Gregg and Duane Allman
Band members Related acts
|
line up 1 (1972) - Scott Boyer -- vocals, guitar - David Brown -- bass - Butch Trucks -- drums, percussion
supporting musicians: - Duane Allman (RIP 1971) -- lead guitar - Gregg Allman -- vocals, keyboards
|
- Allman and Woman (Greg Allman) - The Allman Brothers (Duane Allman, Greg Allman, and Butch Trucks) - The Allman Joys (Duane Allman and Greg Allman) - Duane Allman (solo efforts) - Gregg Allman (solo efforts) - The BItter Ind (aka The Bitter End) (Scott Boyer, David Brown and Butch Trucks) - Cowboy (Steve Boyer) - Derek & the Dominos (Duane Allman) - The Hour Glass (Gregg Allman and Duane Allman) - The Houserockers - The Tiffany System (Scott Boyer, David Brown and Butch Trucks)
|
|
Genre: rock Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Duane & Greg Allman Company: Bold Catalog: 33-301 Year: 1972 Country/State: Florida Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: textured cover Available: 1 Catalog ID: 6045 Price: $20.00
|
It's one of the sadder aspects of modern life that the death of an artist makes for good commerce and Duane Allman serves as a perfect example of that phenomenon. In the wake of Allman's untimely 1971 death, seemingly anyone even remotely related to the Allman Brothers began combing their archives and files for anything even remotely related to their musical careers. The Florida-based Bold label was no different, quickly raiding its vaults, kicking out several posthumous collections of material, including 1972's cleverly-titled "Duane & Greg Allman".
By all rights billing this as an Allman Brothers product, complete with black and white cover image of the brothers was a major stretch, if not outright fraud. The nine tracks actually reflected material recorded for Vanguard Records in 1968 for what was planned as a sophomore release by The 31st of February. Following the release of an instantly obscure single ('In the Morning When I'm Real' b/w 'Porcelain Mirrors' (VSR 35087)), the project had been shelved the following year when band members Scott Boyer (vocals and guitar), David Brown (bass), and drummer Butch Trucks called it quits (Trucks reappeared as a member of The Allman Brothers Band). While the Allmans guested on some of these tracks, they were never formal members of the band ... Now the good news - don't pay any attention to review you see that describe this as 'inconsequential' or 'juvenilia' pre-Allman Brothers debris. This 1972 release may not match prime Allman Brothers, but still kicked the crap out of 99% of the competition. To my ears these songs were a pure delight. While there was only one Allman original (a killer early version of 'Melissa'), on the vocals he handled Gregg seldom sounded as sharp or involved with the material. Duane's contributions were less obvious, but just as impressive. Be sure to check out his solo on 'Well I Know Too Well'. Like the earliest Allman Brothers catalog, exemplified by material such as 'Come Down and Get Me' (actually entitled 'Down In Texas' - see comments below), 'Back Down Home with You' and 'Well I Know Too Well' the focus was on short and highly commercial songs. The results were material simultaneously radio ready, yet heavy enough to appeal to FM fans. While all nine songs were worth hearing highlights included the haunting Steve Alaimo composition 'God Rest His Soul' and the strange and atypical folk-rocker 'In the Morning When I'm Real'.
Yeah, it isn't a true Allman Brothers release, but is still well worth tracking down, particularly since you can still get it on the cheap.
For you hardcore fans, there's a bootleg out there that includes most of this album and additional material - "The 'Original' Miami-Macon Sessions".
"Duane
& Greg Allman" track listing: 1.) Morning Dew (Tim Rose - Bonnie Dobson) - 3:45 rating: ***** stars Inspired by the post-apocalyptic film "On the Beach" and showcasing Gregg Allman's instantly recognizable voice, 'Morning Dew' was a stunning, bluesy ballad. The track was made even better by Dune's stark fuzz guitar solo, Brown's pounding bass pattern, and some wonderful backing vocals, This one came the closest to capturing that Allman Brothers vibe. Highly commercial and easy to see why it was tapped as a single (early copies were pressed on red vinyl).
