So this will be a fun thread since I'm sure there are a bunch of Allman Brothers fans out there (I hope
). Some of the Allman's later albums sound pretty good, several have been remastered by Mobile Fidelity with a few (including this one I believe now out of print. I bought this from a member of the Hoffman forums for pretty much face value in NM condition). Earlier Allman Brothers Band recordings are more on the rougher side of things, so let's see what the album sounds like with the MOFI treatment.
The Allman Brothers Band -
Self Titled, 1969, Capricorn Records
Review version - 2012 Mobile Fidelity 33 RPM vinyl mastered by Krieg Wonderlich @ Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
From Wikipedia: The Allman Brothers Band is the debut studio album by American rock band the Allman Brothers Band. It was released in the United States by Atco Records and Capricorn Records on November 4, 1969 and produced by Adrian Barber. Formed in 1969, the Allman Brothers Band came together following various musical pursuits by each individual member. Following session work, Duane Allman moved to Jacksonville, Florida where he led large jam sessions with his new band, one he had envisioned as having two guitarists and two drummers. After rounding out the lineup with the addition of his brother, Gregg Allman, the band moved to Macon, Georgia, where they were to be one of the premiere acts on Capricorn. The record initially received a poor commercial response, charting in the lower levels of Billboard's Top 200 Pop Albums chart. Despite this, the album received critical acclaim from publications such as Rolling Stone, who called it "subtle, and honest, and moving." Following the band's increased fame in the early 1970s, this album and its follow-up, Idlewild South (1970), were repackaged into the compilation album Beginnings.
Here's a good review from Classic Rock Review:
http://www.classicrockreview.com/201...brothers-band/
1. Don't Want You No More - What a great intro, Duane Allman and Dickey Betts' guitars come pretty much screaming out of each channel, so far the the MOFI pressing is dead quiet and very analog sounding, there's no hint of harshness or glare at all. Of course this was their first effort so sound quality isn't expected to be of audiophile quality but we'll see.
2. It's Not My Cross To Bear - The main highlight of this song is Duane's guitar work....he plays a great solo along with Betts about halfway through the track, one guitar out of one channel and the other panned over on the other. One thing to listen for is Gregg Allman's vocals are set a bit far back in the mix, they almost sound like they recorded him somewhat in the background if you will...makes the track sound almost like a live recording. Definitely wouldn't want to use this song to show off Gregg's voice that's for sure.
3. Black Hearted Woman - More first class guitar work which is definitely going to be the highlight of this album. The guitars sound just a bit overdriven in certain areas, but overall if you're a fan of their playing, you could listen to this for hours. Gregg's voice is still somewhat in the background instead of being up front in the mix. Jai Johanny Johnson's congas make an appearance in the far left of the soundstage, but still not the most impressive of sounding tracks.
4. Trouble No More - It could be my imagination, but this track sounds a bit cleaner and more put together than the first three. Duane's slide guitar reaches quite a bit outside the left speaker in the soundstage and gives a nice sense of width to the recording. In general it just doesn't sound quite as "messy" as the first three songs. It's a bit easier to really hear Gregg's voice on this song too, it's quite a bit clearer. That being said, not high end audio demo material though.
6. Dreams [DEMO] - This is the highlight of this album, some exquisite guitar playing....it's by far the most atmospheric track on the album. Gregg's voice is set wayyyy back in the mix and sounds like it was recorded at a lower volume. You can hear Barry Oakley's bass a bit better on this song as well, it's a bit better defined. As good as "Dreams" is, it still isn't demo material, but it's hard not to comment on it as good as Duane's guitar solo is, you really get an example of how much feel he played with. Honestly, this isn't something you're gonna demo your system with, but hell, if you have a friend who's an Allman Brothers fan, then turn this one up loud. I did. Damn his guitar playing is stellar.
7. Whipping Post - While not a sonic spectacular, this would go on go be a staple of their live shows, sometimes reaching over 20 minutes in length. Nothing to really say about the sonics of this song, but Gregg's voice does sound a bit bigger (and also a bit hotter) on this track than others. Guitars are bit more distorted on here as well.
So this is their debut album released in 1969, Mobile Fidelity did a great job, it's a very analog sounding recording, but what we're working with here is nowhere near an audiophile recording, most of the album sounds a big congested which I'm assuming is the tapes/mix that they had to work with. As far as sound goes, the highlight is "Dreams" but that's more due to the fact of being such an excellent song with great guitar play than anything. Take home message here is don't use their first album as any kind of audio demo, wait for some of their later material for that. Be sure and enjoy Duane's slide playing in the meantime.
Audiophile Rating: 3/10 (overall sonics)
Demo Rating: 14% 1/7 (number of cool demo tracks/tracks on album)