Product Description Recorded live at State University of New York on 9/19/71, just six weeks prior to Duane Allman s untimely accidental death, this 2-CD set contains the only known quality live performance of Duane on Blue Sky , one of the pillars of the Brother s catalog.The crowd that day at SUNY witnessed a band that was at the absolute height of spontaneous creativity, with music that ranged from loose, free-flowing jazz-like improvisation to whiskey-soaked blues, country swing to full blown rock - all of it delivered with a furious, right on the edge intensity. The band truly played as they lived, and lived as they played. With Duane Allman's searing slide and lead lines, the melodic brilliance of Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley playing bass like a third guitar, Gregg Allman's distinct vocals and soothing B-3, and the dual syncopated drumming of Jaimoe and Butch Trucks, the sum total of the Allman Brothers Band was greater than the considerable talents of its individual parts. Five weeks later, while the band was back home in Macon, Georgia, 24 year old Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle crash. His death on October 29th, 1971, cost rock music of one its greatest masters, while the Allman Brothers Band lost their founder and cornerstone. Although they would carry on and actually achieve their greatest commercial success without Duane, Stonybrook 9/19/71 features the Allman Brothers Band at their musical zenith before the circle was tragically broken. Review Unlike the Grateful Dead, their obvious and acknowledged model for reissuing vintage live recordings, the Allman Brothers Band has not shied away from exploring their early work in an attempt to demonstrate that they were as good in 1980 and 1990 as they were in 1970. On the contrary, in such archival releases as 1991's Live at Ludlow Garage: 1970 (Polydor), 1996's Fillmore East, February 1970 (Grateful Dead), and the first release from their own Allman Brothers Band Recording Company, 2002's American University 12/13/70, the Allmans have made a point of sticking to their early years when the original band, led by slide guitarist Duane Allman, was still intact. Their purpose, as band members said in a front-page article in Billboard in April 2002 that announced the formation of their record company, is to demonstrate Duane Allman's prowess. This album, recorded a scant five weeks before the guitarist's death, furthers this goal. Annotator John Lynskey acknowledges that, also unlike the Dead, the Allmans did not vary their set list very much. 'The Allman Brothers might have played the same songs night after night' he admits, 'but they were never played the same way twice.' The album, which compiles material from two shows on the same night, backs up his assertion. The titles may be familiar, but the jamming is not, as the band explores different ways to approach the songs, including one that is still in development. 'Blue Sky', which would not appear on record until the group's next album, 'Eat a Peach', gets an 11-minute treatment that is a showcase for Duane Allman and Dickey Betts' guitar interaction. Six months after the legendary shows that produced their signature recording, At Fillmore East, and just before they changed forever with Duane Allman's death, this is the sound of the Allman Brothers Band at their peak. --Allmusic.com
S**G
ANY DUANE IS GOOD DUANE
What an absolute gem. You know the music is good when you get goosebumps and the hair stands up on the back of your neck - this will do it for you - especially BlueSky - prolly the first time it was performed live. It is totally unedited so you get an other-worldly feeling that you are in the audience at Stonybrook. While Fillmore East is a masterpiece, it is also highly edited so you dont get alot of Duane`s banter between songs or guys tuning their instruments and thus the feeling of `being there` is somewhat lost. Even the flubbed rhythm sequence in Stormy Monday is OK cause it`s real. I will take REAL music with all its warts instead of overdubbed crap any day. I want music from the soul not synthesized notes generated from an editing machine..... Stonybrook delivers big time.In the liner notes the technicians apologize for the sound quality of the CD since the original tape deteriorated a little over the years. No apology is necessary man. What you guys have done is allowed music lovers one more rare listen to one of the greatest bands ever... and right at their peak. If you guys are sitting on anything remotely as good as this PLEASE go ahead and let the music live on again!I was always a sort of casual ABB fan even after wearing out my sister`s Fillmore East LP back in the 70s. But just recently I have been researching the band heavily - especially Duane - and now I have a newfound appreciation of just how talented these guys were at blending blues, jazz, and rock. BTW, if you havent read Skydog the biography go ahead and get a copy. It is one of the best books I ever read on any subject and especially gives you insight into the music industry back in the glory days. You know, I was sitting in my backyard just starting to read this book one day this summer, and after about the first chapter or two I look up and there is a most beautiful rainbow reaching across the sky. Right then and there I knew it was Duane making it happen. He was an incredibly beautiful human being and a genius when you get right down to it.Anyway, get this CD... you wont be dissapointed.
A**Y
This is what great sounds like
Allman Bros. live at the Fillmore East shows a band on the cusp of greatness! With these two discs they display greatness at its finest! Just 5 weeks before Duane's untimely death these discs put The Allman Brothers Band as the top American group at this time! The 20 minute version of Dreams is Duane's finest guitar work on record and Gregg is branching out with some Electric Piano! The sky was the limit for this group until the sky cried. A must for all ABB fans
L**B
Excellent cd!
