The Allman Brothers Band Albums (24)
'Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY: 5/1/73'
Release Date 1/1/2005
Tracks 16
Label The Allman Brothers Band Recording Co
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What The Critics Say
The Allman Brothers Band Recording Company, founded in 2002 to issue archival live recordings, began by focusing on what most fans would consider the group's peak period, its earliest phase, when guitarist Duane Allman was in charge. The first release, American University 12/13/70 (2002), and the second, S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook 9/19/71 (2003), both prominently featured Duane Allman. But the third release, Macon City Auditorium 2/11/72 (2004), was drawn from a concert held a few months after the guitarist's death, and this, the company's fourth album, takes a further leap by chronicling a show held after the death of bassist Berry Oakley and the reconfiguration of the band to include new bassist Lamar Williams and pianist Chuck Leavell. When the Allmans arrived at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, NY, for two concerts in the spring of 1973, they were, as annotator John Lynskey notes, moving into larger venues to accommodate their much increased audience, playing two shows at a 15,000-seat sports arena rather than theater dates. Even as tragedy threatened to overcome it, the Allman Brothers Band had become a very successful act by 1973. In the midst of the turmoil, the group was also trying to finish a new album, and, indeed, singer/organist/guitarist Gregg Allman announced to the crowd that the LP, Brothers and Sisters, would be out in two weeks. (It actually appeared three months later.) In anticipation, the band played "Wasted Words," "Jessica," "Come & Go Blues," and "Ramblin' Man" from the forthcoming album during the first set. The obvious difference between this lineup and the previous ones was in the changed arrangements due to the different instrumentation. Leavell covered for Gregg Allman on keyboards when he picked up a guitar, as on "Wasted Words," but much of the time this version of the Allmans was a two-keyboard/one-guitar unit rather than the two-guitar/one-keyboard configuration of Duane Allman's time. That difference was particularly notable during the long jams on "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" at the end of the first set and in virtually the entirety of the second set, as lengthy performances of "Les Brers in A Minor," "Whipping Post," and "Mountain Jam" succeeded each other. Guitarist Dickey Betts had turned to slide work in emulation of Duane Allman, and he was highly proficient, but the twin-guitar lines of old were gone, and the improvisational sections took a jazzier turn. The Allman Brothers Band remained a formidable performing unit in 1973, but it was a less directed effort than it had been in the past. (Typical of the sound of concerts at the time, the sound quality is muddy at first as the mixing board is adjusted, then improves. But it never achieves 21st century standards. "We hope the performance more than makes up for these flaws," a sleeve note reads. For most Allman Brothers fans, it will.) ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Do we really need another live double CD by the Allman Brothers Band? Oh yeah. In fact, when they play this well, we need them in droves. This collection marks the second time the Allman Brothers have issued music from their storied shows at the Beacon Theater in New York. The first, Peakin' at the Beacon, was issued in 2000 with Dickey Betts and Derek Trucks in the lineup. Betts had not yet been fired and Warren Haynes was yet to return to the fold. While Betts is a singular voice and is one of the pillars of the ABB's sound, this new version of the band with Trucks and Haynes manning the guitars has gelled into a formidable unit; in fact, they are something spectacular. Add to the fact that Gregg Allman is singing and playing better than at any time in his life (and Haynes is no slouch either), and you have the best live band in the world, bar none. A major plus on this outing is that with the exception of a handful of tracks -- "Statesboro Blues," "Wasted Words," "Ain't Wastin Time No More," "Dreams," and "Whipping Post" (which closes the set) -- the other 13 cuts are not usually found on the Brothers' live sets. The versions of the classics are as tough and reverent as can be expected; there is no burden placed on these tracks by virtue of their weight and status in the band's canon -- which speaks plenty for the power and acumen of these versions. And on the other tunes, including classics like "Midnight Rider" and "Trouble No More," Gregg's powerful country ballad "Old Before My Time," the funky, burning read of "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," "Woman Across the River," and "Worried Down With the Blues," the band is completely unified. Jaimoe and Butch Trucks weave in and through one another to provide an edgy, rollicking ballast to the separate-channel guitars of Derek Trucks and Haynes, who don't duel so much as propel one another to flights of six-string soulfulness and dizzying high-wire pyrotechnics -- Derek's slide playing is otherworldly; it's full of Indian modal and jazz scales, and Haynes, is, well, Warren Haynes. The other notable thing about One Way Out is its sound. Never has a live mix come across with such immediacy and dynamic tension. This is the sound of a band in the room with you. You are hearing the music as it was made from the stage; the listener is in the mix, not in front of it. Pair this with Hittin' the Note, the studio album from 2003, and you have the sound of a band that has no peers. One Way Out is essential for anyone interested in rock & roll. Period. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Macon City Auditorium: 2/11/72'
