The Allman Brothers Albums Ranked
The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, FL, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guitar, vocals, songwriting), Berry Oakley (bass guitar), Butch Trucks (drums), and Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson (drums). The band incorporated elements of Southern rock, blues, jazz, and country music, and their live shows featured jam band-style improvisation and instrumentals. Here is The Allman Brothers albums ranked.
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13. Brothers of the Road (1981)
“No this is not exactly Fillmore East but it isn’t bad either. Jaimoe is missed and the songs are shorter and less bluesy than most ABB releases. The title track is not a classic Dickey Betts cut but most of the Gregg Allman sung cuts are quite good. He still has great voice and it is fine shape here on such cuts as “Never Knew How Much A man needed a Woman”, “Maybe we can go back to yesterday” and “Straight from the Heart”.”
12. Reach for the Sky (1980)
“Revisionist history still cannot save these two albums. Brothers of The Road had its moments, but Reach For The Sky is weak. They originally came out on Arista records so that means Clive Davis had his hands all over their “sound”. They were directionless at the moment and ole Clive turned them into the Doobie Brothers. The happenin’ band at that time. The Allmans are NOT the Doobies! Gotta give BGO credit for their top notch care put into the reissue. It’s worth recommending only if you want to complete your collection. This is NOT the place to start if you are discovering them. Two stars for the music, one more for the quality of the reissue.”
11. Seven Turns (1990)
“back when it came out in the late 80s. I was one of those “slow to adapt” individuals and stuck to LPs and cassette tapes as long as I could. It has become difficult to find decent tape players, and even harder to find good turntables, so I finally bit the bullet and started to reacquire my music collection on CD. This is one of my favorites. It’s tough to find Allman Bros material that isn’t a “best of” collection and this album really does show their diversity.”
10. Enlightened Rogues (1979)
“Best southern rock band ever! Big part of my life living here in middle Georgia. The wonderful southern rock blues sound speaks to me in my soul. “Jessica” is my favorite song. Instrumental melodies that make you want to boogie! Best music to clean a house cause your rocking around, dancing like crazy! Even at my age now. We here in middle Georgia will miss Greg terribly. He was a thoughtful kind man. Playing spontaneously in a club he might visit. Rock music is blessed to have such a brilliant group such as The Allman Brothers Band. No sound like their sound. No music can move one like their music does.”
9. Win, Lose or Draw (1975)
“This was an album that I had as a recent high-school graduate. It was released in 1975. It is quite short, at right around 40 minutes. Fortunately, there are no bad tracks of the seven listed on the CD. In fact, all but one I would consider very good. One, I would consider good. I had a cassette version that I played in my car. I would tool the hiways of Miami listening to “High Falls”, which I consider one of the great freeway cruising tunes. My car would swing and sway with the incessant beat of the base line, the crisp guitar licks, and the smooth drum beat. Great instrumental. I am looking forward to seeing if “High Falls” has the same effect on new vehicles, and an older man.”
8. Hittin’ the Note (2003)
“This is without doubt the best studio effort by the group since the early 1970’s with superlative new material that is reminiscent at times of the Duane Allman/Dickey Betts era. Prominent on display is the usual soul and blues permeated with a jazz feel. The instrumental interplay and vocals are spot on throughout. There is not a dud track among the bunch with ‘Desdemona’, ‘Old Before My Time’, and ‘Heart of Stone’ being particular standouts, the latter a memorable cover of the Rolling Stones classic. There is also an extended instrumental piece titled ‘Instrumental Illness’ that I believe was nominated for a Grammy Award. Although some of the purists may not be convinced, this release is ultimately a really pleasurable listen for those interested in this icon of American southern rock, and is a noteworthy addition to their extensive discography. The sound quality of my copy distributed by Peach Records and dated 2003 is exceptional to my ears. Highly recommended.”
7. Where It All Begins (1994)
“This one is a top five album for me in the Allman Brothers History, although a rather modern one in the scope of their legendary music, it represents the beginning of change. Warren Haynes was becoming more involved and Dickey Betts was beginning to lose his foothold within the band. Recorded as a “live” studio album at Burt Reynolds ranch in Florida, it was the first time they got to record a studio album “live.” The reason they did this was because they were always at their best when playing live shows. Anyway, Dickey is all over this album with great guitar work and vocals, Warren put his “Soulshine” in the mix, and Gregg has some awesome growlers. It is a rockin’ album and one you will be surprised at how well balanced it is. If you like Dickey Betts, this showcases his talent on an overall rockin’ effort with a southern vibe “live” at Burt Reynolds ranch along with Gregg growlin’ the blues on his Hammond B3.”
6. Shades of Two Worlds (1991)
“Not long ago I was listening to the original Allman Brothers recordings from before Duane’s death which reminded me why I was a fan many years ago. Started digging around on the net and found Shades of Two Worlds. Many reviews said it was their best album ever, not sure I would go that far but it’s close. What an awesome album. Not a bad song on it, very tight. Seems to be out of print, at least domestically. I picked up a used copy of the 1991 original release. There is an import version currently for sale from some resellers.”
5. The Allman Brothers Band (1969)
“What a debut! This album has it all. Gregg’s vocals are so soulful, and his keys are right on the mark. Those twin lead guitars are smokin’. Duane plays some fine slide. And I would be wrong not to rave over the twin drummers and that fantastic backbeat. There are no filler songs here, all material is top shelf, and I can’t find a favorite song. Every one is so good. God, can you imagine to what heights this band would have reached had Duane and Barry lived. This album is a must have.”
4. Idlewild South (1970)
“For the longest time, I just assumed this couldn’t be strong without Duane or Berry. My attitude should have been that Ramblin’ Man, Southbound, and Jessica would have justified the cost even if the other tracks weren’t that strong. I got into Sea Level recently so I bought this as soon as I found out Chuck Leavell was on every track. My only regret is that Les Dudek is only on a couple of the tracks. If you can’t decide whether to pick this one up, and you’re looking for a second opinion, I say go for it!”
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3. Brothers and Sisters (1973)
“Brothers and Sisters was first released in August 1973 and marked a move to a more Country oriented direction. This would be the first full album recorded after Duane Allman’s death. Rather than replacing Duane, the band added keyboard player Chuck Leavell to the band with Gregg sometimes switching to rhythm guitar. The recording sessions ran from October through December 1972. Unfortunately, tragedy struck again with bassist Barry was killed in November. The band added new bassist Lamar Williams to the fold. The album ended up being a massive hit for the band featuring a bunch of songs that would become signatures for the band and marks the end of what many people consider their peak era.”
2. Eat a Peach (1972)
“This is a Great album having lost Duane while it was under way it had to be tough to finish it, but the show must go on and that’s exactly what Duane would’ve wanted! We start to see Dickey becoming the musical leader w/writing and taking lead vocals for the first time. Mountain Jam was a great jam how many bands did or still do 40min plus songs I can’t think of any. The one thing I do wonder though is there’s a lot of tracks on it from the Fillmore East shows was that planned or done because they needed to get the album released on time or they wanted to make Duane a complete part of the album? Its still a great release a good spring board for what could’ve been.”
1. At Fillmore East (1971)
“More than just the raw energy on stage and from the crowd, it is the electric, jazz-like interplay between the performers that sets a high bar for jam bands to reach. The impeccable rhythm blended with masterful instrumental work, keeps fans coming back for more. Quite possibly the best live album off all time.”
See the full review here.