Working from home I have been able to listen to a lot of music during the day. And two releases that are just outstanding are the 2003 sets, One Way Out - Live at the Beacon and Cream of the Crop. Both are top-notch, the guys are at their best, they seem fired up with the new songs from Hittin The Note and they play the standard ABB tunes with a new fire. Especially Gregg's organ/piano playing, a real standout on these. And he sounds so into the performance vocal-wise. The whole band is playing with a new vigor and attitude it seems. And something I noticed too was no Dickey songs on One Way Out, didn't need them for it to be great release. For my money, I would put both of these right behind the FE album.
I just listened to the whole Cream of the Crop the other day. Really is fantastic stuff!
Another good live release is Play All Night. Warren Haynes hand picked all the tracks from the recordings. But it seems Revival is the same track that is on An Evening With First Set.
One Way Out was an official new release from the band. And the last official new release. By my count the ABB had 18 official new albums from 1969 to 2004.
When One Way Out was released is the period Butch Trucks was pushing very hard for the band to not play anything written by Dickey. Butch despised Ramblin' Man and never liked the direction the band took in 1973 but my feeling back then it wasn't Butch didn't think Dickey's songs were not good fits for the band but he didn't want Dickey to make any money from One Way Out.
About this time too Butch said the reason Dickey was worth more money than the rest of them is because he bullied his songs on all their albums after Duane and some were not as good as songs that Dickey refused to record. And he gave one example. In 1994 Butch wanted Warren's Rocking Horse on Where It All Begins but Dickey wouldn't have it. Dickey made it clear they were doing Mean Woman Blues instead. Apparently to throw Warren a bone, he insisted Warren sing it.
But a lot of band's have these fights. I was just researching Mick Taylor's time in the Rolling Stones. That band had several big feuds. Go months and once years without speaking to each other and causing even Mick Taylor to wonder if the band was still together. And Mick wrote a couple of songs with Mick Jagger but when the next album finally came out the writing credit said Jagger/Richards. So Mick quit. But they have invited him to sit in in recent years.
2003 was the year that really really sucked me in. ABB had been my favorite band for a few years leading up to '03, the Hittin' The Note release, my first trip to NYC and the birth of instant live recordings cemented it sending me into full blown fanatic mode.
That was a great tour. I have recordings of all but maybe two shows from that tour. Karl Denson's Tiny Universe opened that year. IMO they had to step up to follow KDTU. There were some stellar Liz Reeds w/ Karl Denson that year.
One Way Out is fine and all, but I think it's the band's least essential live album. All of the superior Instant Lives and Munks recordings that followed made it kind of irrelevant.
The song selection on One Way Out was kind of odd - 2 songs that had just appeared on Peakin', 4 Warren songs (I'm biased, "Schoolgirl", "Woman Across the River", "Worried Down", "Rockin Horse", were all bathroom breaks for me), 6 songs that were just on Hittin the Note, plus "Dreams" with a Warren solo instead of Derek? Did the world really need a live version of "Midnight Rider"? I always felt it would have been better and more purposeful as a single disc and (all drama aside) it really missed a Dickey tune.
Those Summer 2003 shows were inspired, you could tell they were getting their legs back, but I always felt it was rehearsal for 2004 when they really started mixing things up again.
2003 was my first visit to the Beacon. What a game changer! Left Coast Crew kicked ass!
as a companion to One Way Out, I recorded all the songs off the Live At The Beacon DVD that weren't included....they do sublime A Change is Gonna Come. I included the back stage version of Old Friend (the album would have been better had those two been included). They also have some of the same songs on the DVD as the CD, but chose a different night for each release (so you get a Derek slide on some things instead of Warren or visa versa).
It was enough for a full CD. I'd have to find it my disorganized stacks in boxes now.....I played it more than the official release. The definitely were proving a point by not including anything Dickey had penned.
One Way Out is more essential than Peakin that is for sure, and certainly more than the two Arista albums, but I've played the many other live releases from that lineup a lot more over the years.
2003 was indeed a great year for the ABB. I saw them at the Beacon 2 nights and in Atlanta at Lakewood.
One Way Out is more essential than Peakin that is for sure,
Disagree. Peakin' might be rough around the edges, but it's unique in that we got a Dickey/Derek release. One Way Out, on the other hand, pales in comparison to the Fox Box or Cream of the Crop or any number of the subsequent live recordings. It's just kind of unremarkable.
[Edited on 4/8/2020 by porkchopbob]
One Way Out is more essential than Peakin that is for sure,
Disagree. Peakin' might be rough around the edges, but it's unique in that we got a Dickey/Derek release. One Way Out, on the other hand, pales in comparison to the Fox Box or Cream of the Crop or any number of the subsequent live recordings. It's just kind of unremarkable.
[Edited on 4/8/2020 by porkchopbob]
I have to disagree with both of those statements for my ears. Peakin' lacks fire or passion, they are going through the motions, regardless if it is "unique."
And I rate One Way Out right there with Cream of the Crop and a step above The Fox Box. All three are great though, can't go wrong with any of those three. But Peakin's may be the least played cd in anyone's ABB collection.
Back then Butch said they did One Way Out to have an official Beacon release to make up for how lousy Peakin' At The Beacon was and they never planned on an official album then anyway. The band had been wanting to get out of it's contract with Epic for several reasons anyway. They owed Epic one more record so Peakin' became an easy and inexpensive way to get off Epic. And Peakin'was their worse selling new release.