Release Date 1/1/2004
Tracks 12
Label Allman Brothers Band
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What The Critics Say
On the first two releases from their own record label, the Allman Brothers Band focused on archival live collections from the earliest configuration of the group, which featured lead guitarist Duane Allman, who was killed in a motorcycle accident on October 29, 1971. On this third release, the archivists turn to the lineup that existed just after Allman's death, which consisted simply of the remaining five members: singer/keyboard player Gregg Allman, guitarist/singer Dickey Betts, bass player Berry Oakley, and drummers Jaimoe and Butch Trucks. After Duane died, the decision to continue without him was made quickly, but the band did not consider replacing him. Since a hallmark of their sound had been the twin guitar parts of Allman and Betts, however, some rearrangement of the material was necessary. The two shows compressed into nearly 98 minutes on the two CDs here occurred less than four months after the accident, but according to annotator John Lynskey, the Allmans were making their 23rd appearance as a quintet. So, the performance finds them settled into the new approach. It is one in which Gregg Allman's organ playing is more prominent, and in which, as Lynskey notes, Oakley is adding what are essentially low-note guitar parts on his bass here and there. But the big change, of course, is in the guitar sound. Betts plays some of Duane's parts on the familiar numbers of the repertoire (the band was also introducing material from its about-to-be-released album Eat a Peach), but he is reinventing himself as well as evoking his late partner in many of his solos, notably during the 21-and-a-half-minute "You Don't Love Me," when he really solos in the absolute sense -- everyone else lays out and lets him play by himself. At the same time, of course, when Betts is playing like Allman, no one is playing like Betts, and that is noticeable, for example, in "One Way Out," which is simply lacking its rhythm guitar part because there's nobody to play it. By early November 1972 (just prior to Oakley's fatal motorcycle accident), nine months and another 70 shows later, the Allmans would return to being a sextet with the addition of pianist Chuck Leavell. So, the quintet period is a short one in the band's history. On the basis of this recording, it can be judged as more than just a case of musicians bravely soldiering on; without Duane, they all have to work a little harder, and even if they're not the same, they demonstrate their right to keep calling themselves the Allman Brothers Band. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'American University W.D.C.'
Release Date 12/9/2003
Tracks 7
Label Japanese Import
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'Live at the Atlanta International Pop Festival: July 3 & 5, 1970'
Release Date 10/21/2003
Tracks 19
Label Legacy
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What The Critics Say
For the first time anywhere -- officially or not -- two (mostly) complete performances by the Allman Brothers at the Atlanta International Pop Festival over the Fourth of July weekend (they were the bookends of the fest) in 1970 have been issued with stellar sound, complete annotation and cool liner notes. The festival took place while the Allmans were in the process of recording their second album, Idlewild South, when they appeared on July 3 as the hometown openers of the entire festival and proceeded to blow the minds of over 100,000 people -- for their last set on July 5 at 3:50 a.m. they performed in front of as many as 500,000. Musically, other than a somewhat stiff version of "Statesboro Blues," the July 3 set is magical. There is a stunning version of "Dreams" lasting almost ten minutes with beautiful Hammond/guitar interplay between Gregg and Dickey. Long and ferocious versions of "Whipping Post" and "Mountain Jam" are here, but the track on the July 3 set is Berry Oakley's feral vocal read of Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man." " A short (5:49) version of this song, it has a rock & roll immediacy that is strained out of the longer versions to gain the improvisational edge. Disc one also restores Gregg Allman's "Every Hungry Woman," to its rightful place -- previously only having been available on an anthology. Harp player Thom Doucette, no stranger to ABB fans, is here aplenty, adding his righteous, stinging harp lines to many tracks on both nights. The way Gregg's organ playing is recorded here offers a new view of just how integral an anchor he was for both guitarists to play off. He is a monster musician and, even at this early date, was showing off his improvisational and rhythmic skills. Disc two is graced by the original live mixes of "Statesboro Blues" and "Whipping Post" that were released on First Great Rock Festivals of the Seventies and these are stunning for their intensity and focus, as well as clarity. "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'" is as tough a set opener as there is with the ringing slide guitars attacking one another and going for broke to kick things off. The long versions of "Stormy Monday" and "'Liz Reed" are among the most intimate and groundbreaking the band ever recorded, while "Whipping Post" transmutes itself into a jazz tune for a few minutes and changes everything. The nearly half-hour "Mountain Jam" is deepened here by the addition of a third guitarist: Johnny Winter sits in with the ABB and Doucette for the definitive version of this classic -- you can forget the one on Eat a Peach after this. While it won't replace Live at the Fillmore East as the greatest live record ever made, this is an essential purchase for ABB fans, one that gives us the treat of a dignified rendering of a very important and defining moment in the band's early career. It also provides an excellent, even mind-blowing introduction to a band that was at the peak of its power. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
