We missed it. SRO turns 15.

[pearlbeer]

Southern Rock Opera was released September 12, 2001. 15 years ago.

[Duke Silver]

Same age as the girl in Zip City. Missed opportunity indeed.

[pearlbeer]

Same age as the girl in Zip City. Missed opportunity indeed.

I didn't think about that. Clearly, you have no good intentions, Duke.

[Duke Silver]

Maybe I could have phrased that differently.

[Tequila Cowboy]

I saw it on FB yesterday and should have come on here and posted but I wasn't feeling very well and didn't think to. My bad. Here's the thing that stands out about this record more than anything else; there is no way on God's green earth this thing should have worked. Try just describing it in words. Well you see it's a concept album, a rock opera if you will centering around a fictional band based on the last days of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the surrounding landscape of the South in the late 1970's. Oh, and it's performed by band from North Alabama who are unabashedly liberal and that worldview comes through in the songwriting. Oh and the budget was $5K. Yeah, sounds like the making of a classic right? Except that it is a classic and it all works beautifully. That's what impresses me most about this record. I came along a couple of years later but damn I wish I had been a fan when this one was released. I'm certain it would have blown my motherfucking mind.

[allisonsdc]

Same age as the girl in Zip City. Missed opportunity indeed.

We ain't got no secretary to remind us about things like this.

[Tequila Cowboy]

Same age as the girl in Zip City. Missed opportunity indeed.

We ain't got no secretary to remind us about things like this.

[brett27295]

I have a weird relationship with this album. There are several tracks from SRO that are some of my absolute favorite live songs that DBT plays (Ronnie & Neil, 72, DDN/Guitar Man Upstairs, Zip City, The Southern Thing, Women Without Whiskey, Shut Up & Get On The Plane, Angels & Fuselage). But I think that generally the studio versions pale in comparison. I think the album works as a concept album, but I'm just not a huge fan of the idea of concept albums. I have to be in the mood to listen to SRO from start to finish. I appreciate it and all of that but over the years it's dropped out of the Top 5 of DBT albums for me.

With all that being said my absolute dream opening of a DBT show is Days of Graduation --> Ronnie & Neil (I also think it's one of the best openings of any album ever!). I've seen a decent amount of DBT shows but haven't been lucky enough to get these openers. Someday...

[ramonz]

Same age as the girl in Zip City. Missed opportunity indeed.

We ain't got no secretary to remind us about things like this.

I think we probably take SRO forgranted....

[pearlbeer]

I think we probably take SRO forgranted....

That's a mighty big word for you, Ramonz.

[pearlbeer]

....and just so we don't forget, I'll play secretary.

Tonight is Cooleymas Eve.

John Michael Cooley was born on September 14, 1966. He turns 50 tomorrow.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

I was going to start a thread for it but opted for just mentioning it in the What's Everyone Listening To? thread instead.

I first learned of Southern Rock Opera when I received promo copies of Gangstabilly and Pizza Deliverance from Sara Kelly Jones (their manager at the time) in 1999 that came with a press release that mentioned a work-in-progress called Betamax Guillotine. Since this magnum opus of a concept album revolved around the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd, it immediately got my attention even though I was still relatively new to the Truckers at the time. Back then, you might get "Gimme Three Steps" dropped into the middle of "Steve McQueen" or an advance cut from Southern Rock Opera like "The Southern Thing". None of this gave you any real impression of what the album might turn out to be. I just knew my interest was piqued. In October of 2001, Earl Hicks gave me a copy at their show at Firebelly Lounge in Wilmington, the night before they played a house show at Pine Hill Farm in Durham. While they didn't play Southern Rock Opera all the way through either night, they did play a heaping helping of it. As you might imagine, that Wilmington concert was a flat out rock show that left my ears ringing for days. The next night was another side of the coin entirely. More introspective and ripe for Patterson's storytelling, it was not without its moments of outright glee, like the drunken sing-a-along of "Keep On Smilin'" following a heart wrenching version of "Angels and Fuselage" with Jyl Freed on backing vocals. Interesting to look back on now from so many perspectives, like the less than capacity crowd that had gathered for the Wilmington show. When they played there just a couple months later after Jason had joined the band, the place was packed. I believe this had less to do with Jason and more to do with the publicity Southern Rock Opera had been receiving, like David Fricke's 5 star review in Rolling Stone. Even though I'd only been a fan for a short time at this point (the Wilmington concert was something like my third show), it was clear they were picking up momentum in ways they hadn't before, which also included an interview with Patterson and Cooley that aired on NPR's Weekend Edition (I'm pretty sure I still have a copy of this on cassette somewhere). There's also stuff like how the album had been recorded no less than three times and how the first edition on Soul Dump was entirely funded by fans well before crowdsourcing via organizations like Kickstarter were in existence.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

....and just so we don't forget, I'll play secretary.

