New release from the Gregg Allman archives. Interesting they chose a show from the early 1980s, but it is a period that has never gotten much attention since the ABB had split and Gregg was playing smaller clubs. Sound quality is ok, judging from the "Midnight Rider" sample, but there's a weird keyboard humming through out that kind of mars the track for me. But that's the 80s sound, right?
It's a curio and bodes well for future releases, but personally I never cared for Gregg's shows from the 80s - too much cheesy keyboard and his vocals sounded a little strained and forced to my ear.
https://greggallman.com/from-1983-gregg-allman-band-live-release-pre-order-uncle-sams-now/
Here's "Dreams" from a show at the same club from the year prior. Interesting Bruce Waibel, who would go on to play bass for Gregg, is on 2nd guitar. And the bass player is Burt Engelsman who happens to be the Youtuber you posted this track (and still plays around the Tampa area with Mike Kach and the like)
I was about to link it.
I saw a few Gregg Allman Band shows from the 1980's and they leaned a little toward the pop side. A little toward a Michael Bolton type show especially with the two guys on horns.
At a Greensboro, NC stop Gregg did a radio interview and said he was done with the Allman Brothers Band. Too much internal bickering and one person wanting everything his way and another trying the same at times.
Said it was his brothers band not he and his brother as the name might imply. Gregg said he was the last one to join and it just happened to end up being named for he and his brother but it was Duane Allman's outfit and he and the others tried to keep it going but too much drama, money disputes, label problems etc. And since his Laid Back tour Gregg knew he liked having his own band better with just one chef in the kitchen ..me!
After I heard that I figured the ABB was done permanently.
I swear I almost hear some flute on the Midnight Rider.
And Gregg was definitely 80s "pop-ish" then. Thank God he got over that.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
I didn't know that Gregg toured with the Gregg Allman band in 1982. The ABB was still doing shows in early 1983.
The first Gregg solo show I saw was him with the Nighthawks in the late 70s after the first ABB split in 1976. He played three songs with them, stormy Monday, Crossroads and One Way Out. It was really really cool because the venue was so small. It was the great Southeast music hall in Atlanta. I was under age But got in.
My first Gregg Allman Band show was in 1983 with this lineup at Alex Cooley's electric ballroom in Atlanta. I had seen the 80s version of the ABB many times I thought that's what I was buying tickets for. When I got the tickets and they said Greg Allman band that was when I realized the ABB had broken up. I had seen the Chuck & Lamar Version of the band before the first split. Obviously disappointed With the 80s version. But it was better than no ABB at all.
So I was excited and disappointed to be going to see the Gregg Allman Band .They opened with Dreams. Needless to say that got me pumped up. Didn't know they would ever dust that one off again. It was a pretty darn good show. Maybe the best Gregg show I saw ever. And I saw a whole bunch of them.
Photo looks awful-
It makes it look for all the world like a bootleg
I didn't know that Gregg toured with the Gregg Allman band in 1982. The ABB was still doing shows in early 1983.
ABB broke up in January 1982, right after that pro-shot Gainesville show and an appearance in SNL. Gregg went right out on the road with the Toler brothers, while Dickey went out on the road with BHLT.
Photo looks awful-
It makes it look for all the world like a bootleg
Since physical media is less and less popular, the album designs are less of a priority and probably quickly done in-house to make these types of releases affordable. As an artist, I like a good album cover as much as anyone, but I'd rather the budget go to the mix.
@lee it's either a flute or a keyboard imitating a flute. I know Gregg sometimes took a small horn section with him on the road, not sure if it's present here.
EDIT: just saw the credits, it's a flute. 2 horn players listed.
Thanks. Then I am not crazy. I listened to it three times with my wife and we both thought we heard a flute. Interesting.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
@lee it's either a flute or a keyboard imitating a flute. I know Gregg sometimes took a small horn section with him on the road, not sure if it's present here.
EDIT: just saw the credits, it's a flute. 2 horn players listed.
Thanks. Then I am not crazy. I listened to it three times with my wife and we both thought we heard a flute. Interesting.
I'm not sure that you're listening abilities completely dismisses the crazy element! 
"Is that a real poncho or is that a Sears poncho?"
i'm so happy we keep getting releases now of live stuff
I didn't know that Gregg toured with the Gregg Allman band in 1982. The ABB was still doing shows in early 1983.
ABB broke up in January 1982, right after that pro-shot Gainesville show and an appearance in SNL. Gregg went right out on the road with the Toler brothers, while Dickey went out on the road with BHLT.
Indeed. For some reason I had it in my head the SNL show & breakup were in early 83. The data base does show a show at SPAC on 8/16/83 with Charlie Daniel's opening. No other details. That doesn't ring any bells.
Anyone spin this album yet? Have any thoughts?
I've listened to a good chunk of it and have mixed feelings.
The band is tight and the atmosphere is raw, very barrel house with the horns - all good things. The horns make for a very unique "Hot 'Lanta" and "Statesboro". For a fan recording, the sonic quality is incredible - something that has been the weak part of many recent ABB archival releases.
But I probably won't pick it up.
For one, I'm just not a fan of Dan Toler's playing. I'm not looking for face-melting solos from a Gregg Allman Band, and Dan Toler was a talented player, but I always found his playing repetitive, too many notes. When playing off Dickey, it was fine in small doses. But on his own it's ever-present.
