This deluxe 2 disc edition is quite a good find if one is a rabid fan of the early Allman Brothers Band with Duane Allman as its leader and guiding light. In addition to the remastered version of the original double album, the group's performance at the closing of Bill Graham's Fillmore East on 6/27/71 is added on with a choice remaster done and adds to the appeal of this reissued edition. The album itself, remains one of the cornerstones of the ABB's career and also popular music, in my opinion, as a record that melds two sides of the group's phases within that of live performance and studio captured presence. The group itself, had incorporated authentic blues music from the deep south with a twist and flair for Jazz, R&B/Soul and Rock overtones that resulted in a thoroughly original and authentic, honest sound that was quite compelling and thrilling to listen to. During the beginning stages of the record, Duane Allman was involved on 3 numbers that would emerge from the studio material offered, in the forms of "Stand Back", a short and blissful acoustic duo between himself and co-lead guitarist Dickey Betts called "Little Martha" and the sweet country-rock/soul number in a Betts original, "Blue Sky". "Blue Sky" remains a bittersweet number in the fact that it remains a peak for the group in general and for the duo of Allman/Betts in particular as the number features the two trading off prolific and profound guitar arrangements that literally speak to and around one another as if they were two jazz musicians improvising on a basic chord structure.

 

Tragedy struck when Duane Allman was killed in a sudden and unfortunate motorcycle accident that immediately pulled the brakes on the sessions and the band took a breather to try and rethink their position as to what to do; unanimously, the group elected to move on as their father figure would have wanted and 3 more songs were completed in the forms of Gregg's posthumous tribute, "Ain't Wastin' Time No More", a Betts instrumental, "Les Brers in A Minor" and the bittersweet ballad of the record, again, written by Gregg, "Melissa". While "Time" is a mournful, yet hopeful tune replete with a slide solo from Betts and a tight and thoughtful ensemble performance from the group, "Les Brers" is comparable to another powerful and classic Betts instrumental "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed"; although the absence of Allman is evident within the tune, the group shows no sign of losing any of the momentum that was found from the "Fillmore East" set. In further paying tribute to their fallen brother, the band elected to include live performances of then, stalwart numbers such as Sonny Boy Williamson's "One Way Out" and Muddy Waters' "Trouble No More" as well as their breathtaking cover of British folk artist, Donovan's "First There is a Mountain" aka "Mountain Jam". With the second disc added to the original single disc version, the live factor is re-emphasized as to how exciting and entrancing the band was within this format and the versions of "Whipping Post", "You Don't Love Me" and "Elizabeth Reed" reveal some variations from the former "At Fillmore East" renditions a few months prior, reinforcing the group's integral and essential chemistry of musical innovation and dexterity.

 

While most casual fans would opt, rather, for the single disc version of this classic record, serious fans of the group would be advised to seek out this expanded remaster as its very much worthwhile and quite a gem to own. I'm quite happy with the packaging and overall sound and I think that Mercury/Island did the fans well by making this particular edition available.

 

Rating grade- A+