Every Dark Star (Grateful Dead)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by bzfgt, Aug 4, 2020.

  1. JSegel

    JSegel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockholm, Sweden
    #136 7/18/72 Jersey City: 27:13

    Out of Truckin’s end jam, they go into a space for the last minute and a half, they drag out a cadence and then start the intro to Dark Star and a medium pace, nice and tropical, groovy but sparse, drums rolling from cymbals to toms. They settle into a rolling little backbeat major key happy jam for a bit, but it threatens some sideways stuff at times, with Bob doing some bends into the chords. Slight lull and then Jerry arpeggiates and then takes off up higher and faster for a bit and then brings it to a high and bendy “bright star”-ish thematic statement after 4 min, then he backs off and lets it slide over to Phil soloing with rolling drums, piano arpeggios bring Jerry back in with matching arpeggios, which comes down and goes to the theme before 6 min, but they let it escape into more bass soloing and then space, with Bill still kicking it.

    Bob comes in with chords in a more e min area, the drums are still rolling more than grooving with it, Jerry comes in with fast licks as the chords dissipate and Phil gets stuck on a riff.

    Weird headspaces tonight! Jerry heads into some faster soloing at 9 minutes and Phil follows it to more of a Dark Star groove, though it’s also very bluesy. Bill, still not laying off the continuous rolls. Another multiverse's bright star before 11 min and then Bill finally lays into a backbeat with the side stick, fast and jazzy. Jerry comes up with a cool riff section on F#-G, then raises it, when he’s figured it out it backs off, the next wave is similar on a repeated riff on E pentatonic and then up to a fast yet-another-variant of bright star at 14 min. It builds again and then dives into the Dark Star groove at 15 1/2. Verse 1 30 seconds later. A very sage Jerry delivers the vocals, crooning on line 2. Line 3 is again a more groove line, into the fermatas of the refrain. People are loving it. Really nice vocal delivery.

    Into the outro/intro, Bill starts up a weird immediately-damped cymbal and kick rhythm, then builds a roll under everybody fading until it enters atonal arhythmic space with strong odd notes from Jerry and Phil. Jerry is going for the pinch harmonics before 19 min and then the growling bass chords come in and the wah wah goes on, some feedback, Bob coming in with feedbacky chords. A very scary and loud space goes on for a while (my dog got up and left the room, she usually abides any noise I'm making.) Jerry starts the little fast chromatic wah-backed-off building tension at a lower volume, Phil still making giant chords, then starting higher and Phil makes odd noises, they build to the “Tiger” meltdown in the 23rd minute, with wah screaming roars and super weird notes at the breakdown. Into volumes swells. Then some odd diminished chord stabs, it builds a wave and comes down to string scraping.

    By 26 min, Jerry starts an lilting melody which heads into arpeggios, a Sputnik with the rising high note like so long ago, and then it drops and fades down to the A chord, which eventually goes into “Comes a Time”, which is amazing and has some searing blues bending at the end. Wow, must have been an amazing show, back with the US fans after the European developments.
     
  2. Mr. Rain

    Mr. Rain Forum Resident

    Location:
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    1972-07-18. A very unusual beginning -- this Dark Star segues out of Truckin'! The last time that happened was back on 1970-11-08. Around 11:45 in Truckin', Phil teases Dark Star in the jam, which brings the jam to a quick halt as they suddenly get spacey and drift in a quiet New Agey space for 90 seconds. (Sounds like Jerry takes the opportunity for some tuning.) Very nice introduction to Dark Star, kind of a deliberate prelude to set the stage for a deep jam. Yes, there's a pause for a second or two before the opening notes of Dark Star, but I'd count this as a > transition.
    The mix is a little unbalanced compared to what we've been used to on the Europe tour -- Keith is louder, and Bob is much quieter, and Jerry & Phil are both off to one side. Bob & Keith, on top of each other in the mix, almost sound like one instrument. Prominent stereo drums.