- 1972's 'Morning Dew' b/w 'I'll Change for You' (Bold catalog number 45-200)
2.) God Rest His Soul (Steve Alaimo) - 3:55 rating: **** stars Judging by the background vocals 'okay break here', 'God Rest His Soul' was an incomplete demo, though the overall performance was very good. Guitarist Boyer had a tough, ballsy voice that sounded very similar to Gregg Allman. That gave the acoustic ballad 'God Rest His Soul' an Allmans-styled feel and made this one of the standout performances. As least to my ears, the song was made even better by Steve Alaimo's subtle tribute to the late Martin Luther King (at least that's what I think it's about). By the way Alaimo's credited with writing the tune, though popular convention has it that Allman wrote it and agreed to the writing credit for some reason. 3.) Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out (Jimmie Cox) - 4:32 rating: ** stars Given a slow, bluesy performance, 'Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out' was certainly competent with the focus on Gregg's keyboards, though it lacked the excitement of some of the other performances. Once again Boyer's lead vocal recalled Gregg Allman. The song was subsequently rerecorded by Duane Allman as part of the Derek and the Dominos "Layla and Other Love Songs". 4.) Come Down and Get Me (Ray Gerald) - 3:40 rating: *** stars 'The liner note reference to 'Come Down and Get Me' was a complete mystery. Perhaps the band actually recorded a song with that title, however the song on the album was actually 'Down In Texas' (just listen to the lyrics) written by Eddie Hinson and Marlon Greene. Though this one also sounded like a demo with the guitar solo sounding as if it had been cut and pasted on from a different recording, 'Come Down and Get Me' was a straight forward commercial track. Shame this one wasn't finished. 5.) Melissa (Greg Allman - Steve Alaimo) - 3:15 rating: ***** stars The final side one performance, co-written by Gregg Allman and Steve Alaimo, 'Melissa' was even better and was easily the album's standout performance. Gregg seemed to have handled the slightly flat lead vocal, but the rest of the performance, including some instantly recognizable Duane Allman slide guitar was simply stunning and didn't sound radically different from the version that appeared in 1972 on The Allman Brothers album "Eat a Peach".
(side
2) One of two David Brown compositions, the bluesy ballad 'I'll Change For You' started out slowly but hit high gear when the gorgeous chorus and refrain kicked in. One of my favorites performances on the album. 2.) Back Down Home with You (David Brown) - 2:25 rating: *** stars The second Brown song, 'Back Down Home with You' was another bluesy number - not quite as appealing as the previous song. 3.) Well I Know Too Well (Steve Alaimo) - 2:15 rating: **** stars The up-tempo 'Well I Know Too Well' coupled a Gospel-flavored melody with some excellent lead guitar, and a highly commercial backing chorus. 4.) In the Morning When I'm Real (Robert Pucetti) - 2:40 rating: **** stars Musically 'In the Morning When I'm Real' was the album's strangest performance. A soft, delicate ballad with a beautiful melody, it sounded like a mid-1960s piece that had absolutely nothing in common with the other performances. It wasn't bad; in fact I liked the song quite a bit, but it just sounded totally out of place here.
|
|
Genre: rock Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Duane & Gregg Allman Company: Bold Catalog: 33-302 Year: 1972 Country/State: Florida Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve; minor edge wear; gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4955 Price: $20.00
|
In spite of the improved packaging (gatefold sleeve this time out), this album is just a repackaged version of "Duane & Greg Allman" that Bold released under catalog number 33-301. I'm guessing this one was re-issued in an attempt to take advantage of the Allman Brothers Band's mid-1970s commercial breakthrough, but who knows. Same songs, but with the gatefold sleeve package. As such, I'll just copy my earlier comments for the rest of the write-up.
By all rights billing this as an Allman Brothers product, complete with black and white cover image of the brothers was a major stretch, if not outright fraud. The nine tracks actually reflected material recorded in 1968 for what was planned as a sophomore release by The 31st of February. The project had been shelved the following year when band members Scott Boyer (vocals and guitar), David Brown (bass), and drummer Butch Trucks called it quits (Trucks reappeared as a member of The Allman Brothers Band). While the Allmans guested on some of these tracks, they were never formal members of the band ... Now the good news - don't pay any attention to review you see that describe this as 'inconsequential' or 'juvenilia' pre-Allman Brothers debris. This 1972 release may not match prime Allman Brothers, but still kicked the crap out of 99% of the competition. To my ears these songs were a pure delight. While there was only one Allman original (a killer early version of 'Melissa'), on the vocals he handled Gregg seldom sounded as sharp or involved with the material. Duane's contributions were less obvious, but just as impressive. Be sure to check out his solo on 'Well I Know Too Well'. Like the earliest Allman Brothers catalog, exemplified by material such as 'Come Down and Get Me' (actually entitled 'Down In Texas' - see comments below), 'Back Down Home with You' and 'Well I Know Too Well' the focus was on short and highly commercial songs. The results were material simultaneously radio ready, yet heavy enough to appeal to FM fans. While all nine songs were worth hearing highlights included the haunting Steve Alaimo composition 'God Rest His Soul' and the strange and atypical folk-rocker 'In the Morning When I'm Real'.
