The Allman Brothers Band Release Rare 1972 Live Album
The concert, captured at Syracuse University, offers a rare glimpse of the “Five-Man Band” era
The Allman Brothers Band pressed on after the unexpected passing of guitarist Duane Allman from a tragic motorcycle accident on October 29, 1971.
Those initial months saw the group pared down to a quintet comprised of Gregg Allman on keyboards and lead vocals, guitarist Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley on bass and the drumming duo of Butch Trucks and Jaimoe. Live material from the “Five-Man Band” era was never officially released, but bootlegs showcasing this temporary lineup have kept fans hunting for decades.
One such recording, captured at New York’s Syracuse University inside the Manley Field House on April 7, 1972, has now been made officially available as of today via the Allman Brothers Band Recording Company. Remastered from the original source, this show – pulled from a radio broadcast on Syracuse University’s student-run station WAER – was one of the most widely circulated boots from this period. But this release includes the complete show for the very first time, featuring mesmerizing live versions of such ABB staples as “Statesboro Blues,” “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” and “Whipping Post.” But what makes this particular title so special is the impromptu “Syracuse Jam,” a colorful instrumental workout unique to this concert and unavailable on any other known ABB recording.
“This was the Five Man Band, as Brother Duane had passed just over five months prior,” writes Jeff Chard, the SU concert coordinator at the time, in his liner notes for the CD. “The quintet had pushed on, playing some 41 shows in 22 weeks. This night saw Gregg singing and playing his heart out, while Dickey Betts is doing phenomenal double duty on guitar, switching seamlessly between the necessary slide parts and his own soaring leads. But the real revelation of the night is that Berry is the glue, and the second lead player as well. His thunderous bass holds the quintet together — you’ll hear it, and we could see it that night. Then there is the way Butch Trucks and Jaimoe lock in on the drums, the way the whole unit responds, five playing as one.”
Sadly, tragedy struck the band again seven months after Syracuse when another dangerous motorcycle accident claimed the life of Oakley on November 11, 1972. Keyboardist Chuck Leavell had just joined the group a month prior, while Lamar Williams would take over for Berry on the bass, bringing the short-lived “Five-Man Band” era to a close.
In a live review of the concert in the SU student newspaper the Daily Orange a few days later, writer Bruce Apar summed up the show in one succinct sentence.
“The Allman Band itself was thoroughly remarkable,” he wrote, “leaving proof in still another city that they have developed into a supreme group, by which lesser talents can be judged.”
It’s not a perfect recording, as you’ll have to mind a bit of hiss in the mix. But warts and all, Manley Field House, Syracuse University, April 7, 1972 serves as an important and unique curio for the Allman Brothers Band completist.
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