    Nice opening: Jerry lays down some sweet lines over the supple backing. There's a grand yearning feel, and at the same time a sense of restlessness from Jerry. (He shifts to chords more than usual.) The jam surges to a little peak at 4 minutes, but then it seems Jerry needs to tune and lays back for a while after 4:30, letting Phil & the others get jazzy. But once he takes the lead again with some fast runs after 5:30 they defer to him. He suggests the theme -- but then after 6:15 he drops out again. So Phil steps up again with some chords and the rhythm section putters along for a while with no Jerry...this is pleasant but aimless, filling time til Jerry's return. I assume Jerry's having tuning troubles, it's not like him to drop out repeatedly.

    Then after 8:05 Jerry comes back with more fast runs, and gradually they settle into a Jerry-led jam with a stinging lead. As the jam heats up Jerry circles around some repeated motifs to good effect (like at 11:30, 13:00 & 14:15) while the rest of the band keeps the pot stirring. Great stuff! This could go on and on, but around 15:25, somewhat arbitrarily Jerry starts the main theme, and soon sings the verse about 30 seconds later. The verse sounds kind of strained.

    Then the usual dissolution, the music turning into a Dali ooze. Rather than an ambient space, Jerry keeps up a high keening lead backed mainly by Phil. Then after 19 minutes, Phil starts his chords of darkness, Bob lays on more feedback, Jerry's stepping on his wah...sounds like they're heading for a meltdown! The mood's very heavy and brooding. After 21:10 Jerry tips toward the Tiger, but it's a long-delayed entry; he has a cool exchange with Phil then tries again at 22:28, and this time they fall into a full screechy freakout. After shrieking like a wounded beast, at 23:50 Jerry eases everyone back down with some volume-knob twirling, and they're quietly adrift. This won't do: he starts striking random brute chords at 24:30, pushing them to more tense jagged spaciness. But things start to turn pretty after 25:50, and Jerry slips in a little Sputnik on wah (with a pretty Phil bassline -- later to become the "Philo Stomp"!). This is a good example of a Sputnik v.2, and it serves to end this Dark Star when Jerry quietly resolves it and starts strumming Comes a Time. This is a very awkward transition since the others have some trouble following him. I think this is the first time Comes a Time followed Dark Star and it would remain a rare pairing -- Comes a Time just doesn't flow from Dark Star very well.
    Oddly, Keith all but disappears in the spacey meltdown part...I think he was just turned down in the mix, the piano volume goes way down after the verse.

    So the first 15 minutes are a nice loose jam, and the last 10 minutes are a spacey meltdown...I can see how you'd call this "uneventful" since there aren't really any big moments or themes to point to, no dramatic shifts in mood. It's all a smooth unified flow, and all very good. I think what makes this Dark Star stand out is Jerry, who's in a very fiery mood, and after some initial pauses stays in charge. This is a "Jerry and the boys" jam, he commands the stage here.
     
  3. Mr. Rain

    Mr. Rain Forum Resident

    Location:
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    1972-07-18 P.S.: I recommend the audience tape for a more intense experience. The crowd's quiet and attentive (and they dig the dark space & meltdown), the instruments are clear, Bob's louder in the mix and Jerry's extra-piercing. It's like you're parked in front of the amps. Some find the sound harsh but I find it makes this Dark Star even more a wild ride -- there's a sense of the energy and power and surging momentum you don't fully get on the SBD tape.
    In fact I'm just listening to this Dark Star on repeat....starting it over again!
     
  4. adamos

    adamos Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeastern PA
    #136 1972-07-18 Nice slow, spacey entry out of the end of Truckin'. In part it seems like a chance to hover and regroup but it sounds good. They launch Dark Star proper and take their time with it initially. There's a mellow, dreamy feel with just a touch of fuzzy edge to Jerry's tone. Phil is active underneath with Bob and Keith adding nice accents. Bill is fairly prominent in the mix so he stands out as well. They glide and ooze along; the energy starts to build a little after 3:00 and it feels like it could take off. Jerry is winding upwards and they reach a peak by 4:00 but then pull back.

    They glide along again; Jerry recedes and Phil steps forward with some nice lines. Keith gets more active as well. Jerry reasserts himself with some Sputnik-esque notes and the collective interweaving has a mellow but active feel. They ease up and then touch on the theme around 5:53 but opt to absorb it back into the wandering groove. Around 6:35 Phil hits some revving notes and Bill steps forward and they sort of hover in a Dark Star-ish zone for a spell. As noted Jerry may have been having some issues.

