Dreams (Box Set)

There's no doubt that these 55 tracks comprise the ultimate Allman Brothers Band experience. If you want to dig deep into the band's history, Dreams is the way to go. To start with, the first section of this chronological collection offers so many tunes by the groups that the various members were in before the ABB that we're 13 tracks in before we even get to an Allman Brothers Band song. One of the intriguing things gleaned from the pre-Allmans material is the degree of Anglophilia displayed by these Southern boys, with covers of Cream's "I Feel Free" and The Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things." All the ABB classics are here, from the live version of the churning firestorm "Whipping Post" to the good-time country rock of "Blue Sky." But equally important are the less ubiquitous tunes to be found here, like the delicately fingerpicked acoustic guitar instrumental "Little Martha" or the swampy, funky early-'80s tune "Things You Used to Do." Add latter-day solo outings by Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts, and you've got as all-encompassing an Allmans anthology as anyone could ask for.