ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND – Brothers & Sisters – CD review

ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
Brothers & Sisters
UMC 2013

“Brothers And Sisters” is now forty years old, and as the modern world demands, here comes an extended, deluxe, multi-format edition to commemorate said event.

It was a pivotal album in the Allmans discography, the first one recorded without Duane Allman who died during the making of the previous users “Eat A Peach” and one that was only partially completed when bassist Berry Oakley died in another motorcycle accident blocks away from where Allman died.

He had only recorded his parts for three songs (‘Wasted Words’, ‘Ramblin’ Man’, and ‘Come and Go Blues’, so the Allmans drafted in Lamar Williams on bass to the new line-up, which also featured another newbie, keyboardist Chuck Leavell. With remaining guitarist Dickey Betts taking on a more prominent writing role, it saw the band shift from the blues rock of their early albums into a more mainstream / country rock direction, something that saw them have their biggest US hit single with the out and out country of ‘Ramblin’ Man’.

Their one and only US number one album, it was also the beginning of the end for the Allmans as they plummeted into self abuse, solo albums and indulgent and messy band albums. So although this isn’t the best Allmans album, it’s the last really good one from the pre-split band. The original seven track album has doubled in size with the additions of previously unreleased rehearsals of ‘Wasted Words’, ‘Trouble No More’, ‘One Way Out’, ‘I’m Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town’ and ‘Done Somebody Wrong’ alongside outtakes of ‘Southbound’, ‘Double Cross’ and ‘Early Morning Blues’, and a new archival find, worryingly called ‘A Minor Jam’.

Now bearing in mind the plethora of Allmans archival material that has already been released, it’s not surprising that these tracks are very much of the one listen, file away variety. And as for ‘A Minor Jam’, that’s exactly what it is. This is also out as a “super deluxe” four-disc edition which adds in a two disc offering of the Allman Brothers Band live in concert at the Winterland Ballroom on September 26, 1973. Over there you’re getting sixteen live performances, eleven of which are previously unreleased, and is the edition that Allmans fans will go for.

Standard edition

Super duper edition