One of the most widely circulated bootlegs from the Allman Brothers Band will finally see an official release on April 1, 2016 via Peach Records.
Titled Live From A&R Studios: New York, August 26, 1971, the archival release will feature a fantastic recording of the band's radio broadcast which was aired over the New York FM station WPLJ. Above, you can listen to "You Don't Love Me" which segues seamlessly into "Soul Serenade" and finishes with a very cool jam.
The lineup for this classic performance features the original Allman Brothers Band: guitarists Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, organist-singer Gregg Allman, bassist Berry Oakley, and drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe (Jai Johanny Johanson). Tragically, the band's leader Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident less than two months after this recording, and Berry Oakley would die in another motorcycle accident on November 11, 1972.
The Junior Wells arrangement of Willie Cobbs' "You Don't Love Me" was a staple in the Allmans' repertoire, but this performance is special because the band chose to incorporate King Curtis's "Soul Serenade" in remembrance of the great R&B saxophonist who had been murdered 13 days prior. In the beginning of the audio above, you can hear Duane Allman talking about Curtis' funeral, which he had attended.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Butch Trucks talked about the spontaneity of playing the two songs:
That day, on the air, was the first time we knew we were doing a tribute or, actually, "You Don't Love Me." I don't recall a set list. But if we had one, "You Don't Love Me" wasn't on it. Duane was at the microphone, talking about King Curtis. You can hear him: "Have you guys all heard "Soul Serenade?" He played a bit on guitar, then you could almost see a light bulb go off in his head. He stopped and start playing that riff .
We knew what was coming then, although we didn't now when or exactly how. Duane played "Soul Serenade" a little slower than I was expecting. I was ready to kick into something more uptempo. But Duane was still so torn up by the fact that King was dead. It ripped him apart. When he came back from the funeral, that's when Duane started talking about his own funeral. He really did.
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Source: Rolling Stone SoundCloud