-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size:
 (small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Rest Stop and Hunting opportunity. The name of the cache is for the song by The Allman Brothers Band. This side of the interstate needed some entertainment. Cache is now a Decon Container with new co-ords. I thought travel bugs may want to move about with this new container. Bring your own writing device. Terrain is unlevel and can be slippery.
In Midnight Riders, the Story of the Allman Brothers Band, Scott Freeman expressed great enthusiasm for each of the songs on “Brothers and Sisters.” Especially captivating to Freeman was “Southbound,” the track that kicked off the album’s second side.
“Southbound,” written by Dickey and sung by Gregg, begins on a fevered pitch and never lets up. It is a song of swaggering lust, about a man headed home after a road trip and anticipating a heated reunion with his woman. The song has a furious and inventive buildup underneath the chorus and Chuck’s rhythm parts are full of wonderful surprises. The solos on “Southbound” are two sides of passion: Chuck’s piano is melodic and gentle, as it shifts between styles with graceful flair; Dickey takes no fewer than three guitar breaks, each bristling with a hot-blooded erotic undertone.
Scott Freeman is correct. ”Southbound” never lets up. It’s a pulsating song of the road, alive with the promise of a most desired destination. As Gregg Allman sings “I’m coming home to you,” one visualizes how he’d count the miles, heading south on I-75. Detroit. Toledo. Cincinnati. Lexington. Chattanooga. Atlanta. Finally the happy homecoming in Macon.
“Southbound” confirms Johnny Sandlin’s idea about expanding the band’s sound with a pianist, especially a pianist like Chuck Leavell, as one of sheer genius. Contacted recently, Leavell remembers the song being as much of a revelation to play as it’s been for the millions who have heard it. He recalls the time in the studio as if it was yesterday.
“Recording “Southbound” was a real joy for me, “Leavell says. “A great uptempo blues number that Dickey Betts wrote. I was glad that he wanted Gregg to sing it, as it fits his voice so well. We all loved the riff that leads up to the solos and that ends the song….a really cool ascending pattern that swings as it rises. The breaks on the intro were also very cool…typical blues breaks, but fun and exciting. As we played the song live, we expanded those breaks which made it even more exciting on stage. As for my own solo, I tried to jazz it up a bit…using a “9? chord on my left hand with the 3rd on the bottom and the 9 on top. My right hand started out with octaves and then progressed to single note riffs. It was huge fun to play!”
The songs of the Allman Brothers Band, “Southbound,” and others, signaled fun and adventure down the road. Not all the times ahead, even those less than a year away, would be so rewarding, but much had already been accomplished and spirited renewals would guide the band on what seemed a series of less than likely comebacks. But as it turns out, their road does go on forever. The vision shared with Duane Allman and the desire to make great music still guides the Allman Brothers Band to promising destinations.
This article continues the Southern Song of the Day series.
Well, I'm Southbound ... Lord I'm comin' home to you
Lord, I'm Southbound, baby ... Lord I'm comin' home to you
I got that old lonesome feelin' that's sometimes called the blues
Lord, I been workin' every night ... oh travelin' every day
Lord, I been workin' every night .. whoa traveling every day
Oh, you can tell your other man ... sweet daddy's on the way
Oh, you better believe
Well, I'm Southbound
Lord, I'm Southbound, baby
Oh, you better tell your other man ... sweet daddy's on his way
Got your hands full now, baby ... oh as soon as I hit the door
Got your hands full now, woman ... yeah as soon as I hit that door
Well, I'm gonna make it all up to you ... for all the things you should have had before
Well, I'm goin' Southbound
Oh, Southbound, baby
Ohhhh ... I'm rollin' Southbound
Yeah, baby ... make it all up to you ... ohhhh ... the things you should had before
This cache has disappeared several times; so please hide as well if not better than found. Remember CITO. There is NO reason to leave the rest area.
So when you are done RELAX, put on your sunglasses and Brothers and Sisters. Because the view only gets better and the weather warmer when you are headed Southbound.
Congratulations to Gabbyman 6000 for the FTF.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Qba'g trg fghzcrq ba guvf pnpur.