Win, Lose or Draw (album)
Encyclopedia
Win, Lose or Draw is the sixth album by The Allman Brothers Band
, released in 1975. The record was the end of the line for the band at the time. After the very successful Brothers and Sisters
two years previously, the group had fallen prey to internal tensions. Dickey Betts
(continuing to be billed as Richard Betts for this album) had seemingly taken over from Gregg Allman
as the de facto bandleader, while both had issued solo albums.
Due to being tied to the West Coast, much of Allman's vocals and instrumentation were recorded at the Record Plant Studios
in Los Angeles, California
, with the vocals and instrumentation of the rest being recorded at Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia
. Additionally, drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe
went missing from "Louisiana Lou and Three Card Monty John" and the Billy Joe Shaver
cover "Sweet Mama (Lay Your Burdens Down)", replaced with producer Johnny Sandlin (who had drummed in the pre-Allman Brothers Band group The Hour Glass
) and occasional road drummer Bill Stewart
.
In any case, there were a few modest highlights on Win, Lose or Draw: the dynamic Muddy Waters
cover "Can't Lose What You Never Had", sung strongly by Allman with start-stop mini-false endings; the long, fluid Betts instrumental "High Falls"; and the title track, which reflected Allman's Jackson Browne
-influenced work from his Laid Back solo album. But in general, reviews of the album were negative, commenting on a lack of energy, formulaic songwriting, and indifferent sound.
The album reached #5 on the Billboard 200
albums chart based on their previous popularity. The record had been highly anticipated a year earlier, but now the Allmans' moment was passing. Long ethereal jams were out of vogue; by autumn 1975 other trends were in the air, from Bruce Springsteen
's high-energy Jersey dramas to Patti Smith
's intense proto-punk poetry, with punk rock
and disco music just around the corner. The Allman Brothers would dissolve in acrimony the following year, and a late 1970s reunion attempt notwithstanding, would not reclaim their spot in the American musical pantheon until their successful 1989 reformation.
The album cover depicts the Old West interior decor of Muhlenbrinks Saloon in Underground Atlanta
. A poker table topped with half-empty whiskey bottles, playing cards and poker chips is in view. Six chairs representing the present members of the band surround the table. The influence of the band's deceased members, Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, is in the room. Just behind the larger table, two empty chairs lean mutly against a small unused table.
Additional musicians:
Production:
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"...
, released in 1975. The record was the end of the line for the band at the time. After the very successful Brothers and Sisters
Brothers and Sisters (album)
Brothers and Sisters is the fifth album by The Allman Brothers Band, released in 1973.The group's first album recorded completely after the death of leader Duane Allman, and mostly after the death of bassist Berry Oakley, Brothers and Sisters saw the Allmans reach a commercial peak. The album...
two years previously, the group had fallen prey to internal tensions. Dickey Betts
Dickey Betts
Forrest Richard "Dickey" Betts is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and also won with the band a best rock performance Grammy Award for his...
(continuing to be billed as Richard Betts for this album) had seemingly taken over from Gregg Allman
Gregg Allman
Gregory Lenoir Allman , known as Gregg Allman, is a rock and blues singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter, and a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia...
as the de facto bandleader, while both had issued solo albums.
Due to being tied to the West Coast, much of Allman's vocals and instrumentation were recorded at the Record Plant Studios
Record Plant Studios
The Record Plant was a series of three famous recording studios which were founded by Gary Kellgren and Chris Stone, beginning in New York City in 1968. The next year, Kellgren and Stone opened a second studio in Los Angeles. In 1972, the company expanded again with a third location in Sausalito,...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, with the vocals and instrumentation of the rest being recorded at Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
. Additionally, drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe
Jai Johanny Johanson
Jai Johanny Johanson , frequently known by the stage name Jaimoe, is an American drummer and percussionist. He is best known as one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band.-Early years:...
went missing from "Louisiana Lou and Three Card Monty John" and the Billy Joe Shaver
Billy Joe Shaver
Billy Joe Shaver is a Texas country music singer and songwriter. Shaver's 1973 album Old Five and Dimers Like Me is a classic in the outlaw country genre.-Biography:...
cover "Sweet Mama (Lay Your Burdens Down)", replaced with producer Johnny Sandlin (who had drummed in the pre-Allman Brothers Band group The Hour Glass
The Hour Glass
The Hour Glass were a 1960s rhythm and blues band based in Los Angeles, California between 1967 and 1968. Among their members were two future members of the Allman Brothers Band and three future studio musicians at the world-renowned Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama .-History:Formed from the...
