At Fillmore East is the first live album by American rock band the Allman Brothers Band, and their third release overall. Produced by Tom Dowd, the album was released on July 6, 1971, in the United States, by Capricorn Records. As the title indicates, the recording took place at the New York City music venue Fillmore East, which was run by concert promoter Bill Graham. It was recorded over the course of three nights in March 1971 (only two nights were used for the album) and features the band performing extended jam versions of songs such as "Whipping Post", "You Don't Love Me" and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed". When first commercially released, it was issued as a double LP with just seven songs across four vinyl sides.
At Fillmore East was the band's artistic and commercial breakthrough, rapidly increasing the band's exposure and garnering them a new legion of fans. It has since been widely regarded as one of the greatest live albums of all time and the start of the band's association with the jam band school of music (although members of the band have repudiated the label, stating instead they are just "a band that jams"). It has also been ranked as one of the best albums of all time and continues to be a top seller in the band's catalog, becoming their first album to receive a Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In 2004, the album was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress by the National Recording Registry, deemed to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Background Shortly after completing recording of their second album, Idlewild South, in July 1970, the Allman Brothers were playing a show in Miami. British supergroup lead guitarist Eric Clapton had formed an intentionally anonymous new band – Derek and the Dominos – and begun recording what was to become the iconic double-album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs there. Stalled, Clapton had indicated to album producer Tom Dowd that he was interested in meeting Allman, whose session work on Wilson Pickett's 1968 cover of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" he particularly admired; in turn, Allman was a huge fan of Clapton's playing with the band Cream. The pair were introduced after the August 26 show, and jammed together until the next afternoon. "Instant soulmates", Clapton invited Allman to join the "Layla" sessions, with Allman ending up contributing memorable guitar licks to all but three songs on the album. Afterwards, Clapton invited Allman to join the Dominoes and tour with them; according to band biographer Alan Paul Allman considered it, and indeed Allman appeared in a few concerts with the band, but in the end returned to Allman Brothers after missing a string of several shows.
Mirroring the band's initial 1969 release, The Allman Brothers Band, Idlewild South failed to achieve strong commercial success, though the band's popularity and reputation began to increase due to their live performances. The band played continuously in 1970, performing over 300 dates on the road traveling in a Ford Econoline van and later, a Winnebago, nicknamed the Wind Bag. During this time, the group began struggling with drug addictions. With the exception of the brothers, everyone in the group was barely making a living. Vocalist Gregg Allman received additional money from songwriter royalty payments and Duane from session work, but conditions on the road were difficult for everyone. In a dispute over withheld band pay, tour manager Twiggs Lyndon stabbed and killed a promoter. Their fortunes began to change over the course of 1971, where the band's average earnings doubled.
The Allman Brothers Band had first played Fillmore East in December 1969, opening for Blood, Sweat & Tears for three nights. Promoter Bill Graham enjoyed the band and promised to have them back soon. In January 1970, the band opened for Buddy Guy and B.B. King at San Francisco's Fillmore West, and one month later at Fillmore East supporting the Grateful Dead. According to biographer Alan Paul, "these shows were crucial in establishing the band and exposing them to a wider, sympathetic audience on both coasts." Drummer Butch Trucks considered their performances at the Fillmore East to be the launching pad for their success. In 1970, Duane Allman told disc jockey Ed Shane, "You know, we get kind of frustrated doing the [studio] records, and I think, consequently, our next album will be ... a live recording, to get some of that natural fire on it." "We were not intentionally trying to buck the system, but keeping each song down to 3:14 just didn't work for us," remembered Gregg Allman. "And we realized that the audience was a big part of what we did, which couldn't be duplicated in a studio. A lightbulb finally went off; we needed to make a live album."
Recording and production
At Fillmore East was recorded over two nights, March 12 and 13, 1971, with the band playing two shows each night at $1,250 per show. Recordings from an earlier night's shows were dropped, because they had horns which were deemed unhelpful. The shows were typical performances for the band, and regarded as slightly above average by drummer Jai Johanny Johanson. Ads for the shows read: "Bill Graham Presents in New York — Johnny Winter And, Elvin Bishop Group, Extra Added Attraction: Allman Brothers." While Winter was billed as headliner, by the third night the Allman Brothers were closing the show.
Tom Dowd produced At Fillmore East; he had previously worked on the band's second studio album, Idlewild South. He had recently returned from Africa from working on the documentary film Soul to Soul, and stayed in New York several days to oversee the live recording. "It was a good truck, with a 16-track machine and a great, tough-as-nails staff who took care of business," recalled Dowd. He gave the staff suggestions and noted the band had two lead guitarists and two drummers, "which was unusual, and it took some foresight to properly capture the dynamics." Things went smoothly until the band unexpectedly brought out saxophonist Rudolph "Juicy" Carter, an unknown horn player, and longstanding "unofficial" band member Thom Doucette on harmonica. "I was just hoping we could isolate them, so we could wipe them and use the songs, but they started playing and the horns were leaking all over everything, rendering the songs unusable," said Dowd. He rushed to Duane during the break to tell him to cut the horn players; while Duane loved the players, he put up no fight with Dowd. The final show was delayed because of a bomb scare, and did not end until 6 am. pp16–17.
