Sea Level

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this. Really the first fully blank slate of this journey so far though I had not heard most of what we’ve covered so far. Having stumbled upon this looking into what happened when the Allman Brothers split the first time, I decided at the last moment to include it and I am glad I did. Straddling the line between jazz rock fusion and jam band, these guys recorded a really engaging album, half instrumental, that captures an energy sorely lacking on Win Lose or Draw. The major highlights for me here included Rain in Spain, the fun Shake a Leg, Nothing Matters But the Fever, Country Fool, Grand Larceny, and Just a Good Feeling - though I really enjoyed all of this. What a nice little unexpected find!

Dickey Betts & Great Southern

For his second album, Dickey Betts puts together a new band that is pretty formidable. Sticking much closer to the Allman Brothers sound while still leaning hard on country music, this album for me is far superior to Highway Call. Out to Get Me, Run Gypsy Run, The Way Love Goes, Nothing You Can Do, and California Blues we’re my favorites, though I did enjoy Bougainvillea. I would definitely still take most of the Allman Brothers stuff over this, but this is quite a solid outing for Dickey Betts who still is seeking to chase the country muse while trying to incorporate that guitar. Really I am not sure I would object to hearing him play over just about anything.

Allman and Woman - Two the Hard away

Ick.

Just two artists in love…

Nothing about that worked. Trying to make it a pop record and southern rock. Their voices and approaches just didn’t work for me together. I will say this - the album cover says it all. This might have been one of the 5 least favorite albums I can remember hearing.

Yeah. It’s fucking terrible. It took a lot of fortitude to make it thru the whole thing.

At least now you can make it thru the next batch of ABB records and say “well, it’s not the worst thing I’ve heard by any of these guys.”

Sea Level - Cats on the Coast

Living somewhere in between the E Street Band circa 1973, Little Feat, and rock jazz fusion is this second album by Sea Level. All of the instrumentals I found to be enjoyable, That’s Your Secret, It Hurts to Want It So Bad, and Every Little Thing all highlights. These are nice side albums to jump into - like palate cleansers since they bear a little but not much resemblance to the main material.

Yeah, the ditch doesn’t get much deeper than that.

Dickey Betts & Great Southern - Atlanta’s Burning Down

In his second album with Great Southern, much of what was strong about the first album continues. A great blend of southern rock, country, and soul. It’s not nearly to the level of Allmans still, but there are a number of really solid tracks on this one: Good Time Feeling is laid back southern rock and soul, Leavin’ Me Again, Back on the Road Again, and Dealin’ With the Devil all strong, plus the closing trio of Shady Streets (the best example here of a Betts ballad that works), You Can Have Her, and Mr. Blues Man all very different but my favorite part of the album. Probably the best of the Betts trilogy I am covering in this portion of the journey (possibly more to come).

Sea Level - On the Level

The third of four Sea Level albums is once again a jazz rock fusion, and has several instrumental tracks, all very solid. Beyond the instrumentals, King Grand, Living in a Dream, and Electron Cold were big highlights, though my favorite on the album was the instrumental A Lotta Colada, though Electron Cold was a close second. These continue to be great additions not just for the quality but really for how different they sound from the Allman Brothers Band.

I missed this before. Not a bad listen.

Bougainvillea was co-written by Don Johnson.

I know it’s later, but don’t skip Pattern Disruptive.

Yeah, that’s the possibly more to come.

Enlightened Rogues

Who’s Out: Chuck Leavell, Lamar Williams
Who’s In: Danny Toler, David Goldflies

Spending so much time kicking around all the bands that splintered off the Allman Brothers Band was a key decision in this journey - I felt a great deal of excitement getting to this point and earning that feeling that the Allman Brothers are back! From what I have sort of gleaned from their history, people I think consider this a lean period for them where the product was largely lackluster, but I feel like there’s plenty to look back on. The opening trio of Crazy Love (the hit), Can’t Take It With You (the standard bearing Allmans sound), and Pegasus (the epic instrumental jam) is a pure announcement that they’re back and sets the stage for quite the solid album. Blind Love, Just Ain’t Easy, and Try It One More Time are also solid, and frankly even when the song doesn’t grab me initially, Dickey Betts is always there to save the day. I quite enjoyed this.

Sea Level - Long Walk on a Short Pier

The fourth and final Sea Level album here. While I have to admit that I sort of felt tired of them at this point, it’s more fatigue than anything. Still breezy, still have instrumentals that win the day on the album, and the songs are still in that 70s vibe. Solid but wasn’t as exceptional as the other albums for me.

Reach For the Sky

While not at the level of their best stuff, or really even Enlightened Rogues, this album does immediately surprise me on how solid it is. Hell & High Water is almost gospel tinged Allmans, From the Madness of the West is a solid instrumental piece, I Got. Right to Be Wrong is pretty good, Angeline is solid, Keep On Keepin’ On and So Long are good, though really So Long is all about the closing jam. Not phenomenal but worthy. It seems a bit like a caricature of their former selves, but the wheels really hadn’t completely come off yet.

Brothers of the Road

Okay, so now we have to level with the band being a bit of a mess. Jaimie’s out, and Danny Toler’s brother in. Whatever happened here, an attempt to incorporate more pop sounds contemporary to the day, it just doesn’t really work except in a few sparks. Leavin’, Maybe We Can Go Back to Yesterday, and I Beg of You are the highlights for me that break this spell of mediocrity, but otherwise I am not sure there’s much else to talk about here. I think it edges out Win Lose or Draw but comes very close to their low point.

Gregg Allman Band - I’m No Angel

Once again, the Allman Brothers Band has broken up, and years have passed. Gregg Allman gets together his band for this solo effort. Completely washed of the blues roots that underpinned most of his career - essentially an 80s pop rock disaster, full of dramatic and nonsensical tropes about love and desperation, set to incredibly bland backgrounds. Worst since his collaborative album with Cher.

Gregg Allman Band - Just Before the Bullets Fly

This album has much in common with I’m No Angel in that the songs just aren’t very good. The plus side to this, while still largely existing in the soft rock adult contempo space of the late 80s is that some of the blues structures are back and the band is tight as hell. If only the songs were even at the level of poorly conceived glossy Clapton from the same era would it be worth it for the 40 minutes. Instead, it’s almost more like the Gregg Allman wedding band complete with its own originals.

But he did have a minor hit with the title track.