Love this set! Don't worry about complaints of sound. It's not that bad + it a great show. I plan on getting all of these shows. Haven't heard a bad one yet. I'm just thankful they are releasing them.
T**T
When the Brothers Were at the Top
The night before this recording I was lucky enough to have seen the Allman Brothers in Dayton, OH at Hara Arena. I was 19. Still the best concert I've ever been to and I've been to a boatload. To say the band was tight would be an understatement. They were at the peak of their game. One can only wonder with a heavy heart what would have been had Duane and Barry stayed with us. I've heard two cuts from this recording, Blue Sky and Dreams, that are part of the Skydog Duane Allman Retrospective. For me and my nostalgia it's fantastic that this Stoney Brook concert was captured. If you are an ABB lover and curious about how the band was sounding just prior to Dune's untimely death this should be part of your collection. Still the best.
P**Y
Good, not great
Let's face it, there's far too little Duane-era Allmans material available, so anything is better than nothing. And this set is definitely worth a listen. There's an excellent version of Blue Sky, by far the best live version available. And the other performances of classic tunes are all good. But while it's worth hearing at least once, you may be disappointed unless you're a serious fan.First, the sound quality of the first three or four numbers is poor--I'd give it C+. I love Don't Keep Me Wonderin' but it's just hard to listen to, unless you're happy to listen to the most degraded cassettes of any show you can get your hands on (and if you are, this is essential). The quality does improve after that, to B+, for the rest of the show.Second, if you're hoping this show is at the same level as the Fillmore East shows six months earlier, stop right here. It just isn't. Those shows were their recorded peak, with everyone at the top of his game, and with pristine sound quality. With the obvious exception of Blue Sky, which isn't available in any other really good live version, and possibly Dreams, every tune here is available in a better version either in the Fillmore shows or elsewhere. So after you've heard Duane's transcendent Elizabeth Reed solo in the Fillmore version, you may be a little disappointed with this one--again, unless you feel that any Duane is good enough to own. Personally, I'd rather listen to his best stuff over and over again than listen to the OK stuff. Just know what kind of fan you are before you buy.
D**O
Great cd
Outstanding. Beyond outstanding.
F**E
archive heaven
A fantastic archive release from the Allmans' own label, this is one of their greatest available live performances and strongly recommended to anyone who likes At Fillmore East . However, these are soundboard recordings on 2-track 1/4 inch tape so the sound is not quite in the same league. The opening Statesboro Blues starts off sounding quite rough in fact, but within less than a half a minute the sound has improved considerably and by the fourth track you'd have to be fairly picky to complain much, given the quality of the performance. The only real criticism once they've sorted the sound out is that the drums - bizarrely for a band with two drummers - are way too low in the mix throughout. The guitars, on the other hand, are loud and clear. In terms of content, the entire first disc (with the exception of a fine early version of Dickey Betts's Blue Sky, a very rare recording of a live performance featuring Duane Allman) is blues. Apart from You Don't Love Me, which starts well and has some other good sections but gets over-noodly where the rhythm section drops out, it's dazzling stuff, the sound of the whole band on inspired form stretching out in the confident knowledge that everyone else has their back; the guitar duelling between Duane and Dickey Betts is frequently stunning. In the middle of the first disc, Done Somebody Wrong and a blistering One Way Out are particularly fine. The shorter second disc features just two tracks, an amazing Duane slide fest on Dreams and a consistently inspired In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed. In contrast to You Don't Love Me, these emphatically don't outlive their welcome over their respective 19 minutes - not only does the soloing remain inspirational throughout but they keep focused on the song and don't lose their shape. In the absence of a track list, here are the contents:Disc 1Statesboro Blues (4:16)Trouble No More (4:00)Don't Keep Me Wondering (3:47)Done Somebody Wrong (3:54)One Way Out (5:08)Blue Sky (11:26)Stormy Monday (8:53)You Don't Love Me (25:47)Disc 2Dreams (19:37)In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed (19:43)This album showcases the original Allmans line-up at the peak of their powers, less than 6 weeks before Duane's death. No doubt the drug issues partly responsible for their decline over the next few years would still have been present had Duane and Berry Oakley survived, but on the evidence here (and, to be fair, on nearly all the original band's recordings) there's also no question that we tragically lost two great musicians and a potential heap of great music. I've marked it down a star for the bootleg sound quality (the better parts probably rate 7/10; the first 30 seconds of Statesboro Blues perhaps 4 or 5) but any fan of the original Allmans should just be thankful we have this recording at all and the vast majority of it is very far from a chore to listen to. At Fillmore East
M**L
Four Stars
Very good
R**D
Collectors Item
Sound quality is far from the best, but if like me you are a big fan you'll love this one. All the ABB classics but quite different versions of the songs in many cases. Duane sounds terrific!
M**D
Five Stars
Great cd came on time Skydog at his peak
O**S
Amazing Show!!
Fantastic show, worth the price alone for "blue sky" played live, sad to think duane was gone a month after this, these guys really could rock like no others in their original line up:)
