Allman Brothers Band
Live at Fillmore East Deluxe Edition

The Allman Brothers Band – Live at Fillmore East Deluxe Edition

Tracklist

CD1:
1-Statesboro Blues
2-Trouble No More *
3-Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’ *
4-Done Somebody Wrong
5-Stormy Monday
6-One Way Out *
7-In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
8-You Don’t Love Me
9-Midnight Rider *

CD2:
1-Hot ‘Lanta
2-Whipping Post
3-Mountain Jam *
4-Drunken Hearted Boy *

*not included in the original double LP released in 1971.

Do you want The Allman Brothers Band with the original line-up and at their peak? Well, this is the album for you!!! The skepticism that often accompanies the releases of old archival material should not make you doubt the quality of this product, which, more than thirty years later, allows enriching and completing the scenario opened by the original 1971 album. This double is simply the most sensational live album of all time, played by the only band capable of ranging from rock to blues to jazz without missing a beat. No band, however great, can be compared to that captured in these immortal grooves. After all, the setlist speaks for itself, and the performances by the band members are astounding, starting from the devastating and underrated Duane Allman.

CD1

I. STATESBORO BLUES

We start strong with a cover of Blind Willie McTell...while this turns out to be quite canonical in adopting the structure of the original song, it’s the band's grit and Duane's guitar talent that make the piece soar; the guitar licks with which it opens are nothing short of sublime, and Duane confirms himself as the greatest guitarist in the world in terms of feel and touch (which is what matters). The bass and double drums are very precise, and Gregg's warm voice adds value to it all...what a beginning!!!

II. TROUBLE NO MORE

Double bass drum, relentless rhythm, a great guitar riff, and a gritty Gregg contribute to making this Muddy Waters track one of the most beautiful and intense blues interpretations ever heard.

III. DON’T KEEP ME WONDERIN’

In the studio, it was one of the most dramatic and intense pieces of Idlewild South, here it loses some of that pathos due to the more fluid and less sharp rhythm than on the domestic version, but they still play it great... "Don’t Keep..." is the classic swampy blues that our guys loved so much: listen to how the harmonica and slide work together and how Gregg's voice is a true hymn to the blues; also excellent is his performance on the organ, which gives that touch of originality typical of the ABB.

IV. DONE SOMEBODY WRONG

Here is another of those pieces that should be credited to Duane Allman for what he does with his lethal slide guitar opening (as in Statesboro Blues); the track is by the great Elmore James, a slide pioneer...the brothers once again push as hard as ever, and the rhythm is perfect...pure blues...

V. STORMY MONDAY

Another cover, this time T-Bone Walker, another masterpiece...these guys didn't just take songs from someone else, they transformed standards, some even historically important like Hoochie Coochie Man (on Idlewild South), into irresistible and incomparable performances. Listen to the version of the same piece done by the late, great SRV and Albert King on their album "In Session" and let me know...Gregg is always precise and never overbearing with his keyboards, Dickey confirms his role as a second quality point, and Duane literally delivers one of his best performances alongside those of Mountain Jam and Elizabeth Reed. Stormy Monday's rendition is perfect, characterized by masterful improvisations and Duane’s slide that goes straight to the moon, returning to us only at the end of these fiery 9 minutes.

VI. ONE WAY OUT

Another classic by Elmore James, thoroughly turned around for another blistering blues performance, with bass and drums taking the forefront.

VII. IN MEMORY OF ELIZABETH REED

In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed is probably the greatest instrumental piece in the history of music... it became the band’s signature and not only, one of the key themes of early seventies music. There is all the essence of the Allman Brothers encapsulated in that piece: the grit but also the grace of a rock that moves flexuously, unstable like mercury, and the energy of the two firebrands that ignite it and support the whole show, Duane Allman’s and Dickey Betts’ guitars.

VIII. YOU DON’T LOVE ME

You don't love me is another rock-blues ride where the two guitarists (Duane Allman and Dickey Betts) showcase their formidable technique; Cobbs’ song becomes an intense 19-minute piece with furious moments alternating with reflective pauses...let’s just say that here more than in other pieces, the cover is merely an excuse to escape to places accessible only by the brothers with the original line-up...Duane truly concentrates all his art of improvisation, starting from an excellent blues-boogie only to plunge headlong into his solo forays, alone or with Betts and company.

IX MIDNIGHT RIDER

A great classic of the band presented in a version as excellent as it is calligraphy-like compared to the original.

CD2

I. HOT’LANTA

Hot'Lanta's jazz-rock allows us to appreciate Gregg’s skills as an organist, and the band’s two drummers (Jai Johanny Johansen and Butch Trucks). "Hot 'Lanta" is credited to the whole band and is a masterpiece of instrumental music. Here, the jazz-blues-rock offers notable melodic suggestions with the inevitable great meetings/clashes of the two electric guitars.

II. WHIPPING POST

The 23 minutes of "Whipping Post" also do not lack anthology-worthy guitar duels and a devastating performance by the rhythm section guided by Oakley's magical bass: Duane Allman was a unique guitarist capable of splendidly blending various genres, and his partner Dickey Betts was only slightly inferior. The two probably represent the best rock guitar duo ever, and in this track, along with Mountain Jam, we can appreciate all their talent and their "jamming" nature, with continuous duels and breathtaking solos.

III. MOUNTAIN JAM

33.41 minutes. The length of the track terrifies you before you even listen to it, and it’s a safe bet that most owners of Eat a Peach, the band’s third studio album where it was first released, have listened to this track with distrust and a bit of superficiality. It's hard to comment not on the apotheosis of a band, but that of the human race! Yes, this is not a song, but the hymn to what wonderful things a human can create; like the great masterpieces of Jazz and Classical music, Mountain Jam rises towards "peaks" never to be reached again...it is the perfect fusion of creativity, technical skill (never an end in itself), pathos, grandeur...it shocks from the first to the last minute...it moves in its majestic and unrepeatable pace...Dickey and Duane duet, and it's no surprise that God decided to call the latter back to Himself...a Jingle by Donovan of not even two minutes, transformed into the pinnacle of our times’ music...simply shocking...

IV. DRUNKEN HEARTED BOY

Among the "new" tracks proposed in this Deluxe is a real gem, this "Drunken Hearted Boy" featuring the track’s author Elvin Bishop himself (this song was previously available only in the box set Dreams) as a guest on vocals and guitar.