Tonight is Cooleymas Eve.

John Michael Cooley was born on September 14, 1966. He turns 50 tomorrow.

damn, that makes me about 6.5 months older than him

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

Kudzu, where is Pine Hill Farm? I've heard it mentioned a lot in the years since I left Chapel Hill but have no idea where it is. I don't recall a place by that name existing during my time there, 89-92

[Kudzu Guillotine]

Kudzu, where is Pine Hill Farm? I've heard it mentioned a lot in the years since I left Chapel Hill but have no idea where it is. I don't recall a place by that name existing during my time there, 89-92

Just off Mt. Sinai Road in Duke Forest. They didn't start hosting house shows there until '96, they came to an end in late 2002 when the owners moved to Texas. I was still living at the coast during those years so I only caught a few concerts there. In addition to the Truckers (who played there twice), I saw the Mary Janes (of Vulgar Boatmen fame, not the Rick James variety) with Jeffrey Dean Foster opening and night two of the farewell shows in 2002 that included Chip Robinson (Backsliders), Tift Merritt, Thad Cockrell, Chris Smith (Patty Hurst Shifter), Kenny Roby (6 String Drag) and Tim Easton (who was living there at the time). If so inclined, you can check out this article about Pine Hill Farm from Indy Week here. There's also a thread here that, in addition to footage from the second night of the farewell shows, also includes footage from the first night of Patterson (with Neff and Brad) and a link to more footage featuring Tim Easton and Bobby Bare, Jr. At the end of the night they all jammed together.

[whatwouldcooleydo?]

Kudzu, where is Pine Hill Farm? I've heard it mentioned a lot in the years since I left Chapel Hill but have no idea where it is. I don't recall a place by that name existing during my time there, 89-92

Just off Mt. Sinai Road in Duke Forest. They didn't start hosting house shows there until '96, they came to an end in late 2002 when the owners moved to Texas. I was still living at the coast during those years so I only caught a few concerts there. In addition to the Truckers (who played there twice), I saw the Mary Janes (of Vulgar Boatmen fame, not the Rick James variety) with Jeffrey Dean Foster opening and night two of the farewell shows in 2002 that included Chip Robinson (Backsliders), Tift Merritt, Thad Cockrell, Chris Smith (Patty Hurst Shifter), Kenny Roby (6 String Drag) and Tim Easton (who was living there at the time). If so inclined, you can check out this article about Pine Hill Farm from Indy Week here. There's also a thread here that, in addition to footage from the second night of the farewell shows, also includes footage from the first night of Patterson (with Neff and Brad) and a link to more footage featuring Tim Easton and Bobby Bare, Jr. At the end of the night they all jammed together.

Thanks! Sounds like a very cool place

Cool how the Vulgar Boatmen pop up all over 3DD, glad to know there are peeps who dig them. I don't think there are very many of us

[Clams]

I think we probably take SRO forgranted....

You mean fergranted

[potatoeater]

This thread kicks ass. So I am a bit ashamed to admit I didn't realoze SRO had been recorded at least three times. Is this meant literally? Are the mixes different between each one? I mean if the later issues are from truly different sessions then each of the masters would have to have some degree of uniqueness to them, right? If so, are all of these available? I want.

[Zip City]

at least one version of it was lost or accidentally destroyed


the official DBT page on Facebook put up a "tell us your favorite song from SRO" post on the anniversary, and Jason Isbell responded with "Plastic Flowers on the Highway"

[Kudzu Guillotine]

This thread kicks ass. So I am a bit ashamed to admit I didn't realoze SRO had been recorded at least three times. Is this meant literally? Are the mixes different between each one? I mean if the later issues are from truly different sessions then each of the masters would have to have some degree of uniqueness to them, right? If so, are all of these available? I want.

I don't know what all is out there, if anything. Nor do I recall the exact reasons why it was recorded three separate times but I'm sure with a little digging I could unearth the details. In the meantime, there's this brief Rolling Stone interview with Patterson from when Southern Rock Opera was re-released by New West in 2002. Though not mentioned here, there were also tentative plans at one time to film a performance of the album in Texas with backup singers ("the Mulettes") in cheerleader costumes. I'm just going off of memory here as well but I do recall that being discussed in a bit of detail on the old DBT's Yahoo Group. Sifting through old posts on there now, it seems it may have been an idea that never quite got off the ground due to the band becoming increasingly busy in light of the success of Southern Rock Opera.

"The year that we actually made Rock Opera was pretty much the worst year of our lives. We recorded it three separate times and had two marriages and one long-term relationship break up during the actual two weeks we spent recording the actual version that came out. So we had all kinds of bad personal shit go down, and it got to the point where the band was fighting and it was a really miserable experience. The irony is it's been really fun since the record came out. Everybody's proud of surviving the miserable experience that making the record was."

