The Best Of Lynyrd Skynyrd: 20th Century Masters (Millennium Collection)
As innovative and influential in their own way as their Southern rock precursors theAllman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd's career was just as star-crossed, perhaps more. Fate dealt them terrible blows in the form of the plane crash that killed singer Ronnie Van Zandt and guitarist Steve and his sister, singer Cassie Gaines; there were subsequent tragedies as well. This set features the biggest hits of the band's original incarnation, such as "Sweet Home Alabama," "Free Bird," "What's Your Name," and "Saturday Night Special," but also includes the potent album tracks "Gimme Three Steps," "You Got That Right," and "That Smell." Skynyrd is overrepresented by greatest-hits sets and live albums, though, and this collection is easily bested by the much deeper collectionsThe Essential Lynyrd SkynyrdandAll Time Greatest Hits. No matter how you package it, though, this is still powerful music.--Daniel Durchholz