Haven’t heard that album by the Truckers. Though I know that band to be good. Have no doubt that any animosity (if much at all) between Neil and Skynyrd was mostly fabricated in the minds of many.
Growing up in the South - in 5 different States in the South - and cutting my teeth on bluegrass guitar in the early 70’s, I literally lived that duality and can speak to that.
I saw Skynyrd in Charlotte in 1975 (I believe, or ‘76… those years are cloudy for some reason) . It was a double bill with Marshall Tucker Band.
The Caldwell boys - Tommy and Toy and co. opened the show. They slayed. Then LSkynyrd took the stage and Ronnie VZ was totally wasted, 3 sheets in the wind. First song - he picked up the microphone stand and swung it like a baseball bat. He clipped another microphone stand and electrocuted himself. He dropped like he’d been shot. Show comes to a screeching halt. Lights come up (revealing the thick cloud of smoke) EMS on the stage. They have to haul Ronnie off on a gurney.
About 30 or 45 minutes go by, then it was announced the show must go on and the Tucker boys came out on stage with what was left of Lynyrd Skynyrd and they did a combined jam. Playing basic blues and songs like Will Circle be unbroken, etc. etc.
It was there and then when Toy Caldwell showed Rossington and Collins how to play the guitar. Toy stood up there with his bow legs and his thumb and his chicken Pickin and he absolutely tore those boys a new asshole. The Skynyrd guitar players could do nothing but sit there in wonder with their jaws slack. Toy Caldwel toyed with those boys. Embarrassed them.
All I’m really saying is that, personally, I prefer Neil Young - and all of the songs he’s written and recorded, and his work with Buffalo Springfield, CSNY and Crazy Horse - much better than Skynyrd. That’s all. Just an opinion.
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