The Allman Brothers Band

This compilation captures the Allman Brothers at the height of their powers, albeit leaning more heavily on the formative years, before tragedies, druggy dissolution and plain orneriness took away some of the group's luster. But with Decades you are thrust back into their glory days, when they conjured up dark tales of thwarted romance, dashed ambitions and enduring friendship and affixed them to heroic guitar runs, freefalling slide riffs, jazzy interludes and the soulful blues that revolutionized Southern rock. Every track on this collection is stellar; "Wasted Days" is an underrated gem.