There have been many tales of terror, nervousness, and depression -- as well as raw excitement and anticipation -- since the Allmans went into the studio to make their first album of new material in a decade, and the band's first record ever without guitarist Dickey Betts, who wrote and sang the last of the band's true hits in the 1970s. The result weighs on the latter side of the equation -- nervousness and fear that the old-road dogs didn't have it in them to make new music are completely unfounded. Hittin' the Note is the band's finest studio outing since Brothers and Sisters over 20 years before. The level of songwriting, inspiration, and execution is more than admirable; it's downright bone-chilling in places. The Allman/Haynes collaboration "Desdemona," while centered in Southern soul and earthy blues, is a rock & roll powerhouse with glorious jazz overtones à la "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" in the instrumental break. Haynes, whose ringing, stinging tone cuts through the mix like a fine-edged stiletto, is complemented beautifully by Derek Trucks. Trucks displays the round-toned beauty that adds warmth and dimension to the twin-guitar interplay that is very much built on the Duane Allman/Betts model, but creates shadowy chord figures that come more from jazz than blues, adding another shade to the tonal palette. But it's the sheer melodic power and soul feel that comes right through a studio soundboard that is most astonishing. It feels like the Allmans live, which is the thing they most wanted to get across. Instrumentally, the band's fiery exuberance is in abundance -- the organ-guitar duel in "Woman Across the River," which features a fine Haynes vocal, is given more thudding intensity by drummers Jaimoe and Butch Trucks and percussionist Marc Quiñones. The bass chair is held down by newcomer Oteil Burbridge, who, like Derek Trucks, adds a younger, more ambitious feel to the rootsy sound of the brothers, with his popped and thumped basslines that pay often just behind the beat to add space to the framework of a given track. The sprawling "Instrumental Illness" displays the awesome guitar power that the Allmans have at their disposal, as well as their ability to improvise off cues and feelings in a way that would make some jazz musicians jealous. "Old Before My Time," a Haynes/Allman collaboration, is the most haunting song on the record. Allman sings with all the world-weariness that has truly been his lot as a road dog who has endured his share of tragedy. It begins as a folk song, with Haynes' acoustic under Allman's voice before the band enters with slide guitar; staggered in 4/4 time and littered with hand drums and a swell that transforms it into a country song of regret, remorse, and resignation, it literally stops the listener in his or her tracks. There's little time to think about the tune, however, before the spooky, dark, bluesed-out funk of "Who to Believe" comes uncoiling from the speakers like a crawling king snake from the swamp. A wonderful surprise on this set is an absolutely riveting cover of the Rolling Stones' "Heart of Stone," transformed into a rock & roll version of a Ray Price honky tonk song as if it were reinterpreted by Albert King. In sum, Hittin' the Note does exactly what its title claims -- 11 tracks' worth and it burns on every one. This album is in-the-pocket, deep-grooving Allman Brothers Band blues-rock at its best. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook: Stonybrook, NY 9/19/71'
Release Date 1/1/2003
Tracks 10
Label Allman Brothers
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What The Critics Say
Unlike the Grateful Dead, their obvious and acknowledged model for reissuing vintage live recordings, the Allman Brothers Band has not shied away from exploring their early work in an attempt to demonstrate that they were as good in 1980 and 1990 as they were in 1970. On the contrary, in such archival releases as 1991's Live at Ludlow Garage: 1970 (Polydor), 1996's Fillmore East, February 1970 (Grateful Dead), and the first release from their own Allman Brothers Band Recording Company, 2002's American University 12/13/70, the Allmans have made a point of sticking to their early years when the original band, led by slide guitarist Duane Allman, was still intact. Their purpose, as band members said in a front-page article in Billboard in April 2002 that announced the formation of their record company, is to demonstrate Duane Allman's prowess. This album, recorded a scant five weeks before the guitarist's death, furthers this goal. Annotator John Lynskey acknowledges that, also unlike the Dead, the Allmans did not vary their set list very much. "The Allman Brothers might have played the same songs night after night," he admits, "but they were never played the same way twice." The album, which compiles material from two shows on the same night, backs up his assertion. The titles may be familiar, but the jamming is not, as the band explores different ways to approach the songs, including one that is still in development. "Blue Sky," which would not appear on record until the group's next album, Eat a Peach, gets an 11-minute treatment that is a showcase for Duane Allman and Dickey Betts' guitar interaction. Six months after the legendary shows that produced their signature recording, At Fillmore East, and just before they changed forever with Duane Allman's death, this is the sound of the Allman Brothers Band at their peak. (Sound quality is below par at the outset as the mix is adjusted, but after a few songs in is perfectly acceptable.) ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'American University 12/13/70'
