The Allman Brothers Band Brothers and Sisters 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition (Mercury)
Brothers and Sisters has always held a
special place in my heart. It came out right around the same time Don Kirshner brought his Rock Concert film crew to Macon for a special Saturday Night in Macon, Georgia television special that changed my entire world in just 90 minutes. Of course, had I not heard “Ramblin’ Man” on the radio half a dozen times a day that summer, I may not have been quite as passionate about sitting up until one a.m. to watch the show on the fam- ily’s old Magnavox console TV. Sure, I was al- ready a fan of the Brothers, but their recent heart breaking loss Duane and then Berry Oakley just a short time later tugged at my heart, and their decision to add a hot shot piano player instead of trying to find a re- placement for Duane - which everyone knew was impossible- intrigued me. Honestly, I can’t remember if I saw that Kirshner show first or if I bought Brothers and Sisters first. They kind of walk hand in hand in the happy part of my memory bank. There have been countless “deluxe” edi-
tions of classic albums released in the recent past. Some good, some trotting out “archive” material that was unreleased with good rea- son to begin with. But with Brothers and Sis- ters, the entire package is stellar. To begin with, there’s the original Johnny Sandlin pro- duced masterpiece, remastered. It never sounded better. By the way, Brothers and Sis- ters outsold both At Fillmore East and Eat A Peach, spending five weeks at #1 and becom-
CD REVIEWS
ing the first Allman Brothers Band release to go Platinum. (One million sold) With the death of Duane, Dickey Betts
stepped up to the plate in a huge way. Duane used to comment on Dickey being the best guitar player in the band, and as sole gui- tarist, Betts showed everyone that while there’s no way one can claim Betts better than Allman, Duane was hittin’ pretty close to the mark. Dickey had assumed a leadership role in the band, and his guitar work was just one part of the total package he brought to the table as a singer and songwriter. His country music influence is spread all over Brothers and Sisters like honey. Then there is a disc of rehearsals, extended
versions and outtakes, most of which are a sheer joy. “A Minor Jam (Studio Jam)” is off the chain. It’s sixteen minutes of solid free- form groovin, foreshadowing what would be- come Sea Level with Chuck Leavell, Jaimoe and Lamar Williams (with the addition of Jimmy Nalls). The “cool factor” is all over this
package, as we get to hear “Jelly, Jelly” with a completely different set of lyrics from Gre- gory. The jams are to die for, including the ex- tended workout on “Jelly,” along with an instrumental “Southbound” that paints the new band lineup as a kind of East Coast Grateful Dead, jamming into the strato- sphere. The final two discs contain a complete
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