The Allman Brothers Band - Win, Lose Or Draw (1975)

(U.S 1969–1976, 1978–1982, 1989–2014)
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During the early 1970's The Allman Brothers Band overcome the deaths of founding members Duane Allman and Berry Oakley and released the highly successful Brothers And Sisters album in 1973, with its #2 hit single "Ramblin' Man". Reaching new levels of fame and recognition, they came to be seen as leaders in the emergent 'southern rock' movement. They ended the year with a brilliant New Year's Eve concert in San Francisco, organised by Bill Graham, which was broadcast nationwide on the radio. Both Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts also embarked on solo careers.

In fact, the Allman Brothers earned a reputation with their live performances, and the band's first two albums, "The Allman Brothers Band" and "Idlewild South", were distinguished by their solid blues roots and exciting rhythmic dynamism.

Meanwhile, however, relationships within the band were not good. Their success had led to problems with egos and personality conflicts, with guitarist Dickey Betts and pianist Chuck Leavell both wanting to move in different directions, leaving Gregg Allman to try and mediate. When it came to recording the follow-up to 'Brothers And Sisters', the band were no longer a unified group. Allman was not present for many of the sessions and his vocals had to be recorded later, and drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe went missing and had to be replaced by session players on a few songs. When it came out in 1975, 'Win, Lose Or Draw' was seen as an uneven record and was received somewhat poorly. Betts seemed to be fully in control, repeating his 'Brothers And Sisters' formula by contributing some mellow country-rock songs and an extended instrumental entitled "High Falls" which takes up most of side 2 on the album. There were also a couple of Allman compositions (which followed in the style of his solo album Laid Back), and covers of numbers by Muddy Waters and Billy Joe Shaver.

Though its often seen as a 'beginning of the end' sort of album, 'Win, Lose Or Draw' is still a great record, with some truly fantastic highlights. It did indeed manage to chart to #5 in the States. However shortly after its release the band effectively fell apart, with Gregg Allman falling out with the other members. Leavell, Jaimoe and Lamar Williams went on to form jazz-rock group Sea Level, while Betts and Allman continued moved on to solo careers.

I am a big fan of 'Win, Lose Or Draw'. Back when it was released my initial reaction was pretty close to what others have said on various blogs while researching the album, it didn't have the drive and pizazz of all their previous releases. But... its not being overplayed and the passage of time has been very kind to it. Its not the level of their debut, 'Eat A Peach' or 'Brothers/Sisters', but its strong in its own way.
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 "High Falls" is as good as anything they ever did in my humble opinion, as well as the title track and "Can't Lose What You Never Had".

This post consists of FLACs taken from my prized vinyl, and the usual album artwork and label scans. I have always enjoyed listening to this album and although I know this is not their best release, I have always had a soft spot this LP in my collection. And so, I wanted to share it with you.
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Track Listing
01. Can't Lose What You Never Had (McKinley Morganfield) 5:50
02. Just Another Love Song (Richard Betts) 2:44
03. Nevertheless (Gregory L. Allman) 3:32
04. Win, Lose or Draw (Gregory L. Allman) 4:45
05. Louisiana Lou and Three Card Monty John (Richard Betts) 3:45
06. High Falls (Richard Betts) 14:28
07. Sweet Mama (Billy Joe Shaver) 3:33
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Band Members:
Gregg Allman: Lead Vocals, Organ, Clavinet, Acoustic Guitar
Richard Betts: Lead Guitar, Slide Guitar, Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Chuck Leavell: Piano, Electric Piano, Moog Synthesizer, Clavinet, Background Vocals
Lamar Williams: Electric Bass
Jaimoe: Drums, Percussion
Butch Trucks: Drums, Congas, Percussion, Tympani
Additional Musicians:
Johnny Sandlin: Acoustic Guitar, Percussion
Bill Stewart: Percussion

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The Allman Brothers FLAC link (218Mb)
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The Gregg Allman Band - Playin' Up A Storm (1977)

(U.S 1960 - 2017)
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Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Gregg Allman was known for his long blond hair. He was raised in Florida by a single mother after his father was shot to death. Allman idolized his older brother, Duane, eventually joining a series of bands with him. Together they formed the nucleus of The Allman Brothers Band. The original band featured extended jams, tight guitar harmonies by Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, rhythms from a pair of drummers and the smoky blues inflected voice of Gregg Allman. Songs such as Whipping Post, Ramblin’ Man and Midnight Rider helped define what came to be known as Southern rock and opened the doors for such stars as Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Marshall Tucker Band.

In 1975, Cher and Allman married three days after she divorced her husband and singing partner, Sonny Bono. Their marriage was tumultuous from the start; Cher requested a divorce just nine days after their Las Vegas wedding, although she dismissed the suit a month later.

