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A TAV Curator's Pick.

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 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. It seems as if everyone knew what they were experiencing.

"The audience would kind of play along with us," revealed Gregg Allman, years later. They were right on top of every single vibration coming from the stage." 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. But it's real. And oh, how it now sounds so glorious. – Mobile Fidelity

“A good idea that worked out even better, with one small caveat. The Fillmore Concerts is made up of performances from the two Fillmore shows that originally comprised Live at the Fillmore East and the concert portions of Eat a Peach, plus one track ("One Way Out") from a Fillmore show from a couple of months later. The 16-track masters from each show are transferred to digital and remixed by original producer Tom Dowd. The sound is sterling and the two-hour-plus running time makes this a dream for fans of the band, as well as an improvement on the original releases of this material. It is also a slightly less honest release, where "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" is concerned -- Dowd edited the version here together from two different performances, first and second shows, the dividing line being where Duane Allman's solo comes in. Not that this is the only concert album where this kind of editing has been done, but the original Live at the Fillmore contained a single take of the song, and some purists may prefer that. Otherwise, this set runs circles around more than 99 percent of the guitar albums ever released, with breathtaking sound” – AllMusic

Listed as one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time:

“Rock's greatest live double LP is an unbeatable testimony to the Allman Brothers' improvisational skills, as well as evidence of how they connected with audiences to make jamming feel communal. "The audience would kind of play along with us," singer­organist Gregg Allman said of the March 1971 shows documented here. "They were right on top of every single vibration coming from the stage." The dazzling guitar team of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts was at its peak, seamlessly fusing blues and jazz in "Whipping Post" and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed." But their telepathy was interrupted: Just three months after the album's release, Duane died in a motorcycle accident.” – Rolling Stone

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