The Grateful Thread

Can’t wait for the Winterland ‘73 box I ordered this weekend to get here, maybe then I’ll be able to stop listening to this Denver ‘73.

Road Trips Vol. 4 No. 3

 

If you like the Denver set, you're not likely to be disappointed by the Winterland box. I'm hoping to resume with the last disc of 11/11/73 tonight. First up: "Dark Star."

 

Yeah, I was going to say that "The Main Ten" is in the "song" part of Playing in the Band after the chorus and before the return to the verse. It's the part that Merle Saunders overdubbed organ for on the Skull**** album.

 

I need to stop buying physical media, but the Real Gone reissue of that one is so tempting!

 

Y'all are wrong. It's just "CC -> Rider"

 

There's a Main Ten jam on 11/8/69 and a few other shows.

 

There are The Main Ten jams on many shows, then Donna starts screaming and Bobby starts singing!

 

And the entire song appears as "The Main Ten" on Mickey's Rolling Thunder album.

 

Confession: My Dead Head brain has been corrupted by overdubbed live Grateful Dead.

For 46 years my favorite live Dead of all has been the heavily doctored, absolutely perfect May 3, 1972 Paris version of “China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider” from Europe ’72. (The same day Bruce Springsteen successfully auditioned for John Hammond at Columbia Records, for you trivia buffs.)

And lately the Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack version of “Eyes of the World,” with the eerily flawless overdubbed vocals, is way up there at the top of my pops. Apart from the many ill-advised-tempo performances of “Eyes” than I can’t abide, the band manages to butcher the chorus harmonies on almost every version I’ve ever heard. To be able to fully relax and fall without flinching into a supremely realized (no matter how dishonest) performance of this gorgeous song is wonderful.

Fake it ’til ya make it!

 

I find their less-than-perfect vocals charming, personally. I wouldn't be as big of a Pigpen fan if I needed the singing perfectly on pitch. Those nice overdubbed vocals are pleasing though, it's true. It's why I consider Europe '72 to be their 1972 "studio" album. It just happens to have "overdubbed" live instrumental tracks.

 

Ugh. I tried that once and couldn't handle more than an hour and a half or so. Too much of a good thing can turn into a not so good thing. Ice Cream tastes great, but eat too much and you feel sick. Or shrimp cocktail or James Bond films or, etc...

 

According to deadlists, there are 31 Dark Stars performed in 1972. You're saying that Veneta is in the bottom six or seven? Okay.

I'm not saying you're wrong or anything, these are just opinions after all. Actually, once I get around to listening to all of the Fall '72 renditions, I might even agree with you. We'll see.

At this point, I've heard 17 or 18 of the 1972 Dark Star performances. While they're all mostly wonderful performances and it's hard to rank them, I'd still say that Veneta is in my top ten.

 

Listening to the '78 30 Trips show. This "Let It Grow" is good.

Mental response to an email I just got: "No, Phil, I'm not going to your Telstar jam."

 

This seems like the fastest Eyes ever played.

 

That hurt my eyes to read. The GD version of that song could have been subtitled "let's head for the car" as far as I'm concerned. I'm not a fan of Weir-sung Dylan covers except Memphis Blues Again, and Watchtower might be the worst of them.

Here's my favorite version from an IWT show from 5/27/89 with Clarence Clemons sitting in. His ripping solo fits right in. Starts @ 31:20 if you're interested. I'm sure @budwhite has already seen this.

 

Thanks for this reply. A pity. I'd get it in a flash if I could get it on its own.

 

Starting with late '71, I wonder how many Truckin's actually have Jerry singing on the first word ("Truckin") of the "Truckin' up to Buffalo" verse? My guess ~ not many. It's usually Bob being left out to dry. And how many of his are "-uckin" rather than a confident "Truckin"? My guess ~ a majority.

 

That bonus disc seems very elusive (and expensive).

 

I'm a big fan of the Pig although even I have to draw the line at the Hard To Handles when he gets an entire beat of sync.

For Watchtowers to end all Watchtowers, look (or listen?) no further than 31 March '88 (on Road Trips Vol. 4 No. 2).

 

Phil did a Telstar jam in '08 that was... Spacious.

 

Like Heaven's Door, Watchtower is a heavily overplayed and over-covered Dylan tune by every hack bar band in the world (including bands I've been in ). But I dug the Dead's version because of Jerry's ripping leads (when played well).

 

Yes, this is a very basic life lesson that all should learn from a very young age, just refer to the “Yummy, Yucky” children’s book: “Ice Cream is yummy, too much ice cream is yucky!”



This is a lesson my kids have learned from a very early age. Although, they have also learned the lesson that knowing and doing are two different things.

 

That Big Railroad Blues smokes! The first set was better than the second I thought. Opposite the next night with a spirited SF..

 

Happy Birthday to Rick Griffin, artist extraordinaire.

 

The first set of 15 November '71 is a killer. The Dark Star>El Paso>Dark Star proves that not every decision to go into El Paso from Dark Star warrants disappointment. Bob pushes them there but they resist and he only gets them there three or four minutes later. I really recommend everyone give this Star a listen - the will they/won't they transition that takes those few minutes at the end of the first part of the Star is what this band, at that time, was all about it. It is a heated conversation, not an argument, with all of them trying to have their say. Ultimately Bob wins the day but not without a frank exchange of views. Wonderful stuff.