Allman Brothers Band - Dickey Betts

 

Music is a serious business - the artist gets trampled by promoters, labels, distributors, collaborators, venues, managers, lawyers, contracts, producers, sound engineers and a lot of palms have gotta be greased. To attain a level of success you have to be mightily determined. The road in and of itself is relentless, the press and life style will shave decades of your life and the fans can become a serious problem.

There is a flip side in and of itself but the rivers to cross to get to those moments of magic and creation where the music takes you "Back Where It All Begins" are treacherous.

Of all the pictures out there I have seen of Richard this one speaks to me loudly and encapsulates the man most completely. He was as serious as a heart attack when it came to his craft, and music. And we the listeners are the better for it because of his tenacity, virtuosity and spirit.

Live on Brother in the heavens now bathed in light melody and soul. Thank you! Your music lifted our spirits and stomped our feet. It was an honor to play your music over the air. It was a helluva lot of fun going to your shows.

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"Back Where It All Begins"

Songwriter: Dickey Betts / Forest Richard Betts

Say you want to be a rolling stone

Get your sail out in the wind

Get out on the highway and let 'er roll on Roll on back to someplace you ain't never been Hey, hey

When I was younger I was hard to hold

Seem like I was always goin'

Which ever way the wind would blow

Now that travelin' spirit calls me again

Callin' me back to where it all begins

Moon rise and sun go down

Turn my whole world around

Little star up in the sky

Tell my sweet baby please don't cry

Please don't cry

[SOLO]

Moon rise and sun go down

Turn my whole world around

Little star up in the sky

Tell my sweet baby please don't cry

Please don't cry

Travel out across the burnin' sand

Cross the ocean to some distant land

We'll reach the end we'll all be singin'

and we'll all be friends

Back where it all begins

Back where it all begins

Allman Brothers Eat A Peach - Deluxe Edition Appreciation

Eat a Peach - the Deluxe Edition with the second disc devoted to the closing of the Fillmore in June is a freakin' tour de force. Scorching through the stratosphere Hot Lanta is just fantastic. The mix is stellar and I've been listening to it on crappy car and desk top speakers as well as my treasured Polks. Berry is clearly heard and of course the tone of the guitars is so vintage, biting, just the right amount of fuzz not overwhelming to distort the true tone of the notes just scorching. The twin drums are settled in so nicely and everything is heard with the Hammond B-3 building slowly to a crescendo and then punctuating the soul groove.

The way the band and Berry jump out on Whipping Post is serious. Whether it’s my imagination or not it sure sounds up tempo to me. Berry is more than ready to bring it and it feels like he catches the band by surprise as he furiously launches into the opening... so great to hear and it’s a pace that doesn't let up.... as the boys just go with it - oh my the little touches on the guitar twin attack. I have to stop myself right now or I'll spend the next twenty minutes celebrating every note, turn, phrase, sound and riff just beautifully rendered together. I mean the tone of that band and tighter than tight. Gregg’s vocals are heard beautifully just right above the mix.

When they slow it down you can hear that B-3 just stalking the band the chords sustaining like wind through your hair. Their gentle segues arrive tear inducing as they reach for the heavens follow. If you don't get a lump in your throat you don’t know how to listen to music.

Get Eat a Peach back out and it will seduce you with its magic so passionately. I’m so happy that it was captured in real time for all time just a blistering messianic journey to the soul of creation.

It's mind boggling how a band can sound this excellent, the drive and the power, the determination. Music wasn't a distraction it was a mission.

Stand Back I’m laser locked on that tune the way it jumps out and grabs you with that riff. The Allman Brothers knew what they were doing and the lyrics “a dagger in my back while she's calling me honey" just fantastic. Look a lot has been written about the jazz influence on the ABB - granted – and it’s all good and true but don’t forget the funk. They can authentically bring that swing and swagger just funkin, funktastic. Funkified freaks every funkin where they funkin can the ABB throw that groove at a very righteous magnitude with Berry and Butch as far into the pocket with Gregg grinding the soul foundation and Jaimoe painting over the top.

“Hey have you seen my copy of Eat a Peach” wait I can hear it blaring upstairs in my sisters room. As I open the door Amy and her friends are moving to Les Brers as if their lives depended on it – “just don’t scratch it” as the door slams back in my face.