Released in February 1972, less than four months after Duane Allman's death, EAT A PEACH gathers together the final tracks laid down by the original Allman Brothers Band, the only studio documentation of the short-lived five-man, one-guitar ABB lineup and the remaining performances from the concerts which had yielded the epochal AT FILLMORE EAST album. Far from being a stereotypical posthumous odds and ends collection, however, EAT A PEACH is a treasure trove containing much of the Brothers' best work, and stands right beside FILLMORE at the very apex of their stupendous body of recordings.

Opening with the post-Duane tracks, EAT A PEACH demonstrates from its very first notes that there was - and is - far more to the ABB than one amazing guitarist. Brother Gregg's "Ain't Wastin' Time No More," though written before Duane's crash, is an effective and all-too-poignant rumination on uprushing mortality with excellent playing from the whole quintet. Dickey Betts, tossed into the unenviable position of sole guitar player in rock's most celebrated two-guitar band, more than holds his own here, contributing top-notch picking on every track - most notably his own thunderstorm instrumental, "Les Brers in A Minor," which starts out as a grinding tribute to amplification before morphing into a Santana-esque Latin funk workout liberally spiced with impressive displays of chops all around. "Melissa," a beautiful old ballad co-written by Gregg which the Brothers had first recorded with their previous group the Hourglass, is by contrast epitomally delicate and genuinely moving; Dickey's ethereal lead is a dream.

Next up: thirty-three minutes of "Mountain Jam," longest of the ABB's many long onstage workouts, the Duane-drenched final third of which is at least the equal of anything on FILLMORE and makes me wonder why that album wasn't simply released as a triple, with this LP-length track included, in the first place. Also recorded during the Fillmore East engagement, "One Way Out" and "Trouble No More," which the Brothers had first tackled on their 1969 debut album, are solid blues jams in the classic Allmans vein.

Finally, there are the last three studio tunes featuring Duane, which with fitting irony point to yet more new directions this band might well have explored had it only had the opportunity. "Stand Back," a bouncing number from Gregg, would've been equally at home on IDLEWILD SOUTH; but Dickey's sublime country ballad "Blue Sky," with its brilliant solos from both guitarists, and Duane's only ABB composition, the brief dobro/guitar duet "Little Martha," mine and master new territory and suggest that a more varied range of material, from an expanded group of songwriters, would have kept this band firmly at the front of the pack through all those gigs that might have been.

More than thirty years later, the original ABB's handful of recordings remain one of the great listening experiences to be had anywhere. EAT A PEACH and AT FILLMORE EAST are the very best of the great, which really leaves nothing to say.

Many thanks are due to whoever is responsible for this fan favorite being mixed to multi-channel SACD. It sounds great! Both the multi-channel and stereo mixes represent a significant advance over the way this disc sounded before.

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I guess we should start by thanking Jeff Glixman who most folks know as the producer/engineer for KANSAS. He certainly has endeared himself to this Allman Brothers fan for his excellent work in mixing "Eat a Peach" to hi-resolution 5.1.

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I compared the new SACD to the most recent edition of the CD - the remastered one released a few years back. I listened to the SACD and the CD simultaneously with the CD in Pro Logic II mode (Denon CD player), while the SACD was played back in a Pioneer universal DVD player. Switching back and forth with volume levels matched, it was easy to hear the improvement.

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The new 5.1 mix has Gregg's voice spread out across all 3 front channels, and the soundstage is much wider than before with the 2 drummers clearly separated between left and right. Soundstage depth is amazing considering that not very much is going on in the surround speakers. Low frequency extension is excellent and fans of Berry Oakley's bass playing will revel in the seismic bottom end. Acoustic guitars sounded like they were being played right there in my living room, while cymbals and other high frequency sounds also sounded like they were being played in my room.

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This new sense of "presence" can be thought of another way. During "Mountain Jam" for example, I felt transported OUT of my living room and right onto the stage with the band. The 3D illusion is so real, it sounded like I was standing between Duane and Dickey's amps, and right in front of and between Jaimoe and Butch's drum kits. The organ and bass sounded like they were coming from everywhere at once, giving me an experiance of immersion in a 3D soundfield.

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Unlike other multi-channel SACD's which throw instruments around the room in jarring and unnatural ways, this SACD uses the surround channels simply for ambient reinforcement of the traditional soundstage which is still up front. The genius of this approach is that it preserves the naturalness of the performance, and the traditional soundstage with Duane on the left, Dickey on the right, Jaimoe on the left, Butch on the right etc., while still creating a 3 dimensional immersive experience.

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Audiophiles who review $100,000 sound systems in magazines like Stereophile often talk about being able to hear the "hall" that the concert was played in as well as the music. The subtlety of Jeff Glixman's approach to this 5.1 mix enabled me to hear the hall (the Fillmore) on my little $2000 system. Kudos to Jeff Glixman for working that miracle!

