The live version of “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” from the Allman Brothers Band’s “At Fillmore East" album is critically acclaimed as perhaps the greatest rock instrumental of all time. Written by Dickey Betts and inspired by a Latin American woman he was dating, the song is a melodic tour-de-force that also serves as the perfect vehicle for some remarkable guitar improvisation.
Never short on self-confidence, Duane Allman once famously quipped, “I know they are!” when asked if he thought other guitar players might be envious of him. But by late ’69, Betts was coming into his own as a songwriter and player, and one can’t help but speculate whether “Skydog” was beginning to feel just the slightest bit intimidated by his guitar slinging counterpart. In 1971, Duane candidly revealed that “[he felt] like everybody in the band can smoke [him]," and that competitive spirit was a key component of the band’s creativity.
In addition to writing the song, Betts lays down what is quite possibly the world’s most melodic guitar solo. In fact, it’s so good that most guitarists would have run for the hills rather than attempt to follow it. But not Duane! He was fueled by such performances. Driven by a combination of one-upmanship and his own artistic inspiration, “Elizabeth Reed” represents the pinnacle of Duane Allman’s abilities as an instrumentalist. Nowhere is his raw energy and originality on greater display than the solo of this song. Pulling out all the proverbial stops, Duane reaches deep into his bag of tricks and leaves no stone unturned. There are no unnecessary notes, no missteps, no dead ends; in short, NO MISTAKES. Dickey may have written the song, but few would argue that Duane "owns" it at the Fillmore.
Taking a cue from his hero John Coltrane, the solo opens with a roundhouse kick to the teeth and proceeds to take the listener on a figurative journey through varying levels of intensity. Every single note is trademark Duane, and many of these licks have become a fixture of the rock guitar lexicon. The solo features two distinct sets of dynamic peaks and valleys, each with their own nuances. Several of the devices employed here are so unique, one might wonder if Duane had just arrived on earth from another planet. At times, his guitar sounds almost like a human voice, other times like a cello, still others like a woodwind. But it’s important to remember that Duane used no effects pedals for this performance; only a good Les Paul, a Marshall amplifier, and one legendary set of hands.
Emulating Duane (or any musician for that matter) is more than simply playing the correct notes. To really get to the core of Duane’s sound, one must study not only the notes he played, but HOW he played them. Subtle nuances like his pick articulation, his string bending, his vibrato, his use of dynamics and his timing all combine to form “the Duane Allman sound” that we’ve all come to instantly recognize. I can’t emphasize enough how much this requires careful listening. Light a stick of incense, turn off the lights, put on some good headphones and REALLY LISTEN. Even if you’ve heard this recording hundreds of times, new details will emerge that you won’t understand how you missed before.
Learning this solo has become a right of passage for countless aspiring guitarists. By the time I was 15 I could sing every note; by 17 I could play most of it. As one of my all time favorite Duane solos, it is also the most important one I ever learned. There is so much good material here that to discount even a single phrase would be a disservice.
Gear wise, I used a stock 2018 R9 Les Paul straight into GarageBand where I played through the vintage Marshall model with a simulated 4x12 cab. This guitar has Gibson’s new Custom Bucker pickups and I LOVE them. I think they sound as close to Duane as anything I’ve ever heard. And for those who really want to get in the weeds, I use D’Addarrio 10-46 strings and Fender 346 extra heavy picks. The entire solo was played on the bridge pickup and the tone was rolled back to about 3. Volume varied between 5 and 10 depending on the passage. For comparison purposes, Duane is on the left and I’m on the right in this recording. What you see and hear is one take with no punch-ins or edits of any kind.
Incidentally, I play in an Allman Brothers tribute band called Skydog, and if you like my playing, you’d probably like our band. Please check us out at www.skydogtribute.com and like us on Facebook at / skydogtribute . You can also find me on facebook here: / brian-willie-williams-... .
Duane Allman departed this world far too soon, but he left a surprisingly large body of work from which we can all learn, study and build upon. Eat a peach folks. This is a big one.
22 янв 2019
