Customer Reviews

Gold

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The Allman brothers gold I the definitive collection from this great southern rock band which covers their most succesful years from 1969-79.This terrific compilation was mainly penned from the following albums,THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND,IDLEWILD SOUTH,LIVE AT FILLMORE EAST,EAT A PEACH,BROTHERS AND SISTERS,WIN LOSE OR DRAW,WIPE THE WINDOWS,CHECKTHE OIL,DOLLAR AND GAS and 1979's ENLIGHTENED ROGUES.I bought this collection two days back and just cant stop listening to it.Most of their popular songs are featured in this collection and is highly recommended to all rock fans who want their music on a single compilation.

For those who have tried to track down a copy of "The Road Goes On Forever" with no luck, well, you're in luck now. The Gold Collection is identical, retracing the band's activities from inception through 1979. The only thing missing is the fantastic artwork that went along with "Road Goes On." That is a shame, but ultimately it's the music that matters.

It's unlikely that you need an introduction to the band's sound; it's a southern-fried souflee of rock, blues, and country, but the real highlight for me is the guitars. Not to sell the amazing Dickey Betts short, but Duane Allman is one of the few instrumentalists that I could just sit and listen to for hours. He was in his own zone, in terms of sound and technique. The use of the song "Melissa" in a phone commercial recently made me ill. Put it on without any artificial, heart-tugging TV crap going on behind it and enjoy it for what it was; one of the great, underrated ballads. This whole collection is great (although I could live without "Hoochie Coochie Man").

Duane may be gone, but his legacy goes on.

Before I became big music fan, when I would think of the Allman Brothers Band - two things came to mind: 1) They had a nice catchy song in the early 1970s called, "Ramblin' Man"; 2) They have a lead singer and guitar player in Gregg Allman who was once married to Cher. Eventually I came to realize that I was very wrong. This is a band that really made their mark as first a Blues Band, and then expanded to a Southern Rock style. As I began to realize how much more the Allman Brothers Band was, I soon learned how the Allman Brothers Band did it - the old fashioned way: touring! The Allman Brothers Band are not the first band to build their reputation through touring - bands such as the Grateful Dead, Phish, and the Dave Matthews Band all built their fan base by touring. The Allman Brothers established this reputation in the early 1970s when they were emerging as a band. When the Allman Brothers Band got back together in the 1990s, they once again would re-establish themselves as a touring band. For a band that has been around since 1969 (with a hiatus in the mid-1980s), the Allman Brothers Band has amassed a large-sized music catalog. While there are several compilations of greatest hits available by the Allman Brothers Band, it is "Allman Brothers Band: Gold" that builds a two CD collection from the "glory days" of the band: 1969 to 1979. This collection does a very good job at integrating the elements of Blues, Southern Rock, and showcasing some of the live recordings that made the band famous.

The term "Southern Rock" is often a loaded term. Southern Rock involves the heavy use of the guitar and often combines imagery from the "Deep South". Southern Rock can refer to a variety of different styles and has also undergone several evolutions over the years. Technically one can consider pioneer Rockers Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis to have their roots in Southern Rock. For the most part, the Allman Brothers Band were pioneers in this sound. The guitar work of the Dickey Betts and the late Duane Allman played a key role in the Blues sound, but their heavy guitar use made them natural for the "Southern Rock" sound. I must admit I'm not the biggest fan of pure Blues music or Southern Rock. While I do like how these elements are incorporated into other genres of music, I really don't care for this style of music on its own. However, I have a lot of respect for bands that can do wonders with their instruments. Clearly, the band members of the Allman Brothers Band are as good as the get when it comes to instrumentation. Therefore, I'm going to take my personal feelings for this genre of music out of the equation and just look at how the album stands on its own.

With greatest hits collections, I prefer the songs to be arranged chronologically on the collection. This allows me to see how the artist has progressed over time. The nice thing about this collection is that it does order the tracks in chronological order. This allows the two CD collection of "Allman Brothers Band: Gold" to really demonstrate how they evolved their sound. For the most part, the first CD of this collection showcases the Blues sound of the Allman Brothers Band. The second CD showcases more of the Southern Rock influence of the Allman Brothers Band (although the Blues influence is still maintained on many of the tracks of this period). The way these songs are selected and ordered, it helps enhance the listening experience to the band's sound.

Perhaps my favorite track by the Allman Brothers band is the last track of the second CD, "Pegasus". This might be one of the most underrated tracks ever made. It happens to be my favorite track, but it is also the perfect "wrap up" track to this collection. This incorporates a Latin Jazz flavor to the band. Perhaps this sound came about as a result of the album, "Enlightened Rogues" being recorded in South Florida. This track also has some terrific Latin percussion by Jamoe Johanson.

It is important to note that the Allman Brothers Band incorporates several live tracks into this collection from their legendary live album "The Allman Brothers Band: Live at Fillmore East". These tracks include "Statesboro Blues", "Stormy Monday", "Hot 'Lanta", and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed". There is also a live cut of "One Way Out" (also recorded at Fillmore East but released on a subsequent album "Eat a Peach") and "Come and Go Blues" (released on "Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas"). These live cuts help to add to the listening experience of the collection.

