Allman Brothers Band Releases “Fillmore East February, 1970”

by Kevin Johnson Wednesday, August 15th, 2018

A historic set of performances by The Allman Brothers is once again in circulation with the release of Bear’s Sonic Journals: Allman Brothers Band, Fillmore East February 1970. The live concerts, engineered by Owsley “Bear” Stanley, were first issued in 1996 but went out of print. His foundation teamed up with The Allman Brothers Band to re-release the music on CD as was originally heard, plus digital downloads of all of Stanley’s recordings of the three-night run.

“These Sonic Journals comprise the complete source material for the compilation Allman Brothers Band, Fillmore East February 1970, which included performances from February 11, 13, & 14, 1970,” the Owsley Stanley Foundation writes. “These recordings were not previously released in their entirety because they contain significant flaws, primarily due to reel changes in the middle of songs. It was Bear’s wish that they be released in whole because they are sonically pure and include important, previously unreleased material of the band with Duane in his prime, and so with the blessing of the Allman Brothers Band, they are available here for the first time.”

The 1970 lineup for the band included guitarists Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, keyboardist Gregg Allman, drummers Jaimoe and Butch Trucks, and bassist Berry Oakley, who you can hear kick off this version of “Whipping Post”:

Bear’s Sonic Journals: Allman Brothers Band, Fillmore East February 1970 is available now on CD, MP3 and as a digital download, and extended digital download via the Owsley Stanley Foundation website.