I'll say it first and straight that the album version of this song is totally over-produced and downright terrible, however as bad as it is on the album the live version from the video "Brothers of the Road", a live concert from Gainsville, Florida shot in the 70's is amazing. It is somewhat of a difficult DVD to find but in well worth the trek, every song is well done and it is a beautiful sight to see Greg in leather pants, thin, lean and healthy.
But why this song?
The first time I heard this song was in college sitting in a room with a bunch of guys who were, much like myself, a little outside the norm in our music tastes. After the viewing was over we were trying to capture what this song was, what emotion it was trying to explain, and more so what would you be doing cinematically while it was playing in the background. The 3/4 of a bottle of Cutty Sark which was flowing throughout my veins at the time gave me an idea:
You are driving through the desert, possibly route 50, into the sunset westbound in a black Cadillac convertible. On the passenger seat is a bottle of tequila and an 8x10 picture frame holding a black and white of your ex girl, a girl you loved intensely and terrible hard. The glass in the frame has spider cracks but is still intact and you look at it every ten seconds or so against the white leather seats while your shoulder length hair flies in the wind. You have a frilled white tuxedo shit on and a pair dark, heavily starched blue jeans and a pair of black cowboy boots with yellow piping. This song is being played on an eight track cassette, a box filled of them is laying on the floor in the back and while you have a bunch of great tunes you just keep replaying this over and over again. On the backseat is an old green military sea bag with your name stenciled on the side and a nylon string guitar that you bought in an old pawnshop in Juarez. You don't really know where you are driving to, but it is out to Cali somewhere because that is where all dreams start and you have no idea how you are going to make money but you always have in the past so it is of no concern. All you know is that right now the only thing that is keeping you from pulling that .38 out of the glove compartment and ending that terrible hollowness and longing is Greg raspy, from deep down in the heart singing the last verse and refrain:
Today I watched the sunset on the freeway,
strangled on the poisoned air.
But miles behind on the other end,
I know you'll always be waiting there.
Girl you treat me with your kindest hand,
you're in my heart, in my mind and I'm so glad...
I never knew how much a man needed of woman,
I never knew how much a boy needed a girl,
I never knew how much I needed you....
You can purchase the video on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Allman-Brothers-Band-Road/dp/6305130930
