News

Following the recent release of Down in Texas ’71, the Allman Brothers Band Recording Company has turned its attention to another archival release – in this case, a reissue of a past title.  On June 18, the label will team with The Owsley Stanley Foundation for a wide release of the 3-CD Deluxe Edition of Bear’s Sonic Journals: Fillmore East , February 1970.

This run of concerts from Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Jai Johanny Johanson a.k.a. Jaimoe, and Butch Trucks was recorded by Owsley “Bear” Stanley at Bill Graham’s late, lamented New York venue on February 11, 13, and 14, 1970.  Grateful Dead Records released a 7-track live compilation drawn from the shows in 1996.  (The Dead’s performances from those shows has also been released.)  Then, in 2018, the album was reissued and remastered on CD, and a limited edition 3-CD set was also issued.  The 3-CD iteration presented the already-released compilation CD along as the first disc, with the remaining two CDs offering the source material from all three nights: the complete set of Bear’s Sonic Journals from each show as played by the Allman Brothers Band at the Fillmore East on February 11, 13, and 14, 1970.

The Allman Brothers Band Recording Company expressed some hesitation in giving these recordings a full release.  The label noted, “These recordings were not previously released on CD in their entirety because they contain significant flaws, primarily due to reel changes in the middle of songs. We released them last summer as high-resolution downloads, but many of our listeners preferred to have a physical copy. We get it; we’re the same way. Moreover, it was Bear’s wish that these recordings (especially February 14) be released in whole because they are sonically pure and include important, previously unreleased material of the band with Duane in his prime.”

Happily, for those who don’t mind the incomplete versions of “Mountain Jam” and “Outskirts of Town,” this set more than delivers in other respects.  It notably features all three complete renditions of “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” the earliest known concert recordings of the song from the band’s second studio album, Idlewild South (1970).  The expanded booklet in the Deluxe Edition contains additional photos from the concerts taken by Bear’s friend Amalie Rothschild, including one shot of Bear in the theatre’s balcony sound booth.

For those who missed out the first time and want to own this piece of Allman Brothers Band history, Bear’s Sonic Journals: Fillmore East, February 1970: Deluxe Edition arrives in stores on June 18.

The Allman Brothers Band, Bear’s Sonic Journals: Fillmore East, February 1970: Deluxe Edition (Allman Brothers Band Recording Company/Owsley Stanley Foundation cat. no. 4, 2018 – reissued 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: The Compilation CD

1. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (February 14)
2. Hoochie Coochie Man (February 14)
3. Statesboro Blues (February 11)
4. Trouble No More (February 11)
5. Outskirts of Town (February 13 & 14)
6. Whipping Post (February 14)
7. Mountain Jam (February 13 & 14)

CD 2: February 11, 1970

1. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
2. Statesboro Blues
3. Trouble No More
4. Hoochie Coochie Man
5. Mountain Jam (Incomplete)

February 13, 1970

6. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
7. Outskirts of Town (Cut)
8. Mountain Jam (Incomplete)

CD 3: February 14, 1970

1. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
2. Hoochie Coochie Man
3. Outskirts of Town (Incomplete)
4. Whipping Post
5. Mountain Jam (Incomplete)