Allman Brother Band
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Performer: Allman Brothers BandEdition: Music CD
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2006-06-27
Free Music Notes for Allman Brother Band
Free Music Review: And the dynasty begins...
Hit: 5 Stars
The Allman Brothers Band's first record may not be completely flawless a la Idlewild South or Eat a Peach, but they can't all be completely flawless, and the fact stands that this is a classic blues record. Not much more than that, but I love the blues so I don't need much more. There's a lot of raw emotion on this record, and it helps boost up the weaker tracks - for instance, I've never been a great fan of "Don't Want You No More", but I love the way they totally rip into it, putting a lot of anger into those guitars. "Black Hearted Woman" is probably the group at their most intense. The lyrics aren't much - just Gregg railing against some woman that did him wrong. And while I would've rather hear them put that much fire into, say, protesting the Vietnam war, those raging vocals and searing guitars pack more of an emotional punch than any thrash band could ever dream of. And then of course there's "Whipping Post", the group's signature song. As if you couldn't tell by looking at the title, the group is not happy. And god, does it come out of the guitars. Especially that little guitar duel near the end - and Duane's typically genius slide solo. Not to mention the tense, uneasy bass riff that kicks the song off. And the menacing, druggy atmosphere. Needless to say, "Whipping Post" is my favorite song on the record.
And when they're not angry, they're totally resigned - world-weary in their twenties (Gregg was 22, Duane was 23, Dickey was a wizened 26, Berry was 21, Butch was 22, and Jaiome was 25 and I only know this because I have TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS). But it's believable! They don't sound like they're in their 20's - they manage to convincingly sound like elderly men reflecting on how bad their lives have been. Why? I'll tell you why. Mastery of the blues. They were definitely the best white blues band ever. Take "Dreams". Gregg nails the "man about to die reflecting on his long life" vibe, while Duane and Dickey shimmer behind him with their slightly psychedelic guitar solos. The organ's kinda trippy, too. It's a total classic. "It's Not My Cross to Bear" is so convincing and so authentic that, when you forget about the trippy ending, you could easily confuse it with an old blues tune. But what's the best part? You guessed it! Duane's solo. "Trouble No More" obviously is a blues standard, and while I love Muddy Waters' version I think this just might be better (it's a tough call). The double-tracked vocals again beat the world-weariness into you, the guitar solos are as amazing as always, and I love the acoustic rhythm guitar track that sadly never showed up on any live versions, though that would be kind of hard to replicate and keep the guitar solos. The end is great, too, when you've got that brief solo-trading thing. And then Gregg roars "GOOD-bye, baby!". Sweet. "Every Hungry Woman" is a bit of a generic blues, but once again it's the wall of guitars and organ that get me. It's amazing they work up all this noise with just two guitars and one organ. Plus Jaiome, Butch Trucks and Berry Oakley, while often forgotten about, provide a rock-solid polyrhythmic backdrop.
This isn't the Allmans' best album, but like anything else the group put out (other than the Arista albums), it gets a pretty solid recommendation from me. The Allmans were a great band back then and remain so today (Warren Haynes rules! So does Derek Trucks!), and this is where it all began for them. Check it out. And the back cover would make a good t-shirt.
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