Cool piece, maybe it's been posted before, Bobby talking abouth Duane & Eric in the studio and how the songs were recorded "Live"...
Bobby doesn't sound overtly negative about Duane, something he has shown signs of feeling in other interviews. But I have a hunch Bobby wasn't that happy with Clapton bringing in another musician and injecting him into the recording of the rest of the album. I think I can understand that.
Bobby Whitlock probably thought he and Clapton would be the upfront focus of Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.
@robertdee: Layla would have been a good record without Duane. But with Duane, it was elevated from good to great, for my $$$ one of the greatest rock and roll records ever recorded.
@robslob I agree. It is an all time classic and Duane Allman made the difference.
I think Duane elevated everything with which he was involved.
The Allman Brothers Band included.
The other story you hear was Duane heard Eric was in town recording and he called up Tom Dowd telling him he was in town for a concert and he asked if he could come and watch Eric recording, and Tom told Eric, it's that Duane Allman fellow, he's in town, and wants to come by, and Eric says, the guy from the Wilson Pickett record, we gotta go see him. Doesn't sound like he invited Duane over straight away til he heard him live.
@tenorsfan: I've seen a live interview with Eric when he mentioned hearing ABB for the first time: "SOOOOO FANTASTIC!!!"
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Mm7DmUvQEYU
@robertdee I think you are right. Bobby had seven writing credits on the album and probably thought it would be remembered as an album with great song writing and then Duane comes along and it's remembered as a great guitar album and people only mention Eric and Duane. It must have really got to him if he ended up selling his rights (only for Clapton to buy them back for him). I do remember one of Bobby's videos on youtube and in the background there is a photo of him and Duane, probably with time, all was forgiven.
@tenorsfan Yes I remember reading that too years ago. The Allman Brothers Band began recording Idlewild South at Capricorn in Macon in 1970 with Tom Dowd producing. The band has so many shows booked ( they played 305 shoes in 1970) they had to leave for some gigs and Dowd wasn't impressed with Capricorn in Macon and it may have needed better equipment I seem to remember so Dowd got with Jerry Wexler and they told Phil Walden they were moving to Criteria in Miami which Tom Dowd loved to use.
Duane of course knew Dowd by then and Tom Dowd knew Eric Clapton had called Jerry Wexler wanting to know who was playing the electric guitar solo on Wilson Picket's cover of Hey Jude. And Duane heard Clapton and band were recording in Miami with Tom Dowd producing so he called Tom to inquire if he could come by after an Allman Brothers Band show and watch. So Tom Dowd decided to find out if Clapton would like to go down to the show and see the Allman Brothers. Clapton said yes he wanted to see the player on Hey Jude.
The story went that Tom Dowd got Eric Clapton and his band into the show and put them in front of the stage unbeknownst to the Allman Brothers Band and when Duane suddenly noticed Eric Clapton sitting right in front of him he froze for a moment then resumed playing. Dickey said he noticed Clapton too and had to look away to keep playing.
After the ABB played, Eric Clapton was so impressed he came up to Duane, introduced himself and insisted he come to the studio and play some on the album.
That sounds about right?
Bobby Whitlock probably had the sessions worked out in his mind and it would be Bobby and Eric up front on the songs and suddenly Duane Allman was at Clapton's side.
Bobby rightly deserved a lot of credit for the dominoes, and it's credit he didn't get because the album took off after DA died. After the album dropped like a stone and other stories were spun.
Nobody recording an album in the swinging 70s was thinking about how they'd get "remembered".
That's ridiculous.
BIGV: You may want to change the title of this thread. I know Bobby Whitlock is gone, but I doubt his wife or anyone else close to him appreciate him being referred to as Booby.
BIGV: You may want to change the title of this thread. I know Bobby Whitlock is gone, but I doubt his wife or anyone else close to him appreciate him being referred to as Booby.
Done, oversight, thanks
