The Allman Brothers Band At Fillmore East on 180g 2LP

1971 Live Triumph Remastered from the Original Analog Tapes by Kevin Reeves & Cut on Copper Plates Using Abbey Road Mastering's Direct Metal Mastering (DMM) Lathe!

Nine essential Allman Brothers Band albums, spanning 1969 to 1979, have been remastered from the original analog tapes for reissue on audiophile quality 180g vinyl in July 2016 by Mercury/UMe. They include: an expanded 2LP edition of The Allman Brothers Band; Idlewild South; At Fillmore East; Eat a Peach; Brothers and Sisters; Win, Lose or Draw; Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas; Enlightened Rogues; and the 3LP debut of Live At Ludlow Garage 1970. The albums have been remastered by Kevin Reeves to 192kHz/24-bit audio and cut on copper plates using Abbey Road Mastering's Direct Metal Mastering (DMM) lathe. All nine LP packages feature faithfully replicated original album artwork.

Fillmore East is synonymous with some of the greatest concerts ever staged. Yet the venue belongs to one group: The Allman Brothers Band. This groundbreaking 1971 double album is why. As the collective's breakthrough, it broadcasts to the world wowing improvisational flights and seamless musical fusion the likes of which no one had ever heard. In communion with the crowd, the band establishes an interactive blueprint for all shows that followed, while its high-wire displays of powerhouse soloing and time-stretching arrangements remain the stuff of hall-of-fame legend.

While the record features multiple works the band never laid down in a studio, At Fillmore East is a meticulously conceived affair. The Allmans prepped rough sketches and layouts of the tunes, carving out spaces for each member's solos, and leaving the direction of such entirely up to the individual. As a result, the effort – anchored by iconic producer Tom Dowd's stellar production – presents a jazz-drifting rock band benefiting from both a sense of assured direction as well as opportunistic freedom.

Indeed, At Fillmore East is the rare sound of a group letting it all go, fearlessly maneuvering through bluesy shuffles, exquisite laments, graceful instrumental passages, and frenetic swamp-laden boogies. Achieved via a combination of virtuosic skill, visionary ambition, and natural chemistry, the six-piece burns white-hot with intensity and persuades via a padlock-tight rhythm section on which Duane's searing slide playing and Gregg's bottom-of-the-stomach vocals glide, each aural utterance coaxing on their respective mates to strive for new heights.

The evidence abounds on the rollercoaster thrills of the dipping and diving "Whipping Post"; the biscuit-and-gravy purity of an aptly tempestuous "Stormy Monday," complete with harmonica from guest Tom Doucette; the flaming inertia established on the celebratory "Hot ‘Lanta"; and the jam-heavy hopscotch of an elastic "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed," one of numerous standout moments for lead guitarist Dickey Betts. Add to this symbiosis hallmark front-and-back cover photography by Jim Marshall, and you have a record so steeped in lore, it's almost myth.