You make a decent case in that sometimes, music requires repeated listenings in order to be fully understood. Plenty of songs have grabbed me the 10th time through that didn't grab me the 1st time. I bought the 80s albums just a few years ago after never having heard them; i played them twice that day and never again.

I've never heard of FACE THE MUSIC.

Listened to those albums tons of times. I am not even remotely buying what you are calling a " great " song. Leavin is a great song? If you say so. The album you propose here is still decidedly mediocre in my opinion. And I think I am being generous with that assessment.

In a world no longer with an Allman Brothers Band, in addition to picking up as many historical live shows as I can, I also recently started looking at that period. You do have to listen through some of the production synth screen, but there are some nice guitar solos embedded in some songs. I will take some more time and give these particular songs a listen again too.

Thanks for the commentary and suggestions!

Those albums are tough to save.

One artist's music who I think could be saved by remixing their 80's albums would be Steve Winwood. Remix them, remove the synths and record some piano or organ in their place and put a little more meat behind the drums and you'd have some pretty good albums. The songs are there, the instrumentation and production isn't.

I think the reason none of this stuff has been released is that the band set such an incredibly high standard for itself out of the gate. The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South didn't sell well initially but now are secured in the history of rock music. Live At The Fillmore and Eat A Peach are nothing short of all-time classic records. Brothers and Sisters is another great record on par with the first two. Even Win, Lose Or Draw, for me anyway, while overall not up to their standards, does have some great stuff on it.

So where do you go from there without tarnishing your legacy? I've never heard most of this unreleased stuff you've named, but I do have a video of ABB, the Toler & Toler version, at U. of Gainesville. Never Knew How Much from that is a pretty damn good tune.

[Edited on 12/25/2015 by robslob]

Listened to those albums tons of times. I am not even remotely buying what you are calling a " great " song. Leavin is a great song? If you say so. The album you propose here is still decidedly mediocre in my opinion. And I think I am being generous with that assessment.

Agreed. If we are to use any other ABB records/CDs as a comparison tool, this music is pretty poor and a lot of the time, just awful. I bought both of the records when they were released and felt "ripped off" before the 1st listen was complete.

I think what you call Great is what I would call OK. I think what you call good songs are ones I would call bad. What you refer to as schlock, I would even mention.

I think you are being over the top generous. The best songs from that era would not make the cut on any other ABB album. Even if they were recorded again without the 80s production. Too much music out there to waste time on weak material and sub standard performance.

unfortunately bought this albums-a few decent songs,maybe even 1 potential very good song,but no masterpieces here! Overall,mediocre at best but generally poor.

Live this band sucked-the Tolers,Goldflies,synths,Bonnie Bramlett,the incredibly loud decibel level -these and the whole scene at the time were awful.I am hard core Allmans fan but i actually walked out on a show at the then Palladiumn mid my favorite song,IMOER,due to horrible & overly loud music-i was,at the time,shocked that this great great band was so lousy.

So,no matter the quality of the songs-this band sucked and played too loud to distort the deterioration of their brand.On albums,we got the best this crummy unit can deliver...to be blunt the new players were second rate-the "comeback" fot the Allmans came with Warren,Derek,Jack,Oteil,Woody,with the originals--can't compare Toler to Jack,Warren or Derek & Goldflies...let's just say Woody & Oteil fit,Goldflies never did.Can't get great music from mediocre players---perhaps they are excellent players in other contexts,but in the Allmans---well...just didn't work.

[Edited on 12/25/2015 by dadof2]

The record company the ABB was with then did release those albums as one package in the 1990's to take advantage of the ABB's return to fame. It was titled "Hell and High Water".

If I remember correctly, the third album for Clive Davis was never completed because the ABB were so irritated with Davis insisting they change their sound--and write hit singles--that the ABB threw in the towel and refused to record another album and put the band on the shelf from 1982 to 1986 when they did a few special shows.

