Latter-Day Allman Brothers!

[SteveSly]

It's kinda funny, but I wasn't exactly an ABB fan growing up. And when I say growing up, I mean in the south (west TN) in the early '70s where the ABB was more prevalent on the radio than Led Zeppelin or The Stones. They were always around. My older brother had them on 8-track, his friends had them on vinyl. By the time I was on my own in the early '80s most all the people I hung around loved them. I could take or leave them.

I saw the Tonight Show performance when it first aired and it was all anyone talked about the next day. I had a buddy at work who played the Seven Turns album a lot. But I really never clicked with their brand until I started hearing songs from Where It All Begins. It was my first album purchase of ABB (not including the Best Of). I then spent the next few years going through their back catalog uncovering gems like Pegasus and High Falls.

I came to The Allman Brothers way late. I also grew up in the 70’s, but pretty much did not know anything about them other than “Rambling Man”, and “Whipping Post”. In the early 1980 I was working on a radio station. “Enlightened Rogues” had come out fairly recently and I remember borrowing it from the station to give a listen. I didn’t hate it, but it did not blow me away either. I really never gave the band much of a chance until some point in the early 00’s. I don’t remember why, but all of a sudden, they kind of clicked with me and I started going back and buying up their albums. Today, they are a favorite of mine. I never got to see them live though. I had tickets for a tour they were doing with Skynyrd, but the show was cancelled for some reason I don’t remember. I did get to see Greg Allman solo before he died and have seen Gov’t Mule several times.

BTW I agree with the rest of you that “Hittin The Note” ranks right up with the best the band ever did IMO.

[mozo-pg]

BTW I agree with the rest of you that “Hittin The Note” ranks right up with the best the band ever did IMO.

Steve, I thought I was in a minority view on this gem of an album. I think it's one of their strongest, ever!

[Yodelgoat]

Wow, I havent listened to any Allmans album post brothers and sisters... Some of you say that their newer stuff rivals Eat a peach??? I'm incredulous...

[Guitarplyrjvb]

^^ Listen to "Hittin' the Note" and see what you think. It's less jammy and more focused. Better, to my ears! No need to rank 'em, though. It's just a great cap to a stellar career.

[Yodelgoat]

OK, Hittin the note... You have increased my expectations...

[ronmac]

Something you don't expect to see on the stage when the ABB is playing.

I won't mention what it is. 5 PE whoop-de-do points to the first person who gets it.

The Keytar?

[mozo-pg]

It doesn't sound great. Dickey and Gregg do sound great though.

[Fracktured]

On a related note Jamoe is the last original member still performing and his Jasssz band is well worth seeing.


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[GuitarGeek]

They dabbled with the synthesizer during the Reach for the Sky period 1980. Didn't fit their sound at all.

Yeah, teh Gainsville show I mentioned earlier in this thread also had Mike Lawler as the second keyboardist. I believe he played on both of the Arista era albums. And yeah, on that one he straps on the keytar for a couple songs there too. I'm not sure if I realized the first time I saw the Gainesville video just how "inappropriate' the synths were in this band. I might have actually thought it sounded cool when I was a teenager, but now I hear it and I go, "See, this is why the 1980's was a bad time to be making music, unless you happened to be making whatever was fashionable this week".

Thank goodness when they got back together in 1989, and signed to Epic, everyone at A&R seemed to be ok with them making music that sounded like the stuff they did in the 70's.

By the way, not sure if anyone mentioned this but Where It All Began was originally penned by Dickey as an instrumental. Easy to tell when you listen to it and the fact that that album had no instrumental on it.

I didn't know that. And yeah, that's one of the reasons I rate Where It All Begins lower than it's two predecessors, simply because there's no instrumental. It's the instrumentals like Liz Reed, Les Brers, Jessica, High Falls, Pegasus, True Gravity and Kind Of Bird that I like the best from teh Allmans.

[Dave (in MA)]

The Keytar?

Bingo, though Fracktured mentioned it first albeit not by name.

It's a very good solo, but Keytar is all wrong.

[Fracktured]

The song Seven Turns is one of Dickey’s best songs as far as I’m concerned.

[Yodelgoat]

Keytar is for 80's hair bands.

