What are your least favorite Grateful Dead concert staples?

OK, here it is 1/6/78:
http://www.dead.net/show/january-6-1978
Yeah, I think it was more than "laryngitis." Garcia looked really wobbly, like he was going to barf or fall asleep. Absolutely wretched concert.

 

Just to bring out what is implicit here: Jerry was both born and passed away in August.

 

Never really got the antipathy towards this one... Sure, it's not a great song, but it's still an uptempo original by one of the founders of the band. To me, it's better and more relevant than any Brent song. Is it the pessimism, maybe, that makes it an uneasy fit?

 

I think it the worst original song they ever had.

Many hated "Day Job," aside from being overplayed, because of the responsibility/authority message. "Day Job" was still more light-hearted tongue and cheek. "Shoe Fits" is a joyless, downer, mean-spirited bum trip, "go f yourself" message. It's as if some hippies broke into Phil's ranch and pissed in his bowl of cornflakes, and Phil got angry and wrote this song. Read the lyrics on their own: http://www.dead.net/song/if-shoe-fits

On top of it the tune is pretty generic and unmemorable.

 

As far as negative lyrics and generic music, unfortunately "Shoe Fits" had competition in Brent's several songs about being angry at women.

 

Does anyone know anything about Andrew Charles, who is identified as the lyricist? Wikipedia and Google were of no help to me.

 

Google brought up this footnote from the Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics book. "Andrew Charles is a self-taught musician born and raised on the island of Barbados, the West Indies. After moving to the Bay Area in 1993, he played with several local Caribbean bands and then expanded his musical talent to songwriting. Jill Lesh introduced Phil to Andrew. Phil listened to a few songs and asked if he could play around with 'If the Shoe Fits,' which was originally entitled 'Give It Up.'"

 

Thanks. Your Google skills are clearly superior to mine

Can't say that I ever paid much attention to the lyrics to this song back in the day, but looking at them today they are negative and mean-spirited .. sort of the anti-"Eyes of the World".

 

Sorry, off topic. But before it fades from memory again.

Somewhere in the archives, I told the story about meeting members of the Dead on a desolate stretch of road on the way to a show in upstate NY in 1980. Had a dream about it last night, no doubt sparked by this thread. I can tell the story again if anyone is interested.

 

No doubt... Having heard this tune live a couple times, and now going back and reading the lyrics; it's almost like Phil was intentionally flinging bad trips out into the crowd.

 

Looking at the lyrics more carefully, I'm more inclined to agree now. But musically, I still think it's ok.

 

I was referring to the rock opera, you a**. While I mistakenly put the name in quotes, at least my typo gave you the opportunity to make your idiotic quip.

No doubt there are many analogies you fail to comprehend.

Here's to the "ignore" feature!

 

Sorry, there, wavethatflag ... wasn't trying to offend anyone.

I dig your deadication, but I can't agree that all of their songs are absolute gems... even some of the classics. And this thread is about songs, which is why I questioned the reference to "Tommy".

 

Difficult to believe that the man who wrote THESE lyrics wrote "Box of Rain", etc.

Samba in the Rain
Lyrics By: Robert Hunter
Music By: Vince Welnick
Ten and ten is thirty
If you tell me it is so
Let's get down and dirty, baby
Let's get sweet and low

Any way you call the shot
That's how it's gonna be
You can serve it cold or hot
It's all okay by me

Tie me with a ribbon bow
Wrap me in cellophane
Send me out to steal the show
or Samba in the Rain

Samba in the rain oh baby
Samba in the rain
Let's get down and dirty
Don't bother to explain
Don't care if they call a cop
and say we are insane
we'll keep goin' til we drop
Samba in the rain

How many hours in a day
They tell me twenty four
There could be a couple less
I know there ain't no more

We can do the dirty bop
The Darktown Strutter's Ball
Just as long as we don't stop
We'll dance right up the wall

We can do the bump and grind
The Apache in Spain
We can do the never mind
or Samba in the rain

Samba in the rain oh baby
Samba in the rain
Let's get down and dirty
Don't bother to explain
Don't care if they call a cop
and say we are insane
we'll keep goin' til we drop
Samba in the rain

 

Hey reb, I would like to hear your tale. Lay it on me...

 

Also hard to believe "Samba" followed that epic version of "So Many Roads" in their final show. The contrast is staggering.

 

That final "So Many Roads".....poor Jerry got so lost I think he sang the last verse twice or something. They edited it out on the box set. That was my one and only show. Talk about a night of "bathroom songs"..... "Childhood's End", "Lazy River Road", "Rooster", "Samba"...the one time I actually DID get up and leave my seat that night I missed the beginning of "Unbroken Chain" outta SPACE....

 

Tie me with a ribbon bow, wrap me in cellophane. Rivals Money Money for worst GD lyrics ever

 

Can't remember if there was a repeated verse removed, but they did cut out one of his solos from that "So Many Roads" for the box set. It's partly out-of-tune, but for me it still works - giving it a forlorn and slightly eerie character. On the whole, I think it's a fairly strong performance - certainly the best from that show.

And then we get "Samba" immediately following...

 

Me and my Uncle.

 

From the way Dylan described his co-composition of "Silvio" and "Ugliest Girl in the World" with Hunter in 1987, there was a loose leaf binder full of as-yet unpublished Hunter lyrics in the Dead's rehearsal space at all times. Dylan leafed through it, found two that interested him, and set them to music (hence the co-composition, without them actually working together). It seems likely (especially in the case of "Ugliest Girl") that no one in the band felt these lyrics held much promise, or they would have done something with them already. By the time Vince arrived on the scene, Weir was clearly more comfortable working with other lyricists. Jerry was still making wise choices for what to set to music ("So Many Roads", "Days Between", "Lazy River Road") but was clearly working at a less than frantic pace. So apparently Vince dug into the binder, picked out some rejects, and we got "Samba in the Rain" and "Way To Go Home".

 

Wow ... Just wow... I guess 5/8/77 doesn't ring a bell, among other things?

 

btw i should have been more clear.

i will take you- just a bad song
one more saturday night- great song thats overplayed

 

Roses (just takes forever)
Saint Of Circumstance
Lazy Lighting
Supplication
Candyman
Brokendown Palace
Good Lovin (they just wore it out and can't even touch The Rascals)
Around And Around

Favorites?

They Love Each Other
Dark Star
Althea
Shakedown Street
Stella Blue
Eyes Of The World
U.S Blues

 

Thankfully this is the first I ever heard of that song Man they sucked with Vinnie