Customer Reviews

Duane & Greg Allman

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It's one of the sadder aspects of modern life that the death of an artist makes for good commerce and Duane Allman serves as a perfect example of that phenomenon. In the wake of Allman's untimely 1971 death, seemingly anyone even remotely related to the Allman Brothers began combing their archives and files for anything even remotely related to their musical careers. The Florida-based Bold label was no different, quickly raiding its vaults, kicking out several posthumous collections of material, including 1972's cleverly-titled "Duane & Greg Allman".

By all rights billing this as an Allman Brothers product, complete with black and white cover image of the brothers was a major stretch, if not outright fraud. The nine tracks actually reflected material recorded in 1968 for what was planned as a sophomore release by The 31st of February. The project had been shelved the following year when band members Scott Boyer (vocals and guitar), David Brown (bass), and drummer Butch Trucks called it quits (Trucks reappeared as a member of The Allman Brothers Band). While the Allmans guested on some of these tracks, they were never formal members of the band ... Now the good news - don't pay any attention to review you see that describe this as 'inconsequential' or 'juvenilia' pre-Allman Brothers debris. This 1972 release may not match prime Allman Brothers, but still kicked the crap out of 99% of the competition. To my ears these songs were a pure delight. While there was only one Allman original (a killer early version of 'Melissa'), on the vocals he handled Gregg seldom sounded as sharp or involved with the material. Duane's contributions were less obvious, but just as impressive. Be sure to check out his solo on 'Well I Know Too Well'. Like the earliest Allman Brothers catalog, exemplified by material such as 'Come Down and Get Me' (actually entitled 'Down In Texas' - see comments below), 'Back Down Home with You' and 'Well I Know Too Well' the focus was on short and highly commercial songs. The results were material simultaneously radio ready, yet heavy enough to appeal to FM fans. While all nine songs were worth hearing highlights included the haunting Steve Alaimo composition 'God Rest His Soul' and the strange and atypical folk-rocker 'In the Morning When I'm Real'.

- Inspired by the post-apocalyptic film "On the Beach" and showcasing Gregg Allman's instantly recognizable voice, 'Morning Dew' was a stunning, bluesy ballad. The track was made even better by Duane's stark fuzz guitar solo, Brown's pounding bass pattern, and some wonderful backing vocals, This one came the closest to capturing that Allman Brothers vibe. Highly commercial and easy to see why it was tapped as a single. rating: ***** stars
- Judging by the background vocals 'okay break here', 'God Rest His Soul' was an incomplete demo, though the overall performance was very good. Guitarist Boyer had a tough, ballsy voice that sounded very similar to Gregg Allman. That gave the acoustic ballad 'God Rest His Soul' an Allmans-styled feel and made this one of the standout performances. As least to my ears, the song was made even better by Steve Alaimo's subtle tribute to the late Martin Luther King (at least that's what I think it's about). rating: **** stars
- Given a slow, bluesy performance, 'Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out' was certainly competent with the focus on Gregg's keyboards, though it lacked the excitement of some of the other performances. Once again Boyer's lead vocal recalled Gregg Allman. The song was subsequently rerecorded by Duane Allman as part of the Derek and the Domnos "Layla and Other Love Songs". rating: ** stars
- 'The line note reference to 'Come Down and Get Me' was a complete mystery. Perhaps the band actually recorded a song with that title, however the song on the album was actually 'Down In Texas' (just listen to the lyriics) written by Eddie Hinson and Marlon Greene. Though this one also sounded like a demo with the guitar solo sounding as if it had been cut and pasted on from a different recording, 'Come Down and Get Me' was a straight forward commercial track. Shame this one wasn't finished. rating: *** stars
- The final side one performance, co-written by Gregg Allman and Steve Alaimo, 'Melissa' was even better and was easily the album's standout performance. Gregg seemed to have handled the slightly flat lead vocal, but the rest of the performance, including some instantly recognizable Duane Allman slide guitar was simply stunning and didn''t sound radically different from the version that appeared in 1972 on The Allman Brothers album "Eat a Peach". rating: ***** stars
- One of two David Brown compositions, the bluesy ballad 'I'll Change For You' started out slowly but hit high gear when the gorgeous chorus and refrain kicked in. One of my favorites performances on the album. rating: **** stars
- The second Brown song, 'Back Down Home with You' was another bluesy number - not quite as appealing as the previous song. rating: *** stars
- The up-tempo 'Well I Know Too Well' coupled a Gospel-flavored melody with some excellent lead guitar, and a highly commercial backing chorus. rating: **** stars
- Musically 'In the Morning When I'm Real' was the album's strangest performance. A soft, delicate ballad with a beautiful melody, it sounded like a mid-1960s piece that had absolutely nothing in common with the other performances. It wasn't bad; in fact I liked the song quite a bit, but it just sounded totally out of place here. rating: **** stars