In short the band tried to modernize their sound and write hit singles but it just didn't work. Some of the songs Gregg wrote and Dickey wrote or co-wrote are not bad. But there isn't anything from that period the band chose to keep including their 1979 album on Capricorn. And if you think about it, High Falls was about all they kept moving forward from 1989 from Win, Loose or Draw.

At a band meeting in 1980 the three originals voted to fire Jaimoe because he was not playing up to par and missing gigs or ducking out of some gigs after just a few songs due to back issues. At the time it was stated he only played on 3 tracks on Reach for the Sky.

But Butch said as soon as they finished up their 1980 tour with new drummer David Toler, he was sorry he voted to fire Jaimoe. He said he and Toler didn't fit well and everytime he started to do something, Toler was already doing it.

Astonishingly Jaimoe said he wasn't even told. He show up for the next gig after the vote he knew nothing about and Toler's kid was set up in his spot and Red Dog had to tell him Gregg, Dickey and Butch voted him out. The lack of communication in that band is just striking. Something Derek Trucks in 2014 complained about and was one of several things he learned from the ABB that you do NOT want to do in a band he put together.

Little doubt Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes had been wanting out for the last 4 to 5 years. Indeed Derek was hoping the 40th would be the last. I think Warren wanted out more for the band not being interested in recording an album.

The last new release from the ABB, "One Way Out" only sold about 40,000 copies and the last studio album, "Hittin' the Note" about 200,000. In the 90's only one album went gold and sold over 500,000 and that was "Where It All Begins". Those numbers are not bad but not what record companies want for a big named band.

The "1969-1979 A Decade of Hit" best of package from 1991 did sell over 2 million but it's tracks from the ABB, Idlewild South, Fillmore, East a Peach, Brothers & Sisters & Enlightened Rouges" albums. But that album put a lot of money in Dickey and Gregg's banking accounts. If you remember, Butch got irritated about that and mentioned on the site when he was posting that he should have gotten a credit on Elizabeth Reed for writing the drum part but no it's all Dickey and Dickey made over a million dollars off that release and he (Butch) got nothing. Maybe some here remember Butch complaining about that.

All the jealously, drugs, alcohol and lack of communication in the ABB makes you wonder how it lasted as long as it did.

The ABB was not the powerhouse record selling band that many others were/are except for 1971, 72 and 73. Fillmore went gold (500,000) then eventually sold over 1 million. Eat A Peach sold over 2 million and Brothers and Sisters sold well over 3 million and was number 1 on Billboard for 5 weeks.

Brothers and Sisters 3.75 million in the US and Hittin' the Note barely 200,000. See what I mean? And I guess you have to admit Brothers and Sisters is a better album. The playing may not be any better but the writing certainly is. No way to deny that. Same with Eat A Peach. The band just never matched the song writing the ABB got from Gregg and Dickey in the early 1970's in the 2,000's. What about the 1990's? Dickey and Warren came up with some great material but there were no Jessica's or Liz Reed's or Midnight Rider or Mellisa or Blue Sky or Southbound. See what I mean????

After Brothers and Sisters, NO ABB album sold on that level except that 1991 greatest hits release "Decade of Hits".

It's odd in a way. Because the ABB could draw more people to their concerts than many bands that sold a lot more records could in the 1990's and 2000's.

Their 80's albums are mostly so much vomit.

We used their 80's albums for something to slide under potted plants to protect the tabletop.

NO comparison to Seven Turns. What a difference when you insert truly gifted players who are on fire,
Warren and Woody.

[Edited on 12/25/2015 by WaitinForRain]

I remember being irritated after purchasing hell and high water. With all due respect to the Toler brothers, I never felt their playing was distinctive. Competent but bland. Toler's guitar work was never transcendent like say Jack Pearson on Dreams. Combined with below par material and the original members being at the height of dysfunction, I guess the sidemen were in a no win situation. Perhaps we should be thankful that they hit rock bottom and were poised for a comeback when the opportunity arose. Whatever happened to David Goldflies? Did he have any success after the 82 break up?

I remember being irritated after purchasing hell and high water.