    He comes back in at 8:06 and they continue to work a mellow, bubbling groove. Jerry picks up the pace a little with some winding lines and he, Phil and Bill are most prominent. Jerry's guitar becomes more powerful and somewhat bluesy within a loose Dark Star framework. He takes it up and gets into a repeating thing that has some oomph.

    After 11:00 they shift gears and start to work up some forward momentum. Jerry gets into another repeating thing and things start spinning up. He works upwards and they take it for a ride. Jerry takes it up again with real passion starting around 13:50 while the collective groove cooks along; it really pulls you in. They ease up yet keep cooking along and then take it up and back down again. They find their way to the theme at 15:25 and then on to the verse.

    After the verse they reset, add a touch of fuzzy feedback and then drift into some semi-spacey revving sounds. Things quiet down and then they start to bring in more edgy weirdness. Jerry is sort of screeching while Phil hits some low notes and whale sounds is a good descriptor. Bob adds some color and Billy comes and goes. Jerry works sharp lines and Phil rumbles; the freakiness is building and a meltdown seems to be on the horizon. In comes the wah and they start spinning it up but take their time. Jerry reaches upward strongly and then at 22:28 the quick repeating notes start and Tiger begins to emerge.

    It unleashes powerfully and they work it before downshifting into some volume knob action. Things ease up considerably but it still feels like something weird is brewing. Around 24:30 they seem to be considering ideas and they start to work up a jagged jam of sorts. Before long it heads back into melty territory, stirring up and then easing back. Starting at 25:17 there's some quick paced string scraping. Phil and Bill are both active and there's a brewing feeling again. Jerry seems to signal Comes A Time then shifts into a Sputnik-esque line that adds a touch of beauty to the preceding weirdness. He works it nicely with Bob and Keith adding complimentary sounds. Then they quiet down and Jerry starts strumming Comes A Time.

    It's an interesting version. There's a different vibe than the Europe performances which is to be expected. It's not as grand and is also a little meandering at times. But the opening has a nice feel and there is good interplay and some powerful moments that pull you in. The Tiger is really good too.
     
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2022
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  5. Mr. Rain

    Mr. Rain Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    These '72 Dark Stars are good to play when you're out in the woods and want to scare off any wild cougars or bears that might be in the area. They flee once the Tiger appears.
    On the first listen, I thought this Dark Star was a little lacking in drama compared to how I remembered it. But then after hearing it four times in a row, my estimation shot way up (which often happens)...now I think it's better than most of the Europe '72 Dark Stars. That's always a key factor in my Dark Star ratings: "do I want to hear it again right away?"
    I'd add that the audience tape packs way more of a punch (for me anyway), you can hear how this Dark Star is like a wind gathering force til it becomes a hurricane, in a way that isn't so evident on the SBD tape.
     
  6. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler Thread Starter

    I agree with this 100%.




    This is one that sometimes hits me harder than others. I had a similar experience Saturday where the first time I listened to it, I liked it way less than I remembered, and then the second time it shot back up the charts....I think today's (1972-07-26) is one I like a bit better though, although I seem to recall you disagree.
     
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  7. adamos

    adamos Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeastern PA
    I agree that it’s a grower, even during the course of the performance itself! I definitely enjoyed it today. I’ll check out the aud sometime too.
     
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  8. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler Thread Starter

    137. 1972-07-26 87034 Portland, OR 30:47


    Main theme at :51 and 9:19.
    First verse at 9:45.
    Tiger at 24:35.
    Main theme at 27:57.
    Second verse at 29:14.
    Goes into Comes a Time.


    This one starts with a chugging statement of the main chords. Garcia starts to tentatively cast about at around :24; at :51 he springboards off a single time through the theme, still taking his time, lightly soloing over the springy two chord cushion. The intensity slowly builds here, with the band sounding rather mournful. Garcia’s choppy triplets beginning at 3:22 are subtly mirrored by Weir. Jerry pierces the heavens at 3:43, and then immediately reappears at the lower end of his range. At 3:53 he plays a triangular little chordal figure that will reappear, most prominently toward the end of this rendition.


