Gimme back my Bullets! (Gimme Back My Bullets - Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Member Name: Lakerfanster

Product:	Gimme Back My Bullets - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Date:	16/09/09 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great music

Disadvantages: Not as good the their best

**Introduction**

If you are a regular Dooyooer then you will probably have come across my Lynyrd Skynyrd reviews at some point. Having done six of them so far I decided to review another one of their albums, This time their fourth studio album "Gimme back my bullets" which was released in 1976. Despite the title track and the two other singles Double Trouble" and "Cry For The Bad Man" it is the least successful Lynyrd Skynyrd album of the original Ronnie Van Zant era.

**Gimme Back my bullets**

The fourth studio album from Lynyrd Skynyrd originally featured nine songs but with the release of the 1999 reissue there were two tracks added. The tracks are live versions of Gimme Back My Bullets and Cry for the bad man. This is the album between guitarist Ed King leaving the band and Steve Gaines replacing him before he died just three days after the release of Street Survivors in the plane crash. Without a third guitarist there were without their trademark three guitar sound that had been key to their success over the first years.

1 Gimme Back My Bullets
2 Every Mother's Son
3 Trust
4 I Got The Same Old Blues
5 Double Trouble
6 Roll Gypsy Roll
7 Searching
8 Cry For The Bad Man
9 All I Can Do Is Write About It
10 Double Trouble
11 I Got The Same Old Blues

**My View**

The title track "Gimme Back my Bullets" get's things off to a great start with a song that is one of those songs that people debate about what it's really about, It's not actually about Guns but about the charts and wanting to get your material back on the radio. You will hear a similar rift with the track MCA about their record company.

Next up is "every mothers son" which is a flowing track which has some great guitar licks from Collins and Rossington but although the track is very good it does not quite have that spark of their best material. It's a very good track though. Good stuff.

"Trust" is a catchy track which has a great melody and Ronnie Van Zant's vocals are strong and emotive on this flowing track about feeling like your friends are just there to lap up your own fame and fortune. This has a good message and is one of the best tracks on the album. Some great guitar work from both Gary Rossington and Allen Collins.

"Got the same old blues" is a JJ Cale written track which has a catchy Blues feel whilst still keeping the distinctive Lynyrd Skynyrd Southern Rock sound. This track is about when things just keep going wrong and you always have the same problems. This is a very well performed track and is far better than any JJ Cale version would be.

"Double Trouble" is not a cover of Otis Rush but an original composition written by Allen Collins and Ronnie Van Zant which has a great flow and some great backing vocals from the female vocalists "The Honkettes" featuring Cassie Gaines, JoJo Billingsley, and Leslie Hawkins. This is a very good all round song which adds to the feel of the album.

"Roll Gypsy Roll" is another catchy track, written by Collins, Rossington and Van Zant this is one of the best tracks on the album and builds well until the guitar solo which tops off the track although the track is a little short at less than two minutes.

"Searching" opens with a great Gary Rossington guitar lick and then Ronnie Van Zant's vocals come in. This is another very flowing track which carries on from the catchy feel of the previous tracks. This is a very good track with some great guitar licks from both Rossington and Collins.

"Crying for the bad man" opens like "you really got me" by the Kinks and then the distinctive guitar licks come in from Gary Rossington. This is another very good track which has some great backing vocals from "The Honkettes" who add a great feel to this track. Great stuff.

"All I can do is write about it" slows things down with an acoustic guitar opening on this Collins and Van Zant penned track about recent developments in the area where they lived in the Deep South. This is a really passionate track with great vocals and it's something a little different from the normal Lynyrd Skynyrd sound. Good stuff.

Both bonus tracks were recorded March 7, 1976 at Bill Graham's Winterland, San Francisco, California.

First up is the title track "Gimme Back my bullets" and this is a really great live performance of this song, It's more dynamic and hard hitting than the studio version and the guitar duo of Collins and Rossington are able to show off a little with their virtuosity. Good live performance.

Finally we have the live performance of "Cry for the bad man" which is another very fine performance which features superb guitar work from Gary Rossington in particular. This really shows the Live brilliance of the band. Very good stuff and well worth of appearing on the reissue.

**Overall**

Whilst this album is not on a par with their best work it is still a very fine album that has some great material on it, There may not be the classic three guitar line up but Gary Rossington and Allen Collins are still spectacularly good guitarists. This is a very good album indeed that just lacks a little spark compared to their best work. This is a still a must have album for any Lynyrd Skynyrd fan however.

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