The Allman Brothers Band's legendary 1971 concert set, Live At Fillmore East has topped a new UK list of the “20 Greatest Live Albums.” The list, posted by Britain's The Independent, gave local heroes, the Who, the runner-up position for its 1970 behemoth, Live At Leeds. Coming in at Number Three was James Brown & The Famous Flames' 1963 set, Live At the Apollo Vol 1, with Jerry Lee Lewis' 1964 collection, Live At The Star Club Hamburg, sitting at Number Four. Van Morrison rounded out the Top Five with his 1974 live album, It's Too Late To Stop Now.
Dickey Betts, who was forced out of the Allmans back in 2000, is best remembered for his timeless contributions including “Blue Sky,” “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed,” “Ramblin' Man,” and the instrumental “Jessica.” We asked him if he feels he's the keeper of the Allman Brothers Band flame today: “People are making me feel that way. I, I never felt that way, but when you get out there and you talk to the fans — I don't just go in and then disappear like Batman. Y'know, I go in, I talk to a lot of people and to see how the show's are selling out. Fans are telling me how much interest there is, that I am the guy now that can produce this music, 'cause I wrote half of it, y'know?”
Roger Daltrey told us that although he loves the Live At Leeds album, he isn't wild about his particular performance that night: “I always felt under pressure when anything was knowingly being recorded. I didn't mind if people were kind of surreptitiously doing it. Personally, it wasn't one of my best gigs, but the individual in the band never sees the band in the audience's perspective. It's a great album. I love that album because it captures a moment in time.”
