Home » Jazz Articles » Extended Analysis » Duane Allman: Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective

5

Duane Allman: Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective

By

Sign in to view read count
Duane Allman: Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective
If a musical note has a soul, Duane Allman could slide up to it and hold it beneath a Coricidin bottle in a tremolo seizure of sonic perfection until it screamed. Whether it is the whiplash introduction to "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'" or the most perfect electric blues performance recorded on "One Way Out," Allman had a certain radioactive intuition that translated into fire, grace and passion.

Like Schubert, Allman made hay while the sun was shining, Midas- touching the heart of music in innumerable ways in the all-too-brief six years he actively recorded. Six years: 1965 to 1971, almost perfectly overlapping the great period in rock music conveniently delineated by Mick Taylor's equally brief stay with the Rolling Stones. And it ended an age all too soon. It is interesting to note that Duane Allman's tenure with the band he co-founded with his brother Gregg was only 31 months long ( March 26, 1969, when the initial Allman Brothers Band lineup first assembled at Berry Oakley's house, to his death on October 29, 1971).

The contents of Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective (Rounder, 2013) document Allman's early bands, The Escorts, The Allman Joys and Hourglass, out of which the Allman Brothers Band would morph. While leading Hourglass, Allman came to the attention of Fame Studios owner Rick Hall, who Allman approached about a studio musician job. At the time, Fame had plenty of guitar players (Eddie Hinton, for one), but Allman chose to hang around for something to come up. That something occurred on November 12, 1968, when he was asked to overdub his slide guitar on the Clarence Carter song, "The Road of Love," originally recorded July 26, 1967. This was the first commercially released recording with Allman as session guitarist.

Historical studio highlights followed, all included in this retrospective: lead guitar on Wilson Pickett's "Hey Jude" (Hey Jude (Atlantic, 1969)) and Boz Scaggs' "Loan Me a Dime" (Boz Scaggs (Atlantic, 1969); slide guitar on Aretha Franklin's "The Weight" for This Girl's In Love With You (Atlantic, 1970); and King Curtis' cover of the same on Instant Groove (Atlantic, 1969). Also included are the rarities, other songs recorded for various sessions but not previously released, or only sporadically so. Then, there is the material recorded as the Allman Brothers, Delaney and Bonnie, and Derek and the Dominos.

Sprawling best describes the range of this retrospective, but it always comes back to the central issue, the paramount talent of a 24-year old guitarist who changed the way music was played in so many ways. Allman may be considered the pioneer of the electric slide guitar. What Son House, Robert Johnson and Elmore James began, Duane Allman perfected and Lowell George, Sonny Landreth and Derek Trucks expanded. Allman's spirit may best be captured on The Duck and The Bear's Atlantic single "Goin' Up The Country"/"Hand Jive." A little vanity side jag put together by Johnny "The Duck" Sandlin and Eddie "The Bear" Hinton with the Muscle Shoals Horns and the Memphis Horns, the single featured Allman's smiling, overdriven slide guitar that would go on to define a generation of music.

Track Listing

CD1: The Escorts Turn On Your Love Light; The Escorts No Name Instrumental; The Escorts What’d I Say; The Allman Joys Spoonful; The Allman Joys Gotta Get Away; The Allman Joys Shapes Of Things; The Allman Joys Crossroads; The Allman Joys Mister, You’re A Better Man Than I; The Allman Joys Lost Woman; Hour Glass Cast Off All My Fears; Hour Glass I’ve Been Trying; Hour Glass Nothing But Tears; Hour Glass Power Of Love; Hour Glass Down In Texas; Hour Glass Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown); Hour Glass B.B. King Medley; Hour Glass Been Gone Too Long; Hour Glass Ain’t No Good To Cry; 31st Of February Morning Dew; 31st Of February Melissa; The Bleus Milk And Honey; The Bleus Leavin’ Lisa; The Bleus Julianna’s Gone.

