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Brothers and Sisters

The Allman Brothers Band

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Album Review

Brothers and Sisters, the Allman Brothers Band's first new studio album in two years, shows off a leaner brand of musicianship, which, coupled with a pair of serious crowd-pleasers, "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica," helped drive it to the top of the charts for a month and a half and to platinum record sales. This was the first album to feature the group's new lineup, with Chuck Leavell on keyboards and Lamar Williams on bass, as well as Dickey Betts' emergence as a singer alongside Gregg Allman. The tracks appear on the album in the order in which they were recorded, and the first three, up through "Ramblin' Man," feature Berry Oakley — their sound is rock-hard and crisp. The subsequent songs with Williams have the bass buried in the mix, and an overall muddier sound. The interplay between Leavell and Betts is beautiful on some songs, and Betts' slide on "Pony Boy" is a dazzling showcase that surprised everybody. Despite its sales, Brothers and Sisters is not quite a classic album (although it was their best for the next 17 years), especially in the wake of the four that had appeared previously, but it served as a template for some killer stage performances, and it proved that the band could survive the deaths of two key members.

Customer Reviews

wasted words, indeed ....

I can't find the right words, so I'll just say this: Ramblin' Man, which is the Allman Brothers biggest chart hit ever, is THE WORST SONG ON THIS ALBUM. Yes, they lost Duane and Berry (RIP to ya brothers both), but life goes on, and we are introduced to Chuck Leavell, who plays four of the greatest piano solos in rock history on one album, on four songs in a row. Come and Go Blues, Jelly Jelly, Southbound, Jessica. If anyone knows of a better performance by a piano player on one album in rock and roll, I'm all ears. And for a guy to join the band and knock the ball out of the park like that is just ..., well, like I said, I can't find the right words. For anyone who appreciates great rock, R&B, and blues, this album is a must have. And to the person below who characterized Pony Boy as a "throwaway tune" - can I spend a few months picking through your garbage? Cause there's gold in them thar hills.

Low Key Classic.

With Duane gone and Eat a Peach and At Fillmore East (The Allman masterpieces) in the past, this album is often overlooked. To be fair, Brothers and Sisters doesn't reach the height of the aforementioned albums (how many really do?) but its still essential, even if you already have Ramblin' Man and Jessica from a greatest hits compilation. Each of the songs here, especially the under appreciated Pony Boy, is a solid-to-great work that comes together to form a complete, low key high pleasure album. Summer Cruising music to be sure. Check this one out.

Difficult to Review

I find it very difficult to review this album because this isn’t the Allman Brothers. At this point, Duane Allman, the Allman Brothers’ driving force and creative genius, had already died in a tragic motorcycle crash. Shortly after his passing, bassist Berry Oakley assume role of the band’s leader, but during production of this album, Berry died in an eerily similar motorcycle crash not a few blocks from where Duane died. With two brothers now gone, the band was lost. Yet in their darkest hour, the Allman Brothers produced their biggest hit with this album, “Ramblin’ Man,” Dickey Betts’ upbeat country rock tune hitting #2 on the charts. If you were to listen to “Whipping Post” and “Ramblin’ Man” back-to-back without knowing the name of the band, you would swear both songs were from different bands. In a way, they are. However, speaking from a strait music review perspective of the song itself, “Ramblin’ Man” is a good song. Berry Oakley’s last song with the band juxtaposed with hot guitar weaving between Dickey Betts and Les Dudek make this a must have for lovers of Southern Rock. And that’s exactly what this album is, Southern Rock. You listen to the four albums before this one, The Allman Brothers don’t sound like a Southern Band, rather more of a fusion of blues, jazz and progressive rock. But on this album, Dickey Betts traded his progressive jazz songwriting in favor of upbeat country music, hence the birth of Southern Rock. Getting back to the album, and the band, our first song is “Wasted Words,” a Gregg Allman tune. Gregg’s songwriting takes a backseat on this album. Instead of the earnest soulful vocals we heard on “Not My Cross to Bear,” Gregg sings the song with severe apathy, and after having lost his brother, who could blame him. While the performance is fine, the vibe just isn’t there. Dickey Betts seems to going through the motions through his slide guitar playing (to which he admitted he lost his taste for after he was forced to assume the role). However, the new Allman Brother, Chuck Leavell brings the track to life with his engaging piano playing (Getting Chuck was a wise decision by the band). From there, the album picks up with “Ramblin Man” and the more exciting Gregg Allman penned song, “Come and Go Blues” with the first appearance of Berry Oakley’s replacement, Lamar Williams. Possibly the best song on the album, Chuck Leavell’s piano solo steals the song and Gregg’s vocal picks up near the end. The middle section is closest the album gets to LIVE AT FILLMORE EAST. “Jelly Jelly” is good, but not even close to the powerhouse “Stormy Monday” from FILLMORE. “Southbound” is another Dickey Betts tune, and a popular FM radio hit at the time. Good song, but again, not really the Allman Brothers we know and love. “Jessica” is one of the most impressive tunes on the album. Catchy as hell (and just an instrumental) the band really shines on this one and Dickey plays his best solo on the album. For a Southern Rock band, it’s a milestone accomplishment, but for the Allman Brothers, it’s only moderately better than the dozens of instrumentals the Allmans produced in the next few years failing to top “Elizabeth Reed.” The last song on this album is “Pony Boy” a throwaway track. Because of this album, people are quick to label the Allman Brothers as a Southern Rock without ever hearing the powerhouse fusion band that produced LIVE AT FILLMORE EAST. For that reason, I don’t think much of this album. But in terms of Southern Rock, or even country, it’s a good listen. Judge for yourself.

Biography

Formed: 1969 in Macon, GA

Genre: Rock

Years Active: '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s

The story of the Allman Brothers Band is one of triumph, tragedy, redemption, dissolution, and a new redemption. Over nearly 30 years, they've gone from being America's single most influential band to a has-been group trading on past glories,...
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