At Fillmore East

The Allman Brothers Band

album cover

An Essential Live Rock Document

The Allman Brothers Band was just beginning to generate national attention when it pulled into Manhattan's Fillmore East auditorium for its first headlining stand in March 1971. All four shows from the run, including a final one that was delayed for hours because of a bomb scare (and didn't end until around 6 A.M.), were recorded. Producer Tom Dowd took the tapes, trimmed down some solos and completely edited others, and delivered At Fillmore East, the album that transformed this fast-rising curiosity from Macon, Georgia, into one of the truly great American rock bands of all time.

There were lots of wonderful live acts in rock circa 1971. But the thrashing first choruses of "Statesboro Blues" and "Trouble No More" suggest that this one is different. It's a rock band built on a jazz notion: that the journey can be more interesting than the simple attention-grabbing refrain. Loose and free-floating solos involve the entire band, including the drum tandem of Butch Trucks and Jaimoe (Jai Johanny Johanson). Everything develops organically and everyone's united in search of the kind of collective musical ecstasy that's usually found on John Coltrane records.

The long-haul truckers of rock, the Allmans establish a groove and keep it cranking. They're happy as long as the boogie is scooting along and nobody's stopping them from doing eighty-five miles an hour down the freeway. Dowd once described the Allmans' twin-lead-guitar attack—Duane Allman playing slide and Dicky Betts on six-string—as "frightening," and this album shows you why. When one finishes his climb to the mountaintop, the other begins, taking "Whipping Post" and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" to new frenzied plateaus. Just when that settles down, along comes organist (and vocalist) Gregg Allman, working out on a hot-sounding Hammond B3 to extend the marathon a bit further. (Check out his romp through the eight-minute "Stormy Monday.")

Fillmore East, now expanded with additional performances, established the Allmans among the rock elite, but, almost immediately, the band hit hard times: In October 1971, fourteen days after the album went gold, Duane was killed on his motorcycle. The band picked up again, and its next release, Eat a Peach (so named because it was a peach truck that killed Duane), included an entire album of live music from the Fillmore date as well as sedate, beautifully contemplative studio material.

Since then, the group, led by Gregg Allman, has shown remarkable resilience: No matter who's on stage, the band seems to recapture at will the greasy-boogie locomotion of the Fillmore recordings. That's no small feat, given that At Fillmore East remains one of the best live albums in rock history. Ornery and loud, it's perfect driving music for the road that goes on forever.

Genre: Rock
Released: 1971, Mercury
Key Tracks: "Midnight Rider," "Whipping Post," "Statesboro Blues"
Catalog Choice: Eat a Peach. Gregg Allman: Laid Back
Next Stop: Lynyrd Skynyrd: One More from the Road
Book Pages: 16–17

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Comments:

#1 from Dan McDermond, Philly, PA - 09/16/2008 8:36

Nice review of the ABB’S “At Fillmore East”

However, one comment. The follow up album, “Eat A Peach” was NOT named because Duane hit a peach truck. It wasn’t even a peach truck. It was a utility truck of sorts.

Anyway, “Eat A Peach” was so named from a Duane quote about what he’s doing for the revolution (’71 mind you), his response, “I’m hitting a lick for peace - and every time I’m in Georgia, I eat a peach for peace.”

Quote shortened and there was the album title.

Hope that helps.

#2 from Chip Schofield, Bryn Mawr, PA - 11/10/2008 5:51

I have the 2-disc set called “The Fillmore Concerts” but started looking for this version since you note “Midnight Rider” as a key track. The version you find with the “buy” link at amazon doesn’t have it either (it links to the original single disc version), but this one does.

#3 from host - 11/28/2008 4:31

“The Fillmore Concerts” its really nice version album. Great music. Everyone can enjoy the music.

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