The Allman Brothers Band Covers The Beatles’ ‘Rain’ In 2013

On this date, December 8, 39 years ago, one of the greatest minds to ever play rock ‘n’ roll was murdered. John Lennon meant so much to so many people it’s impossible to measure the loss. But if there’s a silver lining about the date, it’s also the late great Gregg Allman’s birthday. To remember these two monumental rock legends, check out The Allman Brothers Band doing the primarily Lennon-penned Beatles song “Rain” from the Jones Beach Theater on September 7, 2013 for this edition of Sunday Cinema.

Allman’s history with the song stretches back to 1985 when he recorded a version of “Rain” with a choir that came out as part of The Allman Brothers Band’s 1989 Dreams boxset. Allman would perform the song live in 2005 as part of his solo act. He would subsequently bring the tune to The Allman Brothers Band in 2013.

“Rain” was a good choice for Gregg to cover as it came at a particularly heady time for The Beatles and the young Allman. “Rain” arrived in May of 1966 along with the primarily McCartney-written tune “Paperback Writer.” Both songs came out of the groundbreaking Revolver sessions although neither appeared on the album. “Rain” was innovative in the fact that it saw The Beatles experimenting with tape speeds. It was also the first pop song to feature backward lyrics and heralded the psychedelic direction the band was headed into.

Allman would have been 19 when the song came out and the tune most likely made an impact on the aspiring musician. So much so that he decided to cover it in 1985 and would sporadically perform the song live from there on out. The Allmans’ version sees Gregg putting his own spin on the song and it doesn’t hurt to have guitarists Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes‘ input either. Check out The Allman Brothers Band doing “Rain” in 2013 below: