10 Greatest Live Albums In Rock Music History
3. The Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East
If you like the jam band aesthetic, guitar lines that soar off towards the horizon, and complex arrangements of tracks that wax and wane for a long old time, the Allmans’ At Fillmore East is one of the finest recordings ever released.
Even if that doesn’t sound your thing, though, this record’s still well worth experiencing. The Allman Brothers Band take live guitar rock to a level rarely encountered here, and by no means is it all indulgence. “Statesboro Blues” starts things off nice and heavy, and “Done Somebody Wrong” is a great jolt of energy on an album that tends towards the mid-tempo.
The jams are really where it’s at, though. "You Don't Love Me", a highlight, takes a simple blues track and turns it into something sprawling and rhythmically deft. They ride the melody for about seven minutes before totally breaking the song down and rebuilding it from scratch, with some incredible musicianship on display from all corners.
They repeat this better still on closer “Whipping Post”, just as virtuosic but with a greater emphasis on melody. It’s high strung, emotional guitar playing that certainly won’t be for everyone, but is as good an example of an oft-maligned form as it’s possible to find.