Allman Brothers Band
At Fillmore East

THE REVIEW

The Allman Brothers Band is a rock-blues group active since the late 1960s, and to date has released about twenty albums, both studio recordings and live albums. The group is formed by the singer and keyboardist Gregg Allman and his brother Duane, a guitarist. They are joined by the second guitarist Dickey Betts, bassist Berry Oakley, and two drummers, Butch Trucks and Jay Johanson.

Before this live album, the band had already recorded two studio albums. The recording comes from two concerts that the group held at the Fillmore East venue in New York in March 1971. Their style is based on rock-blues tinged with jazz nuances, which gave rise to the genre later called Southern Rock. The fundamental characteristics of their sound are undoubtedly Gregg Allman's "warm" voice, reminiscent of the best black blues singers, and his brother Duane's mastery of the slide guitar, a true virtuoso of this guitar technique. Another important element is the melodic interweaving between the two lead guitarists and the precision of the rhythm section, powerful and varied.

The album in question expands the characteristics found in studio recordings but differs significantly for various reasons. The songs are played with an almost jazz-like spirit and extend well beyond the original duration, hosting multiple solo parts by all the musicians. They unfold like great jam sessions.

The recording opens with three classic blues reinterpreted: "Statesboro Blues", "Done Somebody Wrong", and "Stormy Monday". In this first part of the recording, the songs at least respect the original duration but are enriched with a personal interpretation that deviates from the originals and makes them almost new songs. With the fourth track, we move on to one of their concert classics, "You Don't Love Me". The piece lasts a total of 19'16'' and is characterized especially by the improvisations of the two guitarists in the central part of the piece, making it an exciting tour de force. The following tracks, "Hot' Lanta" and "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed", are two instrumentals with similar characteristics, rich in tempo changes and creative solos by the musicians that are never tedious. The album closes with "Whipping Post", a piece from their debut album, and a summation of all the characteristics found in the previous tracks. The original piece indeed lasted just over 5', while in this version, it expands to reach 23' of pure creative flair and instrumental skill.

Qualitatively, we are looking at an album played excellently by every musician with great improvisational skills, and it is especially striking that they not only perform already recorded pieces but also infuse them with new nuances that were not present in the studio recording.