S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook: Stonybrook, NY 9/19/71 is a two-CD live album by the Allman Brothers Band. The second of a series of archival concert albums from the Allman Brothers Band Recording Company, it features the original lineup of the group. It was released in 2003.

History

The album includes performances from two shows at the Stony Brook University Gym on September 19, 1971, five weeks prior to the death of Duane Allman. An emergent research university situated roughly fifty-five miles east of Midtown Manhattan, Stony Brook was suffused with a countercultural elan throughout the era. Five Allman Brothers Band concerts at the University in the late 1960s and early 1970s have been documented; on one occasion, the group rehearsed at the Tabler Quad residence hall. The elder Allman's role as bandleader is multiply evident: the signed contract for the concert included in the album's packaging, he announces the songs, and barks orders at the sound crew, sometimes in mid-song. The Allman Brothers' website suggests the evening's stand-out performances were "Blue Sky", the only live version featuring Duane Allman that has been released by the band, and "Dreams", a showcase for his flatpicking and slide guitar skills. An advisory in the liner notes states, "The live mix evolved from the first song & continued to improve as the set progressed. Great care was taken to improve the sonic quality of the first few tracks to achieve a pleasing audio experience."

Critical reception

On AllMusic William Ruhlman wrote, "The titles may be familiar, but the jamming is not, as the band explores different ways to approach the songs... Six months after the legendary shows that produced their signature recording, At Fillmore East, and just before they changed forever with Duane Allman's death, this is the sound of the Allman Brothers Band at their peak. (Sound quality is below par at the outset as the mix is adjusted, but after a few songs in is perfectly acceptable.)" In The Republican Keven O'Hare said, "Comprisedof [sic] a mix between the afternoon matinee and the evening show, the set is pretty consistent with the Allman Brothers of that era, starting off with a rockin' "Statesboro Blues". While some of the material stretched out into the improvisational stratosphere, the band could also be very economical musically at times, here using just three minutes and 47 seconds to deliver a slide-fueled wonderwork version of "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'"." In The Aquarian Weekly Giorgio Mustica wrote, "Though we can’t travel back in time and see one of the greatest Southern rock groups ever at what was arguably their peak, The Allman Brothers Band has put forth this new release as a spectacular aural account of their heyday.... If you want to hear some classic Southern rock, be sure to pick up this album."

Track listing

Disc 1 Disc 2

Personnel

The Allman Brothers Band Production