オルタナ・カントリー～アメリカーナ好きから70sサザン・ロック/アメリカン・ロック黄金時代好きまでを魅了する90-2000年代サザン・ロックの雄ドライヴ・バイ・トラッカーズの3作目のアルバムである2001年名盤『サザン・ロック・オペラ』のデラックス・エディション。オリジナルは2枚組のアルバムとしてリリースされ、人種政治から70年代のスタジアム・ロックまでを野心的に描いた本作はレーナード・スキナードの影響をドライヴス独自に昇華させた大作。このデラックス・エディションではリミックスとリマスターが施された本編の2LPと、もともとアルバム収録予定だったという未発表音源「Mystery Song」やライヴ音源などのレア音源を収録したDISC.3からなる3LPとしてリイシュー。

リード・シンガーのパターソン・フッドは、「「Birmingham」と「Moved」は、もともとオリジナルCDの一部だった。アルバムのためにオリジナル・トラックをミックスし直している最中、バーミンガムで深夜に録音されたという謎のトラックを偶然見つけたんだ。私たちの誰も、この曲を録音した記憶がまったくない。曲自体も書き留められたものではなく、テープが回っている間にその場で作られたものだ。私たちはこの曲を「ミステリー・ソング」と呼ぶことにした。」と語っています。

発売・販売元 提供資料 （2024/07/24）

Don't be deterred by the rather misleading title. Not a rock opera in the sense of Tommy or Jesus Christ Superstar, this sprawling double disc is more akin to a song cycle about Southern rock, in particular Lynyrd Skynyrd. Almost six years in the making, the Drive-By Truckers have created a startlingly intelligent work that proudly stands with the best music of their obvious inspiration. Largely written and conceived by lead trucker Patterson Hood (son of famed Muscle Shoals bassist David Hood), who sings the majority of the songs in a torn, ragged, but emotionally charged twangy voice somewhere between Tom Petty and Rod Stewart, these 20 literate tracks encapsulate a remarkably objective look at what Hood calls "the duality of the South." Rocking with a lean hardness, the story unfolds over 90 minutes, but the savvy lyrical observations never overburden the songs' clenched grip. While bands like the similarly styled Bottle Rockets have worked this territory before, never has a group created an opus that's thematically tied to this genre while objectively exploring its conceptual limitations. The two discs are divided into Acts I and II; the first sets the stage by exploring aspects of an unnamed Southern teen's background growing up as a music fan in an environment where sports stars, not rock stars, were idolized. The second follows him as he joins his Skynyrd-styled dream band, tours the world, and eventually crashes to his death in the same sort of airplane accident that claimed his heroes. The Drive-By Truckers proudly charge through these songs with their three guitars, grinding and soloing with a swampy intensity recalling a grittier, less commercially viable early version of Skynyrd. A potentially dodgy concept that's redeemed by magnificent songwriting, passionate singing, and ruggedly confident but far from over-the-top playing, Southern Rock Opera should be required listening not only for fans of the genre, but anyone interested in the history of '70s rock, or even the history of the South in that decade. More the story of Hood than Skynyrd, this is thought-provoking music that also slashes, burns, and kicks out the jams. Its narrative comes to life through these songs of alienation, excess, and, ultimately, salvation, as seen through the eyes of someone who lived and understands it better than most. ~ Hal Horowitz

Rovi