奧爾曼兄弟樂隊

奧爾曼兄弟樂隊，The Allman Brothers Band來自喬治亞南方的Macon城。Macon（梅肯）這個城市大約7萬5千人口，是一個不發達的小城。和這個小城一樣，樂隊有著美國南方草根階層的豪爽。

基本介紹

• 中文名：奧爾曼兄弟樂隊
• 外文名：The Allman Brothers Band
• 風格：勝利，悲劇
• 組成員：David Frankie Toler

樂隊簡介

The Allman Brothers Band在國內好像不為人所知，這絕對是一個遺憾。關於它的中文譯名有很多，比如奧爾曼兄弟樂隊，阿爾芒兄弟樂隊，但我最喜歡的是：人皆兄弟，頗有水滸中的「四海之內皆我兄弟」味道。

樂隊成立於六十年代末，由Duane Allman和他的弟弟Gregg Allman組建，最初的名字叫「Allman Joys」，後來又陸續加入了打擊樂手Butch Trucks和Joe Johnny Johanson，貝司手Berry Oakley和另一位極其優秀的主音吉他手Dickey Betts。Duane三年中參與錄製了三張半專輯，其中那半張是因為在錄製到一半時Duane就去世了（死於機車事故）。這些專輯分別是：《The Allman Brothers Band》(1970)、《Idlewild》(1970)、《At Fillmore East》(1971)和《Eat A Peach》(1972)。Duane Allman還參與了Eric Clapton名曲Layla結尾部分的伴奏。

如今的The Allman Brothers Band已經是面目全非，Gregg Allman繼承著哥哥的搖滾理想，依然不斷有新作問世，但已不復昔日的盛況。

樂隊風格

The story of the Allman Brothers Band is one of triumph, tragedy, redemption, dissolution, and a new redemption. Over nearly 30 years, theyve gone from being Americas single most influential band to a has-been group trading on past glories, to reach the 21st century as one of the most respectedrockacts of their era.

圖片

For the first half of the 1970s,the Allman Brothers Bandwas the most influentialrockgroup in America, redefiningrockmusic and its boundaries. The bands mix ofblues,country,jazz, and evenclassicalinfluences, and their powerful, extended on-stage jamming altered the standards of concert performance -- other groups were known for their on-stage jamming, but whenthe Allman Brothersstretched a song out for 30 or 40 minutes, at their best they were exciting, never self-indulgent. They gave it all a distinctly Southern voice and, in the process, opened the way for a wave of 70srockacts from south of the Mason-Dixon Line, includingthe Marshall Tucker Band,Lynyrd Skynyrd, andBlackfoot, whose music, at least initially, celebrated their roots. And for a time, almost single-handedly, they also madeCapricorn Recordsinto a major independent label.

The group was founded in 1969 byDuane Allman(b. Nov. 20, 1946-d. Oct. 29, 1971) on guitar;Gregg Allman(b. Dec. 8, 1947) on vocals and organ;Forrest Richard ("Dickey") Betts(b. Dec. 12, 1943) on guitar;Berry Oakley(b. Apr. 4, 1948-d. Nov. 12, 1972) on bass; andClaude Hudson ("Butch") Trucks(b. May 11, 1947) andJaimoe (Johnny Lee Johnson) Johanson(b. July 8, 1944) on drums.DuaneandGregg AllmanlovedsoulandR&B, although they listened to their share ofrock & roll, especially as it sounded coming out of England in the mid-60s. Their first group was a local Daytona Beachgarageband calledthe Escorts, who sounded a lot like the earlyBeatlesandRolling Stones; they later becamethe Allman Joysand plunged intoCream-styleBritish blues, and thenthe Hour Glass, a moresoul-oriented outfit. The group landed a contract withLiberty Recordswith help fromthe Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but the company wasted the opportunity on a pair of over-produced albums that failed to capturethe Hour Glass sound. The group split up afterLibertyrejected a proposed third LP steeped inbluesandR&B.

Duane Allmanbegan working as a session guitarist atFame Studiosin Muscle Shoals, AL, and it was there, appearing on records byWilson Pickett,Aretha Franklin,John Hammond, andKing Curtis, among others, that he made his reputation. In 1969, at the coaxing of ex-Otis ReddingmanagerPhil Walden,Allmangave up session work and began putting together a new band --Jaimoecame aboard, and thenAllmans longtime friendButch Trucksand anotherAllmanfriend,Berry Oakley, joined, along withDickey Betts, with whomOakleywas playing in a group calledSecond Coming. A marathon jam session ensued, at the end of whichAllmanhad his band, except for a singer -- that came later, when his brotherGreggagreed to join. They were duly signed toWaldens newCapricornlabel.

