uReview: The Allman Brothers Band
[ratings]
These guys any good? Is this album a good choice for a start? Where’s the sweet spot?
I need schooling on these Brothers.
“Come And Go Blues”
MP3 Album | download here ]
Orig Vinyl |1973 | Capricorn | search ebay ]
Spotify link | listen ]
Written by Brendan | November 4th, 2010 | Comments (11)
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that’s a rhetorical question i can only hope…
Although it’s not an entirely authentic record of the gigs, I’ve always been more partial to Live at the Filmore East. There Dwane and Dickey were more or less equals and Ioved the interplay between them.
A recent purchase after having the double LP best of collection The Road Goes On Forever. It’s great – Ramblin’ Man; Wasted Words; Jessica (Top Gear theme) – it hangs together pretty well. Of course, we’d all much prefer to have Duane Allman on it but when you consider the scale of his loss, a sensational effort. I still prefer Eat A Peach, but you won’t find this in too many second hand record shops, I would venture.
Incidentally, does anyone remember Richard Betts’ performance at the Grammys a few years ago?
This was the Bros’ first album fully recorded after Skydog’s death. The band quite rightly decided to continue without him, but IMHO the result was the same as the Stones without Brian – still a great band but no longer a very special one. Of course you should get into the Bros, B – they’re one of the cornerstone bands of early 70s rock. The best place to start, however, is the live abum At Fillmore East, if you want to hear them truly flying, unfettered by studio limitations. Duane was the best electric slide guitar player alive at the time, and his intro to “Statesboro Blues” still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up forty years on. Otherwise, start with the eponymous debut or the second outing, Idlewild South. Eat A Peach, partly recorded while Duane was alive, is also pretty good. I recall a review of Brothers And Sisters from around the time of its release describing it as “one half of a fine album, and that’s more than you usually get these days”. I think it’s fair to say that all the following albums were patchy at best. For more Skydog, there’s Layla, of course, and also two splendid comps Duane Allman: An Anthology Vols 1 and 2, both 2-CD collections featuring the best of Skydog with the Bros and also a plethora of his sessions for BB King, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Sam Samudio, Delaney & Bonnie and a dozen other names. The guy might have been a blueser at heart but he had soul in abundance. Skydog’s spirit lives on in Derek Trucks, nephew of the Bros’ drummer and a fine guitarist in his own right.
I agree the comment above this one. Start with “Fillmore East”, then the first two studio albums. Back in the seventies, my friends played “Brothers and Sisters” to death. Too bad, I lost my appreciation of the band for a long time. It’s OK, I’ve recovered.
Don’t know but I love the cover.
I hate to be a wagon jumper, but I agree that Live at the Fillmore is the one set to “discover” the Bros. The interplay live was unequaled. Having seen some videos from those live sessions, it amazed me to see Duane dripping in sweat from playing and playing and playing, and when they were totally worn out, they announced it was over and goodbye…and someone opens a side door and there’s daylight! They’d been playing ALL NIGHT LONG!! The 1st two solo albums, The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South are worthy contenders, but they don’t have the spark, or the fire of the live performances. If at all possible, find the double CD called THE FILLMORE CONCERTS, because of the additional cuts and expert mix of various shows, making all the pieces fit and fit well. They even mixed several versions of one song together to make an EXPERT whole.
Then listen to Eat A Peach and hear the love for Brother Duane! (SKYDOG!)
I like your reviews and your writing is very good.
Every time some unrelenting Deadhead/ Phish fan gets in my face about how I don’t “understand” why they they think some waste of vinyl like ‘Shakedown Street” is so bloody special, or how Phish’s lyrics are so deep (read: boring) I think of the Allman Brothers. Superior songwriting and the glorious sound of twin lead guitars, plus good harmony vocals beat out noodling jam bands any day. Yes the Allman’s have their share of forgettable tracks but they have several whole albums worth buying. “live at Fillmore” and “Eat a Peach” are my faves. Avoid Greg’s solo stuff with Cher.
How can you not know this album?
everyone who doesnt have this album needs it, although duane isn’t one this.
any record you buy with duane allman in on the session will be good. for example:
aretha franklin
wilson pickett
eric clapton
johnny jenkins
delaney and bonnie
Avoid *anybody’s* stuff with Cher . . . except perhaps Sonny’s!
‘Brothers and Sisters’ is the last major work by the Allman Brothers Band. Their legacy began with studio albums released in 1969 and 1970, and coupled with their classic Fillmore East recordings, released in 1971, they established themselves as the premier southern blues-rock amalgam. The loss of legendary slide guitar impresario Duane Allman to a motorcycle accident in October of 1972 prompted the band to dedicate their epic ‘Eat a Peach’ double album to his memory. The band then began a transition to a country-rock tuning under the tutelage of Duanes surrogate, lead guitarist and songwriter Dickie “Lucky” Betts. ‘Brothers and Sisters’ was visited with tragedy as well when bassist Barry Oakley was killed in another motorcycle accident only thirteen months and three blocks removed from the site of Duane’s accident. Oakley’s bass can be heard only on the first two cuts from ‘Brothers and Sisters’, the second consecutive disc to be “dedicated to a brother”.
‘Brothers and Sisters’ shows few signs that the band was in decline, but they would not release another album until 1975, and by then the significance of losing Duane and Barry would be fully realized. In particular the loss of Duane ripped much of the heart and soul from the Brothers, and Betts could only mask the rupture for so long. Despite their tragic demise, ‘Eat a Peach’ and ‘Brothers and Sisters’ represent the last of the cream from the Allman Brothers catalog.
‘Brothers and Sisters’ features the best-selling single ever released by the band, though they were never known for their Top 40 successes. ‘Ramblin’ Man’, a number penned and sung by Dickie Betts, reached number two on the national charts in September of 1973. Betts also contributes the final three songs on the disc, the most notable being ‘Jessica’, which many people regard to be one of the Allman’s best songs, and arguably their finest instrumental. Another Betts composition, ‘Southbound’, is sung by Gregg Allman, and possesses a sound much more in the traditional ABB mode. Betts final number, ‘Pony Boy’, is the purest country song on the disc, and the most laid-back number offered.
Brother Gregg Allman contributes three songs. The opener, ‘Wasted Words’ is another Allman classic, with Betts slide guitar sounding errily reminiscent of lost Brother Duane’s specialty. I caught the ABB fall tour in support of ‘Brothers and Sisters’ at Cobo Arena in Detroit in 1973, and they used ‘Wasted Words’ for their opening number. I remember that Gregg opened the Cobo show playing rhythm guitar on this track before settling down behind his organ for the rest of the evening, and I note that he plays rhythm guitar on this studio version as well.
Gregg’s two other compositions are traditional blues numbers. Both ‘Come and Go Blues’ and ‘Jelly Jelly’ start out slow and build nicely and evenly in intensity. They aren’t the best songs Gregg has ever written or performed, but they’re sturdy in their own right and serve to maintain the band’s trademark sound from drifing too much towards Nashville.