Allman Brothers - Eat a Peach
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CD Details
Artist: Allman BrothersEdition: Music CD
Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
CD Release Date: 2004-07-13
Music Label: Island / Mercury
Soundtracks:
- Ain't Wastin' Time No More
- Les Brers in A Minor
- Melissa
- Mountain Jam [Live]
- One Way Out [Live]
- Trouble No More [Live]
- Stand Back
- Blue Sky
- Little Martha
Music reviews of Eat a Peach
Music Review: Still Sweet
Rating: 4 Stars
The Allman Brothers Band's "Eat A Peach" was a much anticipated album when it was released in February 1972, coming on the heels of their commercial breakthrough "At Fillmore East" (1971) and the November 1971 death of guitarist Duane Allman. In LP format, which came lavishly packaged and, at least in its first pressings, beautifully mastered, the four sides of this double album made a great deal of structural sense. Side one offered the 'new' ABB, in the form of three new gems recorded shortly after Duane's death. Gregg's originals, though not nececessarily written after his brother's tragic motorcycle accident, nevertheless convey the essence of the blues as deeply as Bobby Bland a decade earlier, and 'Ain't Wasting Time No More' and 'Melissa' both evoke a haunting, mournful tone thanks to some of Greg's most deeply felt vocals; Dicky Betts' nine-minute instrumental "Les Breres" smolders and catches fire much like the classic 'Elizabeth Reed' from "Idlewild South", demonstrating the new lineup retained its telepathy and vitality. Greg's classic songs and Betts' dazzling, extended intsrumental workout were proof positive that for the time at least, the ABB's inventiveness and cohesion remained intact. The second side offered the first 19 minutes of their unhurried, relaxed improvisation, inspired by Donovan's classic 'There Is A Mountain', here titled 'Mountain Jam' and taken from Fillmore shows recorded shortly after the previous year's live album. Side three blazed to yet another peak, with terrific and fascinating new material recorded before Duane's death, fleshed out by two splendid blues workouts also recorded at those Fillmore shows. Of the studio tracks, 'Stand Back' is a soulful rocker reminiscent of Delaney & Bonnie, and 'Blue Sky' is the first (and to these ears best) example of Betts' relaxed, country-inspired lyricism. The side closed with a lovely coda to the first era of the ABB, an acoustic duet between Duane and Dicky called 'Little Martha'. Finally, side four finishes off with the last 15 minutes of 'Mountain Jam'. Every CD edition of "Eat A Peach" eschews the original format, choosing instead to include all 34 minutes of 'Mountain Jam' in one uninterrupted helping. As for this new SACD, it is sonically by far the most impressive version of this album, which capture the Allmans at their peak, sonically. The sound is warm, detailed, and full. You feel the heat and sparks of a breathing entity when all band members shared a focus and goal and were listening and responding to one another. And Gregg's vocals have never sounded so full of soul. Of the three-dozen SACDs I own, only several Rolling Stones titles (issued by ABKCO in 2002, identifiable by the digipaks that house them) and Ronnie Lane/Pete Townshend's deeply moving "Rough Mix" (Hip-o) are nearly as revelatory. Nevertheless I also recommend seeking out a mint copy of the original double album, with the warm tubey sound and fabulous cover art, for though it may be a minority opinion, I find it structurally preferable: 'Mountain Jam' is not the sort of dynamic buildup 'Whipping Post' (from the Fillmore set) is; the pace is far more relaxed, and therefore having it broken up on sides two and four actually makes for a more interesting listening experience. The 34 minute CD version is simply a bit too meandering. Thus I do wish the lp format was used for at least one CD issue. Otherwise EAP is the ABB still at a peak, growing and evolving before the rot began to set in, first evident on the blockbuster 1973 followup "Brothers & Sisters" (a respectable work that nevertheless finds Greg fading into the background and the presence of Betts as the band's dominant songwriter - he was, or had become, simply too bland to carry the weight). B&S was a masterpiece, however, compared to the forced and unconvincing "Win, Lose Or Draw", after which the band broke up until their fine 1979 comeback "Enlightened Rogues". But on their fourth album, "Eat A Peach", Dicky Betts' songwriting voice - a relaxed, countryish contrast to Gregg's blues and soul intensity - is just hitting its stride, and the varied moods and textures, spread over a large canvas, make this one of the major albums of '72.
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