Me too. I was so optimistic about a new record after "Enlightened Rogues" and having seen 3 SoCal shows on that tour, I was looking forward to new music. So.... when "Reach for the Sky" was released, I was at Tower records with my 7.99....I tried to like it, I wanted so to enjoy it....But it had no edge, nothing to say and the only cut with promise "Madness of the West"... had that damn synth. And "Brothers of the road"..... please

Perhaps we should be thankful that they hit rock bottom and were poised for a comeback when the opportunity arose.

I think there are some good music in those 2 albums unfortunately adding the synthesizers ruined it as it did for a lot of great bands in the 1980's . The song I never knew how much would sound great in Gregg's setlist now replacing Melissa.

I disagree that David Goldflies, the Toler Brothers and even the keyboard/synth player were mediocre/ crummy / second rate musicians. Correct that they didn't fit, that they were sounding too a kin or stepping on the toes of other players but that doesn't make them crummy second rate. Especially Dan and David are very good musicians but David didn't have the right sound for the band and Dan didn't bring out the best in Dickey. But the demise of the ABB in the Eighties (loud and bland live shows and two very poor Arista albums) isn't them too blame. The only ones to "blame" for that were Dickey, Gregg and Butch with the lowest point reached when they fired Jaimoe and the way that was done. I think every profesional musician would jump aboard when they would get an invitation to join from a band with such a (live) track record. BTW, wasn't Jaimoe not fired due to the fact he wanted to continue with a financial audit against their (prior) record company while Dickey (and others?) already had made a satisfying financial settlement?

I disagree that David Goldflies, the Toler Brothers and even the keyboard/synth player were mediocre/ crummy / second rate musicians. Correct that they didn't fit, that they were sounding too a kin or stepping on the toes of other players but that doesn't make them crummy second rate. Especially Dan and David are very good musicians but David didn't have the right sound for the band and Dan didn't bring out the best in Dickey. But the demise of the ABB in the Eighties (loud and bland live shows and two very poor Arista albums) isn't them too blame. The only ones to "blame" for that were Dickey, Gregg and Butch with the lowest point reached when they fired Jaimoe and the way that was done. I think every profesional musician would jump aboard when they would get an invitation to join from a band with such a (live) track record. BTW, wasn't Jaimoe not fired due to the fact he wanted to continue with a financial audit against their (prior) record company while Dickey (and others?) already had made a satisfying financial settlement?

agree that calling them second rate may have been a bit incorrect,but they are clearly not in the league with every other guitar or bass player ever to play with the Allmans.Further,it was only during that period in ABB history that the band sucked.

so given the fact that they were lesser players than those who came before and after in the ABB,and given that this was the poorest era in band history(played out with crummy live shows & albums) it becomes clear that perhaps while not second rate,they(Tolers,Goldflies)clearly are playing a major role in contributing to a lousy band at the time.It's on the originals for choosing them & for firing Jaimoe.

Bittersweet memories. "Rouges" was my first exposure to the ABB. I wore out the "Reach for the Sky" tape. I don't think that one was THAT bad. "Brothers" on the other hand...I have a vivid memory of waking up to the new ABB single "Straight From the Heart" on the radio. So disappointing.

"Maybe We Can Go Back to Yesterday" is a good tune but just as the jam gets started it fades out. A good example of the poor production values.

I didn't read the whole thread but I'm sure it's been mentioned. Don't lump "Rogues" in with the Arista albums.

Great thread for a slow holiday weekend. Rogues definitely has to be looked at differently than the two albums that followed. At the time the real issue was Gregg's live performances. His singing ability basically disappeared from 79-81. I believe Bonnie Bramlett was brought in to help coverup what Gregg couldn't bring to the table during those years. The Bonnie idea could have worked well.if Gregg was still in top.from.. By the time Reach for The Sky was released everything had disintegrated to the point that it was only a matter of time before the band dissolved. .
Enlightened Rogues did have some very good music that I'm still fond of and listen to.today. I just finished listening to 12-30-79 Nassau Colliseum and still find the Rogues tunes the most exciting aspect to that particular show. Gregg and Bonnie had absolutely no chemistry harmonizing.and Gregg could not sing worth a Damn that night. Dan's biggest issue was that he tried to.sound like Dickey and that just was not going to work at all. Dickey though was both singing and playing great during those years. Butch and Jaimoe were still fine players but the 15 minute drum solo during Pegasus hurt the momentum of the new jam vehicle The Brother's were playing then. Pegasus was a great tune that was never given the right workout live. After the 81 breakup.neither The Brother's or Great Southern gave it the time of day.

