Released in 1969 off their self entitled Album, The Allman Brothers Band.
Gregg Allman-Vocals, Organ
Duane Allman-Lead Guitar and Slide Guitar
Richard Betts-Lead Guitar, Guitar
Berry Oakley-Bass, backing vocals
Butch Trucks-Drums
Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson-Drums, congas
Every song I post here has some significant or history to it for me, this one is no different. I got my first Stereo when I was 14 and of course it came with headphones otherwise my parents would have trashed that Stereo they had bought me.
Seems I always heard Dreams in the wee hours of the morning and on the weekends when there was no school and of course like all my hippie friends we partied until the time in-which our parents bestowed upon us that we had to have our asses home by. The only stations I listened to back then was mainly WABX and it’s Canadian equal CJOM.
Of course in 71 & 72 coming home stoned with that wondrous herb we all liked so well made the music even more enchanting. And on
” HEADPHONES ” could become surreal. And Dreams was one of those numbers that drew you into a journey.
The Allman Brothers Band turned me on to the Blues notably with this Album that included:
Side one
1.”Don’t Want You No More” (Spencer Davis, Eddie Hardin)
2.”It’s Not My Cross to Bear”*
3.”Black Hearted Woman”
4.”Trouble No More” (McKinley Morganfield)
Side two
1.”Every Hungry Woman”
2.”Dreams”
3.”Whipping Post”
The intro number Don’t want you no more’s Guitar work into Greg Allman’s It’s not my cross to Bear was a Gem.
Between this band, Janis and Jimi. My birth of the Blues came in 1969. And from there I was hooked. Like a seducing drug it made you wanting to dig deeper and deeper to when it all started and from whom. Only this drug wasn’t one that would kill you, instead it was one that would bring a lifetime of enjoyment. My weed smoking ended in 73, but the Blues would become a life long indulgence that I can never seem to get enough of. And The Allman Brothers Band was the first that I know of that used two drummers to give their sound an even more unique one.
Their next two Album releases, ” Idlewild South” ( 70 ) and “At Fillmore East” ( 71 ) brought even more and powerful Blues. At that time outside of Hendrix’s playing, Duane Allman had consumed me.
Then on Oct. 29, 1971 the sudden death of Duane Allman from a motorcycle accident silenced our joys momentarily long enough to mourn one of the best slide guitarists that had ever played since Elmore James. An Album that had been started with Duane finished and ” Eat a Peach ” was released in 72. The band remained a 5 member band until they decided to add Piano player Chuck Leavell and debuted on Nov.2, 1972 on Don Kirshner’s In Concert. I along with a house full of friends who partied in the same house every Friday night watch them perform. 9 days later on Nov. 11, 1972 with-in three blocks of where Duane had been killed, Bassist Berry Oakley was also killed in another motorcycle accident. Once again The Allman Brothers Band fans were in shock. Oakley was regarded as one of the best Bass players at the time in Rock or Blues, and to me the Band would never be the same.
9 more albums were produced after the deaths of both Duane and Berry and some very worthy notable songs came out from them. But it was the first four albums that defined this Band’s sound as a whole for me.
And Dreams is a song no matter how many times you’ve heard it still brings you chills in the listening.
It never lost its touch.
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