I started the Allman Brothers Band the day after school was canceled for COVID-19, which was mid March, in 2020. Overall, the band is pretty good and as the grades indicate, you should enjoy all the albums up to Brothers and Sisters to some degree.
Idlewild South (1970): B
At Fillmore East (1971): B-
Eat a Peach (1972): B-
Brothers and Sisters (1973): B+
Live at Ludlow Garage (1990): C+
The Allman Brothers Band (1969):
There are moments of guitar brilliance all through this album, particularly on "It's Not My Cross to Bear" and the beautiful "Dreams." Gregg Allman's powerful vocal performances on "Black Hearted Woman" and "Whipping Post" pair well with the band's overall sound. A-
Idlewild South (1970):
While the album starts off well on side one--"Midnight Rider" is the best song from the band yet and Dickey Betts's "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" is spectacular--it loses a lot of power because of two tracks on side two. Despite fantastic instrumentation, "Hoochie Coochie Man" is ruined by Oakley's voice and Gregg Allman's voice isn't capable of floating "Please Call Home," although maybe no one's is. B
At Fillmore East (1971):
The 23 min "Whipping Post" and the 19 min "You Don't Love Me' soar to heights their studio albums could only dream of and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Hot 'Lanta" are good instrumentals, which highlight the recording clarity of this famous live set. Duane proves why he's one of the greatest guitarists of all time, but whether it's the length of the songs or the length of the whole album, I've found that very little of this album has compelled me to revisit it. B-
Eat a Peach (1972):
With "Stand Back" and "Little Martha," the album features the band's most straightforward country yet, but this laid-back country really hits the mark on "Melissa" and "Blue Sky," the latter featuring Duane's last studio recording before his tragic death. Now for the elephant in the room: I'll skip the 33 min "Mountain Jam" every time. Sure, Duane and Betts create some beautiful moments, but I hate drum solos and "Mountain Jam" has got an extra long one. B
Brothers and Sisters (1973):
Not surprisingly, the best songs here are Dickey Betts's instrumental "Jessica" and his most famous song "Ramblin' Man." I've generally enjoyed Betts's songwriting before, but now that he's taken up the position as main songwriter, he's blossomed into a top-notch creator, which is good because Gregg's songwriting has never been duller. Fortunately, with the addition of a second keyboardist, the piano playing is better than ever. B+
