At Fillmore East (Review)
Hi, Hey, Hello. ItzSonny and...The Allman Brothers. To be honest and respectful, never really hard their name before, yet I'm in the mood to review a rock album of any kind and stumbled upon this classic, yet this review is going to be quite different as this time around, this isn't your traditional studio album, for rather, though this regarded a classic music album, it's actually a live album, for those not in the know, a live album is a music record where instead of it being a collection of individual produced songs, it's rather a multi-track recording of a live music concert, so this made this one very interesting and unique as to how this album not only for a band most may not know not only a classic, yet for it to be a live album and still a classic, so let's uncover why that is as this is a review of The Allman Brothers' "At Fillmore East", let's review.
SETUP
Instead of the typical creative process, we'll instead get all the background into the lead-up into this performance. The Allman Brothers Band is of course an American Rock band who formed way back in 1969 in FLORIDA, you poor guys, tsk tsk tsk. The band consisted of: Duane Allman (slide guitar, lead guitar), Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboard), Dickey Betts (lead guitar, vocals), Berry Oakley (bass), Butch Trucks (drums), and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johnson (drums). The band were not super popular at the time, completing their second record "Idlewild South" (1970) and going through a lot, with Duane being contacted and almost joining fellow band, Derek and the Domninos, before deciding to stick with the Brothers. Though their second LP was yet to be a super strong success, they were gaining more attention via live performances, performing over 300 dates throughout 1970, yet had struggles as members fell into drug addiction. The band (aside the Allmans) were also struggling with finances and that their manager murdered a promoter (yes, I'm not kidding) for not paying the band, yet things were slowly turning around for everyone as earnings were doubled. The band first played at the Fillmore East (rock venue) back in 1969, and the promoter there loved them and promised to have them back, the band also being at San Francisco's Fillmore West, and once again at Fillmore East.
“These shows were crucial in establishing the band and exposing them...”
With this knowledge and how much love and freedom the entire band had with live performance over their studio sessions, the natural fire to it, the element of an engaged audience, live performances being the launchpad for success in the music industry, and the elements that a studio can't replicate, the band knew their next album would be a live record.
THOUGHTS
"Statesboro Blues"
I'mma just write down my thoughts right as I'm listening to the album as if I were there live in person fyi. A really good solid opener, it feels like such a classic blues rock track of its era with a southern feel, overall it's great and rightfully charismatic, fun lyrics, a great overall arrangement that creates such a wonderful melody, it's old school and may be simplistic, yet I don't even care, it works damn well and is fun and even more fun with the live performance.
"Done Somebody Wrong"
Another just fantastic song, a lot more of a late night rock venue song that works really well, a nice melody to it, I actually was dancing to it, it's very much a fun song that makes me wish I could travel back in time to this event, it's fun, danceable, and just wow, it's just great, a lot of charismatic and passionate energy oozing from the band that would've had my ass dancing to it there in that venue.
"Stormy Monday"
The first half of this is generally fantastic and amazing, it's a much more slowed-down focused and generally not exactly somber, yet swimming through the night kind of a feel to it, not one to make me dance, yet one to make me really be there moving around and letting the emotions swirl into me, then we just get a clean transition into a more upbeat, energetic, and exciting turnaround that was fun for a bit and now back into the first half's more mellow flow yet with a lot more energy put into the performance here and it's splendid. Now the guitar and drums are going crazy now not in speed, yet it just popping off with the chord progression and amping up the almost jazz-level blues tone going on here and it's gracious. The audience cheered and honestly, I would've too, this is fucking incredible. Now the lyrics were really soothing and now a crazy ass outro with all the instruments coordinating into an explosive outro, AMAZING.
"You Don't Love Me"
Everyone's clapping and the progression is going right now, this is going to be a fun one. OH NAH, they're cooking bro, they deserve the praise, the straight vocal delivery, the frenetic progression, and EAR-PLEASING old school rock 'n' roll melody here is going absurd in amazement. This is some heist movie running around the streets or walking badass, or just goofing around with friends and dancing on the street with a badass guitar play kind of feeling right now, I AM JAMMING. The guitar is going absurd with the striking progression, OH BOY. Keyboards also going crazy. It's been the same sound for 5 minutes and I'm not complaining. Everything stopped and now the guitar is doing a nice little riff. Cheering again, worth it, now the entire segment is shifting. I'm mesmerized, they're going crazy right now with the drums and guitar. A nice build-up just to slow down. I literally have to write this song like this because I don't want to forget ANYTHING. I feel like I'm being blasted with music notes like gun bullets. NO FUCKING WAY THEY WENT BACK AROUND TO HOW THE SONG STARTED. Gang, they are going hard right now, not a single second to breathe, I see the hype now. It's all so catchy and memorable. Someone yelled something lmao. Back to just the riff, clapping. Build-up to a loud big ball of a beautiful melody that is making me levitate outside my body with the drums giving me flashbacks to Whiplash the movie. EVERYBODY'S CHEERING, worth it.
