Allman Brothers Band Live

I did a little bit of searching, but didn't really see an answer for this.

I have the Fillmore Concerts and at the Fillmore, of course.

What would you recommend (or not) from these:

1991 Live at Ludlow Garage: 1970
1996 Fillmore East, February 1970
2002 American University 12/13/70
2003 Live at the Atlanta International Pop Festival: July 3 & 5, 1970
2003 S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook: Stonybrook, NY 9/19/71
2007 Boston Common, 8/17/71

I'm mostly interested in something *different* than the '71 Fillmore stuff.

Thanks !!

 

The Allmans have released most of their live shows from 2004-2010 through their "Instant Live" series. You may want to check some of those!

 

All of them Seriously!

You need the February 1972 archive Macon show as well. Yes, Duane is no longer there. BUT...Dickey and Berry shoulder the load admirably. Dickey plays his heart out and Berry's playing is something else. It's as if he's playing lead bass and filling hin the holes.

 

There was never much variety in ABB sets back then, so far as different tunes are concerned; the differences are mostly in the playing and the SQ.

From those on your list, the Atlanta sets have far and away the best sound quality - it's a multi-track recording (albeit with some issues in the bass guitar, but nothing drastic), although I personally find the edits and mixes of the two Mountain Jams a little frustrating.

Setlist and playing-wise, Stony Brook 9/19/71 is a must-have - it's got one of only about 4 known live versions of Blue Sky (with Duane) in existence. The SQ on some of the tracks is very poor, but it's all in stereo 2-track (most of the others are either mono or electronically-reprocessed stereo) and it does improve dramatically in quality soon enough. My only other caveat on this release is that it's not all actually from Stony Brook , which is a little dishonest, but it's a great release.

 

If I had to pick just one I would go with Ludlow Garage. Can't beat a 44 min Mountain Jam. Although it's not as good as the MJ on Eat a Peach.

 

The only copy of 8/17/71 I heard had an annoying constant crackle; apparently it doesn't bother everyone as much as it bothered me. I'd get all the others.

 

They are all great in their own way. If you were to start with just a couple to get a taste, I would suggest:

S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook: Stonybrook, NY 9/19/71
Boston Common, 8/17/71

 

How is this album? It's the Chuck Leavell - Lamar Williams lineup, as featured on Brothers and Sisters and Win, Lose, or Draw... are there better recordings of this lineup?

 

The Stonybrook one is a must-have. The American University is also stellar, although a little short. But they all have something nice to offer, hard to go wrong with any of these.

 

Allman Brothers Band
Nassau Coliseum
Uniondale, NY 5/1/73

DISC ONE
Wasted Words 4:58
Done Somebody Wrong 3:52
Statesboro Blues 4:15
One Way Out 7:42
Stormy Monday 8:46
Intros: Lamar & Chuck
Midnight Rider 3:13
Jessica 10:25
Come and Go Blues 4:58
Ramblin' Man 7:55
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed 15:06

DISC TWO
Trouble No More 4:02
You Don't Love Me 6:19
Les Brers in A Minor 19:12
Whipping Post 18:40
Mountain Jam 31:05

 

Stonybrook is a must-have, especially for the two songs, Dreams IMOER, on the second cd.

The Atlanta Pop Festival is a must-have, imo.

 

I would start with getting all the live albums with Duane first. Then move forward to later live releases. The only one in your list that I don't really care for is Live at Ludlow Garage. I never thought that one sounded good for some reason.

 

"the atlanta festival" gets lot of good reviews but imo its a couple of months prior to live at fillmore and the band while very good is still rather loose on some of the tunes featured on both releases. i've had the Suny thing on my to get list for a long time but its always so expensive. the boston commons release get good write ups also some say its better than SUNY.

 

I'll back Rob up here - Boston Commons DOES have crackles on it (unfixed or unfixable tape flaws seem to be a common feature in these ABB Archive releases, sadly) and it's in electronically-reprocessed stereo too. To me, this is a ridiculous state of affairs that , in this day & age,we can't be trusted or expected to enjoy a pure mono release.

It is, nevertheless, a very good show - what makes it stand out for me, as much as the playing, is some of the stage chat from Duane (although regg as the singer, Duane was very clearly the band "leader"), which give it a very clear vibe of the time and place.

 

I'll give another vote for the Atlanta Festival. Johnny Winter plays on the 2nd Mountain Jam. I think this is absolutely the best of the rest!
Wipe Your Windows is a transition live album but still OK. Chuck Leavell is extremely talented. Good version of Ramblin Man. Dickey Betts obviously steps up on this one.
American University sound quality isn't great but a great version of You Don't Love Me.
Of course, it is only human nature to compare all to the Fillmore which is unfortunate. A lot of good stuff there!

 

The more Duane you have in your collection, the better.

 

The deluxe edition of Eat a Peach has another show from 1971 as a bonus disc and it's professional quality unlike the "archive" releases mentioned above.

 

Very true, although the sound quality of "Eat A Peach" itself doesn't hold a candle to the SACD, usually available for less than $15. Typically, I have both

 

Ludlow Garage. Duane is still around.

 

I was afraid of that.

Great suggestions, and I didn't know about the Eat a Peach DE extra. I tend to focus on the stuff with Duane, but maybe I shouldn't be so exclusive.

Oh, for these, is there anywhere to get them other than eBay or Amazon? They aren't sold direct by the record company or anything?

 

The Atlanta one is very nice, can thoroughly reccomend it, great SW

 

If I wanted to test the waters with some newer live stuff, would one of these be a place to start?

An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set (Live)
An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set (Live)
Peakin' at the Beacon (Live)
One Way Out (Live)

That last one sounds really tempting with both Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks ...

 

Ludlow has Duane, Dimples, Dreams, The Outskirts Of Town, Statesboro with the fake-out ending, Hoochi Coochie Man (Berry). Nice alternate to FE.

Stonybrook has Blue Sky w/Duane, but sound is variable. American Uni has Leave My Blues At Home. You Don't Love Me is the highlight of both because they differ from FE.

Atlanta Pop I really like. Disc two has a vibe a whole lot slower and fatter than many ABB gigs, so this one adds some variety to any Duane Years collection.

The Eat A Peach bonus dis is good, too (but Duane's solo's a bit unfocused at the very end because he'd thought the gig was finished a tune earlier).

 

I got mine at the Allman Bros. fan site:
http://www.hittinthenote.com/cart/c-75-allman-brothers-band.aspx.

The Fillmore 2/70 is out of print though.

All we need is a complete Fillmore box....

 

The Nassau show PacifiOceanBlue is pointing you towards is excellent. The Check the Oil... release is weak, IMO (and generally poorly reviewed).