The band didnt record their first album until after theyd worked their sound out on the road, playing heavily around Florida and Georgia. The self-titled debut album was a solidblues-rockalbum and one of the better showcases for guitar pyrotechnics in a year with more than its share, amid albums byCream,Blind Faith,the Jeff Beck Group, andLed Zeppelin. It didnt sell 50,000 copies on its initial release, butThe Allman Brothers Bandimpressed everyone who heard it and nearly everyone who reviewed it. Coming out at the end of the 1960s, it could have passed for a follow-up to the kind ofblues-rockcoming out of England from acts likeCream, except that it had a sharper edge --the Allmanswere American and Southern, and their understanding ofblues(not to mention elements ofjazz, mostly courtesy ofJaimoe) was as natural as breathing. The album also introduced one of the bands most popular concert numbers,"Whipping Post."

Their debut album attracted good reviews and a cult following with its mix of assured dual lead guitars byDuane AllmanandDickey Betts, soulful singing byGregg Allman, and a rhythm section that was nearly as busy as the lead instruments, betweenOakleys rock-hard bass and the dual drumming ofTrucksandJohanson. Their second album, 1970sIdlewild South, recorded atCapricorns studios in Macon, GA, was produced byTom Dowd, who had previously recordedCream. This was a magical combination --Dowdwas completely attuned to the groups sound and goals, andIdlewild Southbroadened that sound, adding a softer acoustic texture to their music and introducingBettsas a composer (including the original studio version of"In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,"an instrumental tribute toMiles Davisthat would become a highlight of their shows, in many different forms, for the next 30 years). It also had aGregg Allmannumber,"Midnight Rider,"which became one of the bands more widely covered originals and the composers signature tune.

By this time, the bands concerts were becoming legendary for the extraordinarily complex yet coherent interplay between the two guitarists andGregg Allmans keyboards, sometimes in jams of 40 minutes or more to a single song without wasting a note. And unlike theart rockbands of the era, they werent interested in impressing anyone with how they played scales, how many different tunings they knew, or whichclassicalriffs they could quote. Rather,the Allmansincorporated the techniques and structures ofjazzandclassicalinto their playing. In March of 1971, the band played a series of shows atthe Fillmore Eastthat were recorded for posterity and subsequently transformed into their third album,At Fillmore East. This double LP, issued in July of 1971, became an instant classic, rivaling the previousblues-rocktouchstone cut atthe Fillmore,CreamsWheels of Fire.Duane Allmanand his band were suddenly the new heroes to millions of mostly older teenage fans. Although it never cracked the Top Ten,At Fillmore Eastwas certified as a gold record on October 15, 1971.

Duane Allmanwas killed in a motorcycle accident 14 days later. The band had been midway through work on its next album,Eat a Peach, which they completed as a five-piece, withDickey Bettsplaying all of the lead and slide guitar parts. Their second double album in a row became another instant classic, and their first album to reach the Top Ten, peaking at number five.

Despite having completedEat a Peach, the group was intact in name only. Rather than try to replaceDuane Allmanas a guitarist, they contrived to add a second solo instrument in the form of a piano, played byChuck Leavell. The group had already begun work on a long-delayed follow-up toEat a Peach, whenOakleywas killed in a motorcycle accident only a few blocks fromAllmans accident site.

Lamar Williams(b. Jan. 15, 1949-d. Jan. 25, 1983) was recruited on bass, and the new lineup continued the groups concert activities, as well as eventually finishing the bands next album,Brothers and Sisters. which was released on August 1, 1973. During the extended gap in releases followingEat a Peach,AtcoreissuedThe Allman Brothers BandandIdlewild Southtogether as the double LPBeginnings, which charted higher than either individual release.

Brothers and Sistersmarked the beginning of a new era. The album had a more easygoing and freewheeling sound, less bluesy and morecountry-ish. This was partly a result ofCapricornlosing the services ofTom Dowd, who had produced their three previous albums. Additionally,Dickey Betts full emergence as a songwriter and singer as well as the groups only guitarist, playing all of the lead and slide parts, altered the balance of the groups sound, pushing forth his distinct interest incountry-rock.Bettsalso became the reluctant de facto leader of the band during this period, not from a desire for control as much as because he was the only one with the comparative stability and creative input to take on the responsibility.