    At 3:43 Garcia’s downwardly cascading line pools and then swells and ascends, and they hit a little peak at about 5:06 that’s drawn out until 5:20, at which point they regroup. Garcia takes advantage of the lull to muse about on the low strings again, and Weir pushes a little but draws back, as they maintain the ruminative feel, luxuriating in the beauty of this intro segment. A minor peak swells and recedes just before the 7 minute mark, and then it fragments again.


    At 7:08 Lesh decides it’s time for E minor, and there is the barest suggestion of one of his jazzy patterns as Garcia kicks into a roll. Then at 8:02 the latter begins playing a chordal figure again, developing the idea first broached at 3:53; this hints at the chordal vamp Jerry plays as the introduction to Bird Song in this era, then builds into its own little jam which culminates with Jerry playing with the theme melody beginning at 8:50, and getting more explicit until at 9:19 he lets it fly in the high register. At 9:41 he brings it down to the midrange but, instead of playing the theme again, he starts singing the verse.


    The music breaks up almost immediately out of the turnaround, with Kreutzmann’s toms taking the lead. Everything else drops out as Garcia accompanies him with some volume swells. As these fade out we seem to be headed into a drum break, but Phil and Jerry keep puttering along; the bass settles into a bouncy groove and Garcia eases out, with Godchaux now accompanying Lesh and Kreutzmann. Lesh builds a head of steam, playing some stabbing chords, and Weir joins them at 14:34, with Garcia jumping in at 14:52 as a rock jam begins to take shape.


    It keeps growing, and soon they are grooving along with abandon, creating a scene that is very different from the introductory segment. The jam keeps getting more and more exciting, and there’s a bit of a peak around the 18 minute mark, and then they start to tail off a little. At 18:35 Garcia brings back the triangular chordal figure again, and then there is a kind of centrifugal scattering as Kreutzmann again comes to the fore, bashing the toms as Garcia spits some bluesy leads.


    At 19:55 Garcia kicks on the wah, pointing them toward a meltdown, and Weir duly starts scritching. Lesh adds some doomy pronouncements, but the direction is uncertain as Garcia pulls back into more circumspectly melodic territory, adhering to the meltdown but resisting a full press toward the Tiger. They opt for spaciness here, until at 24:05, with no center to the thing at all, Garcia starts plunging toward the Tiger at last. This winds up a somewhat subdued beast, as they don’t attempt to bring it to a raging peak. Then at 25:13 Lesh’s ominous tones start to edge toward something resembling a groove, if a jagged one. This scatters again at 26:10; a few second later Garcia strikes up a kind of funhouse Sputnik. The tempo soon retards and the band again descends into chaos. They again pick it up and then retard (27:44) in an even more exaggerated fashion, until at 27:57 Garcia lurches into the theme leads us back to terra firma. To top it all off, we are treated to a rare second verse, which Garcia has almost forgotten at this point (“Daarrirror shatters”). They seem unsure what to do after this, so Jerry just starts singing Comes a Time, which takes a little while to coalesce but turns into a lovely version.


    This is one hell of a great Dark Star. The first section is almost painfully beautiful, there is a rollicking jam after the verse, and a chaotic meltdown section leads to a triumphant return to the theme; this is followed by the first appearance of the second verse since May 4th, and the last until New Year’s Eve 1981! It’s difficult to say what more we could ask for.
     
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  9. JSegel

    JSegel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockholm, Sweden
    #137 7/26/72 Portland: 30:49

    Lazy opening with Jerry lagging behind Phil a bit in the intro, and he takes a while to really get to it once the groove starts up. It’s a long piece, winding around as the groove moves forward. Cresting a bit at 4 min, it comes down and has a little build on the swung triplets. When that comes down, the whole band brings it down, Bill backing it up quietly with some side stick. They are still doing the triplet accent for a while, but Jerry brings it back to a swing for a sec and then into arpeggios and back to the Dark Star groove. He heads to pinch-harmonics and thematic soloing, theme proper at 9:20, slow and in the high register. Verse at 9:50, nice vocals with little frills. Rolls from the drums on the second line, into the groove for line 3 with no casting about. Rolls again on the refrain, and to the outro.

