Pre-Allman Brothers Recordings Re-Released

Early, out-of-print pre-Allman Brothers Band music from Duane and Gregg Allman will be reissued on vinyl and CD on March 27, appearing on the latter format for the first time.

Originally issued in 1973 as Early Allman, the only session work from the brothers’ teenage band Allman Joys, recorded in August 1966, is the earliest of this batch. Two albums from their subsequent group Hour Glass (pictured) – their 1967 debut and 1968 follow-up Power of Love – continue the audio history lesson, which is completed by the re-release of a September 1968 demo session by The 31st of February (featuring Duane, Gregg and ABB drummer Butch Trucks) for a planned second album that eventually saw light in 1972 under the title Duane & Greg (sic) – of which the younger brother’s misspelled name is the least offense. The Allmans had only joined Trucks’ group – which already had a debut album to its name on Vanguard Records – a few months prior. Still, the album includes the original version of “Melissa,” plus Jimmy Cox’s “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” (which Duane would re-record a couple years’ later with Derek & the Dominoes) and a nice rendition of “Morning Dew.”

It should be noted that none of these records sold well upon their original release, quickly ending up in cutout bins. These are most definitely not ABB albums, nor do they sound like them, and to be honest they’re more enlightening than all that good. If you’re a completist, it’s likely you already have them anyway. But if you don’t, and you feel like you need them… well, they’re easy to find again.