The Allman Brothers Band Album by Album Thread

Having immersed myself in the band over the past few months, I thought I would see if there is any interest in an ABA thread. Most folks that have participated in my previous ABA attempts realize I review based somewhat on the technical/guitar side. I hope many others will fill in the blanks along the way.

The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida by brothers Duane and Gregg Allman along with Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny Johanson. All of the players started off in various bands such as The Allman Joys, The Hour Glass, 31st of February and The Second Coming. The bands recorded cover versions of various British Blues and American bands along with some original stuff. In 1968, Rick Hall who owned FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals heard some of the recordings made by The Hour Glass. He was taken by Duane Allman's guitar prowess and invited him to record on some sessions by Wilson Pickett. Allman played on Pickett's cover of The Beatles Hey Jude. His lead break in the outro of the song caught the attention of Jerry Wexler who was a producer for Atlantic Records. Wexler bought out Allman's contract with Hall. Allman went on to play on many other artist recordings. Word of his playing spread throughout the music industry and even caught the attention of guitar greats such as Eric Clapton. Duane eventually grew tired of session playing but he used the experience to develope his playing skills at times holed up alone in a small rented cabin near Muscle Shoals where he developed his style which would become legendary. After some legal wrangling, the Allman Brothers band came together and were bought out for $10,000 by Jerry Wexler and Phil Walden. Walden and Wexler had high hopes for showcasing the band under Wexler's new Atlantic label Capricorn. The result is well known. Duane would ultimately become regarded as one of the greatest guitar players in history. Gregg Allman would gain fame also and is regarded as a great blues singer in his own right.

Up next.

 

Frank,

Excellent thread ! I was listening to the first Duane Allman Anthology CD just yesterday. I'm waiting for the Beginnings SHM-SACD to arrive from cdjapan. Did you pick up the new Fillmore East Recordings box set?

Bill

 

Thanks Bill. I hope you can participate along the way. I actually just ordered the new box set Blu Rays. It should be arriving soon.

 

Duane with a Sunburst Les Paul Guitar

 

I have the Blu Ray Fillmore set on my wish list, just waiting for the price to drop.

Bill, I'll be very curious as to know your opinion of the "Beginnings" SACD when it arrives.

 

Absolutely, there is interest! I've enjoyed catching-up on the other ABA threads. It will be great to TRY to keep up with this one from the start.

 

......

 

Same here. I have been buying a lot lately so I held off on this one. I will eventually get it. Hopefully it will not go out of print quickly.

 

A little on the guitar style of Duane......

Duane had an almost instinctive natural R and B and Soul feel along with his blues prowess. He was influenced by many players. His easy going style allowed him to be able to play sessions with soul greats like Aretha, Wilson Pickett, King Curtis and many others. Duane heard Ry Cooder play slide and immediately was drawn to the expanded possibilities of the playing with a slide. Duane used a glass Coricidin bottle for his slide while using his bare fingers to pick the notes. This gave him a woody and warm tone which was unique in many ways. He preferred using open E tuning for his slide playing. Duane was one of the best at string dampening while playing slide. This allowed him to play clean searing solos even at high volume. Duane was also influenced by jazz greats like Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

Duane is often cited as one of the greatest slide guitar players in history.

 

I can provide some photos!

 

Duane playing slide. IMO, by picking the notes with his bare fingers he was able to produce cleaner tones with less overtones. Playing slide is not an easy task. Trying to replicate his tone and feel is really tough IMO.

 

A little on the guitar style of Dickey Betts....

Dickey uses the pentatonic and blues scales that many other players use. His specialty IMO is his use of the hexatonic scale and how he is able to develop small melodic cells at the drop of a hat. He is a genius at it. Listen to his solo on Blue Sky as an example. He also has the unique ability to mimic the overtones of the pedal steel guitar through his masterful use of oblique bends. IMO, he along with Jerry Garcia developed the "jam band" style of guitar soloing via his expert improvisational skills.

 

Dickey Betts