The ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND Debut Album

Original released on LP ATCO SD 33-308

(US 1969, November 4)

The debut album from the Allman Brothers Band was recorded in New York City over the course of a couple weeks in September of 1969 and its fleshy, straightforward, no nonsense blues ethos took up where Cream and the Yardbirds left off, but with a stronger sense of Southern gospel and Afro-Latin rhythms that makes even legendary white blues bands like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band seem a bit pedestrian and synthetic in comparison. Gregg Allman composed 5 of the 7 gems on this LP and particularly shines on "It's Not My Cross to Bear", with remarkable guitar interplay from brother Duane Allman and later Dickey Betts. "Black Hearted Woman" pulsates with powerful chords changes and layered brilliance while "Dreams" harkens back to the San Francisco psychedelic impulses and aesthetic, show the band's jazz like emphasis on spontaneity. "Whipping Post" is another outstanding staple of Southern blues and Gregg's cover of Muddy Waters' "Trouble No More" is strong and nuanced. After the remarkable remastering in 2012, where Duane's guitars are finally mixed to the front of the playback give classic rock fans a much better example of why Duane Allman was such a gifted and tasteful guitarist. This album takes British blues rock and injects the African American soul back into the genre. (John Moeller in AllMusic)

BROS & SIS

Original released on LP Capricorn CP 0111

(US, September 1973)

Released a year after "Eat a Peach", "Brothers and Sisters" shows off a leaner brand of musicianship, which, coupled with a pair of serious crowd-pleasers, "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica," helped drive it to the top of the charts for a month and a half and to platinum record sales. This was the first album to feature the group's new lineup, with Chuck Leavell on keyboards and Lamar Williams on bass, as well as Dickey Betts' emergence as a singer alongside Gregg Allman. The tracks appear on the album in the order in which they were recorded, and the first three, up through "Ramblin' Man," feature Berry Oakley - their sound is rock-hard and crisp. The subsequent songs with Williams have the bass buried in the mix, and an overall muddier sound. The interplay between Leavell and Betts is beautiful on some songs, and Betts' slide on "Pony Boy" is a dazzling showcase that surprised everybody. Despite its sales, "Brothers and Sisters" is not quite a classic album (although it was their best for the next 17 years), especially in the wake of the four that had appeared previously, but it served as a template for some killer stage performances, and it proved that the band could survive the deaths of two key members. (Bruce Eder in AllMusic)