Arguably the greatest of the 1970s Southern rock bands, and certainly the most graceful and elegant, the Allman Brothers Band combined blues-based material with stunning dual guitar leads (handled by Duane Allman and Dickey Betts at the band's creative peak) to create one of the most immediately identifiable sounds in all of rock history. This set has all the bare-bones essentials, including the early radio hits "Ramblin' Man" and "Midnight Rider," as well as the brilliant "Whipping Post," a trio of lovely and haunting compositions, "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed," "Blue Sky," and "Melissa," and what amounts to the definitive recording of Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues." There's more to the story, of course, but the outline is here.