Word: ramblin
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Meanwhile Betts played in the shadow of Duane. But quietly he was building up a coherent strain of his own in the band's music. It ran through "Revival" and into "Blue Skies" and when Duane was killed broke out into the album Brothers and Sisters with "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica" and "Pony Boy." For his solo album he picked up fiddler Vassar Clements (the best) and an old pedal steel player of Dolly Parton's, and some of the Allmans, to produce Highway Call. All together it's the finest collection of road music--sounds to drive by, preferably...
MEANING that Brothers and Sisters is an album of nuances, and nuances don't bear up well under the critic's eye. Best to mention highlights; the contrapuntal guitar with one Les Dudek on "Ramblin' Man; the back porch, juiced-on-Saturday-night feel of "Pony Boy," especially in Betts' dobro playing and the hambone finale featuring Butch Trucks and Dickie; the two bar trade offs between Dickie's slide and piano man Chuck Leavell on "Wasted Words;" Dickie's chording on both "Southbound" and "Ramblin Man;" Gregg's vocals alternating between wounded innocence and catatonia throughout...
JESSICA" represents the other end of the Allman spectrum. Dickie Betts writes mostly uptempo, good-natured, primarily instrumental tunes. This one will remind anyone of "Revival," just as "Ramblin Man" echoes "Blue Sky." It's likely that Dickie plays better uptempo than any other way. His lines tend towards the lyrical anyway, and "Jessica's" structure allows him those spiralling notes, and quick runs. Leavell's piano solo is similar, with an emphasis on runs and single notes. The structure is simple, with the theme stated in unison at the beginning and end of the piece. The song is directly...
...Stevens. Cat Stevens is David Cassidy with talent. He's cute. His songs are cute. Wellesley girls love him. The fusion of all three sells out the Music Hall for two nights and Don Law gets rich. Also...Ramblin' Jack Elliott, old folkie. Like Barry McGuire, Or Dave Van Ronk...
...Especially intriguing is the variety of musical treatment to which Woody's songs lend themselves. On the one hand there is Richie Havens turning the gruff, striding Vigilante Man into a mournful, gripping blues ballad. Or Odetta, virtually inventing a western soul style for the happy-go-lucky Ramblin' Round. When Guthrie talked about hard rock he meant a substance men mined in a hole in the ground-something you'd never guess listening to Bob Dylan and the five members of what would soon become The Band tear into rocking versions of such Guthrie classics...