Each night following the shows, the musicians and Dowd would "grab some beers and sandwiches" and head to Manhattan's Atlantic Studios to go over the performances. Set lists for following shows were crafted by listening to the recordings and going over what they could keep and what they would need to capture once more. "We wanted to give ourselves plenty of times to do it because we didn't want to go back and overdub anything, because then it wouldn't have been a real live album," said Gregg Allman. In the end, the band only edited out Doucette's harmonica when it did not fit. "That was our pinnacle," said Dickey Betts later. "The Fillmore days are definitely the most cherished memories that I have. If you asked everybody in the band, they would probably say that."
On June 27, the Fillmore East closed, and the band were invited to play a final, invitation-only concert, along with Edgar Winter, the Beach Boys and Country Joe McDonald. The Beach Boys initially refused to perform unless they headlined the event, but Graham refused, telling them that the Allman Brothers would be closing the show, and they were free to leave if they disagreed. This Allman Brothers' performance was used for the second disc of the 2006 expanded version of the 1972 follow-up album to At Fillmore East, Eat a Peach.
Composition At Fillmore East showcases the band's eclectic mixture of blues, rock, country, and jazz. "Fusion is a term that came later, but if you wanted to look at a fusion album, it would be Fillmore East. Here was a rock 'n' roll band playing blues in the jazz vernacular. And they tore the place up," said Dowd. Stage Manager Michael Ahern opens At Fillmore East with a simple introduction: "Okay, the Allman Brothers Band." Duane Allman biographer Randy Poe describes it as "the only low-key moment over the course of the [show]." The cover of Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues" which opens the set showcases Duane Allman's slide guitar work in open E tuning. "Statesboro Blues" bears close resemblance to Taj Mahal's 1968 rendition, which had inspired Duane to pick up slide guitar playing. "Done Somebody Wrong" follows, and is introduced by Duane as "an old Elmore James song ... This is an old true story ..." Thom Doucette takes a solo on blues harp, and by the end of the song, the band breaks out of the shuffle and "builds up to a dual-lead guitar, triplet-based crescendo." "Stormy Monday" echoes the band's blues roots, and many guitar parts come from the version cut by Bobby "Blue" Bland in the early 1960s. Allman and Betts trade solos, as does Gregg Allman on the organ as the tempo shifts into a "swinging" beat. "You Don't Love Me" kicks off the first of the jazz-inspired jams and features a solo from Duane Allman in which the entire group stops, leaving it just him and his guitar. The song's conclusion quotes the Christian hymn "Joy to the World". "Hot 'Lanta" is an instrumental, which has elements in common with jazz rock and progressive rock, and is a showcase for Berry Oakley's bass-playing. "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", with its harmonized melody, Latin feel, and burning drive invited comparisons with jazz saxophonist John Coltrane (especially Duane's solo-ending pull-offs, a direct nod to the musician). The performance begins with a "long, laconic intro" by Betts employing volume swells, reminiscent of the "dreamy trumpet" used to open songs on Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (1959). "Whipping Post" (opening in 11/8 time, unusual territory for a rock band) by this point had become one of the longest jams in the band's set; the original album version runs five minutes, while the At Fillmore East version exceeds 23. Aside from the opening bassline and lyrics, the two versions are completely unalike. Again, Betts and Allman trade long guitar solos, with one of Betts' solos quoting what would later become the main theme for the song "Les Brers in A Minor", as featured on the band's 1972 album Eat a Peach. The song includes a false ending which quotes the theme of the French nursery rhyme song "Frère Jacques", and finally closes with "long, sustained notes" from Allman opposite Trucks' kettledrum. Applause concludes the album and the song fades out. During the fadeout, Trucks begins playing the tympani intro to "Mountain Jam", followed by its initial guitar licks; the song would be released in its entirety on the band's 1972 follow-up album, Eat a Peach.
Artwork The band devised the cover idea for At Fillmore East rather than leaving it in the hands of Atlantic executives (Duane Allman was particularly disgusted with the artwork for Sam & Dave's Hold On, I'm Comin', although that album's artwork was created by Stax Records, which Atlantic had previously distributed). Initially, the album cover was to be shots of the band taken in front of the Fillmore East with their names on the marquee above them, but no one was satisfied with the results. The band's main purpose for the cover was that it be as "meat and potatoes" as the band's ethos and performing, and someone suggested the band make it a photograph of the band with their gear waiting to go onstage.