As issued in multiple packages including CD and vinyl, The Allman Brothers Band’s Brothers and Sisters deserves its 40th anniversary recognition. The 1973 album stands as a pivotal point in the iconic Southern group’s evolution in the wake of the eerily similar motorcycle deaths of founder/guitarist Duane Allman and charter member/bassist Berry Oakley (who was present for the earliest sessions for B&S). It also ranks as ABB’s most commercially successful release because not only did the long-player reach the peak of the best-seller charts, its single release, “Ramblin’ Man,'” became a hit on its own terms.
Designed with a logic of simplicity that renders classic its complementary inner photo layout, the four-disc super deluxe edition contains a remastered version of the original album, a second CD of outtakes and rehearsal content plus two more discs comprised of an entire concert from Bill Graham’s Winterland in San Francisco. Taken as individual components and in sum, this set provides insight into and celebration of The Allman Brothers resolute drive to not just persevere but succeed, a combination of virtues that now have ABB on the threshold of their 45th anniversary.
Brothers and Sisters Remastered Disc 1: One quick listen practically justifies its reissue on its own terms. The first studio work was not produced by the legendary Tom Dowd, and the production lacked punch to the degree it at least partially undermined the best performances, i.e. the soaring instrumental “Jessica.” The audio quality of this new release, however brings some much needed bottom to the sound as well as revealing what an excellent choice the late Lamar Williams was as a replacement for Berry Oakley (who appears on “Wasted Words” and “Ramblin’ Man”) The earthy grit of Williams’ bass work supplied an effective contrast to the lighter country tones of ABB’s newer material, as did Chuck Leavell’s piano to Dickey Betts’ guitar. Inclusion of two blues numbers on the album helped solidify the mainstream audiences first impressions of The Allmans, even if “Jelly Jelly” might well have been replaced by a different tune altogether (or the Gregg Allman vocal track on disc two titled “Early Morning Blues”).
Rehearsals, Jams and Outtakes Disc 2: Revealing the inner mechanics of ABB, this disc is collection of rehearsals is devoted to standards in the ABB repertoire (“One Way Out,” “Trouble No More”), newer vintage material in the process of development (“Wasted Words,” “Southbound”) and an extended impromptu jam that might well be represent the moment that this tentatively reconstituted lineup realized it had the right chemistry. Chuck Leavell’s piano adds a bright bounce to music that now insinuated where it once overpowered, while the double drumming of Jaimoe and Butch Trucks developed a more subtly syncopated style working with bassist Williams. “A Minor Jam” appropriately contains direct reference to “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” while “I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town” might well have been in the final track list, given how it so stylishly echoed the band’s blues roots and paid homage to its fallen members (the sextet with Duane and Oakley had played the tune–see Live At Ludlow Garage two cd set and Dreams box set).
Live at Winterland September 26, 1973 Disc 3 & 4: Though excerpts of this performance have been previously available–on a live set from 1976, Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas (misspelled within the enclosed booklet)–this concert finds the new Allman Brothers playing with a fine-tuned precision. By this time too, The Brothers’ work was also getting the acclamation it deserved as “Ramblin’ Man” had become a hit and the success of Brothers and Sisters, out in August of that year, was well-established. Having been on the road since March playing essentially the same setlist ignites the group’s musicianship through its astute mix of vintage and newer material, almost but not quite rendering obsolete Nassau Coliseum 5/1/73. The audio here, however, is far superior to the previously issued archive piece even though without “Mountain Jam” supplying the climax, the overall impact of the San Francisco show is slightly less resounding. Even so, it will stand as ample document of the aesthetically and commercially successful reconfiguration of one of the most influential bands in American music.
