Free Bird........ughhh

[Holdsg]

I like playing it on keys much more than playing it on bass.

 

[Robscott]

Cool and interesting? Really? It's the same few notes a million times over, speed up a bit at the end. Sounds like the kind of thing a guitarist would play. No funk has been used in the manufacture of this product

Incoming!!!!

 

[porterbass]

Yes! I played in a very popular regional southern rock band in the 80's and we rocked this song. So much fun to play and great energy for everyone. We had 2 lead guitarists along with another guitarist.

 

[Killing Floor]

The dueling guitars in that song are rock’n’roll. Sorry. True.

 

[Dluxe]

I played it in my high school cover band circa 1978 - 79. We did the live version from One More From The Road. Leon smokes on it!

 

[TheCouchBassist]

If I remember correctly Ed King plays bass on the original studio recording (I.e. debut album). I think Leon joined back up after it was in the can.

 

[Shaggai]

View attachment 4626181

Could be worse, could have been "Play a polka!"

 

[QweziRider]

I guess I never payed attention to how interesting and cool the bass line is.

I feel that way about all the Skynyrd I've had to play in various bands. I didn't grow up on it. I don't care to listen to any of it. But dang...doing some of those bass lines correctly makes me work for it. And that I find enjoyable.

 

[2112]

I’ve honestly never understood the dislike for that song.

I'll wager that the dislike for the song stems more from decades of people obnoxiously yelling out its title at inopportune times than from the song itself.

These... and bands buying into the hate. I haven't heard anybody yell that old joke for over a decade, and still it's dictating setlists lolol. The same for Stairway, except someone made a joke in a movie from decades ago.

They're still a couple of the greatest rock-n-roll songs of all time and absolutely rock a working-class bar gig. We know both and play both, and the audience loves it.

 

[kevrex]

I had somehow made it until i was about 30 before hearing the entire song, and that only happened because I walked into a pizza place, ordered a pizza, and then the song came on. the pizza was done about a minute later.

 

[roccobass]

I don’t dislike Freebird as much as I do Sweet Home Alabama. That one has passed my point of return.

At least with FB, you can play with it. In the brief country band I was in, we did a low key almost acoustic version with the fiddle player doing the intro and his own rendition of the triplet palooza towards the end. The crowd really liked it.

Truly, my favorite LS song is Tuesdays Gone, but I don’t want to derail this thread.

 

[2112]

I don’t dislike Freebird as much as I do Sweet Home Alabama. That one has passed my point of return.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Love that song! The bassline is killer. Get your pick ready! Here's how you should orchestrate the song:

1. After a song ends, and before you start Freebird, get someone in the audience to shout, "Freebird!"
2. People will laugh. Get one or two other shills to randomly shout, "Freebird!!"
3. Have band members express reluctance to play, shake their heads no, wave it off, etc.
4. More people in the crowd will start shouting, "Freebird!!!" The band is jeered into doing it.
5. Have the guitar start the opening movement.
6. Watch peoples' jaws drop as they engage, and Have fun while you kill that performance!

 

[Corigan]

Fun metal version

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

You'll learn this better by marrying the bassline with the drums. Here are the two isolated together:

 

[roccobass]

View attachment 4626299

I didn’t know Robby Steinhardt was in Lynyrd Skynyrd.

 

[2112]

I didn’t know Robby Steinhardt was in Lynyrd Skynyrd.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

"first one is free, subsequent birds will cost you"

 

[higain617]

I knew a guy in a Skynyrd tribute band. He played some pretty wretched venues.

 

[OkayistBassist]

I'll wager that the dislike for the song stems more from decades of people obnoxiously yelling out its title at inopportune times than from the song itself.

Exactly!

I love the song and performing it. Hearing the drunken redneck or funny guy yelling it after you nailed “Into the Mystic” or something similar is unnerving.

“Free Bird” was one of my favorite set closers with the old cover band back in the day. It hit just right and it was amazing.