Butch said on One Way Out they not only wanted to have a much better live album out of the Beacon, but to show how much better they sound without Dickey and even without Dickey's songs.
But One Way Out didn't sell that much better. One Way Out was similar to Second Set and Peakin'. Didn't seem to have any real thought put into it. Just throw some tracks together and release it.
I agree with porkchopbob. Peakin' has some decent tracks on it including Stand back. I like the way Derek and Dickey play together. Kinda like Duane and Dickey when Derek is on slide. Derek and Dickey had some real hot shows in 1999. And Derek said it was wonderful to get to play those songs that he listened to so much over and over growing up with Dickey who is on those recordings.
Butch was letting his anger color his vision for the band after Dickey was voted out. Other than Gregg, Dickey Betts is the best song writer the band ever had. Even after 2000, it's a happier show to me when they play some Dickey songs. They were some of the best moments at the MSG show don't you think?
And I rate One Way Out right there with Cream of the Crop and a step above The Fox Box. All three are great though, can't go wrong with any of those three. But Peakin's may be the least played cd in anyone's ABB collection.
Not me, I think I've listened to One Way Out twice. Skip through most of it before it inspires me to put on a different show. OWO is sonically better, and certainly performances are cleaner, but I actually spin a few Peakin' tracks from time to time. But I realize I'm probably in the minority.
Like many here I've seem a lot of great guitar players. Hendrix, Duane Allman, Stevie Ray Vaughn's, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Gary Moore, Mark Knoffler etc. And of course I've seen Derek and Warren many times.
Dickey Betts was more than one of the band's best song writers. Not slide playing...not on slide but on theegular playing guitar solos, Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes don't have a thing on Dickey Betts when Dickey was in his prime. Derek and Warren on Allman Brothers songs and jams are NOT better than Dickey was in his prime period. Dickey's tone and unique melodic style and phrasing is among the best!!
[Edited on 4/8/2020 by blackey]
And I rate One Way Out right there with Cream of the Crop and a step above The Fox Box. All three are great though, can't go wrong with any of those three. But Peakin's may be the least played cd in anyone's ABB collection.
Not me, I think I've listened to One Way Out twice. Skip through most of it before it inspires me to put on a different show. OWO is sonically better, and certainly performances are cleaner, but I actually spin a few Peakin' tracks from time to time. But I realize I'm probably in the minority.
Sounds good man, glad there are so many tastes of music in the world, and I dig your ABB animation songs you put together!
Like many here I've seem a lot of great guitar players. Hendrix, Duane Allman, Stevie Ray Vaughn's, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Gary Moore, Mark Knoffler etc. And of course I've seen Derek and Warren many times.
Dickey Betts was more than one of the band's best song writers. Not slide playing...not on slide but on theegular playing guitar solos, Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes don't have a thing on Dickey Betts when Dickey was in his prime. Derek and Warren on Allman Brothers songs and jams are NOT better than Dickey was in his prime period. Dickey's tone and unique melodic style and phrasing is among the best!!
[Edited on 4/8/2020 by blackey]
You can for sure hear the "Dickey Lick" in all of the ABB songs, whether he wrote them or not. He is and has always been one of my favorite players.
Sounds good man, glad there are so many tastes of music in the world, and I dig your ABB animation songs you put together!
Thanks, dude, I actually think I used the "Statesboro Blues" from One Way Out on one of those vids, so I guess I've listened to parts of that album more than I realized.
I agree with some comments on this, disagree with others. I know I am in the minority as actually liking the Peakin' album. Most people here don't care for it. Since some the songs on it I attended at the Beacon for the first time, I think it is cool. And I don't think it is as bad as a lot of folks think. As was mentioned it was apparently to fulfill a contractual obligation. Still think it is okay. 
Cream of the Crop was a good idea from a sales standpoint I guess. But I have all of the Instant Lives from it anyway so I didn't get it. Plus it was just someone or multiple people's opinion that would qualify as best, so I passed.
Regarding The Fox Box, maybe you just had to be there. I dunno. I think I've posted this before but even with all of the wonderful weekends I've spent at The Beacon, that Fox weekend was something else. It certainly didn't match the magic of the upper west side in March at The Beacon but the music for those three nights was something else.
Three nights and only one song repeated (Dreams each night). The sound quality on those releases is impeccable. I still have an extra IL copy from one of the nights. Surprised at the price on the secondary market though.
[Edited on 4/8/2020 by Lee]
[Edited on 4/8/2020 by Lee]
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
I really enjoyed the song Firing line.
I'd still take Peakin over most of the other stuff out there. They had some good nights and some great nights and maybe some others mixed in as well. But damn they were a helluva band weren't they?
I will never get tired listening to the Allman Brothers Band.
Standback on Peakin' At The Beacon is a track on the album I really like. Real good Gregg vocal and very strong and tasty slide from Derek and a hot solo from Dickey where he plays a run of notes very fast. I can tell he was using his old Fender Strat but still good Dickey tone. Also like the Don't Want You Don't No More/Ain't My Cross To Bear and a rare treat to hear new and original playing guitars without slide and Derek delivers some nice tasty stuff and Dickey is strong too with his great Les Paul tone here.
Also I like Seven Turns on this album. Marc singing back up. Dickey on a Strat again but still rear good Dickey tone and a great slide solo.
I go weeks as times without playing Peakin' but don't play OWO much either. I bought all 18 new official band releases but Reach For The Sky and especially Brothers of the Road are the ones I spin the least. I play Play All Night, an archival release, more than them. It has a real strong Statesboro and Blue Sky. Warren and Dickey laying it down.
