Todays classic album is Beginnings (1973) by the Allman Brothers Band. This is one of my all time favorite albums. Beginnings is a 1973 reissue of the Allman Brothers Bands first two albums, The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South, made to capitalize on the bands popularity since those records had first come out. Beginnings also includes extensive liner notes by writer Jean-Charles Costa that gave many fans their first coherent view of the bands history, as well as useful guidelines for how to tell Duane Allmans guitar parts from Dickey Betts. The front cover depicts them at one of their many famous performances at the Fillmore East. The Allman Brothers Band is the debut studio album by American rock band the Allman Brothers Band. It was released in the United States by Atco Records and Capricorn Records on November 4, 1969 and produced by Adrian Barber. Formed in 1969, the Allman Brothers Band came together following various musical pursuits by each individual member. Following his session work in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Duane Allman moved to Jacksonville, Florida where he led large jam sessions with his new band, one he had envisioned as having two guitarists and two drummers. After rounding out the lineup with the addition of his brother, Gregg Allman, the band played free shows in public parks and moved to Macon, Georgia, where they were to be one of the premiere acts on Capricorn. The album was recorded and mixed in two weeks at Atlantic Studios in New York City. Much of the material presented was premiered live over the preceding months and combines jazz, blues and country music to varying degrees. It includes re-workings of Trouble No More and Dont Want You No More, as well as notable originals such as Dreams, which highlighted the bands jazz influence, and Whipping Post, which soon became a crowd favorite. Although the group were arranged to work with producer Tom Dowd (whose credits included Cream and John Coltrane), he was unavailable, and they instead recorded with house engineer Adrian Barber. The albums artwork was photographed at various places in Macon and surrounding areas. The record initially received a poor commercial response, charting in the lower levels of Billboards Top 200 Pop Albums chart. Despite this, the album received critical acclaim from publications such as Rolling Stone, who called it consistently [...] subtle, and honest, and moving. Following the release of the album, the band remained on the road for an extended period of time. They chose to remain in Macon, despite suggestions from label executives to move to larger cities for a better shot at commercial acceptance. Idlewild South is the second studio album by American rock band the Allman Brothers Band. Produced by Tom Dowd, the album was released on September 23, 1970, in the United States by Atco Records and Capricorn Records. Following the release of their 1969 debut, the Allman Brothers Band toured the United States extensively to promote the album, which barely made a dent on pop charts. Their performances, however, did create positive word of mouth coverage that extended to more famous musicians, such as Eric Clapton, who called upon group leader Duane Allman to contribute to his 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Due mostly to the bands relentless touring schedule, Idlewild South was recorded gradually over a period of five months in various cities, including New York, Miami, and Macon, Georgia, the bands home. Tom Dowd had previously been arranged to record the groups debut but was unavailable. The material presented on Idlewild South was written during this period and tested out on the road at shows. The albums title comes from the bands nickname for a ramshackle, remote cabin the band rented out and used for rehearsals, as well as wild parties. Idlewild South contains two of the bands best-known songs, Midnight Rider (later a hit for various artists) and In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, which became one of the bands famous concert numbers. The album was released in September 1970 but again failed to connect commercially. Sales began to grow, however, due to the bands touring schedule (they played over 300 shows in 1970), setting the stage for their artistic and commercial breakthrough with their follow-up, 1971s live album At Fillmore East. Whipping Post is a song by The Allman Brothers Band. Written by Gregg Allman, the five-minute studio version first appeared on their 1969 debut album The Allman Brothers Band. But the songs full power only manifested itself in concert, when it was the basis for much longer and more intense performances. On the Allman Brothers 1971 double live album At Fillmore East, a 22-minute version of the song takes up the entire final side. It was this recording that garnered Whipping Post spots on both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fames 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list and Rolling Stones list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Midnight Rider is a popular and widely covered song by The Allman Brothers Band from their 1970 album entitled Idlewild South. Written by Gregg Allman and Robert Kim Payne, the song has become a fixture of the bands live performances and an enduring standard. Renditions by Joe Cocker, Gregg Allman himself, and Willie Nelson have all reached the charts as singles. Midnight Rider uses traditional folk and blues themes of desperation, determination, and a man on the run: Ive got one more silver dollar, But Im not gonna let em catch me, no ... Not gonna let em catch The midnight rider. The verses arrangement features Duane Allmans acoustic guitar carrying the songs changes, underpinned by a congas-led rhythm section and soft, swirling organ. Dickey Betts lead guitar phrases ornament the choruses and the instrumental break, while Gregg Allmans powerful, soulful singing, featuring harmony-producing reverb, has led to the song becoming known by some as Allmans signature piece. Music writer Jean-Charles Costa stated in 1973 that, Midnight Rider has been recorded by other bands and its easy to see why. The verse construction, the desperate lyrics, and the taut arrangement make it standout material, while musician and writer Bill Janovitz said that the recording successfully blended elements of blues, country music, soul music, and Southern rock. Midnight Rider has been a concert staple for the band in decades since; it is usually played fairly closely to the original template, and was not used as the basis for long jams until the Allman Brothers annual New York City run in 2010. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed is a jazz-influenced instrumental composed by Dickey Betts recorded by The Allman Brothers Band. Multiple versions have been recorded, notably the original studio version from Idlewild South and an extended version on their 1971 live album At Fillmore East, and a 1976 Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas version featuring an electric piano played by Chuck Leavell, in place of the second guitar played by Duane Allman. The original studio recording of In Memory of Elizabeth Reed is the fourth track on the groups 1970 album Idlewild South. Composed by Dickey Betts, it is the first instrumental written by a bandmember, and the first of several that Betts would write and become known for. The original Rolling Stone review of Idlewild South said the song just goes and goes for a stupendous, and unnoticed, seven minutes. The song is named after a headstone Betts saw at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, Georgia, a place frequented by band members in their early days to relax and write songs. Considerable legend has developed about what Betts was doing at the time, some originated by a possibly put-on interview Duane Allman gave Rolling Stone. The cemetery was later memorialized by the band as the final resting spot of both band leader Duane Allman and bassist Berry Oakley. The Rolling Stone Album Guide called In Memory of Elizabeth Reed in its original studio incarnation the blueprint of a concert warhorse, capturing the Allmans at their most adventurous. The New York Times has written that its written riffs and jazz-ish harmonies [allow] improvisers room. Accordingly, Elizabeth Reed has appeared in many Allman Brothers concerts, sometimes running half an hour or more, and on numerous Allman Brothers live albums, but first and most notably on At Fillmore East, which many fans and critics believe is the definitive rendition. In 2007, Rolling Stone named In Memory of Elizabeth Reed one of its Fifty Best Songs Over Seven Minutes Long – and in giving it Honorable Mention on its 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time list made 2008, Rolling Stone called the At Fillmore East performance transcendent.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 18:44:42 +0000
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