Beginnings was my first and we wore it out. Years later I heard the original mix and really didn't care for it and still don't like it near as much as the Beginings mix.

I bought the original album in 1970. They say it sold 30,000 copies initially but Beginnings sold 600,000 copies and I had that on 8 track. After Fillmore East and Eat A Peach sold over a million copies, Capricorn knew the first two didn't sell that well so Beginnings was put out for fans to buy and hear the first two albums. And a lot of people picked it up. 

I wasn't aware Tom Dowd remixed the debut album for the 1973 release when it was paired with Idlewild South. Discovered that years later. 

Phil Walden and the band wanted Dowd for the debut but he wasn't available so they were assigned Andrian Barber. 

Tom Dowd or someone thought the mixing needed more work. And it does sound better on Beginnings. 

Gregg Allman revealed years later he wanted to redo his vocals on the album but Andrian Barber insisted they were fine. He probably didn't give the band much chance of making it and just moved on. Gregg said years later he regrets not insisting to the producer, Duane and Phil Walden that he really needed to polish the vocals more and redo them. 

I like the "Beginnings" mix better than the original mix.

@cb what do you like better about the remix?

It has been a very long time since I listened to them, but if memory serves, the Tom Dowd mix had more separation, with Duane and Jamioe on the left and Dickey and Butch on the right.  I liked that when using headphones.  I don't remember there being a huge difference listening thru speakers across a room.  

I got into the ABB after LAFE, so Beginnings seemed like a double album to me, rather than two single albums packaged together.  I guess that's why the first album was remasterd to feel more like Idlewild South, sound wise.

Take care,

CB

One of the first ABB cds I bought.  Found it in the used section.  Played it on my office computer.  My colleague next to me liked it too.

The original and studio version of In Memory of Elizabeth Reed is a very fine recording. Berry Oakley's bass is excellent. Dickey plays the first solo, then Gregg on organ of course and it's a good solo then Duane's spirited solo. 

Butch Trucks with an excellent drum solo which Butch said he wrote himself. 

Jaimoe doesn't play drums on this track. Jaimoe is on congas. 

And Revival is a slick cut produced by Tom Dowd. Duane plays twin lead with Dickey plus acoustic guitar. Again Jaimoe is only on congas. 

Tom Dowd got Duane, Gregg, Dickey, Berry. Butch and Jaimoe in a booth in Miami and recorded all 6 members singing and clapping their hands together after the music was recorded but before Gregg came back and added the lead vocals. 

Dickey said it never sounded like all 6 of them singing together in the booth to him. It's sounds more like 3 or 4 with Oakley noticed more than the others but it's all 6 gathered around a mic hanging in the middle and Tom Dowd got them to keep time with the music by clapping their hands. 

The debut album and Idlewild South did not sell well. After Idlewild South died on the vine as Gregg put it, Gregg began to doubt if the band was what they thought it was and maybe he should go to dental school. But Duane got on Gregg for doubting the band was good enough to rise to the top. Duane told them " I've decided the next album will be live. We'll get some of that fire we have live on a live record and it WILL sell". 

The live album DID sell despite Atlantic Records opposed to a double live album. Phil Walden had to sell Jerry Wexler on Duane's idea for the third album and It surpassed 500,000 copies and earned a gold record just weeks before Duane died. Later it passed 1 million copies 

didn’t hear too big a difference in the first remasters, like Anthology, Beginnings, TRGOForever….

gosh w/AFE & EAP, Anthology, Beginnings & Bros & Sisters, this was both the band’s saddest time & its most financially prolific 

picked up the Capricorn 22-bit remaster of Beginnings when it was issued on 1 CD in early 90s or so - had had forever/still have the 1st 2 on vinyl

every comp/reissue/updated remaster have sounded the same as always, amazing

🎼👂the singular twin/tandem beauty of Workingman’s/American Beauty was recently mentioned - that’s the ABB’s 1st 2 too, & same w/MFBPink & The Band for that matter

great topic, so love that 1st Atco album

Barber mix has muddier bass higher in the mix and some slight reverb to Gregg's vocals and some of the guitar leads; Dowd's mix is a bit cleaner and has more separation. Some songs fade out differently - "Cross To Bear" and "Black Hearted Woman" if I recall. I read through some Steve Hoffman threads that has more info when I first learned there were two mixes.

Here's "Trouble No More" for comparison.

I like Dowd's mix but I've been listening to the Barber mix for so long it doesn't really matter to me.