They messed mine up too. I ordered Wall of Sound and Cal Expo and they sent me Wall of Sound and a Mike Nesmith CD.
So this Jerry Garcia guy? Turns out he's a pretty decent guitar player. Obviously being a little flip and silly, but do you ever have one of those moments listening to him play where you are just hit on a whole new level with how incredible he was? Happened to me last night. And it's not like I was listening to anything particularly amazing or well know, in fact it was the 3/15/90 "China > Rider" transition jam and it just hit me how incredible fortunate we are to share the same planet with this being and have thousands of hours of his recordings to choose from.
I never truly appreciated the Dead’s live recorded legacy until I tried to find live recordings of my other favorite bands. Especially pre-73. We are indeed fortunate.
It happens a lot for me. Just last night when listening to the 5/26/93 PITB, for example. Right now, as I'm listening to 6/18/74 on the Road Trips v.2 no. 3, too. It's probably weird to say this considering that he's a legend, but Jerry is vastly underrated as a guitarist. I know a lot of guitarists, and honestly Jerry never comes up in discussions or on people's personal lists of Greatest Guitarists. Among non-Deadheads, there's a perception of Jerry as an "aimless bluesy noodling hippie." I mean, it's a completely incorrect perception, but it's out there. Why is that? Here's a list of reasons why I think he flies under the radar on lists of Guitar Heroes: The GD radio hits featured little or no soloing by Jerry. The general public never hears it by accident. When he was alive, you basically had to be into tape trading to hear the shreddy playing that would impress other guitarists. There wasn't that much of it in the commercial releases--even the live albums. Some might argue that Live/Dead qualifies, but that sort of playing is great yet doesn't bring in the "wow factor" the way a 1974 PITB or Eyes solo would, or even some of the shreddier stuff he was doing in 1977-81. He mostly played with a clean tone and wasn't plugged into a wall of screaming Marshalls. No stage moves, no intense "guitar solo faces", none of the visual stuff that cues people into the fact that "this guy is really shredding away". He was just the same chubby bearded guy standing on the side of the stage whether he was comping behind Bobby or shredding away in an extended Eyes. He didn't see himself that way and didn't put himself out there as a Guitar Hero. In fact, I think he would have been embarrassed to be considered that way. His most amazing feats of guitar wizardry happened in extended improvisational jams that go over the top of most guitarists' heads, just as they do with most people generally. That sort of thing either grabs you or it doesn't. I know excellent guitarists who simply can't process the type of open-ended improvisation that Garcia and Zappa specialized in as players. It's like the Coltrane fans who love the Atlantic albums but get lost with the later Impulse! albums.
A little off topic, but not much... My wife and I stopped in at Sweetwater Brewery in Atlanta coming back from a weekend trip to the in-laws on Sunday. It was a beautiful day and we had lunch and sat outside for a couple of hours. They were playing a TON of Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia during the time we were there. Most of the Dead seemed to be from In the Dark or Go to Heaven (interestingly) but the Garcia/Garcia Band stuff seemed to be from all over the place - both studio and live. Must have heard 5-10 different songs while we were there. Tried to figure out which record that they had on the shuffle rotation, but could not. Made for a great afternoon of drinking/listening.
Like many of you, I have listened to A LOT of Jerry Garcia over the last 43 (some of you even more) years. And the featherplucker still surprises me on a regular basis. Especially 1973. He isjust brimming with architected inventiveness, the big jams seethe purposefully; the songs, even Bobby's first set ditties, are decorated like a baroque ballroom NP: 11/16/70 Uncle Johns Band with Will Scarlett on harmonica, one of the tastiest lil' nuggets I know
I will say this, I had a very sped up chipmunk tape of that show on two-and-a-half 90-minute cassettes, and the DP is a vast improvement over that, even if0 it's not state-of-the-art these days counterpoint: buying GD is like parking your car in a garage in NYC Within the past couple of years a Charls Miller transfer of the entire SBD has come into circulation; the first time I heard the show the only alternate source to DP12 was an AUD that ends during US Blues. The moment to apply this trend to the GD seems to have passed, which is fine with me. 4-20-83 is the first one that comes to mind, though I'm not playing it today. early 80s near-Dark Star encounter. 4-20 in spirit could describe at least three-quarters or more of Grateful Dead tapes
I did just finish up October 9th 1980, this was a pretty good acoustic set that I guess they released recently, although the back end of it was not nearly as good as the beginning. Another very solid Electric show here, the second set was built around terrapin, configure the pretty cool Egyptian drums> rhythmic space segment leading into an above-average NFA and Wharf rat. A couple of these Warfield shows have been great, this one was another that was pretty good but that seems to be the floor for them in this run at least up to this date
Clark University would like to have a talk with you. 4/20/69 Clark University - Worcester, MA Set 1: Morning Dew Good Morning Little School Girl Doin' That Rag Dark Star St. Stephen The Eleven Death Don't Have No Mercy Turn On Your Love Light Encore: Dupree's Diamond Blues Mountains Of The Moon
Funny you should say this. My best moments of appreciation occur when I am jogging in the woods with nothing on my mind but the music in my earphones and keeping from twisting an ankle. I am amazed at what he was capable of conjuring, directing, manifesting, evoking, illuminating, etc., with his guitar. And that is only part of what he could do.
Yesterday's listening was DP 31 (8/4, 5, and 6/74). Yes, I know full shows are available, but sometimes I just want the concentrate, and disc 4 is the concentrate of the concentrate. Today's listening (into tomorrow) is DP 8 (5/2/70) because it's been a while and I know I'll need the back half of the electric set tomorrow.
Seriously, 5/2/70 is like the platonic ideal of Dead shows. I may dip into it myself for the holiday. Love me a good "Viola Lee"
Today I checked out 9/6/80 (State Fairgrounds). Terrific show. Highlights includes Sugaree, Althea, Sugar Magnolia, Uncle John's Band, Tennessee Jed and Brokedown Palace. Hot '80-show, with jamming that feels 'just right'. This is especially the case with the second set. The whole sequence startng with Playing In The Band and ending with Sugar Magnolia is just incredible. Then there's also a fantastic Althea just beforehand. Garcia's vocals are pretty good by the way. He's laying down great licks too. Also the first set is all around excellent as well. The 18-min Sugaree's def a scorcher. As a whole I can def reccommend this show. 1980's always delivering on quality shows.
Wow, Funkadelic as a support act at a tiny NYC club. I had no idea that they were already touring in February 1969.
Now listening to 4/21/84[Philadelphia Civic Center]on TIGDH on SiriusXM's Grateful Dead channel via the webstream now playing Alabama Getaway.