User Profile
Tom Kellar
I enjoy several types of music, but mostly rock of all types: Southern, metal, progressive, grunge and more. Of course, user reviews tend to be higher. We do not get our music for free and are not paid for our opinions. Unless we are given an album, or try an experiment, we are buying works from artists that we have enjoyed. But I plan to be very stingy with full 5-star ratings, saving them for flawless masterpieces which are ALL KILLER NO FILLER. I expect to be giving many 3 to 4.5 scores.
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Tom Kellar's Album Reviews
I used to consider "Gimme Back My Bullets" to be Lynyrd Skynyrd's weakest album, with only the title track being a hit. But it really has more good album tracks and less filler than "Nuthin' Fancy". They were a sextet for this album, Yankee guitarist Ed King having become fed up with the chaos in the band and clashes with singer Ronnie Van Zant.
The hard rocking title track is the biggest highlight. Although the "bullets" are a reference to record sales charts, the band had to stop playing the song live because fans would throw ammunition onto the stage. "Every Mother's Son" is a laid-back song where Ronnie reflects on how success is fleeting for everyone. "Double Trouble" is a highlight where he admits that he can't stay on the straight and narrow. And it "seems to me" that Molly Hatchet was influenced by this song when they wrote "Bounty Hunter". Two good mid-paced songs are "Searching" and the cover of J.J. Cale's "Same Old Blues". "Cry for the Bad Man" is a dig at a former manager. "Roll Gypsy Roll' is the only song I would call filler, but I don't care much for "Trust". The music is alright, but the lyrics are paranoid and misanthropic. Even for a band which has songs about violence, alcohol and drug addiction, this song is DARK. It sounds like the late-night thoughts of a man with a bottle of whisky in one hand and a revolver in the other. But the album is closed out nicely by "All I Can Do is Write About it", which is about urban sprawl. Like Ten Years After's "I'd Love to Change the World", Ronnie admits that he can't solve the problem himself, he can only tell others about it. It's refreshing modesty in a time when celebrities routinely lecture experts, world leaders and the general public about what must be done on various issues.
A different group of back-up singers, The Honnicutts, performs on 2 songs. There are 2 bonus live tracks on the CD. The booklet has a few pictures and a brief essay about the album. Underneath the disc the back cover image is repeated, but there is a woman standing with bassist Leon Wilkeson, although she was airbrushed out of the original photo!
Although not Skynyrd's best, "Gimme Back My Bullets" contains plenty of good Southern rock. So pick it up and help the boys reload their album sales.
The hard rocking title track is the biggest highlight. Although the "bullets" are a reference to record sales charts, the band had to stop playing the song live because fans would throw ammunition onto the stage. "Every Mother's Son" is a laid-back song where Ronnie reflects on how success is fleeting for everyone. "Double Trouble" is a highlight where he admits that he can't stay on the straight and narrow. And it "seems to me" that Molly Hatchet was influenced by this song when they wrote "Bounty Hunter". Two good mid-paced songs are "Searching" and the cover of J.J. Cale's "Same Old Blues". "Cry for the Bad Man" is a dig at a former manager. "Roll Gypsy Roll' is the only song I would call filler, but I don't care much for "Trust". The music is alright, but the lyrics are paranoid and misanthropic. Even for a band which has songs about violence, alcohol and drug addiction, this song is DARK. It sounds like the late-night thoughts of a man with a bottle of whisky in one hand and a revolver in the other. But the album is closed out nicely by "All I Can Do is Write About it", which is about urban sprawl. Like Ten Years After's "I'd Love to Change the World", Ronnie admits that he can't solve the problem himself, he can only tell others about it. It's refreshing modesty in a time when celebrities routinely lecture experts, world leaders and the general public about what must be done on various issues.
A different group of back-up singers, The Honnicutts, performs on 2 songs. There are 2 bonus live tracks on the CD. The booklet has a few pictures and a brief essay about the album. Underneath the disc the back cover image is repeated, but there is a woman standing with bassist Leon Wilkeson, although she was airbrushed out of the original photo!
Although not Skynyrd's best, "Gimme Back My Bullets" contains plenty of good Southern rock. So pick it up and help the boys reload their album sales.
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