I am speaking of course, of the three great Alabama icons.

For a long time, I ignored when people talked about the Drive-By Truckers, even passed up several of their cds for cheap in the used bin at CD Cellar. I don't really know why, I think something about their name seemed silly to me. But then, one day I read a post on Stereogum, and ended up downloading the Drive-By Truckers songs posted for that day. I still didn't really listen to them, but they ended up on my iPod, and while on shuffle on the plane to Zimbabwe, "The Three Great Alabama Icons" came on and blew me away. When I got back from Zimbabwe, I bought their Southern Rock Opera album, and was not disappointed at all, (see - sharing mp3's does promote buying of music.) The album just grows on you, from the desolate guitar of the opening track, to the straight-up rock songs, to the beautiful and bittersweet ballads. Since then, everyone that I have played the song for has really appreciated it, and my brother asked me to play it in my truck every time he rode with me for a month. So I suggest you listen to it as well, and don't waste all the time getting around to it that I did.

The Drive-By Truckers - The Three Great Alabama Icons

*From their website:

Here's a little more traditional song of theirs, off their latest album, The Dirty South:

The Drive-By Truckers - Carl Perkin's Cadillac

And a really nice slide show of the band set to another excellent song of theirs:

Slideshow