Freebird

Bobby Nelson · Post by **Bobby Nelson** » 14 Apr 2018 2:13 pm

We used to play the theme from The Munsters, and would digress into this really sloppy version of the end guitar part of Freebird. It always went over well and, also, is the only time I ever had to play it thank goodness. In the early 80s, or late 70's, this DJ Chris Jones( (who I now here on Willie's roadhouse occasionally) on the FOX radio station (which was very good at the time) played Freebird, and then Stairway To Heaven back to back for something like 12 hrs with no explanation, and then asked everyone if they had gotten it out of their system haha.

Dan Robinson · Post by **Dan Robinson** » 14 Apr 2018 6:36 pm

Skip Edwards wrote:Guys, it was the Ban-Dar.

Yes, of course. Read it three times and didn't realize until you said that. Ha! Bulldozed in 2001.

Paul, I just proved I'm not bright enough to offer advice.

I'd better go get ready for request night. My karma's looking like, "hey man, we want Smoke on the Water, Inna Gada Da Vida, and YMCA on your steel pedal guitar."

J R Rose · Post by **J R Rose** » 14 Apr 2018 8:23 pm

Well, Thanks Again and Thanks to Skip. And Ban-Dar it was. I thought something did not sound right but Dan & I were on the right track. Sorry to here it was bull dozed down, but progress! J.R.

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 15 Apr 2018 1:28 am

We finished the last song and no one had said a word about the song. And then some guy starts yelling "play one more, play Freebird". So we did.

I was so close.

At least he had the decency to drop a $100 bill on the band.

I hate to say this, but they loved it.

J R Rose · Post by **J R Rose** » 15 Apr 2018 7:40 pm

Hoo-Ray for you Paul. See what an open mind can do, J.R.

Paul Sutherland · Post by **Paul Sutherland** » 16 Apr 2018 12:07 am

The song still sucks.

Bobby Nelson · Post by **Bobby Nelson** » 16 Apr 2018 2:56 am

I hate to say this, but they loved it.

They always do, and always have - an explainable phenomenon.

Mel Bergman · Post by **Mel Bergman** » 16 Apr 2018 7:38 am

The Ban-Dar was owned by Johnny and Joanie Mosby. Sad to say that Johnny passed away last month. Most of the Mosby's Capitol LPâ€™s from the 1960â€™s featured Ralph Mooney on steel.

And Ralph Mooney is always preferable to Freebird.

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 16 Apr 2018 11:11 am

Bobby Nelson wrote:
I hate to say this, but they loved it.
They always do, and always have - an explainable phenomenon.
Iâ€™ll take the bait hangin off the end of that commentâ€™s pole.

Freebird is the combination of a power ballad and a guitar army party jam. The heartbroken part is followed with the exhilarating part - a brilliant bit of songcraft mechanistics. It is a song during which you can get drunk, dance, screw, pass out, wake up, nurse the hangover, call Mom, and dance some more. And then the second guitar solo starts.

And yet, playing it still sucks.

Igor Fiksman · Post by **Igor Fiksman** » 17 Apr 2018 4:32 pm

In the early 90's there was a 3 piece band from San Francisco that toured constantly. They lived in the van, and just stayed on the road non-stop. Well, one of my favorite memories of watching these guys was one day when some drunk yelled out "free bird", as drunks usually do. Singer stops the show and goes "are you sure?" Drunk guy goes "yeah, play it". Then singer proceeds to inform everyone at the bar that once they start free bird they do not stop until a hat comes back filled with cash, and throws his hat to a girl in the front row. Bands starts the song. And they play it and play it and play it and play it back to front at least 6 or 7 times, until that hat was filled up to the top with crumpled up dollars by extremely annoyed bar patrons. The guys stopped and pocketed the cash before loading out their gear. After that if anyone dared to yell "free bird" in that bar, regulars would quickly shut them down where they stood. That was certainly one way to handle it.

Bob Sykes · Post by **Bob Sykes** » 17 Apr 2018 6:44 pm

Another approach is to act like a slightly deaf musician and ask "Reverb?".... Ya want to hear some Reverb?

Bobby Nelson · Post by **Bobby Nelson** » 18 Apr 2018 3:19 pm

Iâ€™ll take the bait hangin off the end of that commentâ€™s pole.

You are right on all accounts Fred. However, coming of age here in the Charlotte area around '75-76', when you could see Skynard do it at the Colosseum it seemed like every 2 months; And then, hearing every hack southern rock wannabe band playing 5 or 6 different times on any single night; Having it played 12 - 15 times daily on the radio for 40 yrs; and, actually having lived all the things you mentioned on a nightly basis for a decade,... It may have become a little anti-climactic - but that's just me haha.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 18 Apr 2018 4:55 pm

Dave Campbell · Post by **Dave Campbell** » 19 Apr 2018 1:58 am

could've been worse, could have been brown eyed girl.

Don R Brown · Post by **Don R Brown** » 19 Apr 2018 8:57 am

Dave Campbell wrote:could've been worse, could have been brown eyed girl.

The other thread, about songs you hate, and this one, are very interesting to me. Many of the songs I agree with 100% on the dislike. Yet others - Brown Eyed Girl for example - I love. Guess the fact that we're all different is what makes life interesting.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 19 Apr 2018 9:47 am

Yeah, I began to lose the distinction between the two threads. So I'm against Freebird, but with Brown Eyed Girl.
I think Freebird should be reserved as a brief tribute, either in the guitar solo, or possibly the big chord riffs at the end of Brown Eyed Girl,
which should be a medley with Moondance.

Anyone whose taste doesn't agree with mine has bad taste.
Oh wait, that was on the other thread, where they strung up Joachim for bringing up bad taste..
I heard Freebird live one time, the night the lead (?) guitarist's wife died and he just found out before the encore.
It's done as an instrumental. So I don't know much what to think of it. Yeah, I'd rather play Brown Eyed Girl.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 20 Apr 2018 3:33 am

I like "Brown Eyed Girl" too Charlie and Don. Especially the Ian Matthews version.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 20 Apr 2018 8:25 am

The Freebird scene from the movie Elizabethtown should not be missed...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F2ZoqbMAO0

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 20 Apr 2018 11:27 am

That's exactly how I feel about "Roll in my Sweet Baby's Arms". And it's not just overplayed, it's a crappy song IMO. "Freebird" at least steps outside formulaic 3-chord swill.

But I don't get the reason behind the public complaint - especially *before* the gig. Yeah,the song is overplayed - but IMO if you're getting paid, there's a request and you know it - you play it. Or is a problem with Lynyrd Skynyrd, or rock in general, or ??

I just don't see the point.

FWIW no overdrive is needed for the slide part, just a good, warm sounding amp. And skill.