Together they released a widely panned duets album under the name Allman and Woman. They had one child together, Elijah Blue, and Cher filed for legal separation in 1977. He recorded his second solo album, 'Playin' Up a Storm', with the Gregg Allman Band, and it was released in May 1977.

Sadly, Allman recently passed away (May 27, 2017) at the age of 69 of complications from liver cancer.

Cher & Gregg 1977

Album Review
'Playin’ Up A Storm' is the debut album under The Gregg Allman Band title and is Greg Allman’s overall second effort outside The Allman Brothers Band. “Playin’ Up A Storm” was released in 1977 on the Capricorn label and was produced by Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman.

The “Playin’ Up A Storm” lineup consisted of Gregg Allman on vocals, acoustic guitar, organ and piano, Bill Stewart on drums, Neil Larsen on the fender rhodes, piano, electric piano and synthesizer, Ricky Hirsch on acoustic, electric and slide guitar, Steve Beckmeier on electric guitar, John Hug on electric guitar and lastly, Willie Weeks on bass.
 

According to my research “Playin’ Up A Storm” didn’t receive much attention back in 1977 despite Gregg Allman already being an established household name. I think it’s truly a shame it wasn’t represented and supported more back then but it’s even more saddening to know that almost 40 years later “Playin’ Up A Storm” is still practically under the covers.

“Playin’ Up A Storm” is a well blended mixture of Southern Rock, Pop, Blues, Jazz and some Soul. Consisting of nine tracks, the album has a very pleasurable and easy listening flow from start to finish. I think the musicianship is top notch, Gregg’s vocals are inviting and the production is both clear and polished.

There wasn’t a song that I found to be less likable than the other, in my opinion this album is a very solid effort from The Gregg Allman Band. There is one song that's had slightly more of an impact on me which is track five “Cryin’ Shame”. The song starts off low key with a hint of guitar, a smooth bass line, a friendly drum beat and a lonesome sounding keyboard while Gregg Allman's voice floats over top talking about the familiar tale of heartbreak. When the chorus comes around the band becomes more lively and both a organ and backup singers are then added to the mix. The song continues to build momentum and grab your interest more from there. The sweet spot of the song in my opinion is the keyboard solo more towards the end, it’s like golden rich honey pouring out of your speakers.

I do enjoy the album artwork, it’s simplistic and works but I also think it showcases how intimate the music is. A nice action shot of Gregg Allman is the main centerpiece showing his eyes closed and his fingers exploring the keyboard before him. Gregg having his eyes closed I think represents the intimate and soul touching, feel good music that lies ahead for the listener. Another attractive element of “Playin’ Up A Storm” is its long list of credits which include Dr. John and Ray Charles just to name a few. Those two paired with Gregg Allman makes a great threesome already but then add the other musicians and features of the album and you’ve got one genuinely great piece.

“Playin’ Up A Storm” is a gem of my album collection that I pull out from time to time and it never ceases to entertain. If you’ve heard of this album before but don’t recall its sound or passed it over back in the day, give it another shot. Or if you’ve never heard of it, treat yourself to some great music, go give it a listen. [review by By Daniel Watts at PhillyRockRadio.com]

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This 'whipping' post consists of FLACs and full album artwork from vinyl and CD media.  I purchased this album second hand in my late teens and always remember how impressed I was when I first heard it. It was very different to the Allman Brothers material that I had heard previously, but it had such a laid back groove that I immediately feel in love with it. The B-side contains my favourite tracks but having said this, there isn't a bad track on the whole album. I therefore pay tribute to Gregg Allman with this post and hope you enjoy his solo material.
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Track Listing:
01. Come And Go Blues - 4:48

02. Let This Be A Lesson To Ya' - 3:42
03. Brightest Smile In Town - 3:06
04. Bring It On Back - 4:49
05. Cryin' Shame - 3:44
06. Sweet Feelin' - 3:37
07. It Ain't No Use - 3:54
08. Matthew's Arrival - 3:50
09. One More Try - 3:53

The Gregg Allman Band is:
Gregg Allman - Vocals, Organ, Piano, Acoustic Guitar
Willie Weeks - Bass, Fender Rhodes
Steve Beckmeier - Guitar
Ricky Hirsch - Guitar, Slide Guitar
John Leslie Hug - Guitar
Neil Larsen - Synthesizer, Piano, Keyboards, Fender Rhodes, Horn Arrangements
Bill Stewart - Drums
Guest Musicians
Fred Beckmeier - Bass
Red Callender- Bass
Dr. John - Keyboards
Victor Feldman - Percussion
Venetta Fields - Background Vocals
Clydie King - Background Vocals
Milt Holland - Percussion
David Luell - Horn, Saxophone
Steve Madaio - Horn
Pat Rizzo - Horn
Sherlie Matthews - Background Vocals
Bill Payne - Synthesizer, Keyboards
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Gregg Allman Band FLACs Link (205Mb)
New Link 16/11/2024