Maybe it's just me, but Gregg's voice was not its best in the early 80s. He had a weird forced growl during this period, as if he's trying be heard over the rest of the band. He's more relaxed on the acoustic "Melissa", but he sounds like he's struggling on "Queen of Hearts" and the rest of the electric set. It's not his best performance.
So it's a fun little curio to hear what Gregg was up to during his small club days between ABB eras (and between his own Arista and solo Epic synthesizer days). He was still making good music, but it's not something I would revisit often.
I'm glad it's out there and hope they release more. I know every taper uploaded their material to Youtube over the past 10 years, which makes crafting an actual commercial release more difficult. But an expanded Gregg Allman Tour or a Jack-era ABB release would be great. I'm still surprised the Richard Betts American Music Tour hasn't been revisited - hopefully he has as good of a caretaker of his catalogue as Gregg does.
You can listen to the entire show at the link above
Thanks for posting. I really like the sound for what it is.
And Bob, I can appreciate your opinion on Dan but I am the other way. I really like his sound. I've seen him a handful of times with Dickey and they were good together as well. Speaking of him, he must have had to kind of toe the line between Gregg and Dickey at times.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
If this was an up and coming band I'd agree with you. But
Allman's estate is worth millions, and I'm sure they have tons of photos: and it's a historical release. So to me it just says they don't care, which is sad.
But then, as I'm giving it another spin I'm really happy to have it to listen to.
@waitinforrain I think it's a Kirk West photo (and I think the tape is from his collection). If you look at the last few ABB archival releases, the designs are very basic. If fewer people are actually going to hold the album in their hands, I can understand the estate putting less money into that. From what I've read, the team putting these together is pretty passionate to release more Gregg music and I'm not one to count someone else's money.
But everyone agrees the apple cider graphics are butt ugly. But you don't have to look at it in order to listen to it.
I thought the sound quality was good, and the band pretty tight. The electric stuff was good, he acoustic stuff not as good. The drums and bass much better than I expected. I heard a flute part on Midnight Rider and horns in other places. IMHO, Midnight Rider and Melissa are the weakest tracks on this disc.
@cb: "Midnight Rider and Melissa are the weakest tracks on this disc." I didn't get to Melissa because I gave Midnight Rider a listen and couldn't even get past the halfway mark, it was so bad. Porkchopbob mentioned, "Gregg's voice was not it's best in the early 80's." Damn, that is for SURE. Gregg is really straining to hit the notes and he sounds garbled. Between ABB and solo I saw Gregg live 35 times and I would be my bottom dollar that this was a very, very heavy drinking period for him. Not only that, but the flute?? In Midnight Rider? It's one of my favorite songs, but this is the absolute worst version I've ever heard. I didn't even bother to listen to anymore of the show. Why? I have SO much other stuff where Gregg sounds GREAT. I'll give him this: No matter how messed up he was, he was still walking out there and doing it, and there's something to be said for that.
@robslob I think the booze and the cigarettes had affected Gregg's voice during this time, he has no range. Definitely wouldn't impress if you only heard this show. It was definitely much fuller by the time the band reunited in 1989, maybe he started taking better care of himself when the Epic success hit.
But hey, if it's 1983 and the ABB is broken up and I'm listening to "Dreams" at a small bar on the MA coast, I'm stoked. But decades later, after hearing Derek and Jack and Gregg's last solo band take the song to the moon and back, it's not an album I'm reaching for.
As for the flute, I have no problem with a flute on "Midnight Rider". I think it's this flute that doesn't really work, it's just popping in and out like a mosquito. Gregg would often add a jazz flute horn solo on the tune in his solo shows and it sounded great.
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/midnight-rider-live-in-charleston-sc/269210896?i=269211198
I gave a listen to some of this & agree for the most part with what PCB posted. I thought it was pretty good & of what we've heard from Gregg through the years. I saw him a handful of times in the '80's but don't think i saw this band configuration. I remember seeing him with the Toler Brothers & Tim Hedding (piano) in the band. I didn't hear a whole lot of piano in this recording & know that piano was featured more in the Tim Hedding year shows. I like the QOH but like PCB the growl in vocals was more pronounced than the mid '70's and in later years. I kind of missed the closing solo as usually is piano, but in this case it was Toler on guitar. It was a good solo, but my preference is piano done by most of the keyboard players in the 2000's such as Katz, etc.
I saw Gregg's last solo touring band maybe 3 or so times before he passed away, and I thought they were really special - great musicians & the chemistry / dynamics were top notch.
I saw Gregg's last solo touring band maybe 3 or so times before he passed away, and I thought they were really special - great musicians & the chemistry / dynamics were top notch.
agree w/this, went to a real nice show Jan 2011 in Burlington w/Scott Sharrard & all those musicians - really liked how they tweaked WPost, DKMWandrn etc - Scott was a key part of that - his music w\Gregg was stellar - Low Country Blues I like the best of Gregg’s later ones
@stephen A few years before Gregg died he said in an interview the band he has now is the best band he's had together and it sounds liked the band he always dreamed of playing in and leading.
And indeed that last band Gregg put together WAS real good.