    The jam starts spacey, with sparse notes and bass strums, into drums with small guitar volume swells and then a drum solo with bass grooving along. Piano in a minute later, the guitarists went for a cig/piss. Bob is back at 14:30, Jerry a bit later, comes in soloing over the fast jazzy groove in a 12/8 feel.

    It’s a long build, goes over the hump and Phil threatens to bring it back from the e minor to A. It crests and sounds like it may go back to Dark Star but Bill rolls over his toms and Jerry starts some little country style licks before switching on the wah pedal and going sideways. At 20:15, it heads into chromatic weirdness with string noises and gets scarier, the drums start up again in waves. Big Phil chords a minute later, into a monster movie section with atonal harmonics and odd noises all around. Fast chromatic build up starts at 24 minutes with the wah wah building to the Tiger meltdown. I think Bob was in there with some big high notes. Bill starts a pulse and Phil hits some low strong tones, like it’s gonna go all death metal. It melts down again. Augmented chord arpeggios start up at 26 min, it’s all scary movie stuff, building to some stretched note screams. It builds again but the machine gears down and then the Dark Star theme rises from its ashes in the 28th min, with lovely descending piano parts, it winds down to Verse 2 at 29:19!

    Jerry can’t remember the first line, but the first word changes to ‘mirror’ in the middle of enunciating it, and he gets the rest of it right, drum rolls continuing the groove on line two instead of the fermatas (hey it’s the second verse, man), and a long (phasey? multiple open drum mics…) roll to line three with a nice rising lick from Bob wandering in the back.

    Outro, and all vocals, Phil even sounds pretty good. They head to what would be the outro lick but Jerry starts “Comes a Time” which is both expected after the last Dark Star, but unexpected after a verse 2 and outro.

    Last time for Verse 2 for a long time! We’re gonna be stuck in the Transitive Nightfall every time now for a while! (By the way, I was present for the NYE '81 version. I think that's the only version of Dark Star I ever heard live.)
     
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  10. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler Thread Starter

    We are entering one hell of a purple patch, although I remember nothing about 9-16...
     
  11. Mr. Rain

    Mr. Rain Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    1972-07-26. There's some chatter onstage before Dark Star; you can tell already the mood's very relaxed. (Now they're facing an audience of laid-back Oregon hippies rather than howling New Yorkers.) Bill ushers in Dark Star with some cymbals....and right away it sounds slow & sluggish. This promises to be a Dark Star of muddy rivers rather than shooting stars.
    Loud stereo drums, very quiet piano, but good guitar mix. For me the drums are too loud & distracting -- it's like you're sitting right in front of them.

    The Dead make the lazy lumbering feel work, turning it into a mellow languorous jam. Jerry has an especially sweet approach, trickling in at the start; and the mood stays relaxed, just gently floating downstream. After a little surge at 5 minutes, after 5:30 things get very sparse, Jerry noodling away with some light accompaniment from the others. Things seem to be building up around 7 minutes, but after 7:20 Jerry takes even more of a turn towards brooding introspection, almost like he's in his own private seclusion. By 8:30 they've returned to more of a normal band jam, very similar to Bird Song.
    Jerry's entry into the theme at 9:20 is unusual, taking it at a high pitch and then jumping right into the verse rather than letting the band settle into the theme. The verse sounds like it's been slowed-down.

    Typical dissolve to space, but they don't really get into space this time. Bill sounds ready to start a drum solo with his toms, but Jerry hangs in there with some swells; then Phil joins Bill with a loose bassline around 12:30 and there's a little bass-drums duet until Keith can't help himself and jumps in with some jazzy piano after 13:10. Phil bangs out some rough chords around 14:15, prompting a fuzzy Bob to come in, then at 14:55 Jerry lays down a sweet line on top of the mix. Little by little, they've built up a full jam one instrument at a time! (A rare technique for the Dead so far; at least they haven't done this in Dark Star much.)

