By 6-7 yrs ago, the ABB seemed to have had enough ideas and songs such that some focused writing sessions could have yielded another album's worth of quality material ........could have leaned on some writing partners like Mike Mattison or Jack Pearson too if needed.

So yeh, I was as disappointed as anyone that they didn't work on another studio album.

That said.....Hittin the Note is no sad reminder to me. I just enjoy it as a HQ album that has some absolute ABB classics on it. The ABB were always a band of classic tracks rather than full albums of classics end to end (even Brothers & Sisters seems incomplete by another solid track). I'd rate HTN on par with the three Epic releases; they all contain some pure gems alongside solid (not necessarily spectacular) tracks.

True Gravity, Seven Turns, End of the Line, Nobody Knows, Come On In My Kitchen, Kind of Bird, Get On With Your Life, Back Where It All Begins, Soulshine, No One To Run With, High Cost of Low Living, Desdemona, Old Before My Time, and Old Friend are 15 more ABB classics than I thought I'd ever get back in the 80s. Throw in some other enjoyable tunes like Shine it On, It Ain't Over Yet, Firing Line, Good Clean Fun, All Night Train and it's a lot more good music than I ever thought I'd get.

[Edited on 6/7/2017 by hotlantatim]

They could have started with Dusk Till Dawn, Spots of Time, Egypt, Bag End, and any cover, or even two, out of Gilded Splinters, Blind Willie McTell, Who's Been Talking and the many others they did in late in the game. I guess all you can say is that they could have done it if they'd wanted to.

Best album since Brothers And Sisters?!?!

This is crass. Anyway it depends on your taste in Allman Brothers material. There's definitely filler on the Epic albums: I count eight or 10 songs they either didn't bother playing live at all or dropped from the setlist fairly fast. One person's filler is another person's favorite, but I prefer the weaker tracks on HTN. Then again I thought Good Clean Fun screams "album filler" and they kept that one in the regular rotation for years.

I thought the three Epic studio releases made two excellent records.

Also, the Epic albums were released when record companies still put out cassette/LP media, and were kept under 60 minutes (7 Turns was under 50 minutes). HTN timed in at 75 mins, so in some ways it was more like an album and a half.

HTN oRtimed in at 75 mins, so in some ways it was more like an album and a half.

Or, in comparison with Idlewild South, two and a half albums.

In a recent interview posted on here with Derek he mentioned Desdemona, saying " "That tune could have been on almost any Allmans record." That one had the stuff. " Truer words could not be spoken. That song is a classic hands down.