The Allman Brothers Band - A Decade of Hits 1969-1979 (2000)

GREATEST HITS FORTNIGHT (FEBRUARY 6-19, 2012)

If I'm in the right mood, I like Southern rock, I just can't take it for extended periods of time. Bret Adams, writing for allmusic.com, states that "no self-respecting rock & roll fan should be without a copy" of this disc. That may be stretching it a bit, but there's still some great blues-based rock music here. I'm not ready to go out and buy Lynyrd Skynyrd or Molly Hatchett CD's; when it comes to this genre, I'll stick with the Allmans. They seem to blend in more elements of pop and jazz than most Southern rock bands (Duane was often known to listen to Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue as inspiration). Maybe they were simply better songwriters or performers. If geography really had anything to do with this kind of music, I should be a die hard fan - I was born in the Mississippi delta and have lived in the South all my life.

Much to my surprise, I discovered that this band only had 2 Top 40 hits in the decade covered by this compilation: Ramblin' Man reached #2 in 1973 and Crazy Love (which I honestly don't remember) peaked at #29 in 1979. My favorite Allman Brothers tune, Midnight Rider, was never released as a single but you wouldn't know it from the airplay it continues to get on classic rock stations.

On a completely unrelated note, wasn't Gregg Allman married to Cher for a while in the '70s? And didn't that put an end to the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour? I'm sure that upset me at the time.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Of the 16 tracks compiled here, my favorites are Statesboro Blues, Ramblin' Man, Midnight Rider, Melissa, the full 7+ minute version of Jessica (a good cover has already made an appearance on this blog), In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed, and Whipping Post. There's nothing worth skipping - most of the songs would be a welcome addition to a lengthy "hot-summer-night-by-the-pool" playlist.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I bought this CD after hearing the song Melissa used in an AT&T/Cingular television ad 6 or 7 years ago.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Live at Fillmore East (1971)

The Allman Brothers Band - Live at Fillmore East (1971)

I wouldn't consider myself a Southern Rock Guy, but this is bluesy enough for me to enjoy. These live performances give the band multiple opportunities to stretch out on some blues solos, extending some songs to the 20 minute mark. I'll be honest: I love the blues, I appreciate the blues, I can't listen to the blues for very long without tiring of the blues. I don't know if I would have appreciated this in my younger days (I would have absolutely hated it in 1971), but I enjoy listening to this every now and then. Dickey Betts and Duane Allman could sure handle a guitar.

Update: In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked At Fillmore East at #105.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "they'll put out hard blues Macon, Ga. style far into the night"
• CashBox: "This should be a major item."
• Rolling Stone: "the best damn rock and roll band this country has produced in the past five years"
• Record World: "The grooves fairly sweat."
• Stereo Review: "Not much that over-excites...but nothing unpleasant, either."

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #13

Tracks: The CD I own has 7 tracks (other releases have more). My favorites are Statesboro Blues and Done Somebody Wrong along with the cornerstones of this disc: In Memory of Elizabeth Reed and Whipping Post (it has been a while since I had to figure out such things, but is the intro to Whipping Post in 11/8 time?). I'm sure many will disagree with me, but I think You Don't Love Me is self-indulgent.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I was unfamiliar with this work until I was sitting on my friend James' back porch one hot summer evening in the early 2000's and he was playing this CD. I asked him who it was and he told me with a look of disbelief, as if I should have been intimately familiar with this music. I felt ignorant, which, in a way, I was.