rockofallages81-tvgda

Here’s a band you actually expect to hear on rock radio. But first, the sad part.
On October 20, 1977, a plane crashed in Mississippi that killed both pilots, three members of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the band’s assistant road manager. This halted the band’s career at the height of their popularity. Just a year before, on September 13, 1976, the band had released their first live album, One More From The Road. By the end of 1976, the album was certified Platinum in the U.S.
Hauntingly, a deluxe edition of the album was released on September 11, 2001.
If I had a nickel for every time Lynyrd Skynyrd was associated with planes crashing… but you might be wondering why the hell I would start the post like this. Well, I write these in advance. I wrote this post on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, which itself happened two days before the 25th anniversary of the aforementioned live album. I didn’t plan this, I swear. It also doesn’t help that one of the songs Clear Channel proposed banning from radio after 9/11 was “Tuesday’s Gone.”
We should probably start talking about the actual album, though. One More From The Road was recorded over three consecutive nights at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta from July 7 to 9, 1976. Two singles were released, but only the live version of “Free Bird” entered the Hot 100, just barely making it into the top 40 at #38.
Now, the original live album was a double LP, so it was already pretty long. Only the deluxe edition is available on streaming, and that thing runs TWO AND A HALF HOURS. I’ve said before that I’m not a fan of long albums, nor am I a fan of the band’s political views, so your mileage may vary. If you’re the patient kind, you’ll probably have a great time.