Hittin' the Note

Amazon.com
Very rarely is a legendary band able to come up with new, credible material. Jam band progenitors the Allman Brothers have done better than that, tapping into some of the spark that made them one of the most influential American bands of their time. The lineup has changed due to tragedy, discontent, and plain orneriness, but the band is still able to conjure up dark tales of thwarted romance, dashed ambitions, and enduring friendship and tether them to freefalling slide riffs, jazzy interludes, and soulful blues that have been staples of the band since 1969. Granted, some of the guitar solos aren't an heroic as they were when Dickey Betts in the fold, but the ballad "Desdamona" is as inspired as "Melissa," and Gregg Allman's singing has never been better. --Jaan Uhelszki

Hittin' the Note,Allman Brothers Band,Sanctuary Records,Album Rock,American Trad Rock,Blues-Rock,Hard Rock,Pop,Rock,Rock & Roll,Rock/Pop,Roots Rock,Southern Rock,United States of America

Hittin' the Note

Average customer rating:

Superlatives abound for this magnificent album....
better than the original band?
We're not gonna stop the Allmans
RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "AS A PUBLIC SERVICE I SAY CHECK YOUR OTHER ALLMAN BROTHERS FIRST!"
This May Be Their Best Album Of All Time

Hittin' the Note
Allman Brothers Band
Manufacturer: Sanctuary Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Blues Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Rock Jam Bands | Jam Bands | Rock | Styles | Music

Roots Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Southern Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Where It All Begins
Seven Turns
Songlines
An Evening With The Allman Brothers Band
Joyful Noise

ASIN: B000089RVP
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Tracks:

Firing Line
High Cost of Low Living
Desdemona
Woman Across the River
Old Before My Time
Who To Believe
Maydelle
Rockin' Horse
Heart of Stone
Instrumental Illness
Old Friend

Amazon.com

Very rarely is a legendary band able to come up with new, credible material. Jam band progenitors the Allman Brothers have done better than that, tapping into some of the spark that made them one of the most influential American bands of their time. The lineup has changed due to tragedy, discontent, and plain orneriness, but the band is still able to conjure up dark tales of thwarted romance, dashed ambitions, and enduring friendship and tether them to freefalling slide riffs, jazzy interludes, and soulful blues that have been staples of the band since 1969. Granted, some of the guitar solos aren't an heroic as they were when Dickey Betts in the fold, but the ballad "Desdamona" is as inspired as "Melissa," and Gregg Allman's singing has never been better. --Jaan Uhelszki

Customer Reviews:

Superlatives abound for this magnificent album...........2007-07-12

There will be superlatives only in this review. This is another amazing album, a term I use a bit, but I have to find another word that goes beyond amazing. This is one of The Allman Brothers Band's best albums, and it gives you hope for the future of rock and roll. The 2 lead guitarists, Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks (nephew of Butch Trucks, not son as he's been mistaken for sometimes), are the 2 best guitarists working in rock today. Gregg Allman sounds better here than he has in years, with his amazing blues voice raging and crying at the same time. I've always liked Gregg's vocals more than Dickey Betts's, and his lyrics have always had a deeper, more soulful approach than Betts. Betts always had a more countryish approach to the Allmans, which always conflicted with Gregg's blues apporach. Now that Betts is out of the band, Gregg really takes over here. His organ playing is the best I've heard probably since the Allman's early 70's work. It's up there prominently in the mix, something that didn't happen during the mid 70's, early 80's Allman incarnations. Sometimes I used to wonder whether Gregg was playing at all (the Allmans had a 2nd keyboardist from Brothers and Sisters through Seven Turns). Here there's no mistake. It's him, and he's back in full force. He's living clean now, and it's reflected on how focused his singing is, along with his organ playing and songwriting (he co-wrote many of the tracks here). It's also great to hear the blues sung again by a man who knows what pain is. There weren't that many "woman done me wrong" songs in the 1990's, perhaps because the bands then thought they were sexist or misogynist. No, they're just HUMAN, and it's great to hear one of the masters of blues/rock belt it out for us.

Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks jam together beautifully. They are both rare finds, in that they are technically brilliant, but also soulful. Trucks especially has a great blues feel, and it makes the whole Allman sound much bluesier and soulful. It's nice to hear musicians who can actually play their instruments, instead of those who look hot on camera but who can barely play a note. As for the Derek vs. Betts debate (which still rages), it's time to stop it. Trucks is a much better guitarist than Betts, but Betts was great in his time with the Allmans. Betts still tours with Great Southern, so it's not like Gregg and the other band members abandoned him. If Dickey had quit drugs like Gregg and the rest of the band did, he still be in the band.

The trio of percussion clicks like never before. The twin drums of Butch Trucks and Jaimoe are still fantastic. Marc Quiones plays the congas like another drummer. He really compliments Butch and Jaimoe very, very well, and it feels like The Allman Brothers Band has 3 drummers now. Oteil Burnbridge is a great addition here, giving the Allmans a funky feel that they've never really had before.

I love the opening track Firin' Line, a nice, blues scorcher. The next song High Cost of Low Livin' has one of Warren's most majestic solos ever. It can really bring tears to your eyes. Desdemona is a beautifully sad, epic ballad, with amazing guitar work from Derek. The song Instrumental Illness sounds like it wouldn't be too out of place on one of Miles Davis's fusion albums from the late 60's, early 70's (which is a good thing). I was waiting for his trumpet to come in. Gregg's organ work on this track really stands out. Hittin' the Note is such a remarkable album, in that it was the first Allman Brothers Band album in 9 years, and they didn't miss a beat. And the album is so vital and real. This is not a band that is just kicking about, trying to make some $$$ from touring. They mean what they play. It's the kind of music that makes live worth living.

better than the original band?.......2007-04-20

Well, no. The current Allman Brothers lineup can't be said to outdo the original band. But this, their most recent studio album, is so fantastic that it seriously raises the question.

After Duane Allman died in '71, and Berry Oakley in '72, the original band understandably lost more than a bit of the magic that it had in it by the time of the Fillmore East album. And it was exactly at that time in rock history that the old days of the great bands living gig to gig had finally ended: just after the deaths of Duane and Berry, the ABB entered into the age of multi-million dollar stadium concert tours (yes, Elvis and the Beatles had been there before, but it wasn't until the early 70s that the entertainment industry figured out how to make that into the norm). So Gregg alienated himself from the rest of the group, going on a star trip and maintaining an absolutely staggering intake of drugs and alcohol (why is it that Keith Richards gets all the credit for that?), the band's formerly VERY high standards collapsed, and the Brothers broke up by '76. They attempted to reform the band for a few years at around the start of the 80s, but the effort was basically a failure. Then in '89 they tried it again, and musically speaking things worked reasonably well through the 90s (though they probably didn't attain even to half of what the Fillmore East band had been capable of). As the 90s drew to a close, though, a great deal of animosity had developed between Dickey Betts and the other band members. Anyone who saw their shows from those days will remember it: they didn't smile on stage, they seemed stiff and uncomfortable playing with each other, Betts seemed a mean, angry taskmaster. And so, in a real heartbreaker for Allmans fans, they fired Dickey Betts (not exactly, but de facto that's what happened) in '00. Derek Trucks took his place, rounding out the band's current roster. With Betts gone the Brothers had a workable personal environment again, Gregg had sobered up by that time, and as a result of all this the music started to get steadily better and better, to the point that by around '03, the old band's magic began to shine again; Hittin' the Note was released in March of that year, and together with their tour that summer marked the start of the current Allmans renaissance.

While I think that the Warren Haynes-Derek Trucks lineup is the equal of Duane and Dickey's, at the same time I think that the original band, at its very, very best, could still just barely outdo the current Allman Brothers. When a thing is being created for the first time there can be a spark of magic in it that can't be duplicated later, after it's become something to maintain; the work becomes less creative, more derivative. But we're talking about a narrow margin. If Rockin' Horse isn't quite the tune that Blue Sky was, if Instrumental Illness isn't quite the jam that Mountain Jam was back at the Fillmore, then they only just miss that mark. Hittin' the Note is magnificent, and I will tell you without apology that no other rock band has ever come within shouting distance of it in this kind of music.