Admittedly it wasn't a true Allman Brothers release, but was still well worth tracking down, particularly since you can still get it on the cheap.
"Duane &
Gregg Allman" track listing: 1.) Morning Dew (Tim Rose - Bonnie Dobson) - 3:45 rating: ***** stars Inspired by the post-apocalyptic film "On the Beach" and showcasing Gregg Allman's instantly recognizable voice, 'Morning Dew' was a stunning, bluesy ballad. The track was made even better by Duane's stark fuzz guitar solo, Brown's pounding bass pattern, and some wonderful backing vocals, This one came the closest to capturing that Allman Brothers vibe. Highly commercial and easy to see why it was tapped as a single. 2.) God Rest His Soul (Steve Alaimo) - 3:55 rating: **** stars Judging by the background vocals 'okay break here', 'God Rest His Soul' was an incomplete demo, though the overall performance was very good. Guitarist Boyer had a tough, ballsy voice that sounded very similar to Gregg Allman. That gave the acoustic ballad 'God Rest His Soul' an Allmans-styled feel and made this one of the standout performances. As least to my ears, the song was made even better by Steve Alaimo's subtle anti-war lyric. 3.) Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out (Jimmie Cox) - 4:32 Given a slow, bluesy performance, 'Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out' was certainly competent with the focus on Gregg's keyboards, though it lacked the excitement of some of the other performances. Once again Boyer's lead vocal recalled Gregg Allman. The song was subsequently rerecorded by Duane Allman as part of the Derek and the Dominos "Layla and Other Love Songs". rating: ** stars 4.) Come Down and Get Me (Ray Gerald) - 3:40 rating: *** stars 'The line note reference to 'Come Down and Get Me' was a complete mystery. Perhaps the band actually recorded a song with that title, however the song on the album was actually 'Down In Texas' (just listen to the lyrics) written by Eddie Hinson and Marlon Greene. Though this one also sounded like a demo with the guitar solo sounding as if it had been cut and pasted on from a different recording, 'Come Down and Get Me' was a straight forward commercial track. Shame this one wasn't finished. 5.) Melissa (Greg Allman - Steve Alaimo) - 3:15 rating: ***** stars The final side one performance, co-written by Gregg Allman and Steve Alaimo (the latter supposedly paid Allman for the songwriting credit), 'Melissa' was even better and was easily the album's standout performance. Gregg seemed to have handled the slightly flat lead vocal, but the rest of the performance, including some instantly recognizable Duane Allman slide guitar was simply stunning and didn't''t sound radically different from the version that appeared in 1972 on The Allman Brothers album "Eat a Peach".
(side
2) One of two David Brown compositions, the bluesy ballad 'I'll Change For You' started out slowly but hit high gear when the gorgeous chorus and refrain kicked in. One of my favorites performances on the album. 2.) Back Down Home with You (David Brown) - 2:25 rating: *** stars The second Brown song, 'Back Down Home with You' was another bluesy number - not quite as appealing as the previous song. 3.) Well I Know Too Well (Steve Alaimo) - 2:15 rating: **** stars The up-tempo 'Well I Know Too Well' coupled a Gospel-flavored melody with some excellent lead guitar, and a highly commercial backing chorus. 4.) In the Morning When I'm Real (Robert Pucetti) - 2:40 rating: **** stars Musically 'In the Morning When I'm Real' was the album's strangest performance. A soft, delicate ballad with a beautiful melody, it sounded like a mid-1960s piece that had absolutely nothing in common with the other performances. It wasn't bad; in fact I liked the song quite a bit, but it just sounded totally out of place here.
|
Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Gregg & Duane Allman Company: Springboard Catalog: SPB-4046 Year: 1973 Country/State: Florida Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 4408 Price: $15.00 Cost: $66.00
|
Cashing in on big name artists such as Cream, Jimmy Page and others, the early 1970s saw the Springboard label release some of the crappiest records of the decade. With The Allman Brothers Band attracting considerable media attention and record sales, it was only natural that Springboard would turn it's corporate attention to Gregg and Duane.
