In
Memory of Elizabeth Reed off of the Eat a Peach Deluxe CD from the June
27, 1971 closing of the Fillmore opens up deliciously smooth and
elegant. The band just slides into a relaxed tempo and it’s the most
refreshing version of this number I have heard. Here the band is taking
its time. The intensity slowly builds like true love making ought to
be through this excursion.
The lead work is original
and in the moment. The drums splash beautifully in the background as
Dickey drives his vision forward with the band having his back all the
way. After you play so long together you have a true sense where your
band mate is going and you are allowed to listen and get there with
them. You can really hear this in Berry’s playing and the drums, oh the
drums gently sitting in the mix right where they should be never over
powering but well heard. The rhythm section has the anchor and
counterpoint in complete subtle sympathetic syncopation.
Gregg
jumps in with short chord runs sharply leading the band. The clarity of
the mix is perfect with the organ fully heard out front and it chimes
and grooves and swaggers righteously. It sounds beautiful, fresh and
inventive....then his brother steps up....
Biting, sharp,
relentless guitar attacks funk out before sailing off and then returning
to a blistering foray all the while Butch, Jaimoe Gregg and Berry keep
the tempo locked down as we drift off into a meditative frame punctuated
by mid tone arpeggios as the band sways easily like spanish moss....and
then the gibsons get vicious, biblical with fierce clean attacks and
not overwrought then settling down again for more delicious mid tone
punctuations the entire band right there as the drum sticks come forward
just a bit then everyone builds together catching fire once more in a
tenacious drive while the overall groove stays calm and cool....(how the
fuck do you play the guitar like that) fantastic as they perpetuate the
drive forward abruptly to the drums briefly and then back to the
closing and locking it back down as they close the door on their
creation. Holy shit what’s behind that door they just opened and what
kind of force, power and vision did they tap into in that graveyard?
It's a thing of monstrous beauty whatever it is and strongly rendered.
This is a sublime ferocious and beautiful version of a seminal tune.
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed deserves its own spot in the Smithsonian
and for that reason I'm singling it out here. We all know the tune
there must be thousands of renditions but this one reads all the
passages in such a refreshing calm inventive and fierce manner. The
nuanced beginning followed by the expansive meditative dynamic giving
way to the fiery crescendos and the thundering close. It’s a standout
version at once both mellow and intense with a deep deep groove. Upon
hearing it again after so many years with fresh ears it is all too clear
while some of us have the good fortune to be totally obsessed by this
band and their music...
My
oh my this is a great shot of the original sextet working the
simultaneous groove. It looks like its Berry's turn to break out notice
where Butch's eyes are watching on Berry's hands.
I can't
over emphasis the beauty, power and velocity of talented musicians
owning their musicianship fighting the urge of ego, working together and
delivering the goods like no other.
A friend of mine asked me
to differentiate between the grateful dead and the allman brothers
after I laughed out loud (its a blotter vs mushrooms, roses vs peaches
thing) I thought for a moment. Please know I'm a veteran of decades of
both bands and I would simply state the ABB locked in more often,
stronger and together. It's degrees of variation but while the grateful
dead was more of a cosmic soup sloshing around the bowl of existence
lapping up side to side with solar flares of transcendence over heart
aching ballads and thundering reverberation following Jerry religiously
no matter what blind alley he lead them down, through or up the Allman
Brothers Band in contrast jumped on that first note like a skim boarder
ridding a wave as far as it would take them then turning and charging
after the next wave of music and consciousness shredding the lip
catching air, turning and pivoting with the waves. Tighter by necessity
the ABB driven by a freight train of rhythm, organ and bass achieved
thundering elevation immediately while the Dead meandered wobbly
floating seemingly directionless then focusing sharply in an Escher like
pattern getting there sooner or later but getting there they did.
I watched Pelicans dive for game yesterday afternoon striking their
targets, diving in directly from over head in a straight line quickly
and with acceleration hitting their targets repeatably over and over
again - the visualization of screaming marshals and stalking thundering
rhythm in a cascade of movement and righteous glorious splash reversing
gravity throwing water in the air as they submerged and reemerged
floating then taking flight again seemingly effortlessly sweeping
through the air wings fully extended only to recoil and strike again.
It was something to marvel at and behold and it looked like music to me
and felt like something heavenly