) and occasional road drummer Bill Stewart
Bill Stewart (musician)
William Harris "Bill" Stewart is an American jazz drummer. Stewart is a versatile player who has performed with a broad array of musicians, from Maceo Parker to Jim Hall...
.
In any case, there were a few modest highlights on Win, Lose or Draw: the dynamic Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
cover "Can't Lose What You Never Had", sung strongly by Allman with start-stop mini-false endings; the long, fluid Betts instrumental "High Falls"; and the title track, which reflected Allman's Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
-influenced work from his Laid Back solo album. But in general, reviews of the album were negative, commenting on a lack of energy, formulaic songwriting, and indifferent sound.
The album reached #5 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart based on their previous popularity. The record had been highly anticipated a year earlier, but now the Allmans' moment was passing. Long ethereal jams were out of vogue; by autumn 1975 other trends were in the air, from Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's high-energy Jersey dramas to Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
's intense proto-punk poetry, with punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and disco music just around the corner. The Allman Brothers would dissolve in acrimony the following year, and a late 1970s reunion attempt notwithstanding, would not reclaim their spot in the American musical pantheon until their successful 1989 reformation.
The album cover depicts the Old West interior decor of Muhlenbrinks Saloon in Underground Atlanta
Underground Atlanta
Underground Atlanta is a shopping and entertainment district in the Five Points neighborhood of downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States, near the intersection of the east and west MARTA rail lines. First opened in 1969, it takes advantage of the viaducts built over the city's many railroad tracks...
. A poker table topped with half-empty whiskey bottles, playing cards and poker chips is in view. Six chairs representing the present members of the band surround the table. The influence of the band's deceased members, Duane Allman and Berry Oakley, is in the room. Just behind the larger table, two empty chairs lean mutly against a small unused table.
Track listing
- "Can't Lose What You Never Had" (Muddy WatersMuddy WatersMcKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
) - 5:49 - "Just Another Love Song" (Richard Betts) - 2:44
- "Nevertheless" (Gregg Allman) - 3:32
- "Win, Lose or Draw" (Gregg Allman) - 4:45
- "Louisiana Lou and Three Card Monty John" (Richard Betts) - 3:45
- "High Falls" (Richard Betts) - 14:28
- "Sweet Mama" (Billy Joe ShaverBilly Joe ShaverBilly Joe Shaver is a Texas country music singer and songwriter. Shaver's 1973 album Old Five and Dimers Like Me is a classic in the outlaw country genre.-Biography:...
) - 3:32
Personnel
- Gregg AllmanGregg AllmanGregory Lenoir Allman , known as Gregg Allman, is a rock and blues singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter, and a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia...
— lead vocals, organ, clavinet and acoustic guitar - Richard BettsDickey BettsForrest Richard "Dickey" Betts is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and also won with the band a best rock performance Grammy Award for his...
— lead guitar, slide guitar, lead vocals and acoustic guitar - JaimoeJai Johanny JohansonJai Johanny Johanson , frequently known by the stage name Jaimoe, is an American drummer and percussionist. He is best known as one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band.-Early years:...
— drums and percussion - Chuck LeavellChuck LeavellChuck Leavell is an American pianist and keyboardist, who was a member of The Allman Brothers Band throughout the height of their popularity, a founding member of the jazz-rock combo Sea Level, a frequently-employed session musician, and later, the keyboardist for Eric Clapton and The Rolling...
— piano, electric piano, Moog synthesizer, clavinet and background vocals - Butch Trucks — drums, congas, percussion and tympani
- Lamar WilliamsLamar WilliamsLamar Williams was an American musician, most known as the bassist for The Allman Brothers Band and Sea Level....
— electric bass
Additional musicians:
- Johnny Sandlin — acoustic guitar, drums and percussion
- Bill Stewart — drums
Production:
- Produced by Johnny Sandlin and The Allman Brothers Band
- Engineered by Sam Whiteside
- Assistant Engineer - Carolyn Harriss
- Remixed by Johnny Sandlin, Sam Whiteside and Carolyn Harriss at Capricorn Sound Studios