CD2: Clarence Carter The Road Of Love; Clarence Carter Light My Fire; Wilson Pickett Hey Jude; Wilson Pickett Toe Hold; Wilson Pickett My Own Style Of Loving; Wilson Pickett Born To Be Wild; Laura Lee It’s How You Make It Good; Laura Lee It Ain’t What You Do (But How You Do It); Spencer Wiggins I Never Loved A Woman (The Way I Love You); Arthur Conley Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da; Arthur Conley Stuff You Gotta Watch; Arthur Conley Speak Her Name; Willie Walker A Lucky Loser; The Lovelles I'm Coming Today; The Lovelles Pretending Dear; Aretha Franklin The Weight; Aretha Franklin It Ain't Fair; Soul Survivors Darkness; Soul Survivors Tell Daddy; Soul Survivors Got Down On Saturday; King Curtis Hey Joe; King Curtis Foot Pattin'; King Curtis Games People Play; King Curtis The Weight; The Sweet Inspirations Get A Little Order.

CD3: The Barry Goldberg Blues Band Twice A Man;Duane Allman Goin' Down Slow; Duane Allman No Money Down; Duane Allman Happily Married Man; Otis Rush Me; Otis Rush Reap What You Sow; Otis Rush It Takes Time; The Duck & The Bear Going Up The Country; The Duck & The Bear Hand Jive; Boz Scaggs Finding Her; Boz Scaggs Look What I Got; Boz Scaggs Waiting For A Train; Boz Scaggs Loan Me A Dime; The Allman Brothers Band Don't Want You No More; The Allman Brothers Band It's Not My Cross To Bear; The Allman Brothers Band Black Hearted Woman; The Allman Brothers Band Trouble No More.

CD4:The Allman Brothers Band Every Hungry Woman; The Allman Brothers Band Dreams; The Allman Brothers Band Whipping Post; Ronnie Hawkins One More Night; Ronnie Hawkins Will The Circle Be Unbroken; Ronnie Hawkins Matchbox; Ronnie Hawkins Down In The Alley; Ronnie Hawkins Who Do You Love; Lulu Marley Purt Drive; Lulu Dirty Old Man; Lulu Mr. Bojangles; Lulu Sweep Around Your Own Back Door; Johnny Jenkins I Walk On Gilded Splinters; Johnny Jenkins Rollin’ Stone; Johnny Jenkins Down Along The Cove; Johnny Jenkins Voodoo In You; John Hammond Shake For Me; John Hammond Cryin’ For My Baby; John Hammond I’m Leavin’ You; John Hammond You’ll Be Mine; Doris Duke Ghost Of Myself.

CD5: Eric Quincy Tate Comin’ Down; (Demo Version) The Allman Brothers Band Hoochie Coochie Man; (Live) The Allman Brothers Band Midnight Rider; The Allman Brothers Band Dimples (Live); The Allman Brothers Band I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town (Live); Delaney & Bonnie & Friends Soul Shake; Laura Nyro Beads Of Sweat; The Allman Brothers Band Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’; Delaney & Bonnie & Friends Living On The Open Road; Ella Brown A Woman Left Lonely; Ella Brown Touch Me; Bobby Lance More Than Enough Rain; Derek & The Dominos I Am Yours; Derek & The Dominos Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?; Derek & The Dominos Have You Ever Loved A Woman; Derek & The Dominos Layla; Eric Clapton & Duane Allman Mean Old World.

CD6: Sam Samudio Me And Bobby Mcgee; Sam Samudio Relativity; Sam Samudio Goin' Upstairs; Ronnie Hawkins Don't Tell Me Your Troubles; Ronnie Hawkins Sick And Tired; Ronnie Hawkins Odessa; Delaney & Bonnie & Friends Gift Of Love; Delaney & Bonnie & Friends Sing My Way Home; The Allman Brothers Band Statesboro Blues (Live); The Allman Brothers Band In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed (Live); Grateful Dead Sugar Magnolia (Live); The Allman Brothers Band One Way Out (Live); Herbie Mann Push Push; Herbie Mann Spirit In The Dark; Herbie Mann What’d I Say.

CD7: Delaney & Bonnie & Friends Come On In My Kitchen; (Live) Delaney & Bonnie & Friends Going Down The Road Feeling Bad; (Live) Delaney & Bonnie & Friends Poor Elijah / Tribute To Johnson (Medley); (Live) The Allman Brothers Band You Don't Love Me / Soul Serenade; (Live) Cowboy Please Be With Me; The Allman Brothers Band Stand Back; The Allman Brothers Band Blue Sky; The Allman Brothers Band Blue Sky (Live); The Allman Brothers Band Dreams (Live); The Allman Brothers Band Little Martha.

Personnel

Duane Allman: guitars, vocals; and a cast of thousands.

Album information

Title: Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Rounder Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.