    This jam really gets going, a lot peppier than how they started (it's closer to the Other One style actually, with the driving groove & Jerry's steady rhythmic notes). It continues until 18:20, when Jerry lets it go and signals he's ready for a different direction, and the jam breaks up. It breaks down to just Bill & Jerry kickin' out a rhythmic duet; then Jerry turns on his wah at 19:50, a sign that the Tiger's on the way, and Bob & Phil start making their usual freakout moves. Things stay loose for quite a while as the meltdown looms: Phil's having fun with his throbbing feedback & chords of doom, and Jerry doesn't feel like making the final spiral just yet, so they circle round the whirlpool, fragments of sound & drumbeats spinning round, until after 24:05 Jerry finally takes the plunge. (Someone's making saxophone-like sounds!) The Tiger doesn't go full screech but lets up after a minute, easing off at 25:05. They're still adrift in the dark waters of madness, Phil laying down some heavy sounds while the others stay freaky. (25:50 alert: Phil teases the Philo Stomp chords again, still just an unformed notion.) More tense weirdness ensues which gets increasingly circus-like and self-parodic, like a demented clown Dead scaring kids in the funhouse. An over-the-top comic slowdown at 24:45, then surprise, Jerry springs right into the theme at 27:55, a perfectly-timed move (and it contrasts nicely with Phil's heavy chords; it's like a heavy-metallish Dark Star for a moment, til Phil relents).

    Really cool hyper theme playing for a minute, then Jerry has to collect himself to remember the second verse at 29:15 -- he almost repeats the first verse again! But they do a decent job with the second verse considering it's so rare now. Phil's the only one who even tries to play the outro figure, but Jerry just hops right into Comes a Time without any kind of transition, an unexpected move.
    Excellent version as usual. But nice as it is, somehow not all that exciting for me....the low energy & loud drums make this one I'm not in a hurry to return to.
     
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  12. adamos

    adamos Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeastern PA
    #137 1972-07-26 Things get off to a slow and hazy start. They glide along in no particular hurry with Jerry slowly weaving some lines. Phil sounds a little muffled underneath and the drums are prominent in the mix. But they spin up a pretty, mellow vibe and take it for a stroll. They start to build some momentum as Jerry winds through lower territory and then starts working upward and then down again. There are some nice raspy textures from Bob after 3:50.

    They continue to work in this zone, building to a peak starting around 5:00. It's still somewhat mellow but there's some majesty mixed into that mini ascent. After that things quiet down and Jerry heads into lower territory again, like exploring underground caves. Bob continues to add some nice complimentary accents. Starting around 6:45 they get into a spiraling pattern and start bring it up but then quickly opt to pull back and take it down again.

    Jerry gets into a low, repeating thing; deep with a pretty quality. It feels like they could drift into space but they use this to move into a new groove after 8:00. For just a moment it reminded me of when they'd do a pre-Drums jam coming out of Terrapin or something like that in later years. Then there's a touch of Bird Song as bzfgt noted and it turns into a floaty jam with raspy edges, playing off variations of the theme. They build it up a bit and around 9:20 Jerry goes high and a little Bright Star-esque before taking it back down and right into the verse.

    After the verse they briefly reset and let things dissolve. There's some fuzzy feedback from Phil, Bill gets active and they sort of hover for a spell. Some mellow volume knob action comes in and Bill starts working a beat that Phil weaves around with a nice bass line. Keith becomes more prominent now and they get into a nice jazzy groove. It feels like we should be at small tables in a dark, smoky room having a cocktail. The momentum builds and Phil starts to rev it up a bit; Bob adds some complimentary textures, Jerry slides in and they start heading back to rock territory while still working the groove.

    They build up the jam nicely with plenty of collective interweaving and Billy's beat keeps the listener bopping along. It peaks around 18:00 after which they begin bringing it down while still maintaining some forward momentum. Then around 18:30 they start to shift gears and find themselves in a swirling hover beginning around 18:50. It starts to briefly sound Dark Star-ish again and then Bill steps forward while Jerry riffs low for a bit.

    By 20:00 Jerry has moved into wah, Billy adds another flurry and they start heading towards meltdown territory. Bob adds some string scraping as Jerry spirals and Phil brings in some thunder. Things start to spin up powerfully but then they ease up and go somewhat spacey. However there is still a feeling that ferociousness lurks nearby. The weird it up a bit with rolling drums from Bill and Jerry working in high, screechy territory. Then after 24:10 he moves back into swirling wah and goes head on into the Tiger. It's not the most intense version but it still rears its head nicely for a brief spell.

