Behind-The-Scenes Footage From ‘Endangered Species’ Proves Strength Of Skynyrd’s Brotherhood
on Apr 22, 2016 • Updated Aug 07, 2020
In 1994, Lynyrd Skynyrd released their eighth studio album, which is also one of their most unique. Called Endangered Species, the album stands out in Skynyrd’s collection because every track features primarily acoustic instruments.
Skynyrd included a few new songs on the album, such as “Devil in the Bottle” and “Hillbilly Blues.” But the album also contained acoustic remakes of some of Skynyrd’s popular songs from years past, including “Down South Jukin'” and “Poison Whiskey.”
While they were in the process of making Endangered Species, Skynyrd filmed some of their work in the recording studio and the band members sat down to talk about the album. The footage and the interviews gave fans an inside look into the creation of the album. Even today it’s still interesting to learn about all of the thoughts and work that went into Endangered Species.
“This album is something I’ve wanted to do since I joined the band,” said lead singer Johnny Van Zant. “This is real cool, this is real intimate. I think the fans will dig it a lot.“
Guitarist Ed King shared that making Endangered Species came naturally to all of them. He said for all of their previous records, acoustics played a huge part in their creation, which is why Endangered Species was fun and easy to make:
“I don’t think it’s an unplugged record. It just happens we play acoustics. The way we write our material and always have is with acoustics.”
The behind-the-scenes clip below includes footage of the band playing various songs off of the album. Of course, there are also plenty of clips of them goofing around with one another! Johnny and guitarist Gary Rossington really steal the show with their comedic antics, and you won’t be able to stop laughing at them.
Overall, this clip shows just how strong Skynyrd’s brotherhood is, and why that has led to the creation of so many spectacular albums like Endangered Species.