[Guitarplyrjvb]

Been on an Allman's/Southern Rock kick lately. Just listened a few times to Pattern Disruptive by Dickey Betts. It's phenomenal! This is sort of like a Govt Mule record with Dickey Betts added into the mix. Really great songwriting and inventive playing. I don't think Betts ever got his due as a guitarist being in the same band as Duane Allman. His playing is almost jazzy in terms of his harmonic vocabulary. His songwriting was what kept the band going. He was really the underappreciated gem in the band. It's a shame he appears to be a tough guy to work with.

[Fracktured]

Been on an Allman's/Southern Rock kick lately. Just listened a few times to Pattern Disruptive by Dickey Betts. It's phenomenal! This is sort of like a Govt Mule record with Dickey Betts added into the mix. Really great songwriting and inventive playing. I don't think Betts ever got his due as a guitarist being in the same band as Duane Allman. His playing is almost jazzy in terms of his harmonic vocabulary. His songwriting was what kept the band going. He was really the underappreciated gem in the band. It's a shame he appears to be a tough guy to work with.

Yeah Dickey wrote many of my favorite Allman songs. It's amazing when you think of the soulful Gregg, R&B Duane, Country Dickey, Rock & roll Butch and Jazzy Jaimoe putting all these things together meshed so well for these guys. They all seemed to go with the flow and created one hell of a unique sound. I haven't played Pattern Disruptive for years. I need to revisit that one.

[Guitarplyrjvb]

Let's Get Together is another great Dickey Betts Band album. Great growling Les Pauls, Hammond B-3's and funky bass. Never heard it before today and think it's right up there with Pattern Disruptive and great latter-day Allmans.

[rapidfirerob]

Been on an Allman's/Southern Rock kick lately. Just listened a few times to Pattern Disruptive by Dickey Betts. It's phenomenal! This is sort of like a Govt Mule record with Dickey Betts added into the mix. Really great songwriting and inventive playing. I don't think Betts ever got his due as a guitarist being in the same band as Duane Allman. His playing is almost jazzy in terms of his harmonic vocabulary. His songwriting was what kept the band going. He was really the underappreciated gem in the band. It's a shame he appears to be a tough guy to work with.

If you haven't heard this show, you need to. From The Lonestar in NYC. Songs from Pattern Disruptive with some very special guests. Enjoy!

[Guitarplyrjvb]

^^ Wow! What a line-up!

[Fracktured]

great show. i looked it up and found an abbreviated version to buy but can't find the whole show other than the youtube link. is this whole show available to download?

[Jerjo]

great show. i looked it up and found an abbreviated version to buy but can't find the whole show other than the youtube link. is this whole show available to download?

I checked Traders Den and found nothing.

[rapidfirerob]

It was sold on Record Store Day a few years back: https://www.discogs.com/Dickey-Betts...lease/11897291
It's on blogs as well.

[Jerjo]

Yeah, I found a torrent for MP3s of it on a Rolling Stones forum of all places

[Sean]

Don't overlook the late 70s albums like Win, Lose or Draw that this side long instrumental epic comes from. It's one of their greatest moments. Keep Liz Reed. This is where it's at.

[mozo-pg]

Don't overlook the late 70s albums like Win, Lose or Draw that this side long instrumental epic comes from. It's one of their greatest moments. Keep Liz Reed. This is where it's at.

Sweet!

[GuitarGeek]

Don't overlook the late 70s albums like Win, Lose or Draw that this side long instrumental epic comes from. It's one of their greatest moments. Keep Liz Reed. This is where it's at.

Actually, it's only 3/4's of an LP side, but point well taken. That was one album I had dismissed, since only a short Muddy Waters cover was used on the Dreams boxset. Then i saw them perform High Falls in concert in 97 and 98, and I said, "Wait a minute! What's THAT?!", so I had to pick up the album.

[mozo-pg]

I have a 10 or 12 CD Japan Mini-LP Box Set by the ABB that I've never opened it (with Win, Lose, or Draw). I just bought a 5 CD Boxset the band released this spring an it has tunes from the album, including the title track (which sounds fine). I've got a bunch of Japanese Box sets unopened (30). I should pick up a regular CD of this release for cheap on Ebay.