Gimme Back My Bullets is generally considered the least successful of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd albums, but it has always been my favorite. I rate it just slightly ahead of the essential "Pronounced". I remember staying up late as a teenager, to hear its midnight debut on the local radio station (WDVE, Pittsburgh), and buying it ASAP after that.

"Bullets" is a transitional album for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Most obviously, it features a 2-guitar line-up, coming after the departure of Ed King, and a few months before Steve Gaines joined. The 2-guitar sound is a bit leaner that previous albums, but Collins and Rossington are more than capable of carrying the load! But it's also their first production with the legendary Tom Dowd replacing Al Kooper who had produced their first 3 albums. And it has the debut of the Honkettes, the female backup vocal group consisting of JoJo Billingsley, Cassie Gaines and Leslie Hawkins.

Gimme Back My Bullets is very much Allen Collins' record. Over the first 3 Skynyrd albums, the songwriting was spilt pretty evenly between the 3 guitarists (along with Singer Ronnie Van Zant, of course). Allen Collins co-authors 8 of 24 songs, Gary Rossington and Ed King each co-author 7. But Allen wrote many of Skynyrd's best songs, including "Freebird", "Gimme 3 Steps", "Tuesday's Gone" and "Needle & The Spoon". On "Bullets", Allen has songwriting credits (along with RVZ) on all 8 of the original songs (Rossington is also part of the team on 3 of the songs).

Musically, "Bullets" didn't have any big hits, but does include several Skynyrd standards. All of the songs are great. The title track, "Double Trouble" and "Searchin" are all Skynyrd standards, along with the acoustic-ish "All I can Do Is Write About It". "Roll Gypsie Roll" is a reflective piece about life on the road, and one of my all time favorite songs. "Every Mother's Son", "Trust" and "Cry For The Bad Man" are all solid songs. There's also a cover of J.J.Cale's "Same Old Blues" that has a great, almost funky, feel. Trivia note: Lynyrd Skynyrd only did 2 covers on their first 4 studio albums, both were of J.J. Cale songs. The other was "Call Me The Breeze".

If you're a casual Skynyrd fan, start with "Pronounced", or the original band's live set "One More From The Road". But if you want to get deeper into the spirit of the band, this album can't be beat.

First, I'd like to say: I do recommend this album. If that's all you need, great. If not, read on:
I found this album hidden beneath a load Christmas sing-along LPs at the local thrift store; originally, I was getting it because the cover looked great (I decorate with album covers) and it was only $5. I had just gotten my new turntable needle in after a long wait, and was excited to use it. I liked Skynyrd well enough, but still don't count myself a 'true fan'. I just really like collecting records.
I put it on at home and went to make myself hot chocolate, and I could hear it start up. I was floored. This may not be one of the best-reviewed albums, but I absolutely love it to pieces. (I'm afraid I might wear it to pieces- it's been playing non-stop!) It's definitely an album you can just put on and not worry about deep meanings or hidden messages, and it's happy to be playing in the background, half-forgotten (except when you have to change it over). LP or CD, I do recommend this one. It's my 'sitting-down-reading-a-book-and-drinking-hot-chocolate' album.

Excellent. This album was made after a bad period for Skynyrd when they were admittedly partying way too much most of the time. They knew it was time to get their act together and this was almost a comeback album from the wreckage of the past. Gimme back my bullets was a vailed reference to getting back on top in the music industry and a lot of effort went into this album. Great production value and sound quality, Skynyrd at thier best. This one is easily as good as Pronounced.

"Bullets", Lynyrd Skynyrd's fourth album, wasn't a great succes back in 1976. And many reviewers, professional and amateur, apparently consider it the original Skynyrd ensemble's "least great" album. Generic. Uninspired. Mediocre.
Not me, though. I think it's a wonderful, varied collection of songs, hard rockers, melodic slow and mid-tempo grooves, and effective ballads...better than "Street Survivors" and better, certainly, than "Nuthin' Fancy" as well.

I love the clanging pianos and the crunchy riffs, and with the exception of "Searching", which I've never really learned to love, I don't see a single clunker here. "Double Trouble" is a bit too predictable, but everything else is top-notch. "Trust" and the title track in particulat provide some tough, riff-driven hard rock, and songs like "Cry For The Bad Man" and J.J. Cale's "The Same Old Blues" groove along on a great combination of effective riffs and a supple rhythm section. Slower tunes like "Every Mother's Son" and the semi-acoustic country ballad "All I Can Do Is Write About It" are equally excellent, and "Every Mother's Son" in particular provide a terrific showcase for the talents of singer Ronnie van Zant.

You may well argue that a few of these songs seem more powerful and vibrant on the live "On More From The Road", which was recorded during the tour that Skynyrd undertook in support of "Bullets". And some live versions of "The Same Old Blues" do indeed outshine this one as well. But the songs certainly don't suck here either, and the two bonus tracks, previously unreleased live recordings of "Gimme Back My Bullets" and "Cry For The Bad Man", are a welcome addition, even if the live version of title track can't match the version found on "One More From The Road". The live "Bad Man" makes up for it.

Don't let negative or mediocre reviews scare you away from this album (and don't pay any attention to the otherwise excellent Allmusic guide either). Give it a try. There is a lot to love here.

This CD, and Nuthin' Fancy, show that good 'ol Shorty Medlocke influence with the diverse,but very southern music songwriting. Bullets is a must have if you are a Ronnie Van Zant fan first,the Skynyrd band second. This is "gone fishin" and sitting on the porch music at it's finest.
If you are a new Skynyrd fan,get One More From The Road,Pronounced and then Street Survivors. Also consider Gold and Platinum and the boxed set,if you want a major portion of the whole pie.
Enjoy .