Duane Allman - Part 7 - In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed

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The live version of “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” from the Allman Brothers Band’s “At Fillmore East" album is critically acclaimed as perhaps the greatest rock instrumental of all time.  Written by Dickey Betts and inspired by a Latin American woman he was dating, the song is a melodic tour-de-force that also serves as the perfect vehicle for some remarkable guitar improvisation.

Never short on self-confidence, Duane Allman once famously quipped, “I know they are!” when asked if he thought other guitar players might be envious of him.  But by late ’69, Betts was coming into his own as a songwriter and player, and one can’t help but speculate whether “Skydog” was beginning to feel just the slightest bit intimidated by his guitar slinging counterpart.  In 1971, Duane candidly revealed that “[he felt] like everybody in the band can smoke [him]," and that competitive spirit was a key component of the band’s creativity.

In addition to writing the song, Betts lays down what is quite possibly the world’s most melodic guitar solo.  In fact, it’s so good that most guitarists would have run for the hills rather than attempt to follow it.  But not Duane!  He was fueled by such performances.  Driven by a combination of one-upmanship and his own artistic inspiration, “Elizabeth Reed” represents the pinnacle of Duane Allman’s abilities as an instrumentalist.  Nowhere is his raw energy and originality on greater display than the solo of this song.  Pulling out all the proverbial stops, Duane reaches deep into his bag of tricks and leaves no stone unturned.  There are no unnecessary notes, no missteps, no dead ends; in short, NO MISTAKES. Dickey may have written the song, but few would argue that Duane "owns" it at the Fillmore.

Taking a cue from his hero John Coltrane, the solo opens with a roundhouse kick to the teeth and proceeds to take the listener on a figurative journey through varying levels of intensity.  Every single note is trademark Duane, and many of these licks have become a fixture of the rock guitar lexicon.  The solo features two distinct sets of dynamic peaks and valleys, each with their own nuances.  Several of the devices employed here are so unique, one might wonder if Duane had just arrived on earth from another planet.  At times, his guitar sounds almost like a human voice, other times like a cello, still others like a woodwind.  But it’s important to remember that Duane used no effects pedals for this performance; only a good Les Paul, a Marshall amplifier, and one legendary set of hands.

Emulating Duane (or any musician for that matter) is more than simply playing the correct notes.  To really get to the core of Duane’s sound, one must study not only the notes he played, but HOW he played them.  Subtle nuances like his pick articulation, his string bending, his vibrato, his use of dynamics and his timing all combine to form “the Duane Allman sound” that we’ve all come to instantly recognize.  I can’t emphasize enough how much this requires careful listening.  Light a stick of incense, turn off the lights, put on some good headphones and REALLY LISTEN.  Even if you’ve heard this recording hundreds of times, new details will emerge that you won’t understand how you missed before.

Learning this solo has become a right of passage for countless aspiring guitarists.  By the time I was 15 I could sing every note; by 17 I could play most of it.  As one of my all time favorite Duane solos, it is also the most important one I ever learned.  There is so much good material here that to discount even a single phrase would be a disservice. 

Gear wise, I used a stock 2018 R9 Les Paul straight into GarageBand where I played through the vintage Marshall model with a simulated 4x12 cab. This guitar has Gibson’s new Custom Bucker pickups and I LOVE them. I think they sound as close to Duane as anything I’ve ever heard. And for those who really want to get in the weeds, I use D’Addarrio 10-46 strings and Fender 346 extra heavy picks. The entire solo was played on the bridge pickup and the tone was rolled back to about 3. Volume varied between 5 and 10 depending on the passage. For comparison purposes, Duane is on the left and I’m on the right in this recording. What you see and hear is one take with no punch-ins or edits of any kind.


Duane Allman departed this world far too soon, but he left a surprisingly large body of work from which we can all learn, study and build upon.  Eat a peach folks.  This is a big one.
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The chemistry between Duane and Berry is unmatched

trevorstjohn
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Duane Allman the John Coltrane of Blues Rock

TheFirstGroover
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I can't imagine a recreation of Duane's solo being better than this. Well done.

ishatype
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Duane's solo on this song on Live at the Fillmore is, in my opinion, the greatest live, improvised solo of the 20th century! I listen to it a few times a week and it never gets old, which is the sign of a true classic. It has withstood the test of time.

