Nuthin' Fancy

Nuthin' Fancy is the third studio album by the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released in March 1975. It was their first to reach the top 10, peaking at number 9 on the U.S. album chart. It was certified gold on June 27, 1975, and platinum on July 21, 1987, by the RIAA.^[3] This was the band's first record with new drummer Artimus Pyle. In late May 1975, guitarist Ed King left the band in the middle of their "Torture Tour." The album is best known for its only single, "Saturday Night Special," a song about the dangers of acting impulsively, that peaked at #27 on the U.S. Billboard chart.

Nuthin' Fancy
Studio album by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Released	March 24, 1975
Recorded	January 1975 (except for track 1, August 1974)
Studio	WEBB IV Studios, Atlanta (except for track 1, Studio One, Doraville, Georgia)
Genre	Southern rock, blues rock, boogie rock, hard rock
Length	37:34
Label	MCA
Producer	Al Kooper
Lynyrd Skynyrd chronology
Second Helping (1974) Nuthin' Fancy (1975) Gimme Back My Bullets (1976)
Singles from Nuthin' Fancy
"Saturday Night Special" / "Made in the Shade" Released: May 19, 1975

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	link
Christgau's Record Guide	A−[1]
Rolling Stone	(mixed) link
The Daily Vault	B+[2]

Critical reception

Robert Christgau gave the album a positive review, stating: "On the one hand, two or three cuts here sound like heavy-metal-under-funk--check out 'Saturday Night Special,' a real killer. But on the other, Ronnie Van Zant has never deployed his limited, husky baritone with such subtlety. Where Gregg Allman (to choose a purely random example) is always straight, shuttling his voice between languor and high emotion, Van Zant feints and dodges, sly one moment and sleepy the next, turning boastful or indignant or admonitory with the barest shifts in timbre. I mean, dumb he ain't."^[4]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Saturday Night Special"	Ed King Ronnie Van Zant	5:08
2.	"Cheatin' Woman"	Al Kooper Gary Rossington Van Zant	4:38
3.	"Railroad Song"	King Van Zant	4:14
4.	"I'm a Country Boy"	Allen Collins Van Zant	4:24

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"On the Hunt"	Collins Van Zant	5:25
2.	"Am I Losin'"	Rossington Van Zant	4:32
3.	"Made in the Shade"	Van Zant	4:40
4.	"Whiskey Rock-a-Roller"	King Billy Powell Van Zant	4:15

• Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–8 on CD reissues.

1999 CD reissue bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
9.	"Railroad Song" (Live at the Winterland in San Francisco, CA, April 27, 1975)	King Van Zant	5:27
10.	"On the Hunt" (Live at the Winterland in San Francisco, CA, April 27, 1975)	Collins Van Zant	6:10

• Tracks 9 and 10 are previously unreleased

Personnel

Lynyrd Skynyrd

• Ronnie Van Zant – lead vocals
• Gary Rossington – guitar
• Allen Collins – guitar
• Ed King – guitar
• Leon Wilkeson – bass guitar
• Artimus Pyle – drums, percussion
• Billy Powell – keyboards

Additional personnel

• Barry Harwood – dobro, mandolin
• Jimmy Hall – harmonica
• David Foster – piano
• Bobbye Hall – percussion

Charts

Chart (1975)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[5]	91
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[6]	17
UK Albums (OCC)[7]	43
US Billboard 200[8]	9

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[3]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.