Untitled Document

ROSSINGTON BAND
Returned to the scene of the crime. And….

Now is the re-issue as a cd of this album, so let's recall Gary Rossington and Allen Collins solo career. They played together from the beginning of Lynyrd Skynyrd, until the plane crash, October 1977 the 20th ; so let's talk about the musical period just after the accident :

Just three years after the crash, not having totally recovered physically and psychologically, Gary Rossington and Allen Collins decided to create the Rossington-Collins Band.

The first album, "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" (1980) gave Lynyrd Skynyrd fans hope because, even if the music and the band were different, the feeling and the sound were very close from the spirit of the Jacksonville band. Musicians of the RCB were Gary Rossington, Allen Collins and Barry Harwood on guitars, Billy Powell on piano, Leon Wilkeson on bass guitar, Derek Hess on drums and the wonderful Dale Krantz (future Mrs Rossington) on vocals. This first album was, for me, the best recording ever made by ex Skynyrd musicians. Songs like "Prime Time" (nice Dale vocals !), or "Don't Misunderstand me", "Opportunity",…are some of the best songs of the band.

One year later will appear the second album "This is the Way" (1981) who, even no so good as the first one, gave good pleasure to the fans. The band is on the road of long tours and songs such as "Gotta get it Straight", "Tashauna" and "Don't stop me now" are really good live songs. In a bad way, the story had to stop for too many reasons (too far away from us now !) and it was the end of this wonderful southern band. Now for the fans there are these two nice albums and some bootlegs recordings like "Nashville Auditorium 1980" where the band played "Free Bird" (without vocals) at the end of the show, "Great !!".

After came the Allen Collins Band with the album "Here, There and Back" (1983), where Gary's missing was too obvious and where songs seemed made for the two guitarists, not only for one, even if, with Randall Hall arrival (who played later when Lynyrd Skynyrd was born again) and Jim Dougherty on vocals, musical quality was always there. "Just Trouble", "Time after Time", "Commitments"… are really good songs.

At this time, Mr and Mrs Rossington were out of business (because of their children births), and were now ready to come back. Some it was not a surprise to get the album "Returned to the Scene of the Crime". The real surprise was the music they gave us ; it seemed that Lynyrd Skynyrd style was really over, and Gary and Dale seemed to really want to get radio appearances. Even with good musicians like Jay Johnson, Gary Ross, Tim Lindsey, Ronnie Eades, the FM radio style was really obvious. Only "Wounded Again" and "Dangerous Love" were at a good musical level and seemed far away from commercial purposes. It appeared that something had broken when the Tribute Lynyrd Skynyrd tour was created and had to play about twelve shows in the United States. First Gary was not really enthusiastic (that's legend ?) and Dale (and the recording label too !) pushes him to record a new Rossington Band album.

"Love your Man" is out in 1988 and appears to be better than their first recording (that's the feeling I got when it came out), but however is still a FM oriented album. We can forgive them for that because they decided just after to go back for Lynyrd Skynyrd rebirth.
Nowadays Lynyrd Skynyrd is still alive and well, for southern rock fans pleasure. It is a nice story, we are happy to be here today to be able to listen to and to enjoy what they can offer us.

John Molet