The Allman Brothers Band

The Allman Brothers Band should be played loud. They are one of the best live bands ever, and their concerts features long, drawn out songs, some of them approaching half an hour, and though I never saw them live, I'm sure it was ear-splitting decibels. While listening to their greatest hits CD in my car this week I was compelled to twist the volume as high as I could stand it.

I've never considered myself a fan of the Allmans--the hits CD was the first time I'd bought one of their products--but I've certainly been aware of them for years. They have been a classic rock staple since they began in the late '60s, and though they only really recorded for ten years, they have an estimable body of work.

The Allmans, formed by Duane Allman and Dickie Betts, then joined by Duane's brother Gregg, along with bassist Berry Oakley and drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe. Combining the blues and country and Western, they were the architects of the subgenre "Southern rock," which flourished while I was in high school. Though I lived in New Jersey, they were lots of guys who were into it, with bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, Little Feat, and The Marshall Tucker Band.

Listening to them now I realize how good they were, especially in their songwriting and musicianship. Betts and Gregg Allman wrote the songs and divided the vocals. Betts had the band's only number one hit, "Rambin' Man," which has their quintessential lyric:

"My father was a gambler down in Georgia,
He wound up on the wrong end of a gun.
And I was born in the backseat of a Greyhound bus,
Rolling down Highway 41."

Allman wrote the other most recognizable song, "Midnight Rider," which was used to great effect in the film The Electric Horseman (and later covered by Willie Nelson). He also wrote the magnificent "Whipping Post," which begins in 11/4 time, and never fails to get me pumped.

The band also had a great number of instrumentals. "Jessica" is Betts' masterpiece, a seven-minute plus burst of joy, insanely catchy. I love the way it's written so that it could theoretically go on forever--the lead-in before the piano break is such a great tease. I keep waiting for it, and when it finally comes it's like a blast of refreshment.

The other great instrumental is "In the Memory of Elizabeth Reed," which to me has the Latin flavor of Santana, but again highlights the superb guitar work. Betts and Duane Allman were two of the greatest rock guitarists, and to have them in the same band was kismet.

Duane Allman died in 1971 in a motorcycle accident, but the band chugged along for a few more years. They broke up, but have reunited for tours, and Gregg Allman, who became best known to some people for having a brief marriage to Cher, recently wrote a memoir that highlighted the debauchery of being a rock star in the 1970s.