Elsewhere Bold tapped the album for a single (early copies pressed on red vinyl):

- 1972's 'Morning Dew' b/w 'I'll Change for You' (Bold catalog number 45-200)

Yeah, it isn't a true Allman Brothers release, but is still well worth tracking down, particularly since you can still get it on the cheap.

"Duane & Greg Allman" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Morning Dew (Tim Rose - Bonnie Dobson) - 3:45
2.) God Rest His Soul (Steve Alaimo) - 3:55
3.) Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out (Jimmie Cox) - 4:32
4.) Come Down and Get Me (Ray Gerald) - 3:40
5.) Melissa (Greg Allman - Steve Alaimo) - 3:15

(side 2)
1.) I'll Change For You (David Brown) - 2:57
2.) Back Down Home with You (David Brown) - 2:25
3.) Well I Know Too Well (Steve Alaimo) - 2:15
4.) In the Morning When I'm Real (Robert Pucetti) - 2:40

I grew up in Charlotte, N.C., and in the early 1970s, we thought of the Allman Brothers Band as a regional Southern band. So I was surprised when I went to a prep school in Cornwall, N.Y., in 1972 and that fall, in a poll of the student body, the Allman Brothers were voted our favorite rock band. (I voted for Pink Floyd.)
According to Wikipedia ([...]), this vinyl album was recorded in 1968 by a band called The 31st of February, featuring future Allman Brothers Band founders Greg and Duane Allman and drummer Butch Trucks, along with Scott Boyer on acoustic guitar and vocals and David Brown on bass. If Wikipedia is right, I'm glad they know that much because the album cover is pretty sparse, both front and back. You can see the cover above, a young Greg and Duane cartooned on a black background with the album name Duane & Greg Allman, the Bold Records logo and, in the upper right corner, 33-301 STEREO. The back is similar, white on white drawings of Greg and Duane with the track listing, and we learn that the mailing address for Bold Records was Hialeah, Fla.
[...].
In poking around on the Web over the years, I think these tracks were cut maybe in a music store in Hialeah before Greg and Duane rode that peach truck up to Georgia. Don't know who Boyer and Brown were, but I always figured they were locals in the Miami area.
Looks like the album was released in 1972. I bought it within a year or two of its release, back in the '70s. I felt lucky to find it in a bin of seldom-bought albums in a little-used record store ("a cutout bin," for those with long memories). I've never seen it since, in record stores or anybody's collection, so I think it's a rare find.
I've always loved this album. I heard this "Morning Dew" before I heard the Grateful Dead's version, and it's dramatically different. Duane's echo-backed sweeping guitar riff captivated me, and Greg's singing is as soulful as his later work would become. That version is on the "Dreams" ABB boxed set.
"God Rest His Soul" is a lovely tribute to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. ("A man lay dying in the street. A thousand people lay down on their knees. Any other day he would have been preaching..."). "Come Down and Get Me" (a.k.a. "Down in Texas") is great blues.
"Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" would show up later on Eric Clapton's Derek and the Dominoes double-album and, of course, Melissa would become a greatest hit from from the Eat a Peach release. This "Melissa" is a little simpler, but pretty much the same arrangement.
Side 2 features some good bluesy Allman songs, "I'll Change for You" and "Well I Know Too Well." I guess Boyer is the lead vocalist on "In the Morning When I'm Real," which I always thought was pretty lame.
If you like the Allman Brothers and you come across a copy of this album, snatch it up. It's a great listen and it shows how great this band would become

recordings made by the Allman brothers prior to the formation of The Allman Brothers Band. Gregg is in fine voice and Duane is a remarkable guitarist, but this is embryonic compared to their mature work. Contains an early version of "Melissa." Morning Dew / God Rest his Soul / Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Wout / Come Down and Get Me / Melissa / I'll Change for You / Back Down Home with You / Well I Know too Well / In the Morning When I'm Real.