Customer Reviews

One Way Out

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the same show captured so well on the LIVE AT THE BEACON THEATRE DVD (March 25-26, 2003). (That, by the way, is an excellent 5 star production showing a serious and renewed ABB, including bonus interviews with them all that reveal them at the peak of their careers). What the DVD interviews allude to, but is never spelled out very clearly, is that these are different versions of the songs recorded on the DVD. I'm not sure if they all are, but on casual listening they do sound different. And four songs on this CD are not on the DVD ("Trouble No More", "Wasted Words", "Every Hungry Woman" & "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl"), as well as ten songs appear on the DVD but not here, (ironically "One Way Out" appears as the encore on the DVD but doesn't even make it onto this CD to be the title track!). So there is plenty of reason to get BOTH the CD and DVD versions of this great show.

Obviously, my first impressions of this CD are influenced by having watched the DVD first, but the experience of only hearing them play here is if anything more intense (or is it just that the versions included here are more intense?!)

Needless to say the Allman Bros are hot here, a renewed, inspired and sober bunch of masterful musicians. Gregg's vocals sometimes come across a bit thin (miking or mix?), but his playing is delicate and strong, the percussion/drumming from the trio of Jaimo, Butch and Marc is tight, strong, playful and tasteful, the funky fluid bass playing from Oteil comes across more clearly here than in the DVD (perhaps because that showed him very little). Then there are the guitars..... on the DVD the visually dominant Warren takes center stage but shares the leads with obvious delight with the young and able Trucks, here his presence is less obvious (more blended?), and it is the guitar of the visually subdued Derek that jumps out of the mix and really tears it up. It's like he's jamming on a chain saw! (Can the 13 minute "Desdemona" get any hotter?!) The intensity of the tag team and shared leads is a beautiful thing.

This was a magical set of shows. I'm just happy to see and hear the Brothers back in top form and having the time of their lives playing for us (and each other and themselves...).

Could there possibly be a reason for another live Allman Brothers release? The answer to that question is "absolutely"! Springtime at the Beacon Theatre is an annual ritual and "One Way Out" catches them on fire. I can't say enough about the guitar tandem of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. A lot of bands can't claim even one guitarist who can match Haynes and Trucks lick for lick. The best reason for buying this album is the live versions of the "Hittin The Note" material. "Desdemona" and "Instrumental Illness" stand out in particular. Dip your hands in your pockets and shell out the coins for this one. It'll prove to you that the Allman Brothers are still one of the greatest American bands.

Last summer the ABB had some extra "instant live" CD's from their summer tour, which they sold through their website. I got 4, so I knew how hot this current incarnation of the band is. In spite of that, this collection still blew me away. This is as close to "Live at Fillmore East" as any live recording any subsequent version of the ABB has ever put out. Its not as good as LAFE, but it would be about impossible to be that good. But this is very good stuff here.

The chemistry between Warren and Derek right now is very similar to Duane and Dickey. This is probably my favorite all time version of Dreams, and this is my second favorite "Whipping Post", after the Fillmore East version.

The rythmn section of Butch, Jaimo, and Marc has never sounded better. Just an awesome, rolling, undulating sea of rythmn providing a foundation for Warren and Dereks lead guitar improvisations. Derek is the closest thing to Duane on slide that the world has seen since Duane passed, and Warren is spectacular.

Greggs vocals have never sounded better, and the new material from the last few years is right up there with the Allmans classics of old.

This current group still has a touch of the country sound now and then that they had with Dickey, but not as much.(On this album: "Old Before My Time" and "High Cost of Low Living", "Midnight Rider", "Come and Go Blues") That might be a drawback to a die hard Dickey fan, but the band now has actually gone back to the original sound of the group, prior to "Brothers and Sisters" when Dickey really came to the forefront as a songwriter and singer.

As far as latter-day live Allman Brothers Band is concerned, "One Way Out" isn't really better than the two excellent 90s releases "An Evening With The Allman Brothers Band" and "An Evening With The Allman Brothers Band - Second Set", and the vast majority of these 18 songs have been available live for many years.

