Laid Back [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Gregg Allman | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 1, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1973
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Polydor / Umgd
• ASIN: B000001FM4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,387 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #20 in Music > Classic Rock > Southern Rock

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

By the end of 1973, the Allman Brothers Band seemed to have it all nailed down. They'd proven their mettle with a fine synthesis of blues, jazz, folk, and country influences; expanded upon it with the definitive Fillmore East set; and moved forward after the separate losses of guitarist Duane Allman and bassist Berry Oakley. The group's myriad strengths, in fact, might've been the reason that one of their most obvious gifts--Gregg Allman's pained, growling voice--was sometimes overlooked. Laid Back, Gregg Allman's first solo disc, seems in part an effort to gain a little more recognition. It worked, particularly given the strong radio response to its opening track, a loping remake of "Midnight Rider." Likewise, much of the album's remainder finds Allman tweaking the band's blues ("Queen of Hearts") and country sides (a cover of Jackson Browne's "These Days"); horns and gospelish backing vocals add to the personal, often mournful feel. Much more coherent than its dated cover art (an either childlike or blasted-out-of-his-gourd Gregg ignoring a blazing volcano) indicates, Laid Back is an often convincing version of the man's music. For Allman, it would get much, much worse before it would be this good again. --Rickey Wright

Product Description

Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) paper sleeve pressing. Universal. 2008. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Southern Blues Masterpiece, March 18, 1999

By 

Mike Lewis ([e-mail]) (Macon, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laid Back (Audio CD)

Webster's dictionary defines a masterpiece as "An artistic work done with consummate skill". Gregg's "Laid Back" certainly qualifies that definition. Almost as spectacular is the fact that this was his first solo effort. Blues imply melancholy and this album is loaded with it. What sets this music apart from others, is the cleansed feeling it gives you after it ends. It's as if you have been baptized in cool southern waters. "These Days", "Queen of Hearts", "Please Call Home", and "Multicolored Lady" are four of the best but don't miss the rest as this album has more "hits" than some artists collect in their entire career! After I first heard the lyric, "Please don't confront me with my failures, I'm aware of them" from "These Days", I have felt it typifies the mood Gregg was in and what blues was all about. This was released in 1973 but sounds as fresh today as it did then. This is the Gregg Allman I'll remember.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strongest Allman Brothers Solo Project Ever, November 6, 2001

By 

Eric R. Last "misterrockobscurities" (San Bruno, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Laid Back (Audio CD)

For Allman Brothers fans who have all the band's classic albums in their collection and are still hungry for more, or those who would like to hear some variation from the basic Allman Brothers' sound, this is the album to get. "Laid Back" is an outstanding collection of songs, imaginatively arranged and performed with passion and grace by singer/organ player Gregg. On his first solo outing Gregg strays far from the expected twin-guitar-southern-rock-blues sound, and instead offers horns, jazzy arrangements, strong hints of gospel, and even a Jackson Browne cover ("These Days"), with it all working wonderfully. His next album, "Playin' Up A Storm", is similar but not as strong. After that his solo albums became copies of the Allman Brothers Band sound.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars greg without duane, December 2, 1999

By 

Eric J. Kallberg (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Laid Back (Audio Cassette)

This was Greg's first recording without his beloved brother,Duane. There is an introspective feel to this release, as shown in a gret cover of Jackson Browne's "These Days." It is a nice departure from the southern rock Allman Brothers sound and "Queen of Hearts" will move the hardest of souls. The strings and horns show a production that Allman Brothers fans have never heard. If I were stranded on a desert island, this is one of the ten I would take with me.