Jerry Garcia single handedly shattered genres for me and is responsible for exposing an interest in jazz, fusion, r/b, country, folk, bluegrass, gospel, sea chanties, children's music, good ol rock n roll and probably others I forgot here. I found a book of children's song from the 1800's so I could understand where Peggy-o came from. I found old wax cylinders of sea chanties to hear some originals, old bluegrass and folk 78's, sought out obscure(at the time) Miles Davis and Trane recordings... All this, of course, on top of the countless hours of bootleg GD/JGB/LOM/OAITW/GASB/Reconstruction/Garcia&Kahn/Garcia&Grisman/etc that I had to have...
I love this post. The timelessness of the Dead's influences is one (but not the only) of the major factors that separate the Dead from jam bands. It is a vast universe they incorporate. Dylan's eulogy to Garcia captures this better than anything I have ever read.
"There's no way to measure his greatness or magnitude as a person or as a player. I don't think any eulogizing will do him justice. He was that great, much more than a superb musician, with an uncanny ear and dexterity. He's the very spirit personified of whatever is Muddy River country at its core and screams up into the spheres. He really had no equal. To me he wasn't only a musician and friend, he was more like a big brother who taught and showed me more than he'll ever know. There's a lot of spaces and advances between The Carter Family, Buddy Holly and, say, Ornette Coleman, a lot of universes, but he filled them all without being a member of any school. His playing was moody, awesome, sophisticated, hypnotic and subtle. There's no way to convey the loss. It just digs down really deep." -Dylan heres another of my favorites, from Ken Kesey at his funeral: HEY, JERRY -- What's happening? I caught your funeral. Weird. Big Steve was good. And Grisman. Sweet sounds. But what really stood out -- stands out -- is the thundering silence, the lack, the absence of that golden Garcia lead line, of that familiar slick lick with the up-twist at the end, that merry snake twining through the woodpile, flickering in and out of the loosely stacked chords . . . a wriggling mystery, bright and slick as fire . . . suddenly gone. And the silence left in its wake was -- is -- positively earsplitting. Now they want me to say something about the absence, Jer. Tell some backstage story, share some poignant reminiscence. But I have to tell you, man: I find myself considerably disinclined. I mean, why break such an eloquent silence? I remember standing out in the pearly early dawn after the Muir Beach Acid Test, leaning on the top rail of a driftwood fence with you and Lesh and Babbs, watching the world light up, talking about our glorious futures. The gig had been semi-successful, and the air was full of exulted fantasies. Babbs whacks Phil on the back. "Just like the big time, huh, Phil." "It is! It is the big time! Why, we could cut a chart-busting record tomorrow!" I was even more optimistic. "Hey, we taped tonight's show. We could release a record tomorrow." "Yeah, right" -- holding up that digitally challenged hand the way you did when you wanted to call attention to the truth or the lack thereof -- "and a year from tomorrow be recording a 'Things Go Better With Coke' commercial." You could be a sharp-tongued popper of balloons when you were so inclined, you know. You were the sworn enemy of hot air and commercials, however righteous the cause or lucrative the product. Nobody ever heard you use that microphone as a pulpit. No antiwar rants, no hymns to peace. No odes to the trees and All Things Organic. No ego deaths or born-againness. No devils denounced, no gurus glorified. No dogmatic howlings that I ever caught wind of. In fact, your steadfast denial of dogma was as close as you ever came to having a creed. And to the very end, Old Timer, you were true to that creed. No commercials. No trendy spins. No bayings of belief. And if you did have any dogma, you surely kept it tied up under the back porch, where a smelly old hound belongs. I guess that's what I mean about a loud silence. Like Michelangelo said about sculpting, the statue exists inside the block of marble -- all you have to do is chip away the stone you don't need. You were always chipping away at the superficial. It was the false notes you didn't play that kept that lead line so golden pure. It was the words you didn't sing. So this is what we are left with, Jerry: this golden silence. It rings on and on without any hint of letup. And I expect it will still be ringing years from now. Because you're still not playing falsely. Because you're still not singing "Things Go Better With Coke." Ever your friend, Keez Think Ill dig out: 10/31/91 and listen to one of my favorite latter era Dark Stars. "How do you like your blue-eyed boy, now, mister death?" 10/31/91 Oakland Coliseum Arena - Oakland, CA Set 1: Help On The Way Slipknot! Franklin's Tower Little Red Rooster Loser Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues Let It Grow Set 2: Scarlet Begonias Fire On The Mountain Truckin' Spoonful Dark Star Drums Space Dark Star Reprise This Could Be The Last Time Standing On The Moon Throwin' Stones Not Fade Away Encore: Werewolves Of London
What an amazing setlist! Help trilogy, loser, let it grow, scarlet/fire pairing, dark star, NFA....surprised they didn't see throw in a china cat/rider! How's the sq?