We're not gonna stop the Allmans.......2007-04-05

Okay, purists may balk at the lack of Dickey Betts, but Derek Trucks is a far better guitar player. Not that Dickey was BAD (he wasn't), but he's always outclassed, it seems. Gregg's still around, of course, and he sounds far better than he did on the group's previous studio album Back Where it All Begins (which is a good album outside of Gregg's ravaged vocals and a couple throwaways - I digress, though). Jaiome and Butch Trucks are still pounding out those polyrhythms (thank god), and Warren Haynes is Warren Haynes. Current bassist Oteil Burbridge is probably the best "just-the-bassist" bassist of all time.
Okay, after that completely useless introduction, let's head straight for the review, shall we? Yes, we shall. Gregg's decades of decadence have certainly had a negative effect on him. So the three best songs here all concern the downside of sex, drugs and rock n' roll (okay, not rock n' roll, but sex and drugs) Firin' Line and High Cost of Low Livin' are heaven-sent blues jams, and Old Before My Time is an exquisate blues-ballady thing. Not much variety musically, but the Allmans have a cool sound and can play, so I don't mind. Not much lyrically either - outside of that, it's mostly the usual "cheatin' woman" stuff. But to be rather frank if you listen to the Allmans just for their lyrics you're too easily impressed.
But this new group can PLAY! Warren and Derek are sort of like Duane and Dickey, though they'll never match 'em, who can? Desdemonda, Rockin' Horse and Woman Across the River are godly blues jams, and even the endless twiddling on Instrumental Illness at LEAST has some good playing and a funny title. And their cover of Heart of Stone smokes. It really does.
Maybe a few of this is kinda weak, like the aforementioned Instrumental Illness (though again those guys can PLAY!), Maydelle and Who to Believe. Eh, whatever. It's still Allmans, they still have it, etc.

RICK SHAQ GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "AS A PUBLIC SERVICE I SAY CHECK YOUR OTHER ALLMAN BROTHERS FIRST!".......2007-02-03

This will be the shortest review I write and I'm just doing it as a friend would do for another friend. This is a very good CD, but if you're an Allman Brother fan, check your existing collection of Allman Brothers CD's first. I didn't look closely when I bought this CD; (My prior Allman Brother purchase was "One Way Out".) And 6 songs on this CD out of 11 (That's 54.5%) were on "One Way Out"! You'll thank me in the morning. God Bless! Good Night! Shaq has left the building.

This May Be Their Best Album Of All Time.......2007-01-25

The album that caused me to re-discover this band. Dickey Betts has been kicked out of the band at this point and replaced by Derek Trucks (brother of drummer Butch Trucks). On the surface loosing Betts would seem to be a large problem to overcome, but the rest of the band really step it up on this album to create probably the bands best work in two decades. Warren Haynes comes into his own on this disc and has co-writing credit on most of the tracks. His guitar work in tandem with Trucks just smokes through the whole album. There is not a weak cut on this disc. Highlights for me are "High Cost of Low Living" which is a great Greg Allman cut with cool lyrics. "Desdemona" another cool song with killer guitar. "Woman Across The River" sees Warren Haynes taking over vocal duties with for a mean low down blues romp with more killer music and lyrics. "Old Before My Time" another Allman tune sounds as weary as the title implies. "Rockin Horse" showcases another killer jam session. "Heart Of Stone" is a cover of the Stones classic. The real standout of the album is the 12 minute instrumental "Instrumental Illness". The track just smokes with everyone in the band getting into the action. The last track on the album is a slow blues number "Old Friend" which is a fine end to the disc. Another thing that stands out on this one is the percussion work going on in the background. Never overbearing, but essential and adding a unique flavor to the whole of the disc. Ya know what? After listening to this again, I honestly think this is the best Allman Brother studio album ever. It is really killer from beginning to end and I think it even outshines their classic 70's output. Highly recommended for fans of blues, jam and even prog.