The Allman Brothers Band celebrated the spirit of the recently departed Duane with this double album of songs recorded with and without him. Duane Allman had been killed in a motorcycle accident during the recording sessions. The album mixed live material with studio tracks recorded before and after Duane's death. The title came from one of Duane's last interviews, when asked what he was doing to help the revolution. Duane responded, "There ain't no revolution, it's evolution, but every time I'm in Georgia I eat a peach for peace." 'Eat a Peach' went to number four in the US and was certified platinum.
Duane once said: "There ain't no revolution, only evolution, but every time I'm in Georgia I eat a peach for peace."
'Ain't Wastin' Time No More' was the first song Gregg Allman wrote after the death of his brother.
"Last Sunday morning, the sunshine felt like rain.
Week before, they all seemed the same.
With the help of God and true friends, I come to realize
I still had two strong legs, and even wings to fly.
And oh I, ain't wastin time no more
'Cause time goes by like hurricanes, and faster things."
Gregg Allman says about 'Melissa': "I wrote that song in 1967 in a place called the Evergreen Hotel in Pensacola, Florida. By that time I got so sick of playing other people's material that I just sat down and said, 'OK, here we go. One, two, three - we're going to try to write songs.' And about 200 songs later - much garbage to take out - I wrote this song called 'Melissa.' And I had everything but the title. I thought: 'But back home, we always run... to sweet Barbara' - no. Diane...? We always run... to sweet Bertha.' No, so I just kind of put it away for a while. So one night I was in the grocery store - it was my turn to go get the tea, the coffee, the sugar and all that other s--t... and there was this Spanish lady there and she had this little toddler with her - this little girl. And I'm sitting there, getting a few things and what have you. And this little girl takes off, running down the aisle. And the lady yells, Oh, Melissa! Melissa, come back, Melissa!' And I went, 'Oh - that's it.' I forgot about half the stuff I went for, I went back home and, man, it was finished, only I couldn't really tell if it was worth a damn or not because I'd written so many bad ones. So I didn't really show it to anybody for about a year. And then I was the last one to get to Jacksonville - I was the last one to join the band that became the Allman Brothers. And my brother sometimes late at night after dinner, he'd say, 'Man, go get your guitar and play me that song - that song about that girl.' And I'd play it for him every now and then. After my brother's accident, we had 3 vinyl sides done of Peach, so I thought well we'll do that, and then on the way down there I wrote "Ain't Wastin' Time No More." I wrote that for my brother. We were all in pretty bad shape. I had just gotten back from Jamaica and I was weighing at about 156, 6-foot-1-and-a-half - I was pretty skinny. So we went back down there, got in the studio and finished the record. And the damn thing shipped gold."
"Crossroads, seem to come and go, yeah.
The gypsy flies from coast to coast,
Knowing many, loving none,
Bearing sorrow, having fun.
But, back home he'll always run,
To sweet Melissa. "
Recorded live at the Fillmore East, 'Mountain Jam' was based on Donovan's single 'There Is a Mountain'. It was originally spread out over two sides of the album.
'Blue Sky' was written by Dickey Betts. The first solo is Duane and the second solo is Dickey. Betts says, "I think 'Blue Sky' was one of the last things we did. We did all those songs in about three weeks in a studio in Miami, and then we decided to take a break because Tommy Dowd had something else he had to do. Anyway, we decided to take a few weeks off, and then Duane was killed. After everybody had a chance to get over what was happening, we came back in and finished it a few months later."
"Walk along the river, sweet lullaby, it just keeps on flowing,
It don't worry 'bout where it's going, no, no.
Don't fly, mister blue bird, I'm just walking down the road,
Early morning sunshine tell me all I need to know
You're my blue sky, you're my sunny day.
Lord, you know it makes me high when you turn your love my way,
Turn your love my way, yeah.
Good old Sunday morning, bells are ringing everywhere.
Goin' to Carolina, it won't be long and I'll be there"
'Eat a Peach'
full album
Side one
"Ain't Wastin' Time No More" (Gregg Allman) – 3:40
"Les Brers in A Minor" (Dickey Betts) – 9:03
"Melissa" (Gregg Allman, Steve Alaimo) – 3:54
Side two
"Mountain Jam" (live) (Donovan Leitch, Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, Jai Johanny Johanson) – 19:37*
Side three
"One Way Out" (live) (Elmore James, Marshall Sehorn, Sonny Boy Williamson II) – 4:58
"Trouble No More" (live) (Muddy Waters) – 3:43
"Stand Back" (Gregg Allman, Berry Oakley) – 3:24
"Blue Sky" (Dickey Betts) – 5:09
"Little Martha" (Duane Allman) – 2:07
Side four
"Mountain Jam" (continued; live) – 15:06*
No comments:
Post a Comment