So, this is really redundant, right?
Well, no, actually. I wasn't too impressed with the Allmans' previous live album from the Beacon Theatre, 2000's "Peakin' At The Beacon", but this one is a lot better. A 2½ hour set of 18 sizzling songs, better playing, and a much stronger and more relevant track list makes "One Way Out" a really fine addition to the legacy of the Allman Brothers Band.

I mean, so what if it's their 14th official live release? This album contains excellent, fresh and urgent renditions of songs like "Woman Across The River", "Ain't Wastin' Time No More", "Trouble No More", and "Midnight Rider". A scorching "Statesboro Blues" which grooves along on Gregg Allman's rollicking blues-n-boogie piano. Gregg Allman's intensely personal ballad "Old Before My Time". A fiery, nine-minute take on Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little School Girl". And a sublime slower-than-usual "Wasted Words" which swaggers along in a deep, deep, bluesy groove. You just can't get too much of stuff like that!

Yes, Gregg Allman's vocals are either a little bit worn or slightly too low in the mix on a couple of songs, but that's a very minor quibble, and the dual lead guitar onslaught of Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes is pure liquid fire. It's a shame that they didn't include the excellent rocker "Maydell" or the beautiful acoustic "Melissa" which were both part of the set list, but you can hear (and see) those on the originally titled 2003 DVD release "Live At The Beacon Theater". This is not exactly better than the Fillmore tapes, or the Atlanta Pop Festival recordings, but it is a terrific set in its own right, one which fans of the band will not want to miss.
4 1/2 stars - highly recommended!

"One Way Out" is a flat out inspired album. Their summer tours are always great, but nothing matches the intensity of the band when it plays in the intimate Beacon Theater, and unlike their "Peakin' at the Beacon" which was a poor snapshot of their live prowess, "One Way Out" showcases the band at its best--soaring guitar solos, brilliant call and answer sessions between Derek and Warren, and a driving rhythm section that pulls it all together in perfect harmony. There isn't a song in the set that disappoints, and it includes absolutely stunning versions of "Wasted Words," "Instrumental Illness," and one of the best takes of "Whipping Post" I've heard in recent years--Warren's solo is flat out transcendent. While it's hard to picture the Allman Brothers Band without Dickey Betts, the new lineup features a great Rock/Blues sound that soars to great heights, redefining the band and showcasing the band's talent and virtuosity. This is a must own for any Allman Brothers fan. I highly recommend it.

Well, no. The current Allman Brothers lineup can't be said to outdo the original band. But the performances and the new material recorded here by the current ABB are so fantastic that it seriously raises the question. I do think today's Allmans are as good as Duane's band was, and this disk is to my ears the best demonstration of that fact.

After Duane Allman died in '71, and Berry Oakley in '72, the original band understandably lost more than a bit of the magic that it had in it by the time of the Fillmore East album. And it was exactly at that time in rock history that the old days of the great bands living gig to gig had finally ended: just after the deaths of Duane and Berry, the ABB entered into the age of multi-million dollar stadium concert tours (yes, Elvis and the Beatles had been there before, but it wasn't until the early 70s that the entertainment industry figured out how to make that into the norm). So Gregg alienated himself from the rest of the group, going on a star trip and maintaining an absolutely staggering intake of drugs and alcohol (why is it that Keith Richards gets all the credit for that?), the band's formerly VERY high standards collapsed, and the Brothers broke up by '76. They attempted to reform the band for a few years at around the start of the 80s, but the effort was basically a failure. Then in '89 they tried it again, and musically speaking things worked reasonably well through the 90s (though they probably didn't attain even to half of what the Fillmore East band had been capable of). As the 90s drew to a close, though, a great deal of animosity had developed between Dickey Betts and the other band members. Anyone who saw their shows from those days will remember it: they didn't smile on stage, they seemed stiff and uncomfortable playing with each other, Betts seemed a mean, angry taskmaster. And so, in a real heartbreaker for Allmans fans, they fired Dickey Betts (not exactly, but de facto that's what happened) in '00. Derek Trucks took his place, rounding out the band's current roster. With Betts gone the Brothers had a workable personal environment again, Gregg had sobered up by that time, and as a result of all this the music started to get steadily better and better, to the point that by around '03, the old band's magic began to shine again. They released Hittin' the Note, the studio album that provides the new material for this live show, in March of that year, and recorded this show during the Beacon run in March of '04.