"Hot 'Lanta"
Not even 30 seconds in, I'm hooked. It's like two entirely different tones clashing with each other, a fun keyboard percussion fast-tempo rock jamboree and then a more sadder stair-stepping mid-tempo beat. My body's shaking and both tones have now collided into one. Now we're going all out on this, this band is all working together to whoop our ass with musical talent, I'M IN. School Marching Band Energy. The sadder tone feels like being defeated, whilst the opposite feels like we're parading in victory, everything's slowing down. Now we're having this crazy big outro that is a giant build-up and stops, I believe these guys are aliens, there's no way.
"In Memory of Elizabeth Reed"
Oh fuck, hooked in already. A bit of a mix of slow-fast tempo energy, a more straightforward overall melody and tone, in memory of a woman named Elizabeth, seems like a blues jazz rock tribute song that is very in-tone with this persona with such a beautiful engaging composition to it. I'm all in. BRUH NO WAY. Big giant stomp-beats and now we're in this whimsical pop melody AND NOW BACK TO THE ANXIETY SAD DEFEATING AND NOW BACK TO THE FRENETIC ENERGETIC BOP, OH MY GOD. Everybody's locked in, dude. DUDE. THEY ARE GOING CRAZY. I'm just amazed. A little clicky shoulder-to-shoulder feel from the chords and keyboard. If this isn't the soundtrack to a movie or Mario Kart, then I don't know what the hell. I'm just thinking how if I were a part of the band, I'd fuck up so much, cause they can't be human, this is heaven to my ears. I feel like JK Simmons from Whiplash, yet positive instead. Bro, they keep adding in new sounds to the melody and it's messing with me because it's so GOOD. Nah the guitar is going absolute stupid (in a great way). OH MY GOD THE REPETITION IS STRIKING ME. The progression, MY GUY. I wish I could play music this good. The drums going crazy. UGH, THEY DID AGAIN. Beautiful.
"Whipping Post"
People in the audience just saying shit. Okay, back to this one. The vocals here are incredible, he's saying his stuff, man. The melody behind him being INCREDIBLE as it was already before. THE SHIFT. HYPE. "I feel like I'm dying", oh god, they're doing it. I give up, not even 3 minutes in, there's nothing for me to say, THIS IS HEAVEN. The ramping up is selling me, NO HUMAN CAN JAM THIS HARD ON A GUITAR I REFUSE TO BELIEVE. I BELIEVE. The lyrics are sad, yet this music is making me so happy. Now we're slowing down, OH GOD, THE RAMP-UP AGAIN. I feel like running, I say this in an Agent Smith accent. Dude, they're revving me up, this is not good for my body, yet it is at the same time. It isn't even an album review no more, I'm just saying shit, it's so good. Favorite Album? Favorite Album. Every time they slow down, I feel like a robot charging to battery and deactivating, I bet this is what it sounds like to be that way. Wait we're actually being slow for a bit, I'm loving this section, this is like their resting phase, they deserve it, they been going crazy for the LAST HOUR. It feels like the end yet it's only 13 minutes in to this 23-MINUTE SEGMENT. Lovely work, though. This is music, man. This is a rock band and yet this is the same energy as to a Jazz performance. I feel like I've heard this all before even though I've never heard this album before, that's how good it is though, it feels like a memory, also ramp up, nice transition. 16 minutes, AAAAAHHHH. THEY MAKING A COMEBACK. Now this is something I would hear as a little kid going to sleep for naptime in a preschool. Floating. I typed that as now we're RAMPING UP AGAIN. I'm screaming internally at peak. So good, I almost want to make a video essay on the main. MUSICA.
AFTERMATH
Greatest album of all time? YEP. Dude, I don't know what the hell I just listened to, but I loved it and that's all that matters. 10/10. I believe, nah, I KNOW the reason why this is a classic album now is because it's not even just a good "record", this is a LIVE album that shows why these types of albums generally work in that they capture the beauty of this band's talent without any tricks or cheats, pure talent non-stop right then and there on a stage in front of a crowd, just pure music, charisma, and energy on a stage with a recording on, it shows that live albums and just generally performances can boost and introduce the world to a talented music artist/band and this album is just an entire capture of a wonderful day in music and an epic experiencing of this legendary band's non-stop soul-pushing non-stop kinetic rush of a set of songs and sounds to bring to you a musical piece for all time, MASTERPIECE. It's been Sonny and so long, farewell, and goodbye.
The Allman Brothers Band
