Mercury/UMe

Mercury/UMeAn expanded and remastered version of late Allman Brothers Band frontman Gregg Allman‘s 1973 solo debut, Laid Back, will be released on August 30.  Also coming out that day: 180-gram vinyl LP reissues of that record and Allman’s 1974 double-disc live album, The Gregg Allman Tour.

Released in October ’73, Laid Back includes a solo version of The Allman Brothers’ “Midnight Rider,” a cover of Jackson Browne‘s “These Days” and a rendition of the traditional tune “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” The album peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200, while “Midnight Rider” reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Deluxe Edition of Laid Back features the album’s original eight tracks, as well as early mixes of those same songs and 18 more bonus tracks, including demos, outtakes, alternate takes and a solo acoustic rendition of “Melissa” that Gregg played at an April 1974 concert in Passaic, New Jersey.

The expanded Laid Back will be available as a two-CD set, in multiple digital formats and via streaming services. The vinyl reissue will feature the original eight-song track list.

You can check out a demo version of “These Days” from the expanded release now at Gregg’s YouTube channel. Fans pre-ordering a digital version of Laid Back will receive the track as an instant free download.

The Gregg Allman Tour features performances culled from two April 1974 concerts at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall, and at the previously mentioned New Jersey show.  On that tour, Gregg was backed by a band called Cowboy and a 24-piece orchestra. Cowboy’s lineup included founding Allman Brothers drummer Jaimoe and then-Allmans keyboardist Chuck Leavell.

Limited-edition colored-vinyl versions of both Laid Back and The Gregg Allman Tour also will be available.

Here’s the Laid Back: Deluxe Edition track list:

CD1

Laid Back remastered
“Midnight Rider”
“Queen of Hearts”
“Please Call Home”
“Don’t Mess Up a Good Thing”
“These Days”
“Multi-Colored Lady”
“All My Friends”
“Will the Circle Be Unbroken”

Laid Back early mixes
“Midnight Rider”*
“Queen of Hearts”
“Please Call Home”*
“Don’t Mess Up a Good Thing”*
“These Days”*
“Multi-Colored Lady”
“All My Friends”*
“Will the Circle Be Unbroken”*

CD2: Laid Back demos, outtakes & alternates

“Never Knew How Much” (Demo)**
“All My Friends” (Demo)
“Please Call Home” (Demo)*
“Queen of Hearts” (Demo)*
“God Rest His Soul” (Solo Guitar & Vocal Demo)
“Rollin’ Stone (Catfish Blues)” (Solo Guitar & Vocal Demo)**
“Will the Circle Be Unbroken” (Solo Guitar & Vocal Demo)
“Multi-Colored Lady” (Solo Guitar & Vocal Demo)
“These Days” (Solo Guitar, Piano & Vocal Demo)*
“Shadow Dream Song” (Solo Guitar & Vocal Demo)
“Wasted Words”**
“These Days” (Alternate Version with Pedal Steel Guitar)
“Multi-Colored Lady” (Rough Mix)*
“These Days” (Rough Mix)*
“God Rest His Soul” (Rehearsal)
“Midnight Rider” (Rehearsal)*
“Song for Adam”/”Shadow Dream Song” (Solo Guitar & Vocal Demo)
“Melissa” (Live at the Capitol Theatre)*

And here’s The Gregg Allman Tour LP track list:

Disc 1

Side 1
“Don’t Mess Up a Good Thing”
“Queen of Hearts”
“Feel So Bad”

Side 4
“Turn On Your Love Light”
“Oncoming Traffic”
“Will the Circle Be Unbroken”

Disc 2

Side 2
“Stand Back”
“Time Will Take Us”+
“Where Can You Go?”+

Side 3
“Double Cross”
“Dreams”
“Are You Lonely for Me Baby”

* = previously unreleased
** = previously unreleased mix
+ = performed by Cowboy

Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.