Nuthin' Fancy

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Nuthin' Fancy
Nuthin' Fancy (Lynyrd Skynyrd album - cover art).jpg
Studio album by
Lynyrd Skynyrd
ReleasedMarch 24, 1975
RecordedJanuary 1975 (except for track 1, August 1974)
StudioWEBB IV Studios, Atlanta (except for track 1, Studio One, Doraville, Georgia)
Genre Southern rock, blues rock, boogie rock, hard rock
Length37:34
Label MCA
Producer Al Kooper
Lynyrd Skynyrd chronology
Second Helping
(1974)		Nuthin' Fancy
(1975)		 Gimme Back My Bullets
(1976)
Singles from Nuthin' Fancy
  1. "Saturday Night Special" / "Made in the Shade"
    Released: May 19, 1975
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg link
Christgau's Record Guide A− [1]
Rolling Stone (mixed) link
The Daily VaultB+ [2]

Nuthin' Fancy is the third studio album by the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released in March 1975. It was their first to reach the top 10, peaking at number 9 on the U.S. album chart. It was certified gold on June 27, 1975, and platinum on July 21, 1987, by the RIAA. [3] This was the band's first record with new drummer Artimus Pyle. In late May 1975, guitarist Ed King left the band in the middle of their "Torture Tour." The album is best known for its only single, "Saturday Night Special," an anti-gun song that peaked at #27 on the U.S. Billboard chart.

Contents

Critical reception

Robert Christgau gave the album a positive review, stating: "On the one hand, two or three cuts here sound like heavy-metal-under-funk--check out 'Saturday Night Special,' a real killer. But on the other, Ronnie Van Zant has never deployed his limited, husky baritone with such subtlety. Where Gregg Allman (to choose a purely random example) is always straight, shuttling his voice between languor and high emotion, Van Zant feints and dodges, sly one moment and sleepy the next, turning boastful or indignant or admonitory with the barest shifts in timbre. I mean, dumb he ain't." [4]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Saturday Night Special"
5:08
2."Cheatin' Woman"
4:38
3."Railroad Song"
  • King
  • Van Zant
4:14
4."I'm a Country Boy"
4:24
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."On the Hunt"
  • Collins
  • Van Zant
5:25
2."Am I Losin'"
  • Rossington
  • Van Zant
4:32
3."Made in the Shade"Van Zant4:40
4."Whiskey Rock-a-Roller"
4:15
1999 CD reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Railroad Song" (Live at the Winterland in San Francisco, CA, April 27, 1975)
  • King
  • Van Zant
5:27
10."On the Hunt" (Live at the Winterland in San Francisco, CA, April 27, 1975)
  • Collins
  • Van Zant
6:10

Personnel

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (1975)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [5] 91
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [6] 17
UK Albums (OCC) [7] 43
US Billboard 200 [8] 9

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [3] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: L". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   0-89919-026-X . Retrieved March 1, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  2. ↑ Thelen, Christopher (2019). "The Daily Vault Music Reviews : Nuthin' Fancy". dailyvault.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "American album certifications – Lynyrd Skynyrd – Nuthin' Fancy". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  4. ↑ Robert Christgau: CG: Lynyrd Skynyrd
  5. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  6. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6136a". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Lynyrd Skynyrd Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
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