Even combining it into 1 album can't save the 80s material for me. As a thought experiment though, what if the 90s output was all one album. Something like:

1. Seven Turns
2. All Night Train
3. Back Where it All Begins
4. Soulshine
5. End of the Line
6. Kind of Bird
7. Nobody Knows
8. Gambler's Roll
9. Sailin' Across the Devil's Sea
10. True Gravity
11. Get on With Your Life
12. Nobody Left to Run With

Now that's an amazing album. There aren't really any songs that are well known outside of ABB circles there - but that's an all-time classic album to my ears.

[Edited on 12/26/2015 by slothrop8]

Those albums are tough to save.

One artist's music who I think could be saved by remixing their 80's albums would be Steve Winwood. Remix them, remove the synths and record some piano or organ in their place and put a little more meat behind the drums and you'd have some pretty good albums. The songs are there, the instrumentation and production isn't.

This.

Jaimoe was a part of the band in the studio in 1980 and for most of that year. Can't blame the change with Reach for the Sky on his absense.

Never Knew How Much I Need You is a well written song that I wished the ABB had pulled out when they grabbed the acoustics post 1989.

There are few other tracks the last incarnation of the ABB could have done well including Madness from the West and Leavin, but overall I can't listen to the songs...both the production and songwriting. I'd much rather listen to the Gregg Allman Band from late 1982 than the ABB from early 1982.

Face The Music? I've never heard of this unreleased album before. Can anyone tell me more?
As for the '80's output......If there were any good tunes (Things That You Used To Do maybe but then again perhaps not) they were murdered by the lacklustre performances & production. If anyone needs a reminder of how far the ABB had fallen then listen to Seven Turns onwards to see just how deep the abyss was they climbed out of so triumphantly. Fschiazza has prompted an interesting thread so thanks for that but I recall there are those who can find redeeming features contained in the grooves of Allman and Woman 😉

I don't think there was any kind of album called Face the Music even in a working form in 1982. Here is the lineup that got together for a couple photo opps in early 1982 to possibly record a third Arista record, but it was not meant to be (thankfully based on Reach & Brothers of the Road). Note Chuck in the picture instead of Mike Lawler (and it's kind of ironic that it's on a cheapo compilation album seeing as this lineup never recorded or played publicly):

My late 70's early 80's album would be the following:
Cant Take it with You
Crazy Love
Blind Love
I need Your Love So bad
Pegasus
Try it One more Time
Just Aint Easy
Leavin
Never knew How much I needed you
From The Madness of The West
Those things you used to do
Brothers Of The Road

I'm fine with what The Brothers released in 89,92,94 and 2003. On their own those albums were great to listen too.
Ranking the 4 albums :
1. Back Where it all Begins
2. Hittin The Note
3. Seven Turns
4. Shades of Two Worlds

do'nt blame the players blame the times the bus. tried to make everyboby sound like everybody else

The first ABB cd I ever bought. $5 at Best Buy and figured what the hell. On my next trip to Mammoth, I put it in my cd player; I didn't take it out the whole drive up. I finally saw the light!

Thanks for the post and pic Tim!

I don't think there was any kind of album called Face the Music even in a working form in 1982. Here is the lineup that got together for a couple photo opps in early 1982 to possibly record a third Arista record, but it was not meant to be (thankfully based on Reach & Brothers of the Road). Note Chuck in the picture instead of Mike Lawler (and it's kind of ironic that it's on a cheapo compilation album seeing as this lineup never recorded or played publicly):

anybody have face the music? I'd love a copy PM me