The Allman Brothers Band

From Jboy56 01/11/2022 17:22

One way out..

A superb album that sounds years ahead of its time. Like Skynyrd, sadness struck this band too.

Many claim Skynyrd to have given birth to Southern Rock. This album proves not.

The guitar interplay on this album is superb and dare I say, gives Skynyrd a run for their money!

From TheDude85 04/13/2019 12:47

The guitar interplay between Allman and Betts was incomparable, two accomplished musicians individually, when combined created an unstoppable force.

From Fischman 01/04/2019 03:21

Great band. So influential, so talented, and so much more than just the standard Southern Rock label that got applied to them.

Changed my mind after some listening. A Fantastic Bluesy/Jazzy album! Maybe they will get me to appreciate Blues and Jazz more.

From junodog4 01/19/2015 03:47

Some of the greatest musicians in any band. Nobody could jam and improvise like the Allman Bros.

When ace session guitarist Duane Allman formed the Allman Brothers Band in 1969 he could not envisaged the highs and lows that the group would go through over the next five years. In October 1971 the Allmans stood on the edge of greatness. Two well-received studio albums had been released to critical acclaim. Furthermore, Duane had cemented his position as one of the great guitarists of the era (particularly on slide guitar) through his work with Eric Clapton as a key member of Derek and the Dominoes (notably on Layla).

The Allman Brothers band had become the rock and blues darlings of the Southern States. Their live performances were rated as second to none and included blues/rock improvisation between the dual guitars of Allman and Betts. Gregg Allman has a superb voice capable of handling blues or rock styles with equal aplomb. Their live double album At Filmore East had just reached US # 13. The Allman Brothers were poised to be the dominant American rock and blues band of the early ‘70’s. Tragically everything changed when Duane Allman was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident in October 1971.

To their credit the band carried on only to be struck by further tragedy when bassist Berry Oakley is eerily killed in the same way as Duane Allman. Betts became more influential within the band with his superb guitar work becoming the group’s signature sound.

By the mid seventies the cracks within the band were starting to show The Allman’s importance cannot be understated. They established the sound and feel of Southern Rock and although many followed the same path the brilliance of Duane Allman's slide guitar has never been surpassed.

From Jasonconfused 11/17/2012 03:43

I only recently heard of this band, which saddens me. They are incredible. I learned about them through Duane's work in Derek and the Dominos. From the first moment that I heard his slide guitar work I fell in love with this band.

It's hard to accurately rate this band as there has been so many line ups and so many ups and downs. The Duane albums are obviously classics. The current line up is probably as good a live band as there has ever been. Too bad they have so many average to subpar albums that their sets consist mostly of songs that are 40 years old.