There are two roots from which almost all jam bands grow. The Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band. The Dead were perhaps more adventurous, but the Allmans soared to higher peaks. For the Allmans, the root was usually the blues, although they were also influenced by jazz and country. (I am a big fan of their country-influenced material, which mainly came from Dickey Betts). Whereas The Dead had two virtuosos (Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh), the Allmans were blessed with at least six throughout their existence. Duane Allman ranks in the top five of all time great rock guitarists, and Dickey Betts proved his greatness by at least keeping up with Duane. Gregg Allman is the finest white blues/rock vocalist out there. Bassist Berry Oakley was really a third lead instrumentalist. Even more impressive is that in their latter years, they managed to pick up two of the finest guitarists of their respective generations, Warren Haynes and slide wunderkind Derek Trucks. It is really this superior musicianship that raises the Allmans above the rest as far as jam bands go. Whereas most jam bands are guilty of noodling, the Allmans never noodled. There is purpose in their flights of improvisation, even in 30 minute songs. As far as the records go, it is no surprise that they have a bevy of live offerings and most fans swear by those. But unlike with The Dead, they've got quite a few studio records that are highly regarded as well. With a couple of exceptions, the general buying rule for the Allmans is "Duane + 1." That is, every record Duane played on plus the first one released without him.
NOTE: Like with The Dead, the Allmans have opened the vaults and released many archival live recordings. I won't address them all, the live records in this Guide are only "current" live releases, that is, live records released as they happened and intended as real releases. They also have a ton of compilations, I will address the best ones to get at the end of the Guide.
The Allman Brothers Band (1969) ****1/2
Idlewild South (1970) ****
Beginnings (1969/1970/1973) (1st two studio albums re-released as a double) *****
The debut is simply one of the hardest hitting, balls out blues-rock records ever put out. It is relentless from start to finish, and displays their strengths in more concise form than the more expansive and adventurous live records. Idlewild South expands the sonic palette a bit, bringing in some jazz elements ("In Memory of Elizabeth Reed"), acoustic ("Midnight Rider") and country influences ("Revival"). One of the few critiques of the first two records that you can make is that they are both pretty brief in running times, and after the Allmans got huge with the Fillmore East record, they wisely repackaged their fine first two releases as a double record (or a single CD) for the price of a single record, therefore Beginnings is one of the great bargains of rock history.
At Fillmore East (live) (1971) *****
The Fillmore Concerts (live) (1971/1992) *****
At Fillmore East Deluxe Edition (live) (1971/2003) *****
These are not three different albums, but ever expanding versions of the same record. Any way you package it (and I suggest diving in the deep end and just getting the complete Deluxe Edition), At Fillmore East stands as rock's greatest live record, only challenged by The Who's Live at Leeds. It is rock and roll improvisation at its finest and most elevated, with Duane and Dickey leading the way. The Everest amongst the Himalayan tracks is "Whipping Post," 23 minutes of fury and then gorgeous respite. Oft imitated but never bested, you cannot blame the Allmans for the countless pretenders who think eternal jams equal greatness. AFE is a monument to the greatness and the tragic loss of Duane Allman.
Eat a Peach (part live/part studio) (1972) *****
Released in the wake of Duane Allman's death in a motorcycle accident, what is most remarkable about the double EAP is that even though it was assembled as a hodgepodge of tracks they were working on with Duane for the next record, leftover live recordings from the Fillmore shows and some new post-Duane songs, it is brilliant and cohesive and stands as a perfect eulogy for Duane. Most impressive and bold is that they lead off with the post-Duane material, and it immediately proves that however irreplaceable he may be, they will endure and carry on without him, as "Ain't Wastin' Time No More" and "Melissa" stand as two of their best songs.
Brothers and Sisters (1973) ****
After enduring the loss of Duane Allman, the band was then hit with the death of bassist Berry Oakley in yet another fatal motorcycle accident only blocks from the scene of Duane's. But yet again, they prove that they can carry on. This is the beginning of the period where Dickey Betts really asserts a leadership role (as Gregg falls deeper into substance abuse), writing the hits on the record and dialing back the blues while turning up the country, including on their biggest hit, the Betts sung "Ramblin' Man." It depends on how you like your Allmans, but I always like it when they go country.
Win, Lose or Draw (1975) ***
Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas (live) (1976) ***
Enlightened Rogues (1979) **
Reach For the Sky (1980) **
Brothers of the Road (1981) **
Justly the most forgotten period, they were falling apart as a band and as individuals, and here is where they were coasting and boring. Some nice individual songs here and there, but you can mostly skip this period. The live record does have its moments, though.
Seven Turns (1990) ***
Shades of Two Worlds (1991) ***
An Evening With the Allman Brothers Band: 1st Set (live) (1992) ***
Back Where It All Begins (1994) ***
An Evening With the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set (live) (1995) ***
Peakin’ at the Beacon (live) (2000) NR
A most surprising and welcome comeback. After almost a decade of silence, The Brothers come storming back. The ratings for these records can be decieving. None are brilliant from start to finish, they all have some filler and coasting. But they also all feature some top notch songs that stand up to their classic repertoire, and the entire band sounds rejuvenated. With the addition of the brilliant guitar playing of Warren Haynes to act as foil to Betts, they once again hit the road and were a must see live act. The compilation Mycology (addressed below) is a wonderful single disc overview of the 90's.
Hittin’ the Note (2003) ***
One Way Out: Live at the Beacon (live) (2004) ****
For reasons that are still unclear, original member Dickey Betts was booted from the band. From interviews I've seen, Dickey seems confused as to why as well. That being said, guitar virtuoso Derek Trucks was added to spar with Haynes. Trucks happens to also be the son of Allmans drummer Butch Trucks. This new line-up released the well recieved HTN, but the full power is on display on the live record. Haynes and Trucks manage to reach close to the Duane/Betts peaks from the Fillmore days, which is really saying something. OWO proves that there is still substantial fuel in the tank.
Selected Compilations:
The most concise one that covers their most crucial period is A Decade of Hits 1969-79 (1991) *****. The box set Dreams (1989) (box set compilation) **** is superlative, as it includes some choice selections from Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts' solo work, as well as pre-Allman Brothers recordings that are worthwhile. Mycology: An Anthology (1998) **** almost perfectly covers the great 90's comeback.
Archival Live Releases...
Live at Ludlow Garage: 1970 NR
Fillmore East, Feb 1970 NR
American University 12/13/70 NR
Live at the Atlanta International Pop Festival, July 3 & 5, 1970 NR
S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook: Stoneybrook NY 9/19/71 NR
Macon City Auditorium 2/11/72 NR
Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale NY 5/1/73 NR
Boston Common 8/17/71 NR
A Note on Solo/Other Work By Members of the ABB:
With musicians this talented, most of them have released solo work or have worked with other groups. Gregg Allman has had a decent solo career, as has Dickey Betts (with his band Great Southern). Duane Allman was a sought after session player as well, and his guitar can be heard on records by Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and most notably as Eric Clapton's foil throughout Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, Clapton's finest post-Cream work. Warren Haynes also leads Govn't Mule, and Derek Trucks has the Derek Trucks Band.
Bottom Line: Do not forget the "Duane + 1" Rule. Everything Duane plays on plus Brothers and Sisters is essential. The 90's material should not be overlooked, and Mycology summarizes it perfectly. One Way Out captures the power of the latterday Haynes/Trucks guitar duo, although Dickey Betts is missed. A Decade of Hits is the best hits collection for the classic period.
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