When infamous rock critic Lester Bangs heard the Allman Brothers' first album, he knew they were the real deal. "For all the white blooze bands proliferating today, it's still inspiring when the real article comes along, a white group who've transcended their schooling to produce a volatile blues-rock sound of pure energy, inspiration and love.⁠ The Allmans have learned their lessons well, and they play with the same drive and conviction as their mentors. When I first put this album on the driving instrumental that opens it began the clean, ringing guitar riffs in "It's Not My Cross to Bear" made that battered 12-bar blues form seem fresh again." Lester Bangs 📷Paley