Mojo (Publisher) (3/01/04, p.54) - Included in Mojo's The 67 Lost Albums You Must Own! - "[T]hey cut the definitive (though less famous) version of 'Freebird' during these sessions."
This 1998 reissue contains six bonus tracks.
Lynyrd Skynyrd includes: Rickey Medlocke (vocals, drums); Ronnie Van Zant, Tim Smith (vocals); Allen Collins, Gary Rossington, Wayne Perkins, Jimmy Johnson (guitar); Billy Powell (piano); Ed King, Greg T. Walker, (bass); Bob Burns (drums).
Reissue producer: Ron O'Brien.
Engineers include: Jimmy R. Johnson, Gregg Hamm, Steve Melton.
Recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, Sheffield, Alabama.
Includes liner notes by Ron O' Brien.
To sample Lynyrd Skynyrd's true roots, the 1998 collection SKYNYRD'S FIRST goes back even further than their official debut release, 1973's PRONOUNCED LEH-NERD SKIN-NERD. Comprised of 17 tracks, SKYNYRD'S FIRST showcases early demos and outtakes that the band recorded prior to signing with MCA Records--when they were at their young and hungriest. While some of the tracks have already appeared on past releases (such as 1978's SKYNYRD'S FIRST AND LAST and their 1991 self-titled box set), longtime fans won't want to pass up having such great early versions of "Free Bird," "Simple Man," and the country-tinged "Seasons" on a single disc.