I still think that the original band, at its very, very best, could still just barely outdo the current Allman Brothers. When a thing is being created for the first time there can be a spark of magic in it that can't be duplicated later, after it's become something to maintain; the work becomes less creative, more derivative. But we're talking about a narrow margin. If Rockin' Horse isn't quite the tune that Blue Sky was, if Instrumental Illness isn't quite the jam that Mountain Jam was back at the Fillmore, then they only just miss that mark. One Way Out is absolutely magnificent, and I will tell you without apology that no other rock band has ever come within shouting distance of it in this kind of music.

I have seen the original ABB, and Derek Trucks is the closest thing to Duane Allman, since, Duane. I think I am listening to the original lineup sometimes on this great live record. (Boy, that dates me). But this rock and roll is timeless, and no matter how old the songs, these versions really move. The band has great energy and sounds eternal again. Great licks,inspired jamming, what more could you want from any rock group. These guys are musicians, not dancers, and I love it, and I just cannot get enough of it. Give me more!

One Way Out is 2 cd live set from the Allman Brothers Band's run during March 2003 at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. Since the Beacon Theatre is one of the band's favorite venues, it is not surprising that the new live set sounds inspired. Derek Trucks has replaced Dickey Betts in the band but they show no decline in performance. He sounds at times like dare I say Duane Allman. The two disk set mixes favorites and forgotten gems with songs from their newest album "Hittin' The Note" (recommended) and a couple of tracks from guitarist Warren Haynes' other band Gov't Mule. The first disk features old favorites like opener "Statesboro Blues" and "Midnight Rider" and "Trouble No More" with an epic version of "Instrumental Illness" from their new album. The guitars of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks weave in an out just like the days of old. The first disk also contains "Rockin" Horse" from Gov't Mule, a new cover of "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" and a long "Desdemona" Perhaps the biggest surprise is the jazzier version of "Wasted Words". The second disk contains chestnuts like Ain't Wastin' Time No More", "Dreams" and of course a rousing version of "Whippin' Post". Also included is version of one of my favorite underrated gems "Come And Go Blues", Freddy King's "Woman Across The River" and the great "Worried Down With The Blues" with Warren Haynes on vocals. The rhythm section of Jamie and Butch Trucks along with Marc Quinones and Oteil Burbridge is excellent as usual with a balance between power and finesse. Gregg's voice sounds bluesy and emotional throughout.

While the set is excellent, the band has also released a DVD of the concert Live At The Beacon Theatre which contains 8 additional songs not included on this set. The band omitted a cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's "One Way Out" for which the set is named. It appears on the DVD set along with one of my personal favorites "Leave My Blues At Home" and "Maydell" a favorite from the new album. There were not many new tunes on the set. The band has been performing covers of "Layla", and "Who's Been Talking" in concert along with the Rolling Stones' "Heart Of Stone" from "Hittin' The Note" which were not included. It would also be nice to have new versions of "Mountain Jam", "Hot 'Lanta" and the reworked "You Don't Love Me." I am hoping they will issue second volume of live highlights from the tour that will contain some of these songs. Until then, buy this disk you won't regret it!

It is a tradition for me (and hundreds of others) every March to take the 2 or 3 train up to Broadway and 74th Street for the annual Beacon run of the Allman Brothers Band. As ticket prices are getting so expensive nowadays, I only catch one or two shows. No matter how many shows I see per run, I am guaranteed a great show, full of energy and great jams. The Beacon Theatre is the ultimate Allmans experience, and there is so much energy in that room each nite. With the light show, one feels like they are sitting inside Bill Graham's Fillmore East like it was March 1971 again. Therefore, it was most necessary that a live album would emerge from these Beacon runs. The first came out in 2000 and was called PEAKIN AT THE BEACON....the final disc with Dickey Betts on guitar. While there were many good songs on that particular album, the sound was not spectacular and there were a lot of songs missing that could have been included. However, there isn't much one can do on just one CD.
Four years later, the new Beacon album ONE WAY OUT came out. This is a double CD and there is room for plenty of tunes. The sound is amazing, much better than the '00 release. Finally, we get an updated version of STATESBORO BLUES, everybody's favorite concert opener. The new version is very spirited even though it gets played at 90% of the shows the Allmans do. They must be real sick of this song!! Several of the new tunes are sung by Warren Haynes, who has contributed so much to the Allman Brothers Band these days including guitar, vocals and production. This man can sing and he does wonders with that guitar!! Honorable mention goes to Derek Trucks, one of the best young guitarists of the 2000's. Gregg's vocals are obviously strained these days due to countless years of singing and tobacco usage.

