I love that you've done this, taken this on...especially for the young people who don't have the context and life experience of 1971, who are "discovering" this music for the first time...and it is "timeless" music and musicianship. As fresh today as it was in 1971. I was fortunate to be playing in a band with 3 brothers in the summer of 1971 when Fillmore was released. We had played our first gig as a trio that winter and then added 2 horn players (including the 3rd brother who was only 15). We were already playing some Allman material when Live came out...and that experience of the live album altered our playing and understanding of that band. We were blown away.... we had never heard a band like that. From that point on, for the next 3 years we started most nights with Statesboro and finished with Whipping Post. We were the band in our region around Hagerstown MD, just south of the Mason Dixon line...playing dives, VFWs, school dances, college gigs along Rt 40 and Rt 11 covering the Allman Bros. and other Capricorn acts, like Marshall Tucker...(we had the flute) and Wet Willie. We covered Johnny & Edgar Winter...BB King and also did Bay area horn bands like Tower of Power, Clod Blood and Santana with some Zappa thrown in. It was VERY cool for an 18 year old who had just graduated high school. Sadly we did not get to the Painters Mill gig. We never experienced Duane live. Our first big concert experience was at the Baltimore Civic Center in 1972, with the 5 piece band. At least we got to see & hear Berry...and BB King was the opening act...so he played 2nd guitar on a few tunes with Dickey. Fast forward to today and I'm now making a documentary focused on Butch's relationship with Duane and the band camp he created called Roots Rock Revival. The children of Butch, Dickey, Berry, and Lamar all participate in the camp along with Oteil who helped Butch create it. Jaimoe has attended. This road does go on forever. What's happening now is the 2nd & 3rd generations keeping the music alive and fresh and generating, mentoring new artists who appreciate these roots, who want to be working musicians...artists.
Outstanding. Thanks Mike. Fan culture, particularly fans who are also musicians. fascinates me for a lot of reasons, one because it's my life too. Did not know BB sat in with the 5-man band--one of the great, underrated eras of ABB.
Appreciate your support of this newsletter and my other efforts. #LongLiveTheABB
I think BB may have toured with them for awhile in '72. His art was right up their alley. He had a swinging big band that was a perfect warm up and put BB in front of a new largely young white audience....and to think just a few short years before that, they were covering his songs and trying to figure it out and break in. Jaimoe sat in with BB's Band, playing congas on a few tunes.
If musician fan culture is important to you, you really need to come up to Roots Rock Revival this year. It's the core of Allman playing fan culture, from 8 year olds like Taz was 10 years ago to guys in their 50's and 60's who fly over from Europe and Brazil to be a part of this magical week. Oteil is papa bear now and he had more time in the Allman bass chair than anyone. There's at least 5 of the adult children including Vaylor & Melody Trucks, Lamar Williams Jr, Berry Duane Oakley and Duane Betts....and now Amy Helm is a regular along with Graham Lesh...so it's a 2nd generation Watkins Glen happening. Text me at 443-286-1933...you can probably sell at least 50 books there.
A girl I knew turned me on to Eat a Peach in the mid 80s. I dug it and wanted to hear more, so I bought Fillmore East on cassette. Changed my life. All my friends and I were into classic rock, but they were also into hair metal. None of them were into the ABB. Played it for a bunch of them and changed their lives too. Almost 40 years later and I'm an elementary school teacher. Doing my part to keep this music alive by playing it for my students.
My awesome dad STILL has his copy of 'At Fillmore East' that he bought the week it came out. Maybe the day it came out? I'll have to ask. It's a pink label first pressing! And it still sounds incredible after all these years. I did buy him a new one to listen to so he doesn't mess up the original. I don't remember if it's a newer release or an older one, though.
He hadn't listened to it in over 20 years when I made my sister dig them out of her closet and bring them to my parents house a couple of years ago. I had to get him a new turntable, also. My sister sold his Yamaha like 10 years ago in a yard sale. She probably sold it for like $5 or $10, I'm sure.
I looked online for one to replace it because I still have his old receiver and tape deck, but they're selling for over $700 today lol! So I got him a decent Audiotechnics or whatever they are. So he's OK for now lol
>>The fade-outs have long baffled me because I know of no other live rock album that’s like this.<<
I'm pretty sure that the Dead's "Europe '72" LP is that way, and possibly some other subsequent live Dead LPs.
But no matter, I enjoyed your great piece on a great album - my first exposure was a pink-label stock copy bought at Korvette's back in 1972 or so, then in later years working in a used record store I was lucky enough to get a white-label promo copy which I still have. Worth a small fortune in the Discogs.com era.
"The Fillmore Concerts" CD box that came out in the '90s (?) was a must-have (I was excited about the color version of the famous cover photo!), but when the 'complete' (really only partly complete) set came out a few years ago I snapped that up and was amazed to learn about the whole Juicy Carter story and hear those songs with horns - fascinating and cool in way, but thank God Tom Dowd nixed that plan for the final LP!
"Fillmore East" is truly one of the greatest albums in rock history, possibly the greatest live rock album ever.
Having played it 10 million times or so, however, I have to admit that my go-to these days is the Atlanta Pop Festival 1970 recordings that came out officially quite a few years ago. Not as smooth as Fillmore East recorded a few months later, but damn what an inspired and exciting performance - with "Dreams" and "Every Hungry Woman" in particular just *killing* me every time I hear them.
