DaveF wrote:cybot wrote:
That looks interesting Dermot. How does it compare to Filmore East?
Read the little story below and see what you think. The vinyl copy I have is a bootleg and the whole concert is spread over three sides of white (!!) vinyl. It was recorded the same year as the Fillmore gigs and it's the raw sound of a band in the first exciting flush of improv. Personally speaking I love the album and I would definitely recommend it to any Allman fan....as long as you don't mind sitting through almost 30 minutes of the Mountain jam :-) BTW I only found out last night that Donovan wrote the original version of that song!
Edit: Luckily my copy contains a side long Elizabeth Reed which is
not on the cd...
A little story :
Allman Brothers Band - Live at Ludlow Garage 1970
Many years ago, a classmate gave me a bootleg cassette tape of an Allman Brothers concert. It was a Duane-era concert, complete with amp buzz, stage banter and audience noise. He did not know where it came from, what year it was recorded or anything else about it.
I enjoyed the tape, even with its tape hiss and dropout. Years later, I came across the Live at Ludlow concert from 1970. I quickly bought the CD, as I do with any Allman release, and discovered that the tape I had was this concert. Finally, I could hear the concert it its entirety.
This concert is a great representation of the band as they were evolving and was just one of many concerts they played that year. Here is a link to the concert schedule back then. It was brutal by any standards.
Some of the playing is raw, and they make a few mistakes here and there – all par for the course for a band that improvises much of their solos. That is one of the many reasons I love this band. They never were afraid to put themselves out there, to explore a new path on a song in front of an audience. Duane sometimes worked a mistake into the song, taking it in new directions.
The concert has an extended version of Statesboro Blues, with a quick jam after the last verse. Mountain Jam is there in all its glory. It seems like they were just working this song out and experimenting with it. Barry Oakley gives a great effort with Hoochie Coochie Man, on a rare live recording of his singing. Dreams is also represented, a song not included on the Fillmore East concert. I do recall my original tape had Elizabeth Reed on it – the CD does not. I have long since lost my tape, though.
There are a number of ABB concerts from this time period that are finding their way out to the public. Here are a few other official releases. LINK There are many other concerts out there, but are only available for trading, as they were recorded by audience members and are traded among other tapers. The ABB did not mind recording back then.
I will be getting a few of the new, Duane-era concert releases for Christmas and am really looking forward to hearing them. Even thought the songs are essentially the same as the Fillmore concert, each one is different as they improvised much of the solos.