwide for their iconic songs “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama” their diehard following is aware of the bands treasure trove of lyrical and musical gold that has been created over the past forty years.

The mainstream media may not understand the appeal; afterall those people aren’t the intended audience. Skynyrd remains relevant, even after numerous lineup changes and several tragedies; because they write songs that touch the simple man on a level that few others have been able to match.

Another reason that Skynyrd was the choice for this first piece is that their 14th studio album, “Last of a Dying Breed”, is due out on Tuesday. The current version of the band is lead singer Johnny Van Zant, guitarists Gary Rossington, Rickey Medlocke, Mark Matejka, drummer Michael Cartellone, bassist Johnny Colt, and keyboardist Peter Keys. It is the first album by the original band, “Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd”, that will start this series of reviews of bands and their music. The entire Lynyrd Skynyrd catalog will be examined over the course of the rest of August but this piece is dedicated to the debut album.

Video: Free Bird

It was 1973 when the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd burst onto the scene and released their debut album “Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd”. Lead singer and songwriter Ronnie Van Zant was joined with guitarists Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, and Ed King. Bob Burns on drums and Leon Wilkeson on bass made up the rhythm section of the band while Billy Powell played the keyboards.

Five of the eight songs on the album are still played regularly on radio and by the current band live. In fact they played all five of these “hits” during the recent show they played in Columbus this past July 15 at the Columbus Commons downtown. “Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd” peaked at number 27 on the Billboard chart and has been certified as a Double Platinum album with over 2 million copies sold.

Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-nerd track listing (ratings on a scale of 1-5)

1. I Ain’t The One – rating 5/5. The first track features the iconic, screaming guitar sound that the band later becomes known for. This is a perfect opener for the album and for a show.

2. Tuesday’s Gone – rating 5/5. This long, sad song features one of the most recognizable pieces of slide guitar work in rock music.

3. Gimme Three Steps – rating 3/5. This is one of Skynyrd’s most popular songs and is one of my least favorite; however it does come together very well live.

4. Simple Man – rating 5/5. If you don’t get it already then there is no way I could explain it to you that would make sense. This song is absolutely perfect. Everytime they play it in concert my arm hair stands straight up.

5. Things Goin’ On – rating 5/5. This is one of the bands most underrated songs in their entire catalog. Good guitar, Billy Powell doing his thing on the keys, and Ronnie’s brilliant lyrics equal one good, beer drinking song.

6. Mississippi Kid – rating 3/5. This is a good old song that features some solid acoustic playing. It isn’t the greatest Skynyrd song of all time but it surely isn’t album filler either.

7. Poison Whiskey – rating 3/5. Try to capture the sound of your typical 70’s classic rock band in your head and you’ve got this song. Again, I don’t think it is anything iconic, but there isn’t a bad song on the album. This is more proof that even a less popular Skynyrd song is still considered good by normal people.

8. Free Bird – rating 5/5. If this rating even needs explaining then you are a lost cause. Every argument can be made, and justified, that this is the greatest rock song of all time. Ever. From the crying guitars in the verses and Ronnie Van Zant’s deep lyrics to the most famous guitar solo of all time this song is the definition of perfection. If there could only be one song to define this band; this is it. This song closes out the album and rightly closes out every Skynyrd show. You either get it or you don’t.

Album rating – 85% (34 points out of possible 40). “Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd” would easily rank as one of the greatest rock albums of all time because of the high number of radio staples on the record. The weakest song on the album is the classic “Gimme Three Steps”; if that puts it into perspective. Just about as good as an album can get and it set the standard for Southern rock forever.