THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND

M E G A P O S T

DREAMS BOXSET (1989)
320 KBPS

Boxed sets such as this typically are a mixture of "Greatest Hits" material with enough unreleased material to hook die-hard fans into going ahead and spending money. "Dreams" is no exception to this, but it is better organized than most boxed sets. Die hards who already own the albums will get a lot of duplicate material, but roughly a third of it is unreleased and/or difficult to find. Those interested in discovering the group are in for a real treat! This boxed set is the perfect introduction.
Disc one is mostly cuts from the Pre-ABB groups The Allman Joys, Hour Glass, The 31st of February, and The Second Coming. When I saw the track listings after buying the set, I was initially disappointed by this, as I have little interest in being an Allman's "completist." However, I was relieved that all of the early cuts are at least pretty good, and at times, sublime! You hear a clear progression from psychedelic cover band to blues virtuosos to jazz/rock/country fusion. The second half of the disc is downright excellent.
Discs two and three are, by and large, greatest hits from the ABB golden era. If you don't already have a copy of the amazing Live at Fillmore East, there are three remastered cuts of probably the best tracks from Fillmore. Most ABB fans will already have Fillmore, but if you don't it's great to have these.
Over half of Disc four is solo and side project material by ABB members. As with disk one, all of these cuts are at least pretty good, with some really excellent numbers thrown in as well.
I'd rate this as one of the best boxed sets available because it doesn't contain any unnecessary filler tracks. You won't find yourself hitting the skip button very much at all. The breadth of ABB's musical heritage is laid out clearly and will continue to amaze after many listens.
If you're new to the band this is a can't-go-wrong try.

Disc 1
1. Shapes Of Things
2. Spoonful
3. Crossroads
4. Cast Off All My Fears
5. Down In Texas
6. Ain't No Good To Cry
7. BB King Medley
8. Morning Dew
9. God Rest His Soul
10. I Feel Free
11. She Has Funny Cars
12. Goin' Down Slow
13. Dreams
14. Don't Want You No More
15. It's Not My Cross To Bear
16. Trouble No More
17. Dreams

Disc 2
1. Statesboro Blues
2. Hoochie Coochie Man
3. Midnight Rider
4. Dimples
5. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town
6. Revival
7. One More Ride
8. Whipping Post
9. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
10. Drunken Hearted Boy

Disc 3
1. You Don't Love Me/Soul Serenade
2. Blue Sky
3. Little Martha
4. Melissa
5. Ain't Wastin' Time No More
6. Wasted Words
7. Ramblin' Man
8. Southbound
9. Jessica
10. Midnight Rider
11. One Way Out
12. Long Time Gone

Disc 4
1. Can't Lose What You Never Had
2. Come And Go Blues
3. Bougainvillea
4. Can You Fool
5. Good Time Feeling
6. Crazy Love
7. Can't Take It With You
8. Just Ain't Easy
9. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
10. Angeline
11. Things You Used To Do
12. Nancy
13. Rain
14. I'm No Angel
15. Demons
16. Duane's Tune

AT FILLMORE EAST (1971)
320 KBPS

Whereas most great live rock albums are about energy, At Fillmore East is like a great live jazz session, where the pleasure comes from the musicians' interaction and playing. The great thing about that is, the original album that brought the Allmans so much acclaim is as notable for its clever studio editing as it is for its performances. Producer Tom Dowd skillfully trimmed some of the performances down to relatively concise running time (edits later restored on the double-disc set The Fillmore Concerts), at times condensing several performances into one track. Far from being a sacrilege, this tactic helps present the Allmans in their best light, since even if the music isn't necessarily concise (three tracks run over ten minutes, with two in the 20-minute range), it does showcase the group's terrific instrumental interplay, letting each member (but particularly guitarist Duane and keyboardist/vocalist Gregg) shine. Even after the release of the unedited concerts, this original double album (single CD) remains the pinnacle of the Allmans and Southern rock at its most elastic, bluesy, and jazzy.

1. Statesboro Blues
2. Done Somebody Wrong
3. Stormy Monday
4. You Don't Love Me/Soul Serenade
5. Hot 'Lanta
6. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
7. Whipping Post