Two new Allman Brothers anthologies have been released recently: THE ESSENTIAL ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND on Epic and STAND BACK on Hip-O. Even a casual comparison of the two makes the choice obvious.

Epic's single-disc collection focuses on material from more recent incarnations of the band, while the Hip-O two-disc set covers the band's entire career from 1969's self-titled debut through 2002's excellent HITTIN' THE NOTE.

The material on disc one is essential even to casual fans. These sixteen tracks are drawn from the band's first four albums and features the dual guitar attack of Duane Allman and Dickie Betts, along with one of the finest white blues singers around in Greg Allman.

Disc two picks up with the band recovering from the tragic loss of Duane Allman and releasing the most commercially successful album of their career, BROTHERS AND SISTERS (No. 1, 1973), and their only top 10 hit single "Ramblin' Man." The rest of the disc culls highlights of their best material from the next three decades.

All told, this is an impressive collection of more than two-and-a-half hours of some of the best of the Allman Brothers catalog. And at the cost of a single disc set, you can't beat the price. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

As has been said, this anthology is the best one available and the remastered sound alone, especially on the songs from the first album/CD make it a must-own! It spans their entire career and, for the most part makes the best choices.

I have only two complaints with the choices here. First, as has been previously noted, they chose the single/edited version of "Jessica," instead of the full album/CD version. WHY, especially on a two discs compilation, I cannot fathom. Secondly, ALL ABB fans know that the middle period is the weakest, when more time and effort were put into the solo bands than ABB. Not enough of a nod to the period when the band began to really SHINE again, with the additions of Warren and Allen. "No One to Run With" was a great choice from "Where It All Begins," but HOW anybody could overlook Warren Haynes' "Soulshine" in favor of one of the 2nd CD, mid-'70's mediocre songs is beyond me.

Still, all-in-all, a great retrospective, and a must-own for any ABB fan!

If you're looking for an introduction to the group, start here! Two discs, and unlike a certain OTHER compilation one isn't a straight-up reissue of Enlightened Rogues (though you get close to a straight-up reissue of the debut: that would've been cool if they threw on Every Hungry Woman and did that, since they were quite close). This collects all the group's big hits and radio staples: Dreams, Whippin' Post, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (the live version, too!), Midnight Rider, Revival, Statesboro Blues, One Way Out, Ain't Wastin' Time No More, Melissa, Blue Sky, Little Martha, Wasted Words, Ramblin' Man, Southbound, Jessica (though unfortunately it's the single edit, not the essential full version) and Crazy Love; mixes in lesser known fan favorites like It's Not My Cross to Bear, Stand Back, Come and Go Blues (well I'm a fan and it's one of my favorites, at least), and mixes in a few of their comeback hits (Seven Turns, Good Clean Fun, End of the Line, No One to Run With, High Cost of Low Livin'). That's really the only area this album needed improvement in. I mean, who needs the Arista songs? (Hell and High Water and Never Knew How Much I Needed You, that is). I'd rather hear Get On With Your Life, Back Where It All Begins, True Gravity or Old Before My Time (though I think this came out a year before Hittin' the Note, which explains the sinlge edit of High Cost of Low Livin'). Still, Stand Back is a perfect premeire for the Brothers, even if it misses a couple good songs here and there, mostly from Idlewild South (Don't Keep Me Wonderin', Please Call Home), wouldn't that just defeat the purpose of buying the album?

I would like to lament the lack of the Fillmore East Stormy Monday, though. Even pathetic, budget-priced compilations such as Legendary Hits and Essential (AKA half partially essential, half Enlightened Rogues) find room for it.

Well put together compilation for serious ABB fans (like me) and novices alike. All songs are in chronological order and digitally remastered to near perfection. The first cd couldn't be any better as far as song selection, but "Angeline" and "Come On In My Kitchen" should have been included instead of "Hell and High Water" (Waylon and Willie?) and "Never Knew How Much (I Needed You)" ("Allman and Woman" outtake?) on the second disc. Even though I already own quite a few of these songs on other cds, it's still interesting to listen to them back to back like this to get a sense of the band's history, and the remastered versions found here are far superior to the originals (esp. B & S). As far as "Jessica" goes, I would have rather had the full version here, but with all this great Allman Brothers music in one place, that can easily be overlooked. A quality booklet with text and photos is also included.

Definitely recommended.

I hate when some anthology pares a classic recording. The 4 minute single version of 'Jessica' makes this another anthology with one major flaw that leaves a permanent bad taste in the mouth of listeners. At least 'Decade of Hits," which is but one disc and fails to capture that first and easily best Allmans decade adequately (it omits, to give just one example, 'Win, Lose, or Draw'), features the full 7 minute jam that is 'Jessica.' I no more want a hacked version of 'Jessica' than I want a hacked version of 'In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.'