This is music of The Allman Brothers when they were, well, the Allman Brothers!
The music from this single cd comes from a series of concerts from February, 1970 when the fledgling band co-lead by Duane and Gregg Allman was the opening act for The Gratetful Dead. Recorded by the Grateful Dead’s soundman Owsley “Bear” Stanley, this 7 song set is not only excellent in its sound, but revelatory in how they sounded at this stage in their career.
The band opens up with what is probably their first concert recording of Dickey Betts’ classic “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and the rubato opening that leads to the jam is worth the price of admission alone. The remaining team of Berry Oakley/b, Jaimoe Johnson/dr and Butch Trucks/dr provide a swinging groove for this southern blues rock of a team. The guitar combo of Dickey Betts and Duane’s slide guitar on peices like “Statesboro Blues,” “Whipping Post” and the half hour long “Mountain Jam” are one of the great contributions to Western Civilization. Berry Oakley growls out during a frantic “Hoochie Coochie Man” and Gregg is gloriously laconic on “Trouble No More” with the bluesy riffs flying and the slide guitar doing a hook into third.These guys swung with a south of the Mason Dixon line drawl in a way that made most other rock and blues band feel stale in comparison. This album is the real deal!