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The improvement over the regular CD can be boiled down to: a much wider and deeper soundfield that expands to fill the entire room. Greater high frequency and low frequency extension. Any element in the mix that you would care to name sounds bigger, clearer and closer. The twin lead guitars of Duane and Dickey sound natural and clear, not shrill or brittle. Fans of Berry Oakley will appreciate that the bass now sounds like a bulldozer going downhill with the throttle wide open. Hold on!

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For those without a multi-channel setup who are interested in the hi-resolution stereo layer, it's wonderful too. Both high and low frequencies are more extended than before, and the soundstage is wider and deeper than the old CD. The drums now sound full-size and close, whereas they used to sound small and somewhat distant. The soundstage is open and transparent with instruments clearly placed in 3D space with plenty of air around each instrument. It really does sound like you're THERE.

Let's set the record straight. When it comes to The Allman Brothers Band, especially the classic Duane Allman / Berry Oakley era Allman Brothers, I can't be objective. Yes, I'll admit, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool, certified fanatic. Having seen the orginal line up a total of five times....make that five, breath-taking, awe-insipiring, super fantasmaglogia times, I'm clearly not an unbiased source. I saw the ABB on one of their first tours in the winter of 1969 at the Capital Theatre in Portchester, NY. No they weren't the headliners. In fact they played third on the bill to Johnny Winter and headliners Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. Then I saw them three times at the Filmore East and once at the Manhattan Center on 34th Street, accross from Penn Station.

The best of those five shows was the last "public" concert at the Filmore East. The very last night was a show Bill Graham put on for a celebrity, invited-only audience. I was at the "last public" show and I'll never forget the intesity of their unforgettable performance. The previously unreleased material on disc two of this new Deluxe Edition of EAP was from that last Filmore show I attended. Cue this puppy up to disc two and hang on to your hat, cause you're in for a ride.

Listen to Duane soaring off into the stratsosphere on "Statesboro Blues", "Don't Keep Me Wondering", "One Way Out" and "You Don't Love Me". Hear Berry's oh so thick, so heavy and inspired bass lines. Gregg is in great voice, (never sounding better for my money) and Butch and Jai Johnny are just as steady and precise as a Swiss chronograph. Believe me, it just dosn't get any better than this. The remastering job they did on these thirty five year old tapes is truly magnificent. The unreleased material, as I mentioned earlier is a treasure. The graphics, the packaging, the beautiful vintage photos and the liner notes by Scott Schnider all combine to make this new EAP absolutely indespensible. You can't call yourself an Allman Brothers fan if you don't rush out and purchase this one. It sure brought me back to that hot sweaty June night on New York's lower east-side where The Brothers obliged the crowd's cheer of "Play-All-Night"!!!! What a thrill that was!!!

Along with Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Street Survivors," The Allman Brothers' "Eat a Peach" is one of the defining albums of Southern Rock. It is also the high point of this troubled band's recording career. That said, its also an interesting mix of songs, with the live track "Mountain Jam" checking in at over a half an hour, or nearly as long as the rest of the album combined. Yet it is a great half hour, an amazing feat in that it is not at all repetetive or boring. The rest of the songs are almost all Allman classics, including "Blue Sky," "Ain't Wasting Time No More," the ballad "Melissa" and the amazing Duane Allman guitar solo "Little Martha" that is made even more poigniant by the fact that he died not long after recording it.

"Eat a Peach" is a must own for any fan of southern rock. It is simply the Allmans' finest hour.

When the Allman Brothers set out to record Eat A Peach in 1972, it was their first Top 10 album. While recording Eat A Peach, At Fillmore East was certified Gold just two weeks after guitarist Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident. The band members were determined to finish the album as a tribute to their brother/friend Duane Allman. This deluxe edition comes with a 11 page booklet with some great pictures of the band as well as an essay done by Scott Schinder to learn more about Eat A Peach and what happened during and after the recording sessions. As you open up the album you will see some cool art with Eat A Peach: Dedicated To A Brother, Duane Allman. As you listen to the first CD Ain't Wastin' Time No More is a strong opener to the CD. As you get into track 4, Mountain Jam is filled with just about everything any Allman Brother fan would want great jams, crying solo's, good drum solo's, groving bass, and much more. The live tracks on disc one are truely great. One Way Out, and Trouble No More are strong songs. Their are countless hits on disc one Ain't Wastin' Time No More, Melissa, Blue Sky, etc.

The sound on this Deluxe Edition is absolutely the best sounding Eat A Peach i have owned throughout my years of reissues of Eat A Peach both complete and incomplete. Disc two is my favorite disc for the simple fact that its the Allman Brothers Final Fillmore East Concert, June 27, 1971 (previously unreleased), except One Way Out and Midnight Rider. From the start Statesboro Blues is a completely different version then on the fillmore all of us Allman Brother fans know. I think disc two is truely incredible!! For me In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed is the best song on this final Fillmore Performence. Whipping Post is also a highlight. I have seen the Allman Brothers a couple of times in their prime and I just cant get enough of these Deluxe Edition CD's, these releases are worth the buy 99% of the time. It was truely a dedication to a brother, Duane Allman!!!! Highly Recommended!!!!!