“From its inception, on March 12, 1971, the Allman Brothers Band rapidly established a near-mythical reputation through its incendiary, marathon concerts.” These are the phrases of “Allmanologist” John Lynskey, in his liner notes for 2014’s prolonged version of one of many nice dwell albums in rock historical past. At Fillmore East entered the Billboard US album chart on July 24, 1971.
“No other group could touch the Allman Brothers when it came to extended, improvised jamming; they truly were in a league and dimension of their own,” Lynskey continued. “Duane Allman was joined by his brother Gregg on keyboards and vocals, the dual drumming combo of Jaimoe and Butch Trucks, bassist extraordinaire Berry Oakley, and Dickey Betts, Duane’s foil on guitar. Together, these individually talented artists blended into a unit whose sum exceeded the total of its impressive singular parts.”
Recorded over the weekend of March 12-13, the album was launched within the wake of the primary two studio units by the ABB. The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South had marked them out as pioneers of a brand new southern rock sound, and offered reasonably nicely, nevertheless it was this dwell launch that basically sealed their standing.
A ‘four-sided showdown’
The July 24 version of Billboard listed At Fillmore East as a “National Breakout” together with albums by the Byrds and nation stars Lynn Anderson and Charley Delight. It went into the chart that subject at No.82, on its strategy to a No.13 peak. The journal’s evaluation proclaimed: “They’ll put out hard blues Macon, Georgia-style blues far into the night on this four-sided showdown that features the blues of Will McTell, Elmore James, T-Bone Walker plus second lead guitar Dicky [sic] Betts and the band.”
The 4 exhibits have been recorded by revered Atlantic Data engineer/producer Tom Dowd, who’d produced Idlewild South. Dowd additionally oversaw the periods for the Derek & the Dominos mission that led to the thrilling guitar interplay between Duane Allman and Eric Clapton.
The late Allmans drummer Butch Vans remembered: “That weekend in March of 71 when we recorded At Fillmore East, most of the time it clicked. We were finally starting to catch up with what we were listening to. We had lived together…we got in trouble together; we all just moved as a unit. And then, when we got onstage to play, that’s what it was all about – and it just happened to all come together that weekend.”
Purchase The Allman Brothers Band’s music on vinyl now.