Buffalo Bill's defunct who used to ride a watersmooth-silver stallion and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat Jesus he was a handsome man and what i want to know is how do you like your blueeyed boy Mister Death e.e. cummings
There are killer boards, auds and at least one fantastic matrix for this stunner of a show. take ur pick! All well played, but the Dark Star with Kesey is the crux for sure.... A true dead send-off for Uncle Bobo
I love these run of shows, especially this show. The vibe in the air was beautiful and the playing was spot on.
3-16-90, Capital Centre, Landover, MD. Brent's singing and playing on "Never Trust a Woman" is brilliant. If I was delivering a closing argument to a jury, trying to convince them of his worth to the band, this would be Exhibit A.
Workingman's Dead is available at MoFi now. Now THAT'S a Christmas present for me! My favorite album in the world in Ultra Fidelity might make it to me by Christmas. I absolutely cannot wait. I for one was really pleased with American Beauty. If my wife's cats weren't trying to land on my turntable everytime it's on, I could sit back with my eyes closed for the ten minutes that each side lasts. I'm hearing a lot of background parts that I've never heard before. I have Tinnitus from playing in a band for about fifteen years, so it probably sounds different to me than it does to people who haven't destroyed their hearing, but I love the Dead 45 RPM so far, and can't wait to get my copy of WD.
This baby. Though Jerry`s voice was rough this date, the playing was full of electric, spirited energy and the setlist unusual. A really thrilling and much overlooked show. I know a SB circulated of set 2, set one floats around in a good aud. recording. Not sure if they have this one in the vaults. Two encores this night with a third barely started but aborted("The Last Time") much to the chagrin of Jerry heard on the tape going "Aaaawe " in a disappointed tone. Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY (6/24/84) Dancin' in the Streets (first "old School" version of this since `71) Dire Wolf New Minglewood Blues Candyman Me and My Uncle Mexicali Blues Ramble on Rose Hell in a Bucket Deal I Need a Miracle Bertha Playin' in the Band China Doll Samson and Delilah drums The Other One Wharf Rat Sugar Magnolia Encores; Satisfaction It`s All Over Now Baby Blue
You guys will think I'm a lightweight, but I just bought "Blues For Allah" yesterday. The first few times, I felt like I was listening to Santana "Caravanserai". All of the psychadelic jams still have me lost. Can someone tell me what their favorite parts are on "Blues"? I'm still lost.
Some longtime fans don't care for the suite on side two (I like it, but don't listen to it very often). My favorite part is the opening Help On The Way/Slipknot/Franklin's Tower. Also enjoy Music Never Stopped although several live versions have more fiery solos than the studio version (check out 5/9/77).
lI'll burn The Suite on Side 2 until I love it. I believe that Jerry had a reason for eveything that he put on tape. If nothing else, the album cover just blows my mind. Someone had to spend thousand hours painting that. The cover grabbed me so hard, I have to believe in the music. Especially the way that it's dedicated to th gentleman from the Middle East ho had passed away. that's something, having Dead Studio Album cut with You in mind. I hope that he go his 70 virgins or however many, and got to listen to "Blues For Allah" as he hugged and smooched them. If Jerry loved him that much, the guy deserved all of the groovy afterlife stuff that He was promised!
I'm still on Venetta, OR '72 official release. I listened from Playing to Birdsong while running today, but then my phone gave me the low power warning, so I stopped listening, wanting to preserve all power for my Nike Running app. But what a tremendous Playing. But did they do a bad playing that year? Doubt it! Anyway it was a bummer about my phone running out of juice. I don't usually listen to the Dead while running. I have a running playlist with all harder or punkier uptempo stuff on it. But man the Dead powered me through 3.5 miles and I ended up running 6.38 miles instead of my usual three or four. I'm thinking I should do a run while I listen to an entire Dead show, and see how far that takes me. (I stopped at 6.38 miles because that's about when my phone died, I would have gone 7. I'm such a slave to my Nike running app, I want every mile I run recorded in my totals, so I stopped when the app could no longer function. But I digress... Hey, do you guys know Phish's "Slave To The Traffic Light"? I'm "Slave To The Nike App").
I love the entire album. It's one of my favorite Dead studio albums. I always argue they were much better studio band than people give them credit for. Help/Slip/Frank is definitely the highlight, but Crazy Fingers and TMNS aren't too far behind. As for the title track, the studio version doesn't do much for me, but the 3/23/75 version is amazing. I listen to the Dead regularly (almost exclusively) when working out, including while running. Have for years. I had a random mix playlist for a while, but it got boring after a while. It's not for everyone though, but I don't need music to pump me up mentally to work out.
My all time favourite song ever is Crazy Fingers. Back in the day when I was in college, I listened to this album under the influence of mushrooms and probably listened to it 20 times in a row. Each time picking out a different instrument to listen to, then two instruments, then three etc. That was quite a night into day
Blues for Allah... HSF and Crazy Fingers! Actually I really dig Sage and Spirit as well. Its a great album
listened for the first time to this. Don't know what took me so long . . . too much dead at once ? ( I still have yet to crack the seal on my DaP's 12 and DP #36 that Igot from Realgonemusic. I can confirm what everyone on here has already stated. Phil way up in the mix. Good He's Gone and Playin'