Oldsixtyeight
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Easily one the if not THE greatest solo of all time. Awesome to see this played.

anamericaninrussia
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Been listening to this solo for over 50 yrs and still gives me goosebumps thats how phenomenal Duane Great job on this solo my friend

yqkvxhj
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I see why the face is out of frame. That can only be Duane Allman playing. Amazing!!!👍🏼🍑👍🏼

Ojb_
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I don’t know how you can remember all those licks so perfectly.

Fantastic job!!

ProbableCauseBluesBand
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This is a true testament to the genuis of Duane Allmans for this

johnpandolfino
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I'm only now-- in my 60's-- figuring out things on guitar that Duane had mastered by age 24. Thanks for bring this epic solo to light.

forrestoverin
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OK....I AM IMPRESSED BEYOND AM AMAZED AT YOUR ABILITY TO DECIPHER THE GUITAR PLAYING OF DUANE ALLMAN SO i AM GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR SHARING THIS WITH ALL OF US. THAT IS SO NICE OF YOU. I CAME TO THIS POST OF YOURS AFTER FIRST SEEING THE "12 LICKS YOU MUST KNOW" of Duane Allman. Like John Pandolphino, posting before me, i also heard the " THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND LIVE AT THE FILLMORE EAST" AND IT MADE ME GO OUT AND BUY AN ELECTRIC GUITAR and start playing, March 15, 1972. I first heard Duane Allman in the group Hourglass, playing at the Whiskey A go go in Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard I'm guessing 1969. A few years later, I heard the Allman Brothers band on a radio station in Los Angeles, and a good friend came by and gave me the now famous vinyl album which I still have, it is a "promotional" copy, stating it is a promotional DJ copy, suggested cuts for airplay being "Hot Lanta" and "statesboro blues" Capricorn SD not for sale. I think I listened to that album some where under 2, 000 times. then i got the an amazing group of humans who for some unknown reason where able to sometimes be as one entity all tuned in at the same time to the same thing I am one of the many who heard and felt what they were sending reaching into my soul that communicated with something in there that so many of us could you man, for sharing your exceptional talent with us..( sorry i don't know your name) but I'm going to take a good look at a lot of what you have you again virtual woodshed the roar of the moment, becomes but the whisper of a distant hay junior.

neverendingseventeen
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As I mentioned before I had the opportunity to see him play live 3 times before he is the reason I picked up the guitar and still play guitar

johnpandolfino
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You've spent your time wisely, my friend...you have our gratitude.

randymeyer
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Absolutely fantastic have a wonderful day ❤❤❤❤❤❤😊

aminahmed
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Duane’s solo on this song is the greatest of all time I’ve listened to it over and over again and still get shocked by the notes he plays

ethangreek
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Vocabulary, dexterity, power, restraint, emotion, feeling. This solo has it all and even more than that. Thank you so much for putting this up. I intend to woodshed off of this video and see what all I can learn. And RIP, Duane. Even though you passed away 15 years before I was born, I feel your loss like it happened in my lifetime.

jackminor
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I am both amazed and dumbfounded by this man's ability. I have learned some of Duane's leads but this one I don't get very far. This had to take an immense effort to not only learn, but to excel at.

mikesalvio
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👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙌
As if I’m listening and watching Duane Allman up close. W😱W!
Thank You.🙏🏻✌️

bhingolacson
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Wow ! in the the words of Pete Townshend " who the fuck are you"? that is fantastic. I 've always been frustrated by bad camera work at a lot of early rock show recordings, this puts you right in the pocket, right frickin there on a Duane Allman solo, sound, fingers and all, great stuff man,

seanoconnor
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I’ve been listening to the song and in particular this solo for 45 years and could only imagine what it looked like. This is as good as I could hope for. Would travel a long way to see your band live. Thank you.

richardcole