I love that you've done this, taken this on...especially for the young people who don't have the context and life experience of 1971, who are "discovering" this music for the first time...and it is "timeless" music and musicianship. As fresh today as it was in 1971. I was fortunate to be playing in a band with 3 brothers in the summer of 1971 when Fillmore was released. We had played our first gig as a trio that winter and then added 2 horn players (including the 3rd brother who was only 15). We were already playing some Allman material when Live came out...and that experience of the live album altered our playing and understanding of that band. We were blown away.... we had never heard a band like that. From that point on, for the next 3 years we started most nights with Statesboro and finished with Whipping Post. We were the band in our region around Hagerstown MD, just south of the Mason Dixon line...playing dives, VFWs, school dances, college gigs along Rt 40 and Rt 11 covering the Allman Bros. and other Capricorn acts, like Marshall Tucker...(we had the flute) and Wet Willie. We covered Johnny & Edgar Winter...BB King and also did Bay area horn bands like Tower of Power, Clod Blood and Santana with some Zappa thrown in. It was VERY cool for an 18 year old who had just graduated high school. Sadly we did not get to the Painters Mill gig. We never experienced Duane live. Our first big concert experience was at the Baltimore Civic Center in 1972, with the 5 piece band. At least we got to see & hear Berry...and BB King was the opening act...so he played 2nd guitar on a few tunes with Dickey. Fast forward to today and I'm now making a documentary focused on Butch's relationship with Duane and the band camp he created called Roots Rock Revival. The children of Butch, Dickey, Berry, and Lamar all participate in the camp along with Oteil who helped Butch create it. Jaimoe has attended. This road does go on forever. What's happening now is the 2nd & 3rd generations keeping the music alive and fresh and generating, mentoring new artists who appreciate these roots, who want to be working musicians...artists.
Thanks for your work and this forum.
Outstanding. Thanks Mike. Fan culture, particularly fans who are also musicians. fascinates me for a lot of reasons, one because it's my life too. Did not know BB sat in with the 5-man band--one of the great, underrated eras of ABB.
Appreciate your support of this newsletter and my other efforts. #LongLiveTheABB
I think BB may have toured with them for awhile in '72. His art was right up their alley. He had a swinging big band that was a perfect warm up and put BB in front of a new largely young white audience....and to think just a few short years before that, they were covering his songs and trying to figure it out and break in. Jaimoe sat in with BB's Band, playing congas on a few tunes.
If musician fan culture is important to you, you really need to come up to Roots Rock Revival this year. It's the core of Allman playing fan culture, from 8 year olds like Taz was 10 years ago to guys in their 50's and 60's who fly over from Europe and Brazil to be a part of this magical week. Oteil is papa bear now and he had more time in the Allman bass chair than anyone. There's at least 5 of the adult children including Vaylor & Melody Trucks, Lamar Williams Jr, Berry Duane Oakley and Duane Betts....and now Amy Helm is a regular along with Graham Lesh...so it's a 2nd generation Watkins Glen happening. Text me at 443-286-1933...you can probably sell at least 50 books there.
Bob, Michael Price wants to talk with you. Check out FB message
A girl I knew turned me on to Eat a Peach in the mid 80s. I dug it and wanted to hear more, so I bought Fillmore East on cassette. Changed my life. All my friends and I were into classic rock, but they were also into hair metal. None of them were into the ABB. Played it for a bunch of them and changed their lives too. Almost 40 years later and I'm an elementary school teacher. Doing my part to keep this music alive by playing it for my students.
outstanding. good work on behalf of the youth (on all levels). #musicislove
My awesome dad STILL has his copy of 'At Fillmore East' that he bought the week it came out. Maybe the day it came out? I'll have to ask. It's a pink label first pressing! And it still sounds incredible after all these years. I did buy him a new one to listen to so he doesn't mess up the original. I don't remember if it's a newer release or an older one, though.
He hadn't listened to it in over 20 years when I made my sister dig them out of her closet and bring them to my parents house a couple of years ago. I had to get him a new turntable, also. My sister sold his Yamaha like 10 years ago in a yard sale. She probably sold it for like $5 or $10, I'm sure.
I looked online for one to replace it because I still have his old receiver and tape deck, but they're selling for over $700 today lol! So I got him a decent Audiotechnics or whatever they are. So he's OK for now lol
that’s outstanding. I bought a pink label in the early 2000s, when I didn’t even have a turntable set up.
>>The fade-outs have long baffled me because I know of no other live rock album that’s like this.<<
I'm pretty sure that the Dead's "Europe '72" LP is that way, and possibly some other subsequent live Dead LPs.
But no matter, I enjoyed your great piece on a great album - my first exposure was a pink-label stock copy bought at Korvette's back in 1972 or so, then in later years working in a used record store I was lucky enough to get a white-label promo copy which I still have. Worth a small fortune in the Discogs.com era.
"The Fillmore Concerts" CD box that came out in the '90s (?) was a must-have (I was excited about the color version of the famous cover photo!), but when the 'complete' (really only partly complete) set came out a few years ago I snapped that up and was amazed to learn about the whole Juicy Carter story and hear those songs with horns - fascinating and cool in way, but thank God Tom Dowd nixed that plan for the final LP!
"Fillmore East" is truly one of the greatest albums in rock history, possibly the greatest live rock album ever.
Having played it 10 million times or so, however, I have to admit that my go-to these days is the Atlanta Pop Festival 1970 recordings that came out officially quite a few years ago. Not as smooth as Fillmore East recorded a few months later, but damn what an inspired and exciting performance - with "Dreams" and "Every Hungry Woman" in particular just *killing* me every time I hear them.