The record occupied the number one spot for six weeks, spurred by the number two single"Ramblin Man,"and became their most well-known album. It was an odd reversal of the usual order of success for arockband -- usually, it was the release of an album that drew the crowds to concerts, but in this case, the months of touring the band had done paved the way for the album. The fact that it kept getting pushed back only heightened the fans interest.

Ironically,Brothers and Sisterswas a less challenging record than the groups earlier releases, with a relatively laid-back sound, relaxed compared to the groundbreaking work on the groups previous four albums. But all of this hardly mattered; based on the reputation theyd established with their first four albums, and the crowd-pleasing nature of"Ramblin Man"and theDickey Betts-composed instrumental"Jessica,"the group was playing larger halls and bigger crowds than ever.

An entire range ofSouthern rockacts had started to make serious inroads into the charts in the wake ofthe Allman Brothers. Labels such asMCAand evenIsland Recordsbegan looking for this same audience, signing acts likeLynyrd SkynyrdandBlackfoot, respectively, among others. For the first time since the mid-50s, the heyday of therockabillyera, a major part of the country was listening torock & rollwith a distinctly Southern twang.

The band began showing cracks in 1974, asGregg AllmanandDickey Bettsboth began solo careers, recording albums separately from the group.AllmanmarriedCher(twice), an event that set him up in a Hollywood-based lifestyle that created a schism with the rest of the band. They might have survived all of this, but for the increasing strain of the members other personal habits -- drugs and alcohol had always been a significant part of the lives of each of the members, except perhaps forJaimoe, but as the strain and exhaustion of touring continued, coupled with the need to produce new music, these indulgences began to get out of control, andBetts leadership of the group created a further strain for him.

The bands difficulties were showcased by their next album, the highly unevenWin, Lose or Draw, which lacked the intensity and sharpness of their prior work. The whole band wasnt present for some of the album, andGregg Allmans involvement withCher, coupled with his serious drug problems, prevented him from participating with the rest of the group -- his vocals were added separately, on the other side of the country.

The band finally came apart in 1976 whenAllmanfound himself in the midst of a federal drug case against a supplier and agreed to testify against a friend and band employee.Leavell,Johanson, andWilliamssplit to formSea Level, which became a moderately successful band, cutting four albums forCapricornover the next four years, whileBettspursued a solo career. All of them vowed never to work withGregg Allmanagain.

Amid this split,Capricorn Records, reaching ever deeper into its vaults for anything that could generate income, issued two collections, a double-LP live collection calledWipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas, showcasing theBrothers and Sisters-era band at various concerts, and a double-LP best-of package,And the Road Goes On Forever.Wipe the Windowswas a modest seller, appearing as it did when the groups sales had already fallen off, and it was compared unfavorably with the legendary work onAt Fillmore East. The studio compilation passed with barely a ripple, however, because most fans already had the stuff on the original albums.

They were all back together by 1978, however, and over the next four years the group issued a somewhat uneven series of albums.Enlightened Rogues(1979) somewhat redeemed their reputations -- produced byTom Dowd, who had always managed to get the very best work out of the group, it had more energy than any record theyd issued in at least six years. It also restored the two-guitar lineup, courtesy ofDan Toler(fromDickey Betts solo band), who was brought in whenChuck Leavell(along withLamar Williams) refused to return tothe Allmans. By that time, however,the Allmanswere fighting against time and musical trends.Disco,punk, andpower pophad pretty much stolen a march on the arena acts epitomized bythe Allmans; whatever interest they attracted was a matter of nostalgia for their earlier releases. The group was in danger of becomingarena rocks third big oldies act (afterthe Moody BluesandPaul McCartneys Wings).

Additionally, their business affairs were in a shambles, owing to the bankruptcy ofCapricorn Recordsin late 1979. When the fallout from theCapricorncollapse settled,PolyGram Records, the companys biggest creditor, took over the labels library, andthe Allman Brotherswere cut loose from their contract.

Their signing toAristaenabled the group to resume recording. What they released, however, was safe, unambitious, routinely commercialpop/rock, closer in spirit tothe Doobie Brothersthan their own classic work, and a shadow of that work, without any of the invention and daring upon which theyd built their reputations. The groups fortunes hit a further downturn whenJaimoewas fired, breaking up one of the best rhythm sections inrock. For most of the 1980s, the group was on hiatus, while the individual members sorted out their personal and professional situations. During those years, onlyDickey Bettsseemed to be in a position to do much with his music, and most of that wasnt selling.

