In Memory of Elizabeth Reed

Or 'Liz Reed', for short, has always been one of my favorite Allman Brothers songs (along with the more rocking Whipping Post, and others), ever since my first listen to At Fillmore East. What I like about Liz Reed, beside the fact that it's an instrumental both beautiful and powerful, is that the song is very well organized, with solo sections set out for the various band members, in true jam band fashion. The song opens up with some beautiful melodies (accompanied by the band's trademark harmonies), before diving into a set of solos. Guitarist Dickey Betts, who penned the song, takes the first solo, followed by Gregg Allman on the organ, which leads into Duane Allman's furious solo, followed by a short drum break, and then the song concludes with a reprise of the main melody. As expected, the song often stretches out in live format to truly epic proportions. But even in its relatively concise form as recorded in the studio, clocking in at around just seven minutes, it's still a compelling track.

Thanks to a video link via Stickman, I've taught myself the main portions of the song. I'm gonna look into trying to learn one or both of the guitar solos (a man can dream), but even without them, it's still immensely fun to play. Now, about the rest of my band...