I agree, it is a top 5 ABB studio album of mine. I really got into the ABB during the 90s as well and Where It All Begins fueled that. When Hittin the Note came out it launched things into obsession mode and became a very important piece in terms of my relationship with the band. The new music and live recordings the final lineup made were just as important to me as the music the original lineup made some 30+ years earlier. They were relevant. They weren't just relying on prior work. They were really sharp. And in a sense, they were mine, or atleast in the way that this was the ABB that was living and breathing in front of me that I was actively contributing to as a fan and they were in turn impacting me in real time. And I could tell people "hey have you heard the new ABB album yet, you need to". I'm really happy with that album and put it as an important piece of work in the overall legacy. Just wish we could've gotten one more.

It took me a while to warm up to Hittin' the Note. nebish, like you, I got into the Allmans in the 1990s right around Where It All Begins and got pretty obsessive. Within a year I had their whole catalogue on disc and even bought a Les Paul and then a Paul Reed Smith. I kind of stopped paying attention to them once Dickey left, I kind of figured they were done. But of course I ordered Hittin' the Note which didn't make much of an immediate impression on me - it felt too heavy, and the "old man looking back" songs seemed cliche. "Firing Line" was a nice funky tune, but otherwise I mostly shelved it.

Then I heard the material from the Fox Box, especially "Desdemona", and it blew me away. It fit right next to the rest of the band's catalogue. I still am not a fan of "Maydell" or "Rockin' Horse", and wish they had done more with "Heart of Stone" than a simple straight forward cover, but the album is a minor miracle. Still prefer Where It All Begins but it's no coincidence I stopped lurking and registered right around when the Fox Box came out. What a shot to the arm Hittin' the Note was for the band.

[Edited on 3/20/2018 by porkchopbob]

Eat A Each, Fillmore East, Brothers and Sisters are the best Allman Brothers albums. The writing, playing and energy are the best. Beyond those to me are Idlewild South, Where it All Begins, Shades of Two Worlds, Hitting the Note, Seven Turned (Seven Turns the song is on of the best ABB songs ever) and I enjoy parts of all the live albums after Fillmore. Of course the original band was the best live including the last line up. The Warren/Derek line up was no match for Duane, Dickey and Oakley PERIOD!!!!!! To me the early 90s Warren, Woody, Dickey lineup was more powerful than the last band. And Jack, Betts and Derek. Betts in his prime ( not now) was a good as the last lineup a lot of nights. Betts is a better all around musician than Warren and Derek. Better song writing, singing and one a good night guitar playing just as good if not Better!

I've really enjoyed Hittin the Note over the years. Firing Line, High Cost of Low Living, Desdemona, Old Before My Time, Who to Believe and Old Friend have gotten a ton of airplay in my car and in our home and been played for lots of others who were surprised the ABB sounded that good. The coda to High Cost is about as good as anything the band ever did. And, Old Before My Time was the first track I played when Gregg passed. It never translated to the big stage as well (like Desdemona and High Cost did), but the studio version is a haunting masterpiece. I've played that song more than any other since May of last year.

Derek's quote from 2015 that he was so disappointed a follow up album never occurred still makes me a bit sad. I would have loved it and they seemed to have a good foundation of songs and ideas to have pulled it off with some attention. Then again, the final 25 years of the band were a gift I never expected, so who am I to complain.

It really was as IMPORTANT as any album they ever put out. They NEEDED to prove they could put out an album of mostly original material without Dickey, or the whole Warren/Derek lineup would seem lillegitmate in some kind of way.

It's not the best ABB album, but it's certainly one of the very best studio albums from a band that is best known for its live material. High Cost Of Low Living, in particular, really stands out as one of the best things the ABB ever did in the studio.

Besides being a good album on its own, HTN established the version of band that continued touring for another decade plus. It was the foundation for all the good things that happened afterwards. porkchopbob mentioned the Fox Box, but how about the Wanee Festival? The 40th Anniversary Beacon run with Clapton? There is a lot of good stuff that probably doesn't happen without HTN.

I love Firing Line. It was too bad Gregg had a hard time with the lyrics.

Regarding a couple of the other things Rob mentions, I was fortunate enough to attend all three of the Atlanta shows as well as the Beacon shows with Clapton. The Fox shows were epic. Glad I have the original Instant Lives from the shows.

The Clapton shows are great just for the historical significance.

And it is a bummer no studio albums were released after HTN. I thought I read that there is still some unreleased stuff in existence. If this is true, I hope something sees the light of day at some point.

And I can't believe it's been 15 years since HTN was released. Wow how time flies!