The Allman Brothers Band
Hittin' The Note
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The rare studio album from the Allman Brothers Band summarizes the band’s essence quite accurately. Hittin’ The Note is a work that boasts stunning guitar work and musical solidarity blended with unsurprisingly contrived songwriting and blue collar lyrics.

“Firing Line” is an uncharacteristically concise starter, and a lively one at that with a harsh rhythm riff of controlled raucousness from the seemingly ubiquitous Warren Haynes, leading into squealing slide fills by Derek Trucks. Gregg Allman possesses limited range and little charisma in his vocals which, although unable to evoke any real surprises still maintain a rustically soulful quality.

“High Cost of Low Living” comes next and is one of the high points of the album as Allman displays the singular judiciousness that signifies the oft abrasive life of a classic rock survivor- family tragedies, booze, drugs, Cher… Allman knows the ‘high cost of low living,’ and his fairly simplistic lyrics are still genuine and believable. Allman also washes the track over with a spellbinding organ. Throw in Trucks and Haynes providing rousing solos to finish, and you’ve got a gem.

“Desdemona” follows, a bluesier tale of love forlorn that leads into a scalding Trucks/Haynes jam played to a jazz background. Despite rather mawkish lyrics (“Eyes remind me of everything that’s beautiful and blue/I won’t be myself till I’m with you”) it’s testimonial to what makes the Allmans a much more effective ‘jam band’ than most. Personally, I can’t stand jam bands- they’re interchangeable, ostentatious and can’t write songs of substance. However the Allman Brothers Band restrain and control themselves instead of letting each musician solo into a disconnected flood of self indulgence. The songs are long, sure, but you never really get lost. And while Haynes and Trucks play otherworldly guitar, it’s still performed with unspeakable self-effacement.

There are high points and low ones. “Old Before My Time” is a clichéd aging rock star meditation, with Gregg’s voice being much too prosaic to carry the song’s balladic form. For its dubious improvisational fashion the music is often predictable and unvarying. But “Maydell” is classic Allmans, fusing jazz, rock and blues into an intoxicating drink of soul. A cover of Freddy King’s “Woman Across the River” has a stirring chorus that changes the song’s tempo with gaudy Clapton-esque guitars and “Old Friend” has an obsolete bottleneck guitar sound. I don’t have the patience for the twelve minute instrumental “Instrumental Illness,” but if you’ve got some time on your hands the song does possess some great percussion and a fun guitar refrain- like rainfall when you’re in a good mood. The band does a bluesy cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Heart of Stone,” with dignity, soul and striking blues guitar (most notably a fiery slide solo from Trucks to finish).

Ultimately, the Allman Brothers Band make the transition to the studio in impressive fashion. The band’s grit induces a sense of working class humbleness and blue collar appeal- an interesting contrast to the high level of sophistication and adroit musicianship. The guitar playing on this album is simply astounding and the songs are well produced and well performed. If you’ve seen the band live the record won’t surprise you, but the passionate playing on Hittin’ the Note generally makes up for the rather banal songwriting.

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