I was at the big music store here today and a younger guitarist who also plays bass and I were talking and I came clean and told him my favorite band by far was the Allman Brothers Band.
And he likes the Allmans too but his favorite is Z. Z. Top.
This young man mentioned what a fantastic recording the original studio version of Liz Reed is. It was always so over shadowed by the At Fillmore East live version and other live versions I've heard over the years and I realized I had never really listened to the Idlewild South version critically.
I was told the production on the track is excellent. So is the arrangement and the song writing. I was told the musicians on the track turn in excellent performances. The bass player and drummer set the table and the two guitarists and the organ player present excellent solos.
I took a careful listen and the young musician, Nick, is right. There are top shelf performances on this track. It doesn't really kick into high gear like several live versions but technically this track is perfect. Tom Dowd may be part of the reason.
Take a critical listen to all six musicians and tell us your impressions!!
It IS perfect in every way. I love the LAFE version but the original really takes me back. I was 8 years old when this came out. My sister bought it and played the album to death. As a youngster I latched on to Midnight Rider & Revival. But when I hear the original version of IMOER it really takes me back to my childhood. What a great feeling it gives me. So familiar. I know every little note that is coming but it is still as if I am hearing it IN AWE for the first time. What a GREAT recording! I have always felt that this song, and this particular version really captured and defined the ABB.
The At Fillmore East version is certainly tops....I've also always liked the Wipe The Windows/Brothers And Sisters Deluxe Edition version from Winterland with Lamar Williams and Chuck Leavell.
@paulcoletti It's a good jazzy arrangement especially for a Sunday morning.
I remember reading Chuck Leavell saying he, Jaimoe and Lamar were behind getting their version of Liz Reed more of a jazz bag which is what Jaimoe really liked and he turned several jazz groups records on to the band.
SUNDAY MORNING JAZZ!
It IS perfect in every way. I love the LAFE version but the original really takes me back. I was 8 years old when this came out. My sister bought it and played the album to death. As a youngster I latched on to Midnight Rider & Revival. But when I hear the original version of IMOER it really takes me back to my childhood. What a great feeling it gives me. So familiar. I know every little note that is coming but it is still as if I am hearing it IN AWE for the first time. What a GREAT recording! I have always felt that this song, and this particular version really captured and defined the ABB.
I bought a used cd of "Beginnings" to listen to at the office. I was just starting to get into the band and when I heard IMOER all of a sudden I was back in junior high and remembered that I'd heard this before (my art teacher Mr. Taylor always played music during class and he was an ABB fan). While I'd finally "scene the light" as they say, I was hooked then. Funny thing is the cd got left in my computer when the company upgraded the desktops when I wasn't there. Fortunately I found my old pc and found my cd. Still have it. To good times!
@stratdal I grew up with Beginnings as opposed to the original releases of the 1st & 2nd albums. I like that mix of the first album so much better. When I heard the 1st album for the first time I just didn't sound right to me.
@kcjimmy Tom Dowd wasn't available for the first album so an Atlantic recording engineer was given the producer job. Adrian Barber.
Gregg didn't like his vocals and wanted to sing most of the tracks over but Barber wouldn't take the time.
When the band broke through with At Fillmore East and Eat A Peach ( both selling over a million copies ) Phil Walden wanted to try for some success with the first two albums in which he invested money but their sales were disappointing. The first album only sold 30,000 copies and Idlewild South just slightly better.
So the plan was to release the first two as Beginnings, a two album set.
Tom Dowd did not care for the mixing on the first album so Tom was brought in to remix it for Beginnings.
The release sold over 500,000 copies in 1973 earning a Gold record for the band.
I still remember reading all about that in 1973 in certain trade magazines.
Neither album identifies who is singing the chant on Black Hearted Woman and backing vocals on Revival.
In 1986 Gregg and Dickey were playing at a night club in Winston Salem, North Carolina called the Casablanca. A small stage in front of a dance floor then tables for about 200 people plus a bar that seated around 25.
Dickey was standing just outside talking to the club owner and the place advertising the show as The Allman Brothers Band. Dickey explained to the audience when he took the stage that he and Gregg were there without Butch and Jaimoe so they don't call this the Allman Brothers Band. Dickey's band played a set then Gregg's band featuring the Toler Brothers then Dickey would join Gegg's band for a set of songs made famous by the Allman Brothers.
I had an opportunity to speak with Dickey before his band played which had Matt Apts on drums but not Warren Haynes. Warren joined the following year. I asked Dickey about Revival and Black Hearted Woman and to my surprise that is all six band members doing backing on Revival and the chant on Black Hearted Woman and Butch Trucks in the 1990's answered a question about the same thing from a fan on his blog and Butch also said that is all six of them and that is Berry Oakley laughing at the end on the Black Hearted Woman chant.
I used to guess the backing vocals on Revival was Duane, Dickey and Berry. But it's them plus Gregg, Butch and Jaimoe. All six band members.
Robertdee, Interestingly, The Beginnings CD from the 1990s has the first album mix, not the 1973 Beginnings album mix. I see on Apple Music that the first album is available with the 1973 Beginnings remix.
@paulcoletti Oh I didn't know that. They probably just used the original Adrian Barber mix and may not have been aware of the Tom Dowd remix.
Maybe Gregg is a little too forceful with his voice on the first album but I like his singing on it.
Gregg's singing is very good on At Fillmore East as well as Eat A Peach. Most people talk about how good the musicianship is on At Fillmore East and mention Duane, Dickey and Berry playing so nice together and the unique drum play and not mention how good Gregg's singing is. Laid Back has great Gregg vocals too.
That's messed up.Robertdee, Interestingly, The Beginnings CD from the 1990s has the first album mix, not the 1973 Beginnings album mix. I see on Apple Music that the first album is available with the 1973 Beginnings remix.