Yup Berry was special ! I thought there might have been some more discussion here on the anniversary of his passing but time slips away I guess. RIP Berry you are appreciated and missed !

Yes Berry Oakley was crucial to the Allman Brothers sound. A most unique bass player and the best bass player ever in the ABB. Apparently Ramblin' Man was the last thing he played on in the studio but BO didn't live to see Brothers and Sisters released. Brothers and Sisters was by far the best selling ABB album. I'm glad BO got to play on 2 tracks.

Chuck joined the band just before BO's death and said no only was he a wonderful and unique bass player, he was a very nice guy and ask Chuck several times if he was happy with his role in the band and to let him know if there is anything he (BO) can do for him. But Chuck acknowledged BO was drinking too much in the wake of Duane's death.

After the StoneyBrook Blue Sky came up I listened to the Studio>Stoneybrook back to back on the Duane box.

That will show that bass!

Indeed. Stoneybrook is the best live version of Blue Sky I've heard. And it's the REAL Allman Brothers not a later lineup.

The studio version is just perfect in many ways. And focusing on BO's bass shows his huge contribution to just how fresh and unique the Allman Brothers sound was.

Blue Sky was Duane's last work in the studio and Ramblin' Man BO's. Two of the band's most popular songs.

Ironic. I met one of Gregg Allmans former girlfriends in Nashville back in the late '70s. She was a songwriter and I played bass on two of her songs in a studio. She said that Berry had a hard time playing country music.

Spoon belly. Maybe Berry didn't like country music. But Berry Oakley certainly could play bass on Blue Sky and Ramblin' Man and all the other songs on Eat A Peach plus Wasted Words. His style was perfect for the Allman Brothers as he didn't play like traditional bass players. He would leave the pocket at any moment and harmonise lines with the lead guitars or lay down tasty fills. Butch Trucks said he had to stay home and lay on the beat because Berry would jump off the beat at any moment. With later bass players, but said he could do what Jainoe was free to do and jump off and play up on top etc.

Berry Oakley was key to the unique sound (signature sound) of the Allman Brothers. Indeed the original six created the ABB sound and played it better than later lineups. Butch and Jaimoe have said that after Duane and Berry left, there was an energy and creative spark on stage that left and never returned.

This is not to say later lineups didn't have shows that were often better than a lot of bands. I saw the Chuck/Lamar lineup in Nashville in late 1973 that was red hot. But it was different than the original band and with half the people there discovering the band via Brothers and Sisters which was the number one album in the U.S. on Billboard, they thought they were hearing the real Allman Brothers approach.

Butch and Jaimoe have said that after Duane and Berry left, there was an energy and creative spark on stage that left and never returned.

This is not to say later lineups didn't have shows that were often better than a lot of bands. I saw the Chuck/Lamar lineup in Nashville in late 1973 that was red hot. But it was different than the original band and with half the people there discovering the band via Brothers and Sisters which was the number one album in the U.S. on Billboard, they thought they were hearing the real Allman Brothers approach.

Yes, can recall at more than one show that people went -- even after BO's passing -- thinking they were seeing the AFE lineup & being shocked Duane was no longer alive etc

One of if not my favorite ABB moments was hearing Berry on Little Martha when the box set came out in 1989 -- never a more soulful melodic imaginative bassist

[Edited on 11/15/2018 by Stephen]