The
BGO two-fer includes two
Allman Brothers titles from 1980 and 1981 respectively, albums that offer a very revealing portrait of the identity crisis that followed them from
Enlightened Rogues. Most groups would have hung it up after the losses that this group suffered -- both guitarist
Duane Allman and bassist
Berry Oakley were killed in separate motorcycle accidents a year apart. The songwriting was left in the hands of
Duane's guitar playing foil
Dickey Betts, who also had a solo career to manage, and
Gregg Allman, who wrote less, but was the "voice" -- as in singer -- of the band, but even that changed considerably here.
Allman produced this set, looking for a way to get back on the charts as they had in the '70s with
Brothers and Sisters. They scored a minor-charting single in
Betts'
"Angeline," and shifted the focus of their sound from long-playing stinging jams to more song-oriented material with a gospel feel. Guests on the set were numerous and featured
Jimmy Hall and
Charlie Daniels. The album doesn't stray too far from the sound of
Brothers and Sisters other than the gospel angle, and
Betts singing a lot more. Still, his own songs tend to be more in the format of his
Great Southern band than the
Brothers. The latter set,
Brothers of the Road, is marred by one really distinct aspect: The participation of
Clive Davis in the production of the set didn't help. The roster of players was enormous, especially in the number of backing vocalists. The focus on the charts is clear in this set, and the sound is sheeny and slick. There is a deep funky blues number in
Allman's
"Leavin'" -- a real standout -- but
Betts wrote almost every other cut on the set. All of that said, this is still a perversely compelling album. It retains enough of the signature sound of the
Allman Brothers to be recognizable, but is so rooted in the pop sounds of the late '70s that it sounds like someone else. This is a brave, or perhaps simply desperate move, and it didn't pay off. The band broke up again after recording it. These albums are for only the most devoted fans of the band, or for those who are interested in the neverwhere of shifting pop culture sounds. ~ Thom Jurek
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