    It recedes and then at 25:15 Phil brings in some heavy notes that springboard Jerry in new direction. Things get heavy and spooky and semi-thunderous and then they ease up and Jerry shifts into a deep, slightly Sputnik-esque line but it's got a different vibe. Everyone joins in on the choppy, freaky groove; it reaches an ebb and then Jerry goes upward with a screaming line.

    There's more assorted semi-groove freakiness going up and stair stepping down and then at 27:59 Jerry suddenly slips into the theme. There's another flurry from Bill and some more thunder from Phil and they coalesce into the theme with a little extra mustard. They work it for a bit and then opt to do the second verse, albeit with it a uncertain start. As the verse ends they hover briefly with seeming uncertainty and then Jerry moves right into Comes A Time.

    A really good version. It gets off to a slow and hazy start but that has its own charms and there's a cool groove prior to the first verse. The jazzy interlude after the verse is really nice and then they rock it up and weird it out before giving us the second verse as well.
     
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  13. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler Thread Starter

    Yeah the "slow and hazy" or "sluggish" intro section is my favorite part! Ever since I first heard this (only a couple years ago I think) I have found it mesmerizing and beautiful.

    But anyway that clears up the mystery, I think, of why other people don't rate this one as highly as I do.

    I'd like to finish this project by the end of 2023. I wonder how many extras we'd have to get in to do that? You guys might not be up for that, but I should do the math anyway just to see.
     
  14. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler Thread Starter

    Hmm, I think we're on pace to finish by around Jan 2024 right now, so not far off. I'd still like to get a few extras in here and there.....we'll see how it goes.
     
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  15. adamos

    adamos Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeastern PA
    Once we get through 1974 it'd be easier to ramp it back up to two per week to bust the rest out.
     
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  16. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler Thread Starter

    Yeah, that's true.

    I might try to sneak both Berkeley shows in this week...maybe if I promise not to do it again for a while?
     
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  17. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler Thread Starter

    138. 1972-08-21 139581 BCT 27:38


    Main theme at :07 and 9:20.
    First verse at 9:51.
    Tiger at 16:15.
    Goes into El Paso.


    In August of 1972, right in the thick of the peak era for Dark Star, the Dead played two outstanding renditions at the Berkeley Community Theater. The first of these charges right out of the gate with a statement of the theme, and then at :21 Garcia starts to travel and the band goes to it. All the instrumentalists are nice and loud in the mix here, and they’re all working hard right from the beginning. They maintain a kind of equilibrium until 1:22 when Jerry goes high and distinguishes himself from the pack a bit.


    The band ebbs and flows—but mostly flows—in waves of energetic sound. There is a continuous melodic dialogue going on across the various instruments: at 3:10 Garcia pauses on a B, and Weir interjects a triplet passage from Bb to B before Jerry picks it up again. At 4:34 Godchaux is in the lead, and then at 4:47 Garcia bursts out again. Most remarkably, in the space between about 5:00 and 5:25 the lead line rolls around among all four instrumentalists.


    By 6:15 they are starting to converge and the band drives to a little peak, cresting at around 6:35. At 7:00 a little roll keeps going back and forth from Godchaux to Garcia, while Weir and Lesh punctuate. Jerry starts double timing at around 7:42, and then the music scatters…listen from 8:02, has Keith switched to an electronic instrument, or there an effect on the piano? There’s a little roar at 8:08 like he’s scratched the piano strings and it’s been run through an effects processor of some kind. At 8:43 the music quickly starts to swell, peaking at 9:01; Garcia plays a little figure (AAA GDE) that is somewhat reminiscent of Bright Star…they coast down the other side into the theme at 9:20 and cruise into the verse, bringing to a close an incredible intro section.


    Coming out of the verse the music gets intense more or less immediately. They play some blocky swells, and then split off at oblique angles to one another, and it sounds like they are going straight to some kind of meltdown. At 13:23 Garcia starts playing a Tiger-like line, only with a cleaner tone. At 13:42 Godchaux takes off on a crazy trip around the keyboard; he again sounds like he’s playing with some kind of effects.


