Customer Reviews

The Allman Brothers Band: Brothers of the Road

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This DVD is awesome. The two shows are both great. And, unlike the Great Woods DVD, they don't interrupt songs with annoying interviews. The sound and video quality is unbelievable considering that it was taped in the late '70s. A must for any true Allman fan.

I held off buying these two shows for a couple of years...mistake! And I have to respectfully disagree with some of the other reviews here ( about the "weaker" lineup ): I too saw them during this tour, and I thought they SMOKED their set. Poor Charlie Daniels, having to follow the ABB (!) This was in 1981...and I thought then ( and still do ) that the two Tolers ( drums and guitar ) more than held their own. One thing that was a bit weird, though, on a technical note: the outdoor show audio is monaural (!), while the indoor one is stereo; no big deal unless you're a headphone buff like me. Just a bit strange. You'd think that, coming from the same tour, the recording technique would have been consistent.
You can't go wrong with this one. The Allman Brothers Band consistently rocks regardless of the era or the lineup.

As a longtime Allman Brothers fan, I was anxious to see this video. The video portion was fine, but the audio is horrible. I have several concert DVD's, including The Eagles Hell Freezes Over and James Taylor"s Live at the Beacon Theatre. In comparison, the audio on these two in a surround format is excellent, but the audio here is substandard, hollow and tinny. It may be that the Eagles and James Taylor were recorded on a stage environment, whereas the Allman's used an outdoor format. I hope the Allman Brothers do a stage performance in the future with an emphasis on the audio portion.

This DVD is proof positive that the Allman Brothers Band, no matter who is actually in the band besides Gregg and no matter which 'era', is one of the best live bands around. Sure, this was taped in either 1981 or '82 so you do get the additional keyboardist's cheesy synth attack during one or two numbers, BUT you also get Dickey Betts at his guitarist's guitarist peak, spinning off fluid lines and phrases as if it was instinct (probably was!) as well as Gregg Allman's ever soulful growl, expressive Hammond playing, and even a rare glimpse into his abilities as a fine acoustic guitar picker - something for which he's not really known. So, while the "Arista Years" may not have been the best of times for the Brothers as far as recordings were concerned (though in my view, the two Arista albums were still worthy for fans), on the stage was always where they excelled, and this DVD does it's job.

This dvd is good to own if your a true abb fan, as i am. For someone else to see the band for the first time on this dvd would be disappointing. The band has gone through many changes over the years and this lineup is good, but does not compare to more recent lineups or former ones. These guys on stage just dont have the togetherness that makes this band so great. This dvd does offer some interesting viewing though.

I am an ABB fanatic and have been since 1969, Winters End Festival in Orlando. But I have to agree with the other reviewers that the Toler Brothers were a total embarassment and had no business up on the stage with these greats. You can see in this disc how uncomfortable they looked, for good reason. Sorry to have to say this. Get the Great Woods VHS instead, it's a 5+ (but avoid the butchered DVD version of Great Woods). And while you're at it, check out some of their newly available CDs: American University 12/23/70, and their most recent Hittin the Note.

True, this is not exactly the Duane era or the Warren era, but no true ABB fan could say this concert is not a great concert. As for Danny Toler (the "other guitarist"), any classic rock fan, jazz fan, country music fan, guitarist, or musician could spot him as a great guitarist. His performance at this concert was excellent, especially on Statesboro Blues and Whipping Post. Another addition to this band is the great solo keyboardist Mike Lawler, who's stay with the band was way too short. His solo's on this are great to listen to and even fun to watch. The sound quality is not excellent, but its still a 7 or an 8, about the same as what you'll hear on their instant live recordings. I'd definitely recommend this DVD, along with just about any concert of their's.

P.S.-As mentioned by others, keep away from the DVD of Great Wood, the producers thought it would be a good idea to ruin the DVD by overwriting some of the best songs with crappy interviews. Stick to the VHS.

What makes this DVD so neat is the first half of it was taped probably 20-25 years ago (judging from the clothes everyone is wearing and the haircuts). Whoever had this original tape did an excellent job preserving it as it is crystal clear and the sound is above average for its' age. My main dissapointment with it is the fact that it lists "Melissa" on the cover, yet all you get for that song is about a 2 minute acoustic intro taken from a tv studio tape - no singing and the guys look clearly stoned out of their minds! Still, though, it is a gem if you're an ABB fan (no, I didn't say ABBA). I had the VHS version of "Great Woods" and I thought that stunk. This is a much better show.

i belive the band has better shows to be seen than the two on this vidio. over all it was a decent dvd to watch

This DVD is based on 2 shows, a short hotel jam session, and a short studio impromptu performance by Gregg Allman. If you like the Allmans Bros., you will known that they are not entertainers, they just plain jam! This DVD is right on that mark. Audio quality is good, Video is good.