I DROWN MYSELF IN SORROW
AS I LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE
BUT NOTHIN' SEEMS TO CHANGE
THE BAD TIMES STAY THE SAME
AND I CAN'T RUN
At Fillmore East
is the first live album
by American rock band
and their third release overall.
Produced by Tom Dowd,
the album was released on
July 6, 1971
in the United States,
by Capricorn Records.
As the title indicates,
the recording took place at
the New York City music venue
Fillmore East,
which was run by
concert promoter
Bill Graham.
It was recorded over
the course of three nights
in March 1971
(only two nights were used for the album)
and features the band
performing extended jam versions
of songs such as
"Whipping Post",
"You Don't Love Me"
and
"In Memory of Elizabeth Reed".
When first commercially released,
it was issued as a
double LP
with just seven songs
across four vinyl sides.
At Fillmore East
was the band's artistic
and commercial breakthrough,
rapidly increasing the band's
exposure and garnering
them a new legion of fans.
It has since been widely regarded
as one of the greatest
live albums of all time
and the start of the band's
association with the jam band
school of music
(although members of the band
have repudiated the label,
stating instead they are just
"a band that jams").
It has also been ranked as one
of the best albums of all time
and continues to be a top seller
in the band's catalog,
becoming their first album
to receive a
Platinum certification
from the Recording Industry
Association of America
(RIAA).
In 2004,
the album was selected for
preservation in the Library of Congress
by the National Recording Registry,
deemed to be
"culturally, historically,
or aesthetically significant".
Shortly after completing recording
of their second album,
Idlewild South
(1970),
band leader
Duane Allman
was contacted by guitarist
Eric Clapton
to contribute to his new project,
Derek and the Dominos.
Allman was a huge fan
of his work with the band
Cream,
and likewise Clapton
enjoyed Allman's session work
on Wilson Pickett's
"Hey Jude"
some years prior.
They met after a show one night
in Miami and had a
jam session together
until the next afternoon,
with the two guitarists
regarding one another as
"instant soulmates".
Clapton invited Allman
to join
Derek and the Dominos,
and according to band biographer
Alan Paul
he considered it;
in the end,
he declined and rejoined
the Allman Brothers Band,
returning after missing a
string of several shows.
The sessions were collected on
the album
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs,
issued that November.
In the interim,
Idlewild South
had yet to achieve
strong commercial success,
but the band's popularity
and reputation began to
increase due to their
live performances.
The band played continuously
in 1970,
performing over
300 dates
on the road
traveling in a
Ford Econoline van
and later,
a Winnebago,
nicknamed the Wind Bag.
During this time,
the group began struggling with
drug addictions.
Everyone in the group,
with the exception of
the brothers,
was also struggling to
make a living
(vocalist Gregg Allman
received more money
from royalty payments
and Duane more from
session work).
In one incident,
tour manager
Twiggs Lyndon
stabbed and killed
a promoter for not paying
the band;
he later claimed
temporary insanity.
Their fortunes began to change
over the course of 1971,
where the band's
average earnings doubled.
Background
The Allman Brothers Band
had first played Fillmore East
in December 1969,
opening for
Blood, Sweat & Tears
for three nights.
Promoter
Bill Graham
enjoyed the band
and promised to have
them back soon.
In January 1970,
the band opened for
Buddy Guy and B.B. King
at San Francisco's
Fillmore West,
and one month later
at Fillmore East
supporting
the Grateful Dead.
According to biographer
Alan Paul,
"these shows were crucial
in establishing the band
and exposing them
to a wider,
sympathetic audience
on both coasts.
" Drummer
Butch Trucks
considered their performances
at the Fillmore East
to be the launching pad
for their success.
In 1970,
Duane Allman
told disc jockey
Ed Shane,
"You know, we get kind of
frustrated doing the
[studio] records,
and I think,
consequently,
our next album will be ...
a live recording,
to get some of that
natural fire on it."
"We were not intentionally trying
to buck the system,
but keeping each song down
to 3:14 just didn't work for us,"
remembered
Gregg Allman. "
And we realized that the audience
was a big part of what we did,
which couldn't be duplicated
in a studio.
A lightbulb finally went off;
we needed to make a live album.
"The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings "
BOX SET
The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings
was released on
July 29, 2014.
This six-CD boxed set
contains the
four complete concerts
the early and late shows
from
March 12
and
March 13, 1971
from which the songs
included on
At Fillmore East
were selected,
plus
the Allman Brothers'
performance
at the Fillmore East
closing show on
June 27, 1971
TRACKLIST
CD 1
(March 12th, 1971)
(First Show)
Statesboro Blues
Trouble No More
Don't Keep Me Wonderin'
Done Somebody Wrong
In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
You Don't Love Me
CD 2
(March 12th,1971)
(Second Show)
Statesboro Blues
Trouble No More
Don't Keep Me Wonderin'
Done Somebody Wrong
In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
You Don't Love Me
Whipping Post
Hot 'Lanta
CD 3
(March 13th, First Show)
Statesboro Blues
Trouble No More
Don't Keep Me Wonderin'
Done Somebody Wrong
In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
You Don't Love Me
Whipping Post
CD 4
(March 13th, Second Show-Part 1)
Statesboro Blues
One Way Out
Stormy Monday
Hot 'Lanta
Whipping Post
CD 5
(March 13th, Second Show-Part 2)
Mountain Jam
Drunken Hearted Boy
CD 6
(July 27th, 1971 Fillmore East Closing Show)
Statesboro Blues
Don't Keep Me Wonderin'
Done Somebody Wrong
One Way Out
In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
Midnight Rider
Hot 'Lanta
Whipping Post
You Don't Love Me
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