Allman Brothers Get Off the Whipping Post : Pop music: Labeled for years as ‘70s burnouts, the jazz / blues rockers are at the top of their form, thanks in large part to guitarist Warren Haynes.

The ‘90s are surely a curious time in music. Even as the forces of alternative rock and hip-hop dominate the headlines and a good portion of the charts and CD sales, many veteran groups written off as dinosaurs long ago have made the unlikeliest of comebacks.

Of those, none has been more surprising than the return of the Allman Brothers Band.

As recently as five years ago, no one would have dreamed that the mid-’90s would shape up as one of the most productive eras, both artistically and commercially, in the saga of the legendary jazz/blues rockers from Macon, Ga.

It wasn’t too long ago that the Allmans, who play Sunday at Irvine Meadows, were viewed as perhaps the ultimate examples of ‘70s burnout. It seemed that a legacy of early death, substance abuse, legal problems, endless breakups and re-formations, and the release of too many inexcusably weak albums had relegated the once-mighty Allmans to a curio piece of an age gone by.

In the early ‘70s, they were almost universally acknowledged as the most popular and innovative group in rock ‘n’ roll, but 10 years later, the mighty had fallen. It was a most disheartening disintegration to witness.

And so it is particularly inspiring--especially for those who fondly recall the Allmans’ halcyon days--to have watched the band regain its form and status over the last five years.

First came the addition of guitarist Warren Haynes, now 35, whose work recalled the glory of former bandleader Duane Allman, who died in a motorcycle wreck in 1971. Then came a series of albums on Epic Records, in which the band slowly but steadily recaptured its improvisational cast and spirit. 1994 proved a landmark year, with the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the group’s first year of eligibility and a triumphant appearance at the Woodstock II Festival.

Earlier this year, the live album “2nd Set” was released to glowing reviews. Many consider it the finest effort since Duane Allman’s death.

The Allman Brothers Band currently includes surviving original members Gregg Allman on keyboards and vocals, Dickey Betts on guitar and vocals, Butch Trucks and Jaimoe Johnny Johanson on drums, along with Haynes on guitar, Allen Woody on bass and Mark Quinones on percussion. And they are on top of the world once again, selling out concerts, making superior albums and gaining raves from fans and critics alike.

“The young blood has a lot to do with it,” Haynes said recently from his home in New York City. “Not only myself, but Allen and Mark as well. And I think it’s great that the four original guys are open-minded enough to allow it to happen. The thing that made the Allman Brothers happen in the beginning is that is was a band--six guys who all brought something equally strong to the table, and when you added the parts together, it was greater than the sum.

“And that’s what we have now in the Allman Brothers. It’s a great chemistry. Everybody is there for a reason, and the Allman Brothers get better and better every year.”

Many believe that Haynes in particular, now in his seventh year with the group, is largely responsible for its resurgence.

A series of inferior guitarists who came in the wake of Duane Allman’s death never really compensated for his loss, musically or spiritually. The soaring, dual-guitar harmonies of Allman and Betts, which defined the group’s original sound, wasn’t recaptured until Haynes was recruited. And in Haynes, the Allmans found not only a guitarist who worked well with Betts, but also a creative, passionate player with a vision of his own--a musician, like Betts and Allman, with a voice and gift that kept pace with the group’s ambitious, journeying jams.

“Warren came in and filled a spot,” drummer Trucks said in a separate interview from his Jupiter, Fla., home. “When we put this back together, we decided to go back to the double guitar. We didn’t do that right after Duane’s death, for obvious reasons. But now it’s 20 years later, and we felt like it was time to go back to doing things the way we started them.

“Warren is absolutely perfect. He plays a great slide guitar, and he has his own style. He’s been up there these past six years, and he still sounds like Warren Haynes. Dickey is such a strong musician that other guitar players we had ended up sounding just like him after a few months of playing with him. But Warren--he’s a bullheaded [guy]! We just about had to beat him up to get him to play that signature lick on ‘Statesboro Blues’ because he didn’t want to copy Duane. He’s very much an individual.”

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It’s not for a lack of respect for his predecessor that Haynes insists on being his own man.

“I was always influenced by Duane,” he said. “When I was growing up, I was listening to the Allman Brothers at a very impressionable time in my life. I had all the Allman Brothers records, and I was a huge fan. I show as much of Duane’s influence on any given night as I choose to. It’s a hard line to draw because his guitar playing was such a huge part of the overall sound, but at the same time, I have to put my own style into the picture.”

Trucks couldn’t agree more. The shadow cast by Duane Allman and the original band is a long one. And Trucks is tired of the current lineup being likened to the Duane-led group--even though the comparisons are generally favorable these days.

“I think it’s impossible to be compared to who you were 20 years ago,” he said. “People blow who you were and what was going on way out of proportion. You can’t remember clearly. But I know I can play drums immensely better than I did 20, 25 years ago. Much better.

“We’re a better band now than we ever were,” he said. “Instead of playing ‘Whipping Post’ for 45 minutes and hoping we’d lock into something, we play it for 15 minutes and make it count. Now, we’re like a good jazz band playing a classic songbook. We’re much more consistent, much more professional. We say what we have to say and then get on to the next song. It’s something you learn with experience. And now, I even remember what I played.”

* The Allman Brothers Band and Rusted Root perform Sunday at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, 8800 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. 7 p.m. $25 and $35. (714) 740-2000 (Ticketmaster). Hear the Allman Brothers Band