Gregg Allman Band Uncle Sam’s, Boston, July 1st, 1983
Gregg Allman Band
Uncle Sam’s, Boston, July 1st, 1983
Sawrite Records
Seven years after his passing, Gregg Allman’s vault of solo performances has been opened. The inaugural release in a planned series is this dynamic live set from a small club in Hull, Massachusetts. Uncle Sam’s, July 1st, 1983, presents Allman leading his Gregg Allman Band through a set of nine select tunes, seven associated with The Allman Brothers Band which had called it quits for the second time a year and a half earlier. A saccharine period of trying to fit in where they didn’t belong doomed the band. Judging by this show, Allman was quite excited to get back to singing and playing real, fiery music again. Aiding him are Allman Brothers alumni “Dangerous” Dan Toler on guitar and David “Frankie” Toler on drums. Rhythm guitarist Bruce Waibel, bassist Gregg Voorhees, percussionist Chaz Trippy, sax and flute player Donn Finney, and his brother Larry Finney on trumpet, round out the ensemble.
The show opens for a whooping crowd with a special acoustic take on Allman’s immortal “Midnight Rider,” just Allman and Dan Toler on guitars, and Larry Finney adding a rare accent to the melody with his flute. Their performance presents the raw defiance of the song perfectly, Allman squarely in his distinctive blue element. “Dreams” follows, another of Allman’s brooding classics with the Allman Brothers. Allman’s imploring growl and low moaning B3, and Toler’s sinewy, explosive guitar playing, provide an Allman Brothers-styled experience, the strident horns enriching it further. But Allman sounds right at home too, commanding Clarence Carter’s “Sweet Feeling,” the Finney’s adding sweet punch to the southern rhythm and blues number that Allman had cut for his second solo album, 1977’s Playin’ Up a Storm. The hard-charging but jazz-inflected Allman Brothers instrumental, “Hot ‘Lanta,” then presents five minutes of intense and ecstatic musical unity.
“Queen of Hearts,” which first appeared on his 1973 solo debut, Laid Back, stands as one of Gregg Allman’s finest compositions, a blues with gorgeous heart, and a musical journey in the style and stature of Ray Charles. Here, Allman and the band sing and play it with all the suppleness and class it deserves. “Trouble No More” is the Muddy Waters blues that the Allman Brothers became a band on in 1969. This band ratchets the sauntering beat of the original up into a riotous celebration of the real blues.
The stewards of Gregg Allman’s archives include the famed producer and sound engineer Bill Levinson, longtime Allman Brothers tour manager and photographer Kirk West, and the Allman Brothers historian, John Lynskey. That crew would have to ensure a quality presentation, and they do, making the most of the smoking source material from Uncle Sam’s.
Tom Clarke for MAS
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