If you’re going to listen to the Allman Brothers, make sure you have the first four records. The band made The Allman Brothers Band, Idlewild South, At Fillmore East, and three-fourths of Eat a Peach with its original lineup, before Duane Allman’s fatal motorcycle accident in 1971.
The Tom Dowd-produced Idlewild South, their second album, comes off with a little less ferocity than their debut — which is perhaps the result of reaching for new sounds the second time around.
“Revival,” the album’s opener, introduces Dickey Betts as a composer. The countrified flavor of his songs gives an indication of where the band will head in the post-Duane era. Betts’ other contribution to Idlewild South is the instrumental “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” a centerpiece of the Fillmore East recordings. Gregg’s “Please Call Home” and “Midnight Rider” are built around piano and acoustic guitar, respectively, and have a different feel than the band’s usual twin Les Paul-and-Hammond sound. That sound is showcased in the balance of Gregg’s tunes, however: the funky blues of “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin'” (with Thom Doucette on harmonica) and “Leave My Blues at Home.” The album is also notable for the rollicking version of Willie Dixon’s “Hoochie Coochie Man,” with the only vocal bassist Berry Oakley (who died in a motorcycle accident one year after Duane) ever recorded with the group.
Disc 1
1. Revival
2. Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’
3. Midnight Rider
4. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
5. Hoochie Coochie Man
6. Please Call Home
7. Leave My Blues at Home
Additional Material:
8. Statesboro Blues (Session Outtake) – Previously Unreleased New Mix
9. One More Ride (Session Outtake) – Previously Unreleased New Mix
10. Midnight Rider (Alternate Mix) – Previously Unreleased
11. Dreams (Live at Ludlow Garage 1970)
12. Statesboro Blues (Live at Ludlow Garage 1970)
13. Trouble No More (Live at Ludlow Garage 1970)
14. Dimples (Live at Ludlow Garage 1970)
15. Every Hungry Woman (Live at Ludlow Garage 1970)
Disc 2
1. I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town (Live at Ludlow Garage 1970)
2. Hoochie Coochie Man (Live at Ludlow Garage 1970)
3. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (Live at Ludlow Garage 1970) – Previously Unreleased
4. Mountain Jam (Live at Ludlow Gar