[Daddy_played_poker]

This thread kicks ass. So I am a bit ashamed to admit I didn't realoze SRO had been recorded at least three times. Is this meant literally? Are the mixes different between each one? I mean if the later issues are from truly different sessions then each of the masters would have to have some degree of uniqueness to them, right? If so, are all of these available? I want.

I don't know what all is out there, if anything. Nor do I recall the exact reasons why it was recorded three separate times but I'm sure with a little digging I could unearth the details. In the meantime, there's this brief Rolling Stone interview with Patterson from when Southern Rock Opera was re-released by New West in 2002. Though not mentioned here, there were also tentative plans at one time to film a performance of the album in Texas with backup singers ("the Mulettes") in cheerleader costumes. I'm just going off of memory here as well but I do recall that being discussed in a bit of detail on the old DBT's Yahoo Group. Sifting through old posts on there now, it seems it may have been an idea that never quite got off the ground due to the band becoming increasingly busy in light of the success of Southern Rock Opera.

"The year that we actually made Rock Opera was pretty much the worst year of our lives. We recorded it three separate times and had two marriages and one long-term relationship break up during the actual two weeks we spent recording the actual version that came out. So we had all kinds of bad personal shit go down, and it got to the point where the band was fighting and it was a really miserable experience. The irony is it's been really fun since the record came out. Everybody's proud of surviving the miserable experience that making the record was."

It would be really interesting to hear the different versions of SRO. Even if those weren't available some tidbits from PH and MC about the differences/weaknesses would be fun to hear about. Let's enjoy the AB ride for now.

[potatoeater]

OK I see. I misunderstood the time frame the three recordings took place in. I was taking it as the Soul Dump release was from one set of sessions, The Lost Highway release was from another set and so on. I see now it was apparently three different sets of sessions which all took place before the original Soul Dump release.

I would still consider having copies of the different "versions" Holy Grail status material for my DBT collection.

[Smitty]

I think the holy grail would be the Betamax Guillotine EP, if it even exists.

I just broke SRO out for the first time in a very long time a couple weeks ago; it was long enough that I had forgotten just how amazing it was, particularly the final four songs. I had goosebumps on my skin and a lump in my throat by the time it was over.

The little allusions to "Sweet Home Alabama" all over the record and "Freebird" at the end of GtBR are fuckin brilliant.

Speaking of, I would mark out if I ever caught Greenville to Baton Rouge live again.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

I think the holy grail would be the Betamax Guillotine EP, if it even exists.

I'm sure this has been discussed here before but I know one of the songs was "Don't Cockblock the Rock", does anyone know what the other songs were?

[Smitty]

I think the holy grail would be the Betamax Guillotine EP, if it even exists.

I'm sure this has been discussed here before but I know one of the songs was "Don't Cockblock the Rock", does anyone know what the other songs were?

3 on the Tree and maybe Careless & Tornadoes are the ones I remember. btw, I'm almost positive I've heard an alternate version of Careless but I can't figure out where.

[Cole Younger]

The Dirty South is my favorite Truckers record but I listen to SRO more than any other Truckers record. I love it. But I listen to it more than all the others because I've found it is the favorite of all the more casual Truckers fans that I know. My wife is an example. She likes the band. Has been to several shows with me. But doesn't come close to being as obsessive as any of us. And she LOVES SRO. Even the less talked about songs like Road Cases, Plastic Flowers, life In The Factory etc. she loves them all. Same way with a really good buddy of mine. He went with me to my first Rock Show. He likes them. But mostly he just wants to listen to SRO.

TC is right. It shouldn't have worked. I laughed out loud when he said, "just try describing it in words." If you sit there and describe it out loud it sounds ridiculous. And personally, I think a lot of things about it didn't really work the way they were supposed to. It has been discussed here. It's really not a rock opera if you get technical about it. The entire thing is pretty muddled honestly. Who can tell whether a given song is supposed to be about the fictional band or Skynyrd or the truckers themselves?

The story of the fictional band seems to come and go throughout the record at best. They suddenly depart from it and get autobiographical or shift to talking about Skynyrd. Or the South. Or something. The album seems to kind of be about Skynyrd to a great extent. They are mentioned by name several times. Except it isn't.

I've been listening to this record for years and if you approach it or try to as a linear narrative or rock opera you are gonna get lost or frustrated.

Despite all that the record works as a stellar rock record because the songs are so freaking great and that is really all that matters.

[Cole Younger]

I was going to start a thread for it but opted for just mentioning it in the What's Everyone Listening To? thread instead.