In 1989, the band was reactivated again, partly owing toPolyGrams decision to issue the four-CD box set retrospectiveDreams. That set, coupled with the reissue of their entireCapricorncatalog on compact disc in the years leading up to the boxs release, reminded millions of older listeners of the bands greatness, and introduced the group to millions of people too young to have been around forWatkins Glen, much less theFillmoreshows.

They reunited and also restored the bands original double-lead-guitar configuration, addingWarren Hayneson lead guitar alongsideDickey Betts, withAllen Woodyplaying bass;Chuck Leavellwas gone, however, having agreed to jointhe Rolling Stoneson tour as their resident keyboard player, andLamar Williamshad succumbed to cancer in 1983.

The new lineup reinvigorated the band, which signed withEpic Recordsand surprised everyone with their first release,Seven Turns. Issued in 1990, it got some of the best reviews and healthiest sales theyd had in more than a decade. Their subsequent studio albums failed to attract as much enthusiasm, and their two live albums,An Evening With the Allman Brothers Bandand2nd Set, released in 1992 and 1995, respectively, were steady but not massive sellers. Much of this isnt the fault of the material so much as a natural result of the passage of time, which has leftthe Allmanscompeting with two decades worth of successors and rivals.

The group has stayed together since 1989, overcoming continuing health and drug problems, which have occasionally battered their efforts at new music. They remain a top concert attraction 25-plus years after their last historically important album, easily drawing more than 20,000 fans at a time to outdoor venues, or booking 2,000-seat theaters for three weeks at a time. Their back catalog, especially the first five albums, remain consistent sellers on compact disc and recently returned to the reconstitutedCapricornlabel (still a home forSouthern rockers, including the latter-dayLynyrd Skynyrd, as well as reissues ofElmore Jamesand other classic bluesmen), under a 1997 licensing agreement that has resulted in their third round of digital remastering.

Apart from theirAristareleases,the Allman Brothers Bandhas remained remarkably consistent, altering their music only gradually over 30 years. They sound morecountrythan they did in their early days, and theyre a bit more varied in the vocal department, but they have still been soaring at their concerts and on most of their records over the last ten-plus years.

組成員

Allen Woody

Berry Oakley

Butch Trucks

Chuck Leavell

David Brown

David Frankie Toler

David Goldflies

Derek Trucks

Dickey Betts

Duane Allman

Gregg Allman

Jack Pearson

Jaimoe Johnson

Johnny Neel

Lamar Williams

Marc Quiñones

Oteil Burbridge

Warren Haynes

著名唱片集

Eat a Peach標籤: Vinyl Lovers發行: 1972年1月

A Decade of Hits 1969-1979標籤: Polydor發行: 1991年10月

At Fillmore East標籤: Universal Distribution發行: 1971年7月

Idlewild South標籤: Universal Distribution發行: 1970年1月

Fillmore East, February 1970標籤: Grateful Dead發行: 1996年1月

〔南方搖滾的曇花一現〕

這張專輯是一個分水嶺。在此之前，南方搖滾只是一個邊緣化的類型，不為人重視。這張專輯給南方搖滾正名，此後的美國搖滾不可避免地帶上了南方搖滾的根源。他們將內斂的Blues（布魯斯）和即興的爵士演奏手法結合在一起，創造了南方搖滾（South Rock）的傳奇。而隨著Duane Allman的去世，南方搖滾終於沒能抵擋得了「不列顛入侵」。

〔滑棒吉他的最高傑作〕　滑棒吉他(Slide Guitar)演奏以其華美的音色、呢喃般的旋律在西方搖滾界卻已風靡數十年而真正使滑棒吉他風靡搖滾界的則是Duane Allman，可謂是「藍調搖滾滑棒吉他之父」，他在這張現場專輯《At Fillmore East》中天馬行空的奇妙表現使人們對即興演奏有了全新的理解。Duane Allman英年早逝（24歲），但在吉他英雄譜上僅次於Jimi Hendrix排在第二位。」Whipping Post」中爵士樂的即興演奏長達22分鐘，樂手之間的合奏令人叫絕。」In Memory of Elizabeth Reed」 旋律優美，千迴百轉。Dickey Betts以及Gregg Allman分別操著鄉村味道的吉他以及鍵盤，配合得天衣無縫。　專輯的多首樂曲都是超長的，經常有樂器竟飆，有史詩的氣魄，令人大呼過癮。你不知道他們會把你帶到哪裡去，你希望它永遠不會停止。那真是一個搖滾英雄輩出的年代。