Released in 1973, "Gregg & Duane Allman" collected nine tracks from the brothers two Hour Glass releases (three from 1967's "The Hour Glass" and six from 1968's "Power of Love"). What made this set interesting was the fact most of the material (credited to 'Gregory Allman') was out-and-out excellent. Offering up an engaging mixture of pop, rock and light psych, the Allmans' unique sound may not have been fully developed at this stage, but on songs such as 'I Can't Stand Alone' it was darn close. Besides, Gregg's growling voice proved surprisingly well suited to more commercially oriented selections such as 'Changing of the Guard', 'I'm Not Afraid' and 'I Still Want Your Love' ... the latter sported a great fuzz solo from Duane.
In case anyone cares, I think this is the only Springboard product I've ever given a favorable review (let alone a three stars rating).
"Gregg
& Duane Allman" track listing: 1.) No Easy Way Down (Gerry Goffin - Carole King) - 3:18 rating: *** stars A nice, easy-going Southern-tinged ballad, 'No Easy Way Down' was ultimately crushed by the hackneyed arrangement which including MOR horns, squealing female backing singers, and a strange, echo production sound. Gregg and Duane apparently had no interest in recording the tune, but were told in no uncertain terms by their label they would record the track. 2.) Got To Get Away (Gregory Allman) - 2:11 rating: ** stars The only original composition on The Hour Glass's debut album, buried somewhere in this aural mess were the making of a good song, but between the Gregg's impassioned vocals, the fuzz guitar, squealing horns, and hyper-speed arrangement the whole thing simply collapsed on itself. Think along terms of a crappy Blood, Sweat, & Tears tune. 3.) Silently (Shannon - Bourgeoise) - 2:42 rating: *** stars I won't tell you 'Silently' was a great song (cause it wasn't), but it was an interesting stab at mid-'60s pop-psych, complete with dippy la-la backing vocals and a cool banjo riff. 4.) Changing of the Guard (Gregory Allman) - 2:32 rating: **** stars One of the best things The Hour Glass recorded, 'Changing of the Guard' was a nice, bluesy-ballad that managed to avoid at least some of the excesses their label normally dumped on their recordings. Nice touch of fuzz lead guitar form Duane. 5.) To Things Before (Gregory Allman) - 2:29 rating: **** stars Finally a track that served as an indicator of the direction they would follow. Nice, bluesy ballad showcasing Gregg's voice at it's best. One of the album highlights.
(side 2) 1.) I'm Not Afraid (Gregory Allman) - 2:41 rating: **** stars Penned by Allman (one of seven tracks he wrote for the second Hour Glass album), 'I'm Not Afraid; was one of the few tracks that seemingly managed to blend producer Dallas Smith's vision of a pop band and the band's vision of themselves as a blues-rock outfit. Musically it was actually a nice slice of pop-psych. 2.) I Can't Stand Alone (Gregory Allman) - 2:14 rating: **** stars Imagine The Classic IV's 'Spooky' done as a blazing rocker and you'd have a vague feel for this one. Kicked along by Gregg's amazing voice and a dazzling Duane fuzz guitar solo, this was another album highlight. 3.) I Still Want Your Love (Gregory Allman) - 2:20 rating: **** stars You had to wonder how a twenty year old could sound this bluesy ... Duane's fuzz guitar was the true star on this blazing blues-rocker. 4.) Now Is the Time (Gregory Allman) - 4:00 rating: *** stars Always loved Pete Carr's deep and elegant bass on this psych-tinged ballad, though Duane again trotted out a nice fuzz solo.
For anyone intrigued by the album, my suggestion would be to simply dig around to score copies of the two original Hourglass LPs. They're readily available and surprisingly affordable.
|
BACK TO BADCAT PAYMENT INFORMATION
