Skynyrd Collectybles is a set for the devoted, a collection of rarities from
Lynyrd Skynyrd's prime period -- namely, when Ronnie VanZant led the band. The great thing about this is that it doesn't play as something just for the devoted -- it's quite enjoyable for anyone who's a fan of
Skynyrd's classic work. This does have some historically significant material, namely the inclusion of the early, pre-
Skynyrd "Shade Tree Recordings," cut between 1968 and 1970, and the "Quinvy Recordings" from 1970. There are also outtakes from
Second Helping and
Street Survivors, and a full album's worth of live material recorded either at the Fox Theater in 1976 or on WMC-FM in 1973. Nothing is particularly revelatory, even the early recording of "Free Bird," but it's all of high quality and anything that adds to classic
Skynyrd's body of work is welcome indeed. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine