Rating: 
Summary: It's Like You Know Them
Review: A great personal account. I've been a L.S. fan for all their various incarnations and I don't think I am missing any of their albums but his book opened my eyes to a lot of facts I didn't know. I didn't know that Ed King was in the Strawberry Alarm Clock and I saw them in person back when he was. This is one of many facts in this book. It's almost like a day by day account of their career and you really get an insight into the personal habits of each member. I've read Ms. Brant's other books but this is the best (so far).
Rating:
Summary: Freebirds lets the reader decide
Review: Brant lets the reader decide in this biography of Lynyrd Skynyrd. As you would expect with the money and ego involved, the many characters involved with Skynyrd over the last 25 years have a different perspective on events. They are not hesitant to give their versions. The author has not taken sides, nor tried to interpret, the sometimes destructive relationships that were defined by casual sex, drug addiction, alcoholism, and money. Instead she lets the band tell the story. The reader is left to his own conclusions. In my opinion, these are talented, but not very nice people. This is a fan's book, and there is much to enjoy about the band's story. The author has obviously talked to many people, and the story is very interesting. The message I get from the book is that Rock and Roll, for all it's glamour, is a tough business, for tough people. Skynyrd has suceeded while most have failed. These guys have a lot to offer. Read this book, and you will understand them much better.
Rating:
Summary: It's About Time
Review: Finally somebody has written a book about Skynyrd. This was a story waiting to be told. There's a lot of details and the interviews with the band members and others give you a lot of food for thought. There's a lot of trash talk, but that's the people being interviewed, not the author of the book. Pretty controversial stuff. Interesting story.
Rating: 
Summary: FREEBIRDS: THE LYNYRD SKYNYRD STORY
Review: Hardcore Lynyrd Skynyrd fans will be overall disappointed in this book as it is not the hard-charging, tell-all, behind the scenes book that it is talked up to be. One of the biggest problems appears to be the fact that no one in the band, other than Artimus Pyle, was willing to open up and tell it like it is. The author herself seems to be so starry eyed over inteviewing the band members that at times the book comes off as fawning. Casual fans will find the material interesting but the hardcore fan has seen this material before. A much better story was published in MOJO magazine several years ago entitled THE SOUTHERN DEATH CULT. The true Lynyrd Skynyrd story has yet to be written.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Soapbox Derby...
Review: Having read this book, I find it a disappointment and a revelation at the same time. Marley has done the research required to account and portray the historical facts to a certain degree, but the good work is often tainted by her obvious influence from disgruntled ex-band members and embittered rivals of the band who have done nothing more than attempt to disrespect and ridicule the surviving band members with their childish insults and accusations. Had this book been written with a professional and objective perspective, I think it would have been a respectable biography, albeit disjointed and anemic. As it stands, I think it is a mediocre but good effort, only marred by the fact that some used this as a relentless and pathetic soapbox in order to air their own bitter opinions as to their being 'wronged' by Gary Rossington and the band. They should be embarrassed when they read their rampant insults and complaints, knowing in their hearts that the music and the legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd cannot and never will be affected by their slanderous remarks. Those of us who know the Skynyrd band know better...if you can't run with the big dogs, y'all stay on the front porch.
Rating:
Summary: Skynyrd's Innyrds..but just the skeleton only
Review: I have been a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan for 25 years, and I waited a long time for a biography of the band. I don't think that this book qualifies as a biography. Ronnie VanZant was the heart of Skynyrd. Yet, the author tells us next to nothing about his childhood, first marriage, his relationship with his wives, family or anyone outside of the band. As a matter of fact, we don't really know that much about his relationships with band members either, unless of course holding a gun to the drummer's head when he doesn't want to rehearse a particular tune qualifies as the nature of a relationship. Maybe the author isn't interested how this squares with the man who wrote "Simple Man". I, however, expect a biographer to tackle such interesting contradictions.If VanZant's personal life got virtually no attention, the band members got none. For instance, having read the book I now know that Allen Collins was 1. the greatest guitar player in the world, 2. that his wife died in childbirth, 3. that he became a hard core alcoholic afterwards, 4. that while driving drunk he had a solo accident in which his girlfriend died and he became paralyzed, 5. he died. Doesn't a biographer have a duty to scratch beneath the surface? Isn't there a responsibility to put bare facts into perspective, to analyze them and omit blatant stupidty? At one point the author quotes someone as saying that Dale Krantz (the lead singer of the Rossington Collins Band) could sing as well as Aretha Franklin. Born to Run, Dave Marsh's 1970's biography of Bruce Springsteen, shows the problems of this book. Clearly Marsh was enamored of Springsteen, but we got loads of insight into Bruce's childhood, relationship with his father, pivotal influences, demons, etc. After reading such a book, one has some insight into the man. After reading this book, I now know that Ronnie VanZant liked to beat the hell out of anyone who crossed him - or sometimes just liked to beat the hell out of someone just for, well, the hell of it. Thanks for the insight.
Rating: 
Summary: A Big Disappointment
Review: I have been a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan for 25 years, and I waited a long time for a biography of the band. I don't think that this book qualifies as a biography. Ronnie VanZant was the heart of Skynyrd. Yet, the author tells us next to nothing about his childhood, first marriage, his relationship with his wives, family or anyone outside of the band. As a matter of fact, we don't really know that much about his relationships with band members either, unless of course holding a gun to the drummer's head when he doesn't want to rehearse a particular tune qualifies as the nature of a relationship. Maybe the author isn't interested how this squares with the man who wrote "Simple Man". I, however, expect a biographer to tackle such interesting contradictions. If VanZant's personal life got virtually no attention, the band members got none. For instance, having read the book I now know that Allen Collins was 1. the greatest guitar player in the world, 2. that his wife died in childbirth, 3. that he became a hard core alcoholic afterwards, 4. that while driving drunk he had a solo accident in which his girlfriend died and he became paralyzed, 5. he died. Doesn't a biographer have a duty to scratch beneath the surface? Isn't there a responsibility to put bare facts into perspective, to analyze them and omit blatant stupidty? At one point the author quotes someone as saying that Dale Krantz (the lead singer of the Rossington Collins Band) could sing as well as Aretha Franklin. Born to Run, Dave Marsh's 1970's biography of Bruce Springsteen, shows the problems of this book. Clearly Marsh was enamored of Springsteen, but we got loads of insight into Bruce's childhood, relationship with his father, pivotal influences, demons, etc. After reading such a book, one has some insight into the man. After reading this book, I now know that Ronnie VanZant liked to beat the hell out of anyone who crossed him - or sometimes just liked to beat the hell out of someone just for, well, the hell of it. Thanks for the insight.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: I liked this book. The stories are very entertaining and I learned a great deal about the Band from the very early days until now. It's quite a story and much deeper than I had known. For that alone, I appreciated the book. While everything obviously hasn't been rosy and there are disagreements today, I felt the book was fair. I enjoyed the pace of the book and would recommend it as a "must read" for any Skynyrd fan.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I luved the book.it made me feel fuzy in side and it made me feel like a "Free Bird" so its great
bi
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I luved the book.it made me feel fuzy in side and it made me feel like a "Free Bird" so its great
bi
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