The legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd is being memorialized in a new box set. On October 13, Geffen/UMe Recordings is releasing FYFTY, a four-CD compilation that features 50 songs from their near six-decade career, including classic hits like “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Free Bird,” “Saturday Night Special” and “Gimme Three Steps.” The box set is arriving in honor of the 50th anniversary of their 1973 debut album, (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd).
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“The career-spanning 50 tracks featured on FYFTY represent the best of the best music the band has offered up to its loyal, worldwide fanbase from the very beginning,” as described in a press release. “Within this box set, fans of all eras of Lynyrd Skynyrd can trace the band’s roots by way of their early Muscle Shoals recordings through an abundance of iconic songs that defined the literal soundtrack of the ’70s.”
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The project is rounded out with several live tracks from the 1987 Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute show in honor of the original band members – Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines – who died in the infamous plane crash in 1977. The live version of “Gimme Three Steps” from the band’s final performance with guitarist Gary Rossington in November 2022 before he passed away in March 2023 at the age of 71 is also featured on the project.
“We just notice what’s going on around us and write songs so people relate to them,” Rossington is quoted as saying in the liner notes. “That’s always been our style. We learned that from Ronnie; he always had a great way to take a subject and write a cool story around it so people could relate. We’re just trying to keep that going.”
Lynyrd Skynyrd, which has long been fronted by Van Zant’s younger brother Johnny Van Zant, is currently on a co-headlining tour with ZZ Top through October 23. “After much discussion with the band, the families of Ronnie Van Zant and Allen Collins, and Dale Rossington, the collective has reached unified support,” the band said in a statement following Rossington’s death. “[They] feel that continuing to perform live, and keeping the music alive, is in the best interest of the fans and everyone involved.”
Photo Credit: Jim McCrary/Courtesy of UMe Recordings