Release Date 1/1/2002
Tracks 7
Label The Allman Brothers Band Recording Co
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What The Critics Say
The Allman Brothers Band launch their own record label with a vintage live recording that appears to have sentimental value for at least one rabid fan, band manager Bert Holman, who, in his freshman year, booked the Allman Brothers to play two shows at the Leonard Gym at his college, American University, on Sunday, December 13, 1970, at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. (The CD is drawn from both shows, with tracks one through five from the second set and "You Don't Love Me" and "Whippin' Post" from the first.) Holman provides liner notes that explain his involvement nostalgically, but for the listener, what is perhaps more important is that the Allmans were at a crucial stage in their development on that December night, having just returned from shows at the Fillmore East in New York on a tour promoting their second album, Idlewild South. Three months hence, they would return to the Fillmore East and perform the show captured on their epochal Live at Fillmore East album. So, the band playing at American University is near to the best the group could be. The set includes "Statesboro Blues," "Stormy Monday," and "You Don't Love Me," blues covers that would be repeated at the Fillmore and turn up on Live at Fillmore East, though the songs and the Allmans' treatment of them might have been unfamiliar to those in the audience at American University. "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'" and "Leave My Blues at Home" had just appeared on Idlewild South, and this release marks the first live versions of them to be released by the Allmans. There is little new here, but the playing is fierce, especially the interaction of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, and with a solid 20-plus-minute version of "Whippin' Post," Allman Brothers Band fans should be pleased with the band's first self-released effort. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
When Gregg Allman was asked why Dickey Betts was kicked out of the Allman Brothers Band in the spring of 2000, he is reported to have suggested the answer lay in the tapes from the group's two-week stand at the Beacon Theatre in New York. That makes it surprising that the Allmans would turn to those tapes to assemble their first new album release in five and a half years, Peakin' at the Beacon. Happily, however, there is no evidence of Betts' alleged shortcomings on the disc, though it must be admitted that, since he is one of two lead guitarists (the other being Derek Trucks, making his recorded debut with the band), it isn't always easy to tell who is playing. There is plenty of guitar work, and it is up to the Allmans' usual standard. Following the instrumental opener, Gregg Allman sings lead on seven straight songs, all of which come from the band's first three studio albums. Betts finally appears as a vocalist on the ninth track, the 1990 folk-country tune "Seven Turns." Finally, there is a 27-and-a-half-minute version of the 1975 Betts instrumental "High Falls," a typical extended workout complete with jazzy interludes and a lengthy percussion section. The Allmans may not have been due for another live album (two of their last three releases being concert recordings), but the series of Beacon shows has become an annual event, and the disc serves as a souvenir from the March 2000 shows. Fans who attended those shows, or who just want to be reassured that the Allmans sound much the same as ever, may enjoy the album; less devoted listeners probably shouldn't bother. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 8
Label Epic
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What The Critics Say
The Allman Brothers Band's fifth live release in 25 years, cut during 1994 in Raleigh, NC, and at the Garden State Arts Center in New Jersey, is a high-water mark in their Epic Records catalog. If anything, they're even better here than they were on the earlier Evening With the Allman Brothers Band, the old material getting fresh new approaches -- the band was on for both nights, and presented sets, including an acoustic version of "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Jessica" (which won a Grammy Award), that soared and flowed, especially Dickey Betts and Warren Haynes' guitars. What's more, the clarity of the recording and the volume at which it was recorded make this a most rewarding 70 minutes of live music on a purely technical level -- you can practically hear the action on the guitars during the acoustic set. It won't replace Live at Fillmore East or the live portions of Eat a Peach, but it deserves a place on the shelf not very far from them. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