Another important thing is the sound quality. For a collection that has the majority of the tracks recorded over 30 years ago - the recording sound is incredible. You put this CD with a good pair of speakers and you will hear some incredible instrumentation. This is what helped me appreciate the Allman Brothers Band sound.

As with many greatest hits collections, the lyrics are not included to any of the tracks with the "Allman Brothers Band: Gold". Each of the tracks are listed along with the songwriting and musician credits. In addition each of the corresponding albums that the songs were released on are listed with each of the tracks. From a readability standpoint, I found this discography at the back of the liner notes a bit difficult to follow, but I still applaud how this information was included. The liner notes also contain a very candid biographical essay of the Allman Brothers Band by Dave Thompson. Overall, while I'm not necessarily the biggest fan of their music, I still must applaud the efforts of this collection. This is a good set for both new fans and serious fans alike. Highly recommended.

This is an incredibel colleciton from one of the finest bands of all time, and a strong contender for the all time greatest American band. If you want an introduction to the band, get this! This is the only one of their "best of's" that does them justice. It has pretty much all of these songs from their first 5 classic albums. (about 25 of 35) and is much less than getting all their albums. (but you still might want to get Fillmore East.

When I got my first ABB CD (20th century...) I read a reivew that said "you WILL get more." I laughed at it because Jessica and Ramblin Man were all I needed. After listening to it, I had found the reviwer to be right, you will always want more ABB! The 15 dollars to get this CD may be the best 15 dollars that you will ever spend in your life!

The collection reminded me a lot of (The Road Goes On Forever) only better. Cd arrived quickly and i was totally satisfied with the purchase.

this is the very best of the classic allmans 1969-1979,its perfect for those who only want one allman cd and are looking for a little more than a one cd collection.for sure its a rockin good time delivered as only the allman brotherws can give.

Just put it on & let it play. You'll find it near impossible to hit the skip button. This brings us the Allmans in their 1970's prime. Dickie Betts, Duane Allman, it's all there. Some is studio, some live. From the classic long play "In memory of Elizabeth Reed" to the haunting sound of the beautifully arranged "Melissa.". Being re-mastered, the slide guitar Allman sound comes through beautifully. Don't miss this one!

This is a fantastic 2 disc compilation of the Allman Brothers at their creative peak, the seventies. There is lots of great material on here that radio stations don't play for some reason. All I can say is put it on and let it play. You won't even have to hit the skip button through this stuff, it's all good. This is a great way to pick up their best material.

If you want all the big hits, the essential live cuts, and everything in between. Definitly one of the greatest collections of music ever!

There are one too many Allmans compilations on the market, and Lord knows they all want to be the last word on the group. And though there's simply no possible way that this can be (the Duane Allman records are ESSENTIAL), this is the best Allmans compilation I've seen so far. Interestingly, all this does is expand on A Decade of Hits, which is probably the best single-disc retrospective of the group out there. However, some weaker tracks were included, at the expense of some stronger ones. We'll start at the beginning.
Don't Want You No More and Blackhearted Woman were easily the two weakest songs on the debut - they should be pulled. But the other four selections off that album (It's Not My Cross to Bear; Trouble No More; Dreams and Whipping Post) are the four best, and should stay. Don't Keep Me Wonderin' (off the excellent Idlewild South) has a fun harmonica part, but is nothing special; Hoochie Coochie Man is a decent song, but I would've preferred the underrated Please Call Home. Midnight Rider and Revival are great tunes for sure, but the studio version of In Memory of Elizabeth Reed is sorely missed (the live version from At Fillmore East, which is good but weaker, takes its place). Speaking of At Fillmore East, Statesboro Blues; Stormy Monday and Hot 'Lanta sure belong, but what about You Don't Love Me and Done Somebody Wrong? Okay, you COULD argue that You Don't Love Me is a bit too long for this compilation. Eh, At Fillmore East is indespensible in the first place. As is Eat a Peach, a must-have simply for the stunning Mountain Jam. And I don't see why they used a live version of Ain't Wastin' Time instead of the original, nor to I get why Stand Back was included - it's a funky little gem, but it's got nothing on the epic instrumental Les Brers in A Minor, which could've easily replaced it. They actually come close to getting it right with Brothers and Sisters. I never cared much for Ramblin' Man (to be honest, I think it's a headache), but it was a smash hit and it DID do a lot to shape the Southern Rock genre, no matter how much it sucks. The live Come and Go Blues is also a loser (the studio version's OK, though), but they could've picked MUCH worse songs from Brothers and Sisters. Plus it's got Jessica (the full version, no less!); Wasted Words and Southbound, which to be frank are the only songs on Brothers & Sisters that are worth a crap. They get it right with what they picked from Enlightened Rogues, though: there are a couple songs on that album that are missed, but Crazy Love; Pegasus and Can't Take It With You are the best tunes on that underrated disc.
You'll probably want to pick up Idlewild South; At Fillmore East and Eat a Peach (the best songs on the debut are all covered here, and you'll only get one new song) as well, but Gold is the best Allmans comp out there.