"Allman Bros. Band - Stand Back: The Anthology"

The Allman Brothers Band is one of the greatest classic rock bands out there. Their albums were always hit and miss, but the real draw of the band was the live show, where they'd jam on the same song for fifteen or twenty minutes, easy. The guitar interplay has always been the biggest draw, though the guitarists involved have varied over the years.

Stand Back: The Anothology does a good job of culling the key studio and live tracks from the Allman Brothers' career and assembles them in a chronological order. All their best tunes are here: "Midnight Rider," "Melissa," "Ramblin' Man," "Jessica," "Statesboro Blues," "Whipping Post," and even several latter-day choice cuts, including "No One to Run With." It does lack the tune "Soulshine" (which is more of a Gov't Mule song than an Allman Bros. tune, but since it was done by a guy who plays with the Allmans, it's been included on albums such as Columbia's Essential Allman Brothers, the name of which is a misnomer), but that's no great loss.

The best thing about Stand Back is that it presents a solid collection of tunes from the band and leaves you with the impression that their career is more uniform in its musical consistancy than is actually the case. It eliminates the necessity of owning any other Allman Brothers Band album, with the possible exception of one of their classic live albums (Eat a Peach and Live at the Fillmore East foremost among those). All in all, it's a great collection for anyone who likes smoother, less-twangy southern rock (i.e., not freakin' Lynard Skynard). The band's musicianship will astound you, the guitar work will blow you away, and Gregg Allman's singing is some of the best blue-eyed soul you'll ever hear (for those of you unfamiliar with the term "blue-eyed soul," it usually refers to a white boy singing like a 60-year-old black man; that is, a white guy singing soul, which doesn't usually work. There are only a couple of guys who can manage it well--Gregg Allman, Van Morrison on a good day, and Steve Winwood, who sounded like an old pro at the age of 18).

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Allman Bros. Band, "Statesboro Blues (Live)"