I first learned of Southern Rock Opera when I received promo copies of Gangstabilly and Pizza Deliverance from Sara Kelly Jones (their manager at the time) in 1999 that came with a press release that mentioned a work-in-progress called Betamax Guillotine. Since this magnum opus of a concept album revolved around the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd, it immediately got my attention even though I was still relatively new to the Truckers at the time. Back then, you might get "Gimme Three Steps" dropped into the middle of "Steve McQueen" or an advance cut from Southern Rock Opera like "The Southern Thing". None of this gave you any real impression of what the album might turn out to be. I just knew my interest was piqued. In October of 2001, Earl Hicks gave me a copy at their show at Firebelly Lounge in Wilmington, the night before they played a house show at Pine Hill Farm in Durham. While they didn't play Southern Rock Opera all the way through either night, they did play a heaping helping of it. As you might imagine, that Wilmington concert was a flat out rock show that left my ears ringing for days. The next night was another side of the coin entirely. More introspective and ripe for Patterson's storytelling, it was not without its moments of outright glee, like the drunken sing-a-along of "Keep On Smilin'" following a heart wrenching version of "Angels and Fuselage" with Jyl Freed on backing vocals. Interesting to look back on now from so many perspectives, like the less than capacity crowd that had gathered for the Wilmington show. When they played there just a couple months later after Jason had joined the band, the place was packed. I believe this had less to do with Jason and more to do with the publicity Southern Rock Opera had been receiving, like David Fricke's 5 star review in Rolling Stone. Even though I'd only been a fan for a short time at this point (the Wilmington concert was something like my third show), it was clear they were picking up momentum in ways they hadn't before, which also included an interview with Patterson and Cooley that aired on NPR's Weekend Edition (I'm pretty sure I still have a copy of this on cassette somewhere). There's also stuff like how the album had been recorded no less than three times and how the first edition on Soul Dump was entirely funded by fans well before crowdsourcing via organizations like Kickstarter were in existence.

I remember where I was and what I was doing around the time of that Wilmington show and that Pine Hill Farm show. I was living in North Carolina a short drive from Wilmington too. Missed opportunities. Man I wish I had been at those shows.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

I was going to start a thread for it but opted for just mentioning it in the What's Everyone Listening To? thread instead.

I first learned of Southern Rock Opera when I received promo copies of Gangstabilly and Pizza Deliverance from Sara Kelly Jones (their manager at the time) in 1999 that came with a press release that mentioned a work-in-progress called Betamax Guillotine. Since this magnum opus of a concept album revolved around the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd, it immediately got my attention even though I was still relatively new to the Truckers at the time. Back then, you might get "Gimme Three Steps" dropped into the middle of "Steve McQueen" or an advance cut from Southern Rock Opera like "The Southern Thing". None of this gave you any real impression of what the album might turn out to be. I just knew my interest was piqued. In October of 2001, Earl Hicks gave me a copy at their show at Firebelly Lounge in Wilmington, the night before they played a house show at Pine Hill Farm in Durham. While they didn't play Southern Rock Opera all the way through either night, they did play a heaping helping of it. As you might imagine, that Wilmington concert was a flat out rock show that left my ears ringing for days. The next night was another side of the coin entirely. More introspective and ripe for Patterson's storytelling, it was not without its moments of outright glee, like the drunken sing-a-along of "Keep On Smilin'" following a heart wrenching version of "Angels and Fuselage" with Jyl Freed on backing vocals. Interesting to look back on now from so many perspectives, like the less than capacity crowd that had gathered for the Wilmington show. When they played there just a couple months later after Jason had joined the band, the place was packed. I believe this had less to do with Jason and more to do with the publicity Southern Rock Opera had been receiving, like David Fricke's 5 star review in Rolling Stone. Even though I'd only been a fan for a short time at this point (the Wilmington concert was something like my third show), it was clear they were picking up momentum in ways they hadn't before, which also included an interview with Patterson and Cooley that aired on NPR's Weekend Edition (I'm pretty sure I still have a copy of this on cassette somewhere). There's also stuff like how the album had been recorded no less than three times and how the first edition on Soul Dump was entirely funded by fans well before crowdsourcing via organizations like Kickstarter were in existence.

I remember where I was and what I was doing around the time of that Wilmington show and that Pine Hill Farm show. I was living in North Carolina a short drive from Wilmington too. Missed opportunities. Man I wish I had been at those shows.

I spent the night in Wilmington and made the drive to Durham the following afternoon. On the way, the skies turned pitch black and strong winds were making it difficult to keep my van between the ditches. It got hairy more than a few times as the weather was definitely a bit tornadic. That night, they did "Tornadoes" which was my first time hearing it. Up until that time, I'd only read the lyrics on the official DBT's website. I forget what section it was under (maybe something called "Stories"). I believe the only other song in that section was the also unrecorded "White Knuckle, WVA". They were the lyrics with the stories behind the songs. I still haven't heard "White Knuckle, WVA" but I have never forgotten my first "Tornadoes".