Laid Bach: Greg Allmam. Asylum Recording.

Reviewed by Truman Coyote.

On reading the booklet that came with the Duane Allman anthology you get the very clear feeling that Greg was dragged into the Allman's Band on the back of his brother's talent and personality. But on this LP little brother shines, as singer, composer and writer.

The only complaint is that at $5.75 the buyer is getting a little short-changed. There are only eight tracks, and they're not particularly long, only one in fact reaches six minutes. Also much of the material has appeared on early Allman LPs. Mind you, the current versions here of 'Midnight Rider' and 'Please Conic Home' are exceptionally good, the former being a more ghostly version than the one on 'Idiewild South' though the earlier version compensates in other ways. Notably, the vocals are stronger.

Also, do we really need another version of Jackson Browne's "These Days"? However the worst is the note on which the album ends, a lumbering version of "Will the Circle be Unbroken". Someone should tell him that these hymns should be done sparely and starkly to give these lyrics a chance. But when the lyrics are done as tremulously as Greg Allman does them here, and when the whole piece is burdened with 'this over busy arrangement then there's no hope left for it. A disaster.

So I ended up panning this album. Which in too bad because what little you get is generally quite good, and he's developing a wonderfully tuckered out singing voice. The couple of new tracks are reasonable enough but all in all its a luxury to own this LP for what you get here. My advice would be to buy his single of 'Midnight Rider' to add to the Allman's version you've already got and wait for the next LP by the group.