This is my sixth-round choice from Hanspostcard’s album draft…100 albums in 100 days.
https://slicethelife.com/2020/09/02/2020-album-draft-round-6-pick-9-the-allman-brothers-eat-a-peach/
I was going to pick the At Fillmore East live album but I also wanted some studio tracks…you get both with this one. This is the last album that Duane Allman worked on before a motorcycle crash took his life. He died a few weeks into making the album. The album also included live tracks that were not used on At Fillmore East like One Way Out, Trouble No More, and a 33 minute “Mountain Jam” that was built off a riff from a Donovan song “There is a Mountain.”
They had some sort of chemistry live that was incredible. I’m usually not a fan of long endless live songs but they keep intensity up…plus with this album you get the best of both worlds.
25 years ago I would not have picked this album…I’ve learned more about them in the past few years and have become a huge fan of the classic lineup. When I listen to the Allman Brothers I listen to the music as a whole more than just the songs. They clicked so well as a band that they blended perfectly when at their best.
Their best albums to me are At Fillmore East, Eat A Peach, and Brothers and Sisters. They have been labeled and credited as starting “Southern Rock” but they were totally different than most of their peers. The Allmans were more blues/jazz oriented who happened to be from the south.
The two guitar players were Duane Allman and Dickey Betts…two of the best around at the time. They also had two drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny Johanson (Jaimoe) (who played with Otis Redding). Their bass player was from Chicago…Berry Oakley (who would die in a motorcycle crash a little over a year after Duane) who was amazing. Gregg Allman would write and sing lead on many of the songs and as he said…pushed the gravy on the meat…he added texture with his Hammond Organ.
They started to work on this album in September of 1971 and laid down the basic tracks to for “Blue Sky,” “Stand Back” and “Little Martha.” Duane Allman died on October 29, 1971. So those tracks have Duane playing on them and of course all of the live material features him on guitar. After he died the band went back to the studio and recorded the rest and it was finished in December.
The album was released on February 12, 1972 and it peaked at #4 in the Billboard 100 and #12 in Canada. The original name was going to be “Eat A Peach for Peace.”
The opening song is my favorite one on the album. Ain’t Wasting Time No More…it was Gregg Allman’s song working through the grief of his brother’s death and about soldiers coming home from Vietnam. Last Sunday morning, the sunshine felt like rain,the week before, they all seemed the same
Blue Sky is a Dickey Betts song that I never get tired of. The soaring guitars and the few verses that it has are happy and upbeat. Betts initially wanted the band’s lead vocalist, Gregg Allman, to sing the song, but guitarist Duane Allman encouraged him to sing it himself… “Man, this is your song and it sounds like you and you need to sing it.” Dickey Betts wrote this about his Native Canadian girlfriend, Sandy “Bluesky” Wabegijig.
Melissa is probably the most remembered song off of this album. It’s a great song that Greg had written years before…he couldn’t think of the right woman’s name until he heard a lady in a grocery store yell for her daughter… Melissa.
One Way Out is some of the live feel that I wanted with Fillmore East and I get it on this album along with the above studio cuts. One of their best known songs.
I thought the island needed a southern touch so the Allmans will do just fine. I’ll just sit back with soul food, listen to Allmans, and watch the tide.
- Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More
- Les Brers In A Minor
- Melissa
- Mountain Jam
- One Way Out
- Trouble No More
- Stand Back
- Blue Sky
- Little Martha
- Mountain Jam Cont’d.
Great album.
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Duane might have gone on to great heights I expect had his life not been cut short. A great writeup!
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Thanks Dave!
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Funny watching the video for “One Way Out”: occasionally you see Dickey Betts playing a Gibson SG instead of a Les Paul. I think the video was pieced together from several different performances. Not that it’s a problem, mind you…
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Yea…the one with Betts in the flowery shirt is after Duane died… I know what you mean though
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You had me at Allman Brothers!!! Great pick!
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Thanks!
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Excellent choice, Max. And I think the first album by the Allmans any participant in the album draft picked? At least I don’t recall having seen another one.
And it sounds like there’s yet another thing we have in common. I was also late to discover the Brothers. Only about 8 years ago, I started exploring their music. At least I got to see them once at a great outdoor venue not too far from my house, in July 2012, together with Santana – great show!
In retrospect, I could bite myself for not having seen them another in 2013 or 2014 at the Beacon Theatre in New York!
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Yes I was the first one! I can’t believe that either. I couldn’t decide between At Fillmore East. Which album would you have picked Christian? This had a little of everything…Brothers and Sisters is really good also.
You are a lucky man! I wish I could have seen them. They really sounded…at least on film…close to what they sounded like back when Duane played with them. They stayed the same.
They loved playing at the Beacon.
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I’ve really come to dig songs on all Allman albums I know, so it’s a tricky one. I’m more familiar with their earlier work. I guess it would be between Fillmore East and their debut studio album.
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Yea I almost picked Fillmore East but I loved those studio cuts also…
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Hey Christian…sorry to bug you but I just remembered something and I know you probably already know. Have you listened to the Allman Betts Band? Gregg’s son, Dickey’s son, and Berry Oakley’s son on bass? Man…they sound GREAT!
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Actually, I haven’t yet, but saw they put out an album. So thanks for reminding me!
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I’ve been listening to some tonight…some live stuff…it’s really good Christian.
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Thanks again for the tip. I completely agree they sound great, which is why I just posted about their new album. 🙂
I also like that while they don’t deny their famous fathers, Devon Allman and Duane Betts are forging their own path. I think that’s a really smart decision. They’re definitely off to a very promising start!
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Yes…they are NOT a tribute band at all…but they are open about it. I’m glad you like them. I want to go see them when the world is not burning.
Berry Oakley’s kid on bass just makes it more special.
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Never quite got on with these lads. Will revisit with your recommendation
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When you run out of books…do Gregg Allman’s autobiography…the audio version. The entertainment value is great…full of great stories whether you are a fan or not.
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I have this one on my list. Just need a handful of tracks I like before starting. Hoping this album will deliver
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