Search - Lynyrd Skynyrd :: Street Survivors (Dlx)

Ron S. from YORKTOWN, VA
Reviewed on 10/12/2011...

I never realized that Skynyrd recorded this album twice. The original way they recorded this album is like finding an old friend you haven't seen in years. This is a MUST for anyone who loves Skynyrd.

The Definitive Edition

D. Allen | McKinney Texas | 04/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I see a lot of conflicting reviews here, and frankly, I don't get it. The fact that someone bought the Deluxe Edition of Street Survivors means they probably REALLY liked the standard issue - and any audiophile or big fan of this band should love this release.



Any newbie or casual fan of this band, or anyone who doesn't care if this is the best sounding remaster up to this point, should get the standard edition and save some money. But if you love this band and/or you're looking for the best sounding version of the original album, this is just the ticket. The overall difference in mastering quality isn't tremendous, but inadequacies that existed from song to song on previous editions have been rectified. It's obvious that each track got its own mastering instead of just setting the controls and applying it to the whole album. This was the best way to do this album since it was derived from three different recording studios using three different engineers and three different producers.



The first version of this album, that the band recorded in Miami, is on the second disc, and it's clear why the band didn't like it - it was more laid back and quiet - a departure from the bands rip-roaring and brawling reputation. They added some fire to it when they re-recorded it in Georgia, but the Miami version is still very interesting, and it would have been the album we all know if the band hadn't gotten cold feet!"

Good only as a historical document

Music Fanatic | Bettendorf, IA United States | 06/20/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bottom line: This album has already been released as a remastered version, and that single disc remastered version is by far the better value, giving you a remaster of this phenomenal album, plus all the true bonus tracks, but without the useless inferior versions of the original tracks.



Here's the story behind this release: Supposedly, it was Kevin Elson (later to become famous as the producer for giant AOR bands like Journey and Mr. Big), working as a studio engineer, who told the band not to release the album that they had recorded with Tom Dowd, which is contained on disc two of this set. Thank GOD they listened to him. This has always been one of my favorite albums, but it's shocking how lifeless and uninteresting the Dowd recordings sound.



I have always wondered what Skynyrd would have created had it not been for the tragedy that followed this album. Since hearing this, though, I have wondered how much better they would have sounded on earlier albums if they had never met Dowd. Disc two of this set is a scathing indictment of Dowd's skills as a producer. It explains, though, why his most famous clients, including the Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, always sounded better live than they did on studio recordings."