Other tidbits...

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WOMAN OF MINE, ROAD FATIGUE, and COTTONMOUTH COUNTRY


Q - Do you have any idea who co-wrote WOMAN OF MINE and ROAD FATIGUE? Also, was ROAD FATIGUE inspired or about Bob leaving the band?


WOMAN OF MINE is by Ronnie, Leon Wilkeson & myself.

The song WOMAN OF MINE contains a bleak moment in my personal history - a moment when I can truly ask myself "What were you thinking?" I didn't get a chance to re-do that solo because MCA used the 2-track mixdown from the show. If I were you, I'd fast-forward through that solo - or go find yourself a bucket before you play it.

I think the WOMAN OF MINE solo would be best played on this guitar...in case anyone was wondering! Play me some BAD Egyptian SLIDE!!

MCA Records, instead of having Al Kooper do some "work" on the master tapes, decided to release that radio show* as they already had it on a 2-track master tape. I would've wanted to re-do that damn solo. Fortunately, I've got some other good stuff I played during those years so I can allow one turkey to fall through the cracks.

Why didn't that tune make it onto an album? I think we always felt that song was just a little un-done. "Cheatin' Woman" was also a little un-done, but it DID make it onto an album. Sometimes, rather than fix a broken tune, you just move onto the next. We often did that.

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ROAD FATIGUE (which was never really a finished tune) is by Ronnie & me. Burns didn't inspire the tune....he plays on the only known recorded version.

You've probably heard a tune called "Road Fatigue" off of a video tape of a show we did in Germany in '74. That song was enormously un-finished. Sometimes we'd put together enough of a song so we could play it to a crowd - to see if some kind of inspiration would take over - to take the song to another place.

That's what happened to "Freebird". Originally, it was just a slow song. One night in a night club the band needed more time. So Rossington, in a moment of clear inspiration, added the 3 chord vamp at the end. Too bad he never got songwriting credit for that. He certainly deserved it as that idea was what put that song on the map.


* Recorded at WMC-FM in Memphis on October 30th, 1973.

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Q - About Cottonmouth Country...I'm not sure why Ronnie yelled out "cut, cut, cut" during the song. Maybe Mr. King knows, but it sounds good to me.


Leon, Artimus & myself had been in Atlanta recording the basic track to SATURDAY NITE SPECIAL. When everybody was done recording guitars and vocals, Ronnie & I started working on this bass riff I had. The band jammed on it and we had something cool going with it...but we had reached a point where we needed to discuss where to take the arrangement. We never did. Ronnie said "cut" and we were done for the day.

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Q - I was just wondering what songs, if any, that you played an acoustic guitar on during your time with Ronnie's band?


There are acoustic parts on the first 3 albums...though I don't think that I played ANY of them except maybe CURTIS LOEW.

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Q - Do you remember using an acoustic in the live shows?


I never did...not in the 70's.[/b][/size]

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Q - How come you do not appear in "Free Bird" the movie?


Before this movie came out, they informed me that I was in a small segment. They asked if, for a thousand bucks, I'd sign a waiver. Sure, why not? They told me the check and the paper were in the mail. I got the paper...no check. I told them, Send the check and I'll sign the waiver. Never heard from them again.

You'll have to tell me if I'm in the movie. Never saw it. But I get paid for my songs used....fair enough. What some people won't do to save a thousand bucks. Cheap bastards.[/b][/size]

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Q - What's your favorite song that you didn't play on? ('73 - '75 era)


ON THE HUNT - There wasn't anyplace on the track where I was needed, so I didn't play on it*. The drum & bass line leading up to the last verse KILL ME.

* I wrote Leon's bass part for the verses only.[/b][/size]

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Q - How did you guys feel about the way Kooper faded out most of the end solos on the albums?


We may have had some "artistic differences" with Kooper, but I thought the premature fade-outs were fine. The fade on NEEDLE was done because it sounded better than the ending we had...and MCA was done that way because we didn't have another FREE BIRD. Back in the 70s, it was cool to fade a song with a guitar solo (or piano solo). [/b][/size]

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Q - Was the band working on any of the songs for GIME BACK MY BULLETS before you left? I read somewhere that Leon was quoted as saying the album needed you and that Collins and Rossington agreed.


CRY FOR THE BAD MAN was written by Ronnie & Allen in a hotel room ... oddly, NOT at rehearsal. I never had a chance to work on it with the band. Ronnie, many times, said "gimme back my bullets" but the song hadn't been written yet. I love the material on that record but believe the production needed me AND Al Kooper.[/b][/size]

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I played a guitar part on ONE MORE TIME that you probably CAN'T HEAR.

As far as I recall, it was a volume-pedal type Strat part - there may be more to it, but I can't remember. ONE MORE TIME is from the Muscle Shoals sessions. I overdubbed guitar & bass on 17 songs in 24 hours. I didn't hear too much in this particular tune that was needed. The main solo is Rossington, and it's pretty sweet indeed.

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When we used to play the night clubs, Ronnie would introduce this song by saying "This is a little tune I wrote on the toilet."

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The entire Skynyrd catalog has many great things that have yet to be found. FM radio plays the same songs over and over. Not complaining...but there a lot of Ronnie's lyrics that say MANY things in only the way he could say it...only the die-hard fans know what I'm talking about.

I thought THINGS GOIN' ON was a lot closer to the 'edge'. I wonder why this song isn't being played more today? "Think they just sit up there and just get high."