Allman Brothers Band -- Shades of Two Worlds

As I approach my sixtieth birthday, I realize that I've been a tremendous fan of the Allman Brothers Band for the past 45 years. I first saw them in 1971 at the Philadelphia Spectrum, sharing the bill with Elvin Bishop and Johnny Winter. I remember being absolutely hypnotized by the guitar wizadry of Duane and Dickey, the percussion interplay of Butch and Jaimoe, the pounding bass lines of Berry, and the soaring vocals of Gregg. I have since seen them many times, through every "band membership change," and have enjoyed every show and millions of hours listening to them on vinyl, CD, and internet streaming.

So, to get to my point .... I just finished reading Alan Paul's "One Way Out -- the Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band." A terrific book and I learned a lot about the boys. Like many fans, most of my listening was centered around the tunes from the first five albums. But I just got turned on to "Shades of Two Worlds," an incredible album with which I was previously unfamiliar. It's really, really good, and I sincerely recommend it to all my fellow fans of the band. I guess we're never to old to learn to love something new.