Southern Rock Opera (Red Limited Edition)

Limited-edition translucent red 180gram 2LP vinyl.  In 'Southern Rock Opera', the Drive-By Truckers have created a startlingly intelligent work that proudly stands with the best music of their obvious inspiration. Lead trucker Patterson Hood sings the majority of the songs in a torn, ragged, but emotionally charged twangy voice somewhere between Tom Petty and Rod Stewart. These 20 tracks encapsulate a remarkably objective look at what Hood calls "the duality of the South." Rocking with a lean hardness, the savvy lyrical observations never overburden the songs' clenched grip. 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 Driv