Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gimme Back My Bullets: Deluxe Edition - Music & Performance - CD

Lynyrd Skynyrd begins to show signs of wear on their fourth album, Gimme Back My Bullets. The band had switched producers, hiring Tom Dowd, the producer who served Atlantic's roster so well during the label's heyday. Unfortunately, he wasn't perfectly suited for Skynyrd, at least at this point in their history. The group had toured regularly since the release of their debut and it showed, not just in their performance, but in the songwriting of Ronnie Van Zant, who had been so consistent through their first three albums. Not to say that he was spent -- the title track was defiant as "All I Can Do Is Write About It" was affecting, while "Searching" was a good ballad and "Double Trouble" was a good rocker. These songs, however, were surrounded by songs that leaned to the dull side of generic (unlike those on Nuthin' Fancy) and Dowd's production didn't inject energy into the group's performances. This doesn't mean Gimme Back My Bullets is a bad record, since the group was still in fairly good shape and they had some fine songs, but coming after three dynamite albums, it was undoubtedly a disappointment. [Gimme Back My Bullets was released in a double-disc deluxe edition in 2006. The CD included live versions of "Double Trouble," "I Got the Same Old Blues," "Gimme Back My Bullets," and "Cry for the Bad Man," along with an acoustic version of "All I Can Do Is Write About It" and an alternate take of "Double Trouble," but the real attraction of the deluxe edition is the second disc, which is a DVD containing the original Skynyrd lineup live on the BBC television show Old Grey Whistle Test. Recorded on November 11, 1975, it's among the only surviving performance footage of the original band, and while the performance does not necessarily capture them at the height of their powers, it's a riveting seven-song set all the same, particularly since so little footage of this group exists. Because of this, this set is worth the time of any true fan.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide