No Skips: 3 Jam Band Albums From the 1970s You’ll Never Have To Fast-Forward Through

When we think of jam bands today, we often think of these modern improvisational acts that can extend their studio recordings by 10, 15, or even 20 minutes via violin solos or acoustic jams. But while groups like Dave Matthews Band and String Cheese Incident fit the bill, so do other kinds of acts.

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And that’s just what we wanted to dive into here below. We wanted to explore releases from three jam bands from back in the day. Indeed, this is no skips: three jam band albums from the 1970s you’ll never have to fast-forward.

‘Abraxas’ by Santana (1970)

After the historic Woodstock music festival in 1969, the Bay Area guitarist Carlos Santana was a star. A budding household name, the six-string player released the album Abraxas with his self-titled band in 1970. From then on, he was a made man. The record is about as perfect as you can get, highlighted by all-time recordings of songs like “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Cómo Va”. Santana could switch between extended solos and tight tracks. The LP is a marvel.

‘At Fillmore East’ by The Allman Brothers Band (1971)

It wouldn’t be a proper jam band album list if we didn’t include a live record. And The Allman Brothers Band recorded an incredible live offering in the early 1970s. Indeed, the southern rock group’s 1971 release, At Fillmore East, is one of their most impressive albums of the decade. While every track is worth diving into, both for its musicianship and its performance, we suggest you spend some extra time with “Whipping Post”, an extended track that gets to the pit of your soul.

‘American Beauty’ by Grateful Dead (1970)

If you want to talk about jam bands, you’ve got to talk about The Grateful Dead. The group, led by Jerry Garcia, helped to create the form, and others like DMB and String Cheese followed in their wake. The band’s best album is likely their 1970 release American Beauty. While they have many superb offerings, this record is a classic from front to back, highlighted by tunes like “Friend Of The Devil”, “Sugar Magnolia”, and “Truckin’”.

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