Definitely, I didn't mean to suggest it was just gear that made him distinctive, it's tone+touch...but the guitar tone is an ingredient. I was just thinking 0f Jerry on a Gibson, as in my post above. He definitely had a "Gibson" sound...but also a "Jerry" sound. It does seem like the guitar itself became more anonymous over the years, but the total package I don't think of as anonymous. But the balance of Jerry over Guitar increased maybe? I don't know though, at the same time I want to say his fingers came through more around 1974...as I said, I'm confused about this....
I think Weir's tone was pretty atrocious by the 80s. That kind of distorted bendy power chord trip he was on is wack.
Not in my watershed days from '82-'85. I have no issue with what I saw and heard during those years (other than Day Job being somehow popular with the band).
Thanks for the shoutout - I just got back online for the first time since about 3 oclock, I was going to say 'pbuzby is the expert on that kind of thing,' and I see it only took him about 5 minutes to answer. The tapes from 1970 bear that out completely. There are a couple of acoustic sets later in the year that are curtailed or blown off entirely because they couldn't get the sound right (especially in the monitors.)
Feedback-> The Eleven-> Saint Stephen, Alligator-> Turn On Your Love Light-> Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)-> Drums-> Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)-> Feedback 1968-06-14 That St Stephen is nuts. It's played at breakneck speed. Awesome! This show in a good SDB would blow minds. I think the Dead played after the Jeff Beck Group? Jerry had to do something special following that, and man did he yes! His black Les Paul must've been glowing
1975-09-28...I think of this as a medium TLEO rather than a fast or slow one...I still like the slow ones the best though.
Yep - Jeff Beck, Nicky Hopkins, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood EDIT: These were the first Jeff Beck Group shows in the United States. Rod writes about it in his autobiography: Whereupon we proceeded to blow the place apart. Absolutely destroyed it. Hammered them with colossal versions of “Rock Me, Baby” and “You Shook Me.” The theater went nuts. I looked across the stalls at one point and it was a churning sea of tossed hair, as far as the eye could see. I had never witnessed a reaction like it. I had certainly never been part of a band that generated a reaction like it. Encore after encore. And the reviews—my dear! The New York Times said, “They were standing and cheering for a new British pop group last night at the Fillmore East,” and reported that “the British group upstaged, for one listener at least, the featured performers, the Grateful Dead of San Francisco.”
I'm almost surprised he didn't take the opportunity to talk about how lame the Dead were afterward, as people sometimes do, although he lets the reviewer get a little dig in for him. I used to love the Truth album when I was a kid, but I suspect I would prefer this amazing Dead set to theirs...I hate to prejudge, not having heard the JBG set, but it's pretty much a guarantee.
It looks like no contemporary review has been found to corroborate Beck's remembrances. That was also the GD's first appearance at the Fillmore East, one has to wonder about the chemical enhancement of that audience even before the GD took the stage.
I'll second this, Bobby's tone in that time frame was a delight. It was after Jerry's coma that he began introducing some really bad sounding guitars. Have I ever told you about the time the Pepto Bismol pink guitar died on-stage?
The reviewer indicates that one person (the reviewer) preferred Jeff Beck's group over the GD. A good music reviewer would discuss each band on their own merits, perhaps contrasting stylistic differences without resorting to the cheap trick of ranking them in terms of better or worse. It's an abuse of the English language, and the reviewer's own cognition to fail to differentiate between personal preference and ranked quality.
I witnessed Bobby's pink guitar die on-stage during Sugar Magnolia @ 30 April 1988- Frost. He ran backstage and came back with the brown guitar that he played in 83, and because of the quick switch I could hear the distinctions in sound that led me to prefer the brown guitar to the pink one (a Casio I believe) by a good measure. Plus, Jerry followed up with China > Rider as an encore, and Bobby then reminded us it was Saturday afternoon by his next song choice, leaving us with a rare and well-appreciated 3 song encore.
15 December 1972- Long Beach Arena. The jam from Truckin' > Dark Star was mentioned by Dick Latvala ages ago as one of the special moments of a year filled with special moments. My ears are telling me that Dick was correct. I should note that this Morning Dew has more than a passing resemblance to the version with David Crosby two weeks hence. Dick speaks to us from the Other World: Long Beach 12-15 was another matter. Although I don't think of it in the same class as the shows at the end of November, it does contain some excellent playing in the 2nd set jam that is highlighted by a long jam section that follows Truckin’, which contains some improvisational jamming that is especially unique, and then comes Dark Star! Sounds great, right? Unfortunately the only part that one notices as Dark Starare the lyrics. As soon as the words are over, the playing resumes in the unique style that preceded Dark Star. This very interesting part continues for many minutes before the chords of Morning Dew become apparent.
I posted this in the "Garcia Solo" thread, but thought it should go here also so no one misses it if they don't visit that thread. More Jerry coming. Good Old Boys! Music scene: Cooking up a historic live CD with no oven
The most notable ingredients of his newly released archival live bluegrass recording are the banjo-playing and vocals of Jerry Garcia (1942-1995), the Grateful Dead co-founder, philosopher and master guitar player.
