February 2, 1976 - Gimme Back My Bullets

On the exact same day as "A Trick Of The Tail" another album also enters my library on February 2, 1976 when Lynyrd Skynyrd released their fourth album "Gimme Back My Bullets". A little under a year since "Nuthin' Fancy" this is Skynyrd's first album as a six-piece as guitarist Ed King left the band after their last tour. They stick with just two guitarists as the other members are all back from last year's record. With King gone this line-up is similar to that of their debut and I hope to hear some similar music. Let's check it out!

The album opens with the title track, "Gimme Back My Bullets". Gary Rossington plays lead guitar on this track as he, Allen Collins and bassist Leon Wilkeson combine to make a catchy riff. Artimus Pyle adds some decent drumming as Ronnie Van Zant sings in his usual, wonderful southern voice. Rossington shows off for short periods as they continue this toe-tapping verse and chorus. He goes off for a short solo that's pretty good and then it's back to the catchy main riff as Gary has lots of cool stuff to play in this opener. Up next is the second song in my library called "Every Mother's Son" as Collins is on lead guitar for this one and he leads the way with some cool acoustic guitar. Van Zant's voice is very soft to match the mood of this song and it still sounds good, but he's at his best when he's yelling and really pouring out the emotion. It picks up a bit in the chorus with some faster drums and some nice piano by Billy Powell that carries into the next verse. After another chorus Powell delivers a really cool piano solo that fits the vibe well. The verse and chorus are decent but it lacks that punch that you know these guys can deliver. Collins spices up the end with a nice guitar solo that finishes off this song. Track 3 is "Trust" and it opens with a cool guitar riff that carries the verse as Van Zant's singing is more passionate in this one. Powell adds some sweet piano to this rockin' riff and Van Zant warns us not to trust even those closest to you, especially your woman, because "they might be the ones that do you in". The guitar and piano both sound pretty great and after another chorus we hear a cool guitar solo. We hear another solid verse and chorus before they jam out to the end if this pretty good song. The side closer is "I Got The Same Old Blues", another J.J. Cale cover after "Call Me The Breeze" on "Second Helping". It opens with some catchy guitar and bass that form this blues-rock beat. Van Zant's blues singing sounds pretty good as Rossington and Collins play different guitar riffs that sound great together. We hear a pretty nasty harmonica solo that sounds really good, then it's back to the blues-y main riff. I feel like I'm saying this a lot lately but, the main riff isn't bad, it's quite catchy, but it just seems to be a lot of repeating the same 4 bars over and over again. So far this album has not been the throwback that I had hoped for.

Side two begins with "Double Trouble" which is led by a catchy guitar riff by Collins. Powell adds some cool piano as well as Van Zant sings along. There are a couple female back-up singers in this song and while they don't sound bad I don't think they really contribute much either. At under three minutes this song is over pretty quickly and it was a decent but certainly not outstanding song. Uo next is "Roll Gypsy Roll" and a cool soft guitar carries the riff while Powell adds in more cool piano. Wilkerson's bass is solid as well in this relaxed rock song but they pick up the beat a little bit after the chorus. This part leads into a cool guitar solo that fits the mood well, then it's back to the easy-going main riff. This song is another short one as one final verse and chorus brings it to a close. Track 7 is called "Searching" and Collins opens this song with a short guitar solo before settling into a nice stop-and-start riff. Van Zant's vocals are good as usual as he sings about searching for your love. Collins delivers another solid short solo and Pyle's drumming is pretty good as well in this one. After another verse and chorus we hear the best solo yet as both Collins and Rossington play some sweet stuff. They end it with a rock and roll flourish as I found this song reached out and grabbed you a few times, a big contrast to most of the album sadly. The next song is "Cry For The Bad Man" which is driven by a really great slow riff with some cool guitar and bass. Van Zant's vocals sound great in this one as does the cool guitar licks. The back-up singers return for the chorus and once again I don't find they really fit here. The chorus is short, but the main riff is much better anyway. Pyle plays a nice drum fill that segues into the first guitar solo. It fits the mood well and sounds pretty great and it moves into another rendition of the chorus. The riff becomes a little stale towards the end as they play another verse and another chorus but the song ends with another guitar solo. It's solid again, but similar to the first one as everyone seems content to just repeat the same stuff. The record closer is "All I Can Do Is Write About It" as some acoustic guitar carries the verse as Collins plays electric overtop. Van Zant sings nicely along to this country riff as we hear some cool guest mandolin as well. After a couple slow verses Powell takes it away with a pretty cool piano solo that fits the vibe great before it's back for one last verse. This is clearly not a headbanger, but I thought they did this one really nicely and is one of the better songs on this record.

That is the end of "Gimme Back My Bullets" and while it was a decent album I can't help but think about how much worse it is compared to their first couple albums. I did still enjoy this new offering but it doesn't sound like they are giving it their all on this one. The first two albums were both full of memorable parts and insanely good music and even their previous album "Nuthin' Fancy", which was a big step down in it's own right, was better overall than this new one. Lynyrd Skynyrd have slowly declined since their amazing debut, but I don't think this has to be their fate and I hope that they get back to what they do best on the next one. Until then...