Eat a Peach

Tributes to fallen icons don’t come any more poignant or illustrative than Eat a Peach. Released in early 1972, slightly more than three months after guitarist Duane Allman died in a motorcycle accident, the double album honors the musician via sides he recorded in the studio as well as several live performances that didn’t fit on the mammoth At Fillmore East. The Allman Brothers Band, determined to press on, also contributes a trio of songs completed after their soulmate’s passing. Its execution is near perfect, its concept timeless.
Mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 2LP and hybrid SACD of Eat a Peach join the unparalleled reissue imprint’s other Allman titles in presenting the superlative ensemble’s work in the most uncompromising fidelity possible. Not only is the punch of the concert fare transmitted with full-range dynamics and realistic spaciousness, the studio cuts come through with astounding clarity and body.
A statement of purpose and homage, Eat a Peach extends the late guitarist’s legacy in the form of three heart-racing live tunes recorded at Fillmore East, none more important than the nearly 34-minute harmonic showcase “Mountain Jam.” The tour de force improvisation finds the band at the peak of its telepathic aural and communicative capacities.
Not that the studio originals with Duane are forgettable. “Blue Sky” and “Melissa” epitomize the gorgeously elegant colors with which the late virtuoso could paint while the heart-stopping sentimental “Little Martha” finds just he and fellow mate Dickey Betts engaged in spiritual communion. Bliss.