The biggest quibble with this otherwise fine live album is the song selection. Yes, ONE WAY OUT, the namesake is NOT on the album!! They should have included it. Instead, they have AIN'T WASTING TIME NO MORE and EVERY HUNGRY WOMEN. Both of these are on the PEAKIN' disc. This redundancy is a problem because ONE WAY OUT would have served the album better. YOU DON'T LOVE ME would have also been a nice inclusion since the Allmans play a rearranged version onstage. In addition, I think the album art is quite poor...there are no pictures of the band at all.
I still recommend the album as the sound quality is magnificent, and the playing is hot.

In the late summer of 1971, I freshly arrived to my first year of college. The days were hot and humid as the Midwest usually is and the nights provided little relief. A fellow freshmen saw my slender record collection and asked if I might take an album he bought and didn't like off his hands. That is how I first met the Allman Brothers. Like most, I knew nothing about them except their hot guitarist recently was killed in a motorcycle accident. I put the record on my little stereo my mother gave me for my graduation and couldn't believe my good fortune. For just two dollars a whole new world opened to me. I always wondered if my friend down the hall came to regret selling me THE ALLMAN BROTHERS AT FILLMORE EAST.

Say what you will about later years; but The Allman Brothers Band in the early seventies were white hot. With the additional releases of EAT A PEACH and BROTHERS AND SISTERS, a whole generation came to dream of hitting the road, singing the blues and playing a sharp guitar. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS AT FILLMORE EAST became an instant classic against which all other "live" albums were measured. So good was THE ALLMAN BROTHERS AT FILLMORE EAST that it has been reissued in several different versions-each one claiming to be a more complete encounter of that golden night. Unfortunately drug busts, record label disputes and infighting among the members of the group destroyed the band. The Allman Brothers Band became a pale imitation of itself and a shame to watch.

Then in 1990 the band came back on fire. They released a wonderful series of CDs that went against the grain of the times. They stood battle-hardened and tall. But the question always lurked: did they measure up to THE ALLMAN BROTHERS AT FILLMORE EAST? This question especially insisted itself with any "live" recording the band would issue.

So how does ONE WAY OUT fare? Naturally, it is not as good as the ghost that haunts it. So let's just accept that as a given. You get the impression that perhaps the band made ONE WAY OUT as a 21st century companion to the Fillmore album. But wisely ONE WAY OUT shares only two songs with that classic concert. The balance of the album depends heavily on their early material and a healthy helping from HITTIN' THE NOTE (a superior CD in itself).

I was surprised how well songs from such different eras blended so well together on this CD. Gregg Allman's voice does not sound as powerful as in his youth but is more weathered, deep and whiskey soaked. Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes are high caliber guitarists in their own right and their playing is both faithful and frequently inspired. But they cannot compete with the absence of Dickey Betts and the ghost of Duane Allman. Such a comparison is unfair but it is also true. And this truth is going to ruin this album for many.

ONE WAY ONE is not like the album I sweated out many a hot night in 1971. Our robust youth has not endured well against events that were to come. But the Allman Brothers did endure. Most of our rock heroes have long gave up the game and became financial advisors or chiropractors. Many of our current "stars" are embarrassments as human beings who will also go on to become our financial gurus and construction contractors in the near future. The members of the Allman Brothers know something about being embarrassments and the highs and lows of fame. They are also the last of a breed in which the music really was all that mattered. They don't have a fancy show with dancers and fireworks. They don't appear on the pages of People Magazine as fashion plates and they don't try to sell you an overpriced pair of sneakers. What they do is play music they live and know about. They love the blues and have something to say. ONE WAY ONE is an excellent album that will shock you back to your senses like a stiff shot of whiskey after a bewildering day.