    As Garcia and Keith zip around, Weir somehow accompanies them in a cogent way that keeps it all together. Lesh is likewise rambling around, but he starts putting out a groove at 14:32, from which he sometimes departs and returns. But at 15:30 a new thing seems to be on the horizon; Lesh’s groove is gone, and centrifugal forces seem to be dissolving the center. Then at 16:01 Lesh starts stabbing at the groove again, and Garcia’s frantic line seems to respond to it, until it suddenly veers into Tiger territory at 16:15. This time Keith goes along with Jerry, to thunderous effect.


    Now we’re in a scary atonal jam; at 17:07 Garcia starts hammering a note and everyone joins him, taking the jam to a new peak of intensity. This crests and then starts to unspool, winding down at 18:18 into a little space where mostly Weir, Garcia and Kreutzmann are left to hold things together. At 19:39 Garcia starts playing a little melody; and for a moment it seems like they’re going to move into saner territory, but the weirdness still has the upper hand. Garcia at first succumbs, then gets melodic again at 20:25. Finally at 20:45, he starts playing Morning Dew. Weir tries to go along with him but no one else is having it. He goes through the intro riff twice and then again succumbs to the spacey undertow.


    At 21:50 Godchaux is playing a little up and down figure…this doesn’t catch on at first, but then it becomes a new center of gravity, and they drive to a peak, which crests at 22:16 and then rather quickly disperses. Coming out the other end, Keith is still in charge, and he lightens it up a little as Lesh jumps in with a bouncy riff at 22:33. Keith and Phil lay down a base for a little while, and Weir trickles in. At 24:57 Jerry finally comes back, and they ride a bright and bouncy groove for a while. At 27:25 they seem to have had enough of this, and they trickle down more or less to a halt; Garcia starts comping a little in a way that suggests El Paso, so Weir kicks into it and the Dark Star is over.


    All I can think to say in summation is, what an amazing band! Here we have an absolutely magnificent Dark Star. Before the verse they execute some of the most incredible improvising in the classic Dark Star mode that we have yet heard, and then after they bring their more recent harsh and atonal approach to perhaps its most satisfying development to date. This is the real stuff!
     
  18. Dahabenzapple

    Dahabenzapple Forum Resident

    Location:
    Livingston NJ
    Waiting on official releases on 7/18, 7/26, 8/21 & 8/24:)

    So I’ve heard any of the upcoming 1972 Dark Stars that have not been officially released. The ones I have heard (8/27, 9/21, 9/27 & 10/18) are among the greatest ever.
     
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  19. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler Thread Starter

    9-24
     
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  20. pbuzby

    pbuzby Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, US
    If I remember right, after "El Paso" on 8/21/72 there is a space jam that is arguably a return to Dark Star, but never directly references any Dark Star themes, before they head into Deal to wrap up the jam sequence.
     
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  21. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler Thread Starter

    Yeah there's about three minutes of space. It doesn't really have anything to do with Dark Star, either generally or the jamming in the previous Dark Star specifically, except insofar as space jams may be found more commonly in Dark Stars than as introductions to Deal. It doesn't seem to me like a return, but them just messing around.
     
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  22. Mr. Rain

    Mr. Rain Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    2024? No way! The majority of the '90s Dark Stars are really short, some just brief instrumentals, so I agree we could go back up to 2 (or more) a week once we hit '78.
    Up to 1974 we've got about 42 Dark Stars left, which takes us to next spring.... All the rest from 1978 onwards I'd estimate we could probably do within 5-6 months.
    So then you can start your Every Yellow Dog Story Thread by X-mas 2023!

    :shake:
     
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  23. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler Thread Starter

    OK, OK, I won't post the second BCT show until next week.

    Is that how it works? We'll be done with '74 next spring? I need you to do these calculations, I keep coming up with confounding results.

    OK, in that case we don't have to double up this summer, I guess....
     
  24. Archtop

    Archtop Soft Dead Crimson Cow

    Location:
    Greater Boston, MA
    Yeah, I've had a second set tape of 8/21/72 for years. I wouldn't put a >, ->, -->, gazinta or any mention of DS between El Paso and Deal. That's just Ramen Dead.
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2022
    bzfgt likes this.
  25. Mr. Rain

    Mr. Rain Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    Your calculations may fall prey to the bzfgt syndrome.... :p
    I calculate we'll be done with 1974 by April 2023. Then we can double up next summer for sure!
     
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