Thursday, April 18, 2013

"Angeline" by The Allman Brothers Band

Song#:  0330
Date:  09/13/1980
Debut:  90
Peak:  58
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Southern Rock, Blues-Rock



Pop Bits:  With a long and storied history, the band was at the peak of their success when their classic live album "At Fillmore East" came out in 1971. Unfortunately tragedy struck soon after when founder/member Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident. The group continued on and released two more major successes with "Eat a Peach" (which was being recorded when Duane died) and "Brothers and Sisters," which featured their biggest pop hit, the #2 "Ramblin' Man." However, dealing with losing Duane and their mega-success, the group started to pull apart and initially broke up in 1976. They reformed a couple of years later and soldiered on for a bit with minor success. This single from 1980's "Reach For the Sky" spent a little time on the chart.

ReduxReview:  Oh lordy, Southern rock again. Well, really a Southern rock/jam band, which is a double dislike for me. I do recognize that their early music was very influential and helped to define the genre, but it's just not my thing. This song doesn't do much to change my mind.

Note: I actually met founding member Dickey Betts. In college I attended a seminar on country music and the panel included Betts, Ricky Scaggs, Brenda Lee, and Richard Sterban (the bass singer in the Oak Ridge Boys). We got to meet and greet all of them after the seminar. Oddly, I think I got autographs from all of them except Betts.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Almost exactly a year after Duane's motorcycle accident, original band member Berry Oakley also died - in a motorcycle accident.  2) Original member Butch Trucks' nephew is Derek Trucks who found success with his own band beginning in 1996. Derek also would play with the Allman Brothers Band and became an official member in 1999. He and his wife Susan Tedeschi formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2011 and their debut album won a Grammy for Best Blues Album.

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