The Allman Brothers Band really lived two separate lives: its mythical formative years with founder Duane Allman and its subsequent reincarnation as a premier "jam" band kept fresh by a constant supply of young talent. The band's glory years, of course, have been well anthologized, but they have yet to be fully examined side-by-side with the fruits of the band's later incarnation. This new double-disc anthology attempts to reconcile the two sides of the band by including selections from every single Allman Brothers Band studio album. While this egalitarian approach has its pitfalls, as proven by even a cursory listen to the second disc of David
Bowie's The Singles, careful song selection by the editors allows Stand Back -- The Anthology to make an effective case that the Allman Brothers Band continued to be a vital rock band despite countless line-up shakeups and the inevitable toll of time.
Still, the first disc, which highlights the Duane Allman years, is pretty much untouchable in terms of quality. Stand Back does not make the mistake of treating all studio albums as equal, the pitfalls of many such career-spanning anthologies. The entire first disc consists entirely of songs from the band's first four albums, including the 13-minute At Fillmore East live version of "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed". With the exception of the bittersweet Duane tributes "Melissa" and "Ain't Wasting Time No More", the entire first disc isolates Duane Allman's role as the band's guiding spirit. Duane's contributions went beyond his unparalleled slide guitar, although I cannot think of another rock guitarist who managed to command attention without ever being flashy, because his presence always spurred the rest of the band to give their all. With Duane as the band's primary focus, Dickey Betts had to work overtime to make himself heard, resulting in some of the greatest dual-guitar work on record. With two powerful guitarists at their most innovative, the rhythm section of Berry Oakley, Jaimoe and Butch Trucks had to be in perfect lockstep, a particularly tricky task when a band has two drummers, to keep the songs
from spinning wildly out of control. Because of this emphasis on tight improvisation, even perennial radio favorites like "Whipping Post" and "One Way Out" retain a thunder and a passion despite 30 years of near constant rotation.
Anthologies like these, in fact, rescue familiar songs from such dangerous familiarity. By sequencing these tracks in chronological order, and mixing in under-appreciated album cuts with certifiable hits, Stand Back breathes new life into these well-worn tunes. After the one-two punch of "Dreams" and "Whipping Post", songs that convey the crushing essence of the
blues in the guise of southern jazz-rock, Dickey Betts's uplifting gospel tribute "Revival" becomes a moment of salvation rather than the cheesy hippie anthem to "love" it sounds like between rotations of the Doobie Brothers and Stephen Stills. The disc ends, as it should, with Duane Allman's solo instrumental "Little Martha", an unintentional epitaph to both his life and the first incarnation of the Allman Brothers Band.
Refusing to drop the plural form of their name, the Allman Brothers Band continued despite the combined losses of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley. Dickey Betts, by necessity, came to the spotlight, writing "Ramblin' Man", "Southbound", and the spellbinding and charming "Jessica" (sadly represented here by an edited single version) for the band's last great album, Brothers and Sisters. The anthology selects those three songs, along with Gregg Allman's "Wasted Words" and "Come and Go Blues", to begin the second disc giving the false impression that the new Allman Brothers Band would sound exactly like the Allman Brothers Band of old, playing charging blues-based numbers filled with shimmering instrumental passages that demanded repeat listenings. Following Brothers and Sisters, however, the band all but splintered into competing solo projects, and reconvened as a rather different group.
Their remaining studio albums, spanning a full 25 years in the music industry, are each represented by only one or two tracks apiece. Following Brothers and Sisters the band began to splinter, with Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks as the only constant band members and a stream of talented musicians made their rounds through the band including Chuck Leavell, Lamarr Williams, Warren Haynes, the late Allen Woody, and (most recently) Butch's talented son, Derek. This was both a blessing and a curse for the band. Throughout the last few decades the Allman Brothers Band has been known as one of the great live acts, a rare band that could wow both the snobby rock elitists and the Birkenstock-wearing hippies. True, they were always considered one of the greatest live acts at their peak, but they would also translate that genius into their studio recordings. In their later years, their studio albums became simply blueprints that they would perfect on stage, they were officially a "live act". So, with the exception of the slick pop number "Crazy Love" and the energetic "No One to Run With", there are no true classics toward the end of Stand Back.
Somehow, though, the anthology remains a coherent listen. By picking and choosing the best tracks from often middling albums, this collection manages to maintain listener interest long after "Jessica". The Allman Brothers Band may have slipped a little in the studio, as did every single one of their contemporaries, but their late period songs show why fans cared enough to even show up at their live concerts. The bluesy "Seven Turns" and "High Cost of Low Living" may not be instant classics, but they seem at least worthy of appearing on the same collection as "Dreams" and "Blue Sky", which is a credit to the dedication of the many musicians who have graced the band in recent years.
Ultimately, Stand Back will never supercede the concise and potent A Decade of Hits as the anthology of choice for the casual fan. For those, however, interested in both incarnations of the Allman Brothers Band, this is the best place to start and it may even convince a few to pick up one of their recent albums along with Idlewild South or Eat a Peach. If so, it will have accomplished something most career spanning anthologies never could.
— 4 August 2004
