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Judy Van Zant Did A Good Thing...


Murph

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“Later on I said to Kent: ‘What about putting Free Bird on my rock album too, if we get permission from them to do it?’ So that’s what we did. Then Ronnie Van Zant’s widow said that she’d let us use his voice on the track. She wouldn’t allow Lynyrd Skynyrd to do it, but she said: ‘I’ll do it for Dolly!’ So we got to use Ronnie on there. We had already recorded it, but his phrasing was so simple that they just dropped his vocal in.

The song also features members of Skynyrd themselves, including original guitarist Gary Rossington and former drummer Artimus Pyle.

“Some of them hadn’t gotten together for a while, but one of their daughters said: ‘You gotta do it!’” says Parton. “So they actually mended some fences there, and I felt very blessed to be part of all that.”

Sadly, Parton’s epic rendition of Free Bird now serves as an epitaph for guitarist Rossington, who passed away this March.

“We were so heartbroken when that happened, because we’d done that track with Gary not long before,” she says. “Right now, some of my crew are trying their best to see if we can actually get some footage of Gary and Ronnie Van Zant and try to incorporate that into a possible video. I’d love to make that work. Wouldn’t that be something?”

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2 hours ago, Murph said:

I know opinions are like arseholes, but this gave me a smile and a tear. I think Ronnie would have dug it.

 

 

In the part just before the guitar solo, Dolly's and Ronny's voices interact in an incredible way. Goose bumps from a really old song done in a beautiful new way! 😄

Edited by OrdinaryNimda
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No disrespect to Jolene but I hate cover tunes, and cover tune albums. And anyone who is considered a songwriter better be doing their own tunes. Used to drive be nuts when VH did it. Yeah VH are covering another Kinks song. And on Diver Down they were so Coc’ed up and drunk, and lazy they put 3 on that album. 

Yes I know the Fab 4 covered songs, but back then it was what you had to do, and it doesn’t mean I liked it. After Help! I think the only cover they did was Maggie Mae.

After one maybe two albums you should not have to cover songs anymore. 

Freebird is not a bad song, just an over played one like that Zep song, I no longer want to hear it played by anyone.

Edited by Sgt. Pepper
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17 hours ago, OrdinaryNimda said:

In the part just before the guitar solo, Dolly's and Ronny's voices interact in an incredible way. Goose bumps from a really old song done in a beautiful new way! 😄

I was shocked to hear Ronnie's voice, had no idea this had been done. 

And then read about Gary recording for Dolly's version and the fact that Artimus was brought in and some fences mended was fantastic.

Artimus can be a whacko, but the clock is always ticking and I'm glad they got this done.

Now, retire the name....

Edited by Murph
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2 minutes ago, Murph said:

I was shocked to hear Ronnie's voice, had no idea this had been done. 

And then read about Gary recording for Dolly's version and the fact that Artimus was brought in and some fences mended was fantastic.

Artimus can be a whacko, but the clock is always ticking and I'm glad they got this done.

Now, retire the name....

You have an unnatural obsession and,  can I type the word "hard on" here for Lynyrd Skynyrd still touring. Its the current  trend in music. Dinosaurs living for ever. As long as people buy tickets and they want to hear:

If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on now
'Cause there's too many places I've got to see

They are gonna milk it till it bleed, and keep milking it till its raw and bleed, and then keep going. 

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We live in a different time and place than the 70s now.  Artificial Intelligence, et al.  This performance is stellar. Comparing it to the original is irrelevant.  How I hear and feel music I hear today is different than how I heard and felt it 50 years ago.  I'm different.  "The Times They Are A Changing".   

Daughter In Law  in her 30s asked for a 'reliced' ball cap with  'rep'  embroidered on it.  We had to ask her ?  She said it's a Taylor Swiftism  for  "reputation'.       Peace, Out.  

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I listened to the whole thing. Very well produced if not a bit too much vocal howling in the outro, but then again it's a singer's album.

Brought back a lot of memories from the70's. Free Bird was the second song I learned to play slide on. One Way Out was the First and Rocky Mountain Way was the third but all everyone wanted to hear back then was Free Bird. Since I got to play lead (slide) throughout the song I was relegated to playing rhythm for the outro solos, which would go on forever. That G, Bflat, C repetition gave me arthritis long before I really had it.  40+ years later, three of us from the same high school class still have a band. More than 25 years ago we got tired of constantly losing bass players so we decided to switch off on bass 1/3 of the time each. We don't do Free Bird anymore but we still do Call Me the Breeze and I Know a Little. I play bass on Clapton's Let it Rain and every time we play it and get to that outro solo my arthritis brings back memories of playing The Free Bird rhythm, same pain in the hand. But at least I can dumb down the bass line and take a bit of a rest until the soloists peter out.

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4 hours ago, Murph said:

Actually, I used to cover several Skynyrd tunes back in my electric gigging days.

But, I gotta say, this has always been one of my very favorite Skynyrd tunes. 

 

 

Every album those guys did up until that faithful day was top notch. I love the song That Smell. When the Honkettes are doing there back up with the "Hell Ya",  it always makes me laugh.

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2 hours ago, rct said:

As long as the surviving members give permission to the right person(s) all is good in Skynyrd land.  The same permissions given to others = plagiarism. 

 

LOL!!!!!

rct

Its like what is a J-45? Well its whatever Gibson say it is no matter what the peanut gallery think or wood its made with.

Edited by Sgt. Pepper
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5 hours ago, JO'C said:

I listened to the whole thing. Very well produced if not a bit too much vocal howling in the outro, but then again it's a singer's album.

Brought back a lot of memories from the70's. 

I thought it was downright haunting hearing Ronnies voice on a new recording, and pulling his own harmony out of the mix was freaking brilliant. I too played a lot of Skynyrd, in bars, throughout the late 70's, 80's, 90's and well into the aughts before going completely acoustic. 

It's a chilling recording for someone with that history, for sure.

[thumbup]

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16 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

Every album those guys did up until that faithful day was top notch. I love the song That Smell. When the Honkettes are doing there back up with the "Hell Ya",  it always makes me laugh.

I'm going to have to agree with Sgt Pepper again, That Smell is my favourite Lynyrd Skynyrd track.

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20 hours ago, fortyearspickn said:

We live in a different time and place than the 70s now. This performance is stellar. Comparing it to the original is irrelevant. 

I agree 100%.

Dolly gave it her own touch while respecting the fact that this is the most loved classic song on her "rock" album.

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6 minutes ago, Murph said:

I agree 100%.

Dolly gave it her own touch while respecting the fact that this is the most loved classic song on her "rock" album.

When an artist covers a song what is the point of playing it note for note. If I want that I can throw on the album, cd, cassette , 8-track, or stream it (however you listen to music now). Your supposed to make a cover your own.

Edited by Sgt. Pepper
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