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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Vol 36 No. 12. 6 June 1973

"Anthology":

"Anthology":

This Anthology tries to put Duane Allman's career into perspective by assembling a wider range of performances encompassing four years of music. Most of the material consists of his work in earlier years as a session guitarist backing many different artists and the remainder features Duane playing with his own band. The Allman Brothers, with whom he was still performing at the time he crashed his motor-cycle into a truck late in 1971.

Back in 1968 Duane was playing with his brother Gregg in a group tailed 'Hourglass' which sounds like one more the dozens of white 'Blues' bands around at that time. Predictably their contritbution on this first side is a "B.B. King Medly" and although its the Same old 12-bar routine, Duane's uniting playing style is distinguishable even at this early stage.

Wilson Pickett covered 'Hey Jude' and his 'soul' version was a great improvement on the original. Duane's restrained accompaniment shows up his value as a session man and is among his best performanceces on the record.

The rest of these first two sides feature more session work with Clarenec Carter, King Curtis, Aretha Framklin and others. All of the music is historically, Interesting but the quality of some of it, especially the earliest recordings is questionable. Duane is always good but only occasionally does be get a chance to show off and it is obvious that most of this was merely work to keep him alive.

"Loan me a Dime" is the winner on the second side. Bozz Seaggs was Steve Miller's second in command back in the days when he Mill had a strong hand. This track comes from Seagg's first solo album and he plays rhythm guitar and sings, but it is Duane who really leads the way. The song is a long blues which lends up to a genuinely exciting climax with all concerned really pouring it on and its probably the best of all this session material.

Delaney and Bonny's good-time mediocrity seems to dull Allman's playing on the third side; hut his contribution on the song "Cowboy" is another highlight. Here he strums some beautiful acoustic dobro for this group which sounds like a forerunner to the Eagles.

All this session work must have been gaining the man quite a reputation. By the end of 1969 his band, the Allman Brothers, was achieving a tut of popularity and he was playing sets with Eric Clapton in a fine but short-lived band named Derek and the Dominoes.

They say it was musical 'love at first sight' for Clapton and Duane. Here, a world premiere of the two of them playing 'Mean old world' seems pretty average fare.

The song "Layla" appears an an obvious choice and after its recent hit-parade exposure, surely it would have been better to pick something else from this Derek and the Dominoes album, like: "I looked away".

Finally on side four we get to Duane playing with the Allman Brothers Band and it all starts to make sense. "Statesboro Blues" a track from the fillmore East record is a real rocker and a good example of the Allman Brother's feeling for the blues which is especially apparent on that album. Musically, Duane was still fierce; rising above the band and whipping them on. "Live at the Fillmore" was the most hectic and energetic record.

"Don't keep me wondering" is a previously unreleased recording of what is probably the best track on the studio album "ldlewild South".

"Stand Back" comes from the full All-man's last and best effort "Eat a Peach". It is one of the better songs and shows clearly how well Duane worked with the Band. Indeed, it seems impossible to seem him as sepcrate from the band. In the last year the live six hour jams where the music seemed to flow on effortlessly, the product of a solidarity and an empathy that few other groups ever manage to achieve.

"Dreams" is a fabulous song which Buddy Miles covered on "Them Changes". The All-man Brothers version of their own song is especially noteworthy in that, although recorded in 1970, it demonstrates the best elements of Duane's style that he was taking so far towards the end. There arc snatches of it which closely resemble the 40 minute 'Mountain jam' on 'Eat a Pearh' with Duane working on Donovan's simple ditty playing the clearest, most sensitive guitar he ever played.

A quiet acoustic piece "Little Martha" fittingly ends this fourth side, showing Duane's prowess at the guitar whether electric or acoustic.

The Anthology will please those people Who are familiar with Duane Allman and the Allman Brothers, hut for those who are unaquainted with any of his music I think a better beginning would be the 'Eat a Peach' record which I would not hesitate to call the best record of last year.