April 15, 1974 - Second Helping

A little under a year since "Pronounced", Lynyrd Skynyrd released their second album, aptly titled "Second Helping" on April 15, 1974. This album has the same 7-piece line-up as their debut album, but on this one Ed King is a full-time third guitarist, as Leon Wilkeson was around to play bass for the whole recording this time. Lynyrd Skynyrd looked to build off the success of their wicked debut album, and the first song on the album would become one of the most-recognized songs ever written. Let's check it out!

The album kicks off with "Sweet Home Alabama" which is led by some very catchy guitar. Ronnie Van Zant's singing fits the mood well and Billy Powell plays some nice piano as the great guitar carries the song. The lyrics mention Neil Young and rip on his song "Southern Man", saying Neil's got it all wrong. The chorus is just so catchy and it's no wonder that this song became insanely popular. We hear a decent little guitar solo between verses and after another chorus we hear a longer, much better guitar solo with some great stuff. Another catchy verse and chorus and then Powell plays the song out with a wonderful piano solo. Boo to fadeouts in the middle of solos! Otherwise, a fantastic song. Up next is "I Need You" and has slow, twang-y guitar by one guy, and some cool electric guitar lead by another. No idea which guitarist is playing what between King, Gary Rossington and Allen Collins. Van Zant sings a love ballad to this slow blues-y music and we hear a solid solo after the first chorus. We hear another slow solo after another chorus but it never really jumps out and grabs you. That sums up this whole song, as it's a cool slow riff, but you know these guys can shred and chose not to so it leaves a bit to be desired. Track 3 is called "Don't Ask Me No Questions" and another catchy guitar riff carries this other hit single. Another guitar lays some cool stuff overtop and Powell plays some great piano, and there's some horns as well that sound pretty sweet. Van Zant's singing is solid as always and of course there's a pretty good guitar solo. It's a cool song with lots of good guitar, but definitely not as good as "Sweet Home Alabama", despite being picked over it as the first single. The final song on the side is "Workin' For MCA" as one cool guitar riff carries the sing and another guitar plays lead overtop. Van Zant sings about their record label MCA signing bands in a song I'm sure the label loved! There's a decent little guitar solo after the first chorus and a really good piano solo by Powell after the second one. That's followed by two guitar solos from two guitarists: and both of them are pretty freakin' good. One more verse and chorus, then another guitar solo to fade out the side. That's twice in four songs! Gotta kick that bad habit!

Side two starts with "The Ballad Of Curtis Loew" and slow southern guitar carries this song as Van Zant sings about gathering up recyclables so he could get money to give to this man Curtis Loew so he would play guitar. Entranced by music from a young age! There's an alright guitar solo but nothing too flashy and in the end we hear that Curtis has passed away, but Ronnie never regretted all those times. A fine tribute to a man that clearly inspired Van Zant. The next song is called "Swamp Music" and it's an upbeat, catchy tune with some cool guitar and bass. Powell shows some flashes of cool piano but is mostly in the background. The guitar solo is pretty sweet in this one and the great guitar continues through to the verse. Van Zant sings of how he likes the country and the swamp and gets those big city blues. A cool little song for sure. Track 7 is "The Needle And The Spoon" and two guitars combine for a cool riff that carries this song. Van Zant's singing is good as usual and we hear the third guitarist deliver a pretty good solo on top of the main riff. After another verse and chorus we hear another sweet guitar solo, but for the third time this album they end the song while the solo is ongoing! What are they doing?! Just let him finish for fuck sake! He clearly wasn't done, so annoying! The last song on the record is titled "Call Me The Breeze", a J.J. Cale cover with some really good guitar. It has a very catchy beat as Van Zant's singing fits this song perfectly. The horns appear again in this one and they add a great touch to this fast rock jam. Guitar is pretty much soloing throughout the whole opening, but it gets a real showcase as we hear a really freaking good solo. They play another great verse and it's Powell's time to shine as he plays a really, really good piano solo. Like holy shit he is shredding that thing, this is more like it! They have time for one final verse filled with more amazing guitar and it ends with a nice little piano flourish. A phenomenal way to end the album!

That is the end of "Second Helping" and I thought it was another great album these southern rockers. "Sweet Home Alabama" is unforgettable, but in my opinion the best song was easily "Call Me The Breeze". The guitar and piano are both fantastic and it just makes you wanna get up and dance! The rest of the songs are good as well, but this habit of cutting off solos is one that's got to go. How does it compare to their debut album? I thought overall that the quality of songs on "Pronounced" was much better, and it of course has an even better song in "Free Bird". "Second Helping" will have to settle for second place, but this album was still quite good. It's an "extended break" coming up as my next release doesn't come out for months! See you on the other side!