Jerry was the kind of player that had to play. He couldn’t be off for very long before he had to get out and start making music with someone, even if The Grateful Dead wasn’t touring or working in the studio. This led to a long stream of side-bands, most featuring bass player John Kahn but, otherwise changing in lineup (and name) from the early 70s up until he passed.
There was his brief stint with jazz organist, Howard Wales (which produced the heavy and far-out Hooterall? album.) This was followed by collaborations with Merle Saunders, Nicky Hopkins, Martin Fierro and more. And lets not forget Old & In The Way– one of the top, all-time, selling bluegrass albums- which featured Vassar Clements, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, and John Kahn (of course.) What an amazing record that was. Continue reading →
If anyone actually regularly read this blog they’d know that updated nine days in a row is actually a rare display of commitment. Last year’s Jerry Week didn’t make all 9 days mostly because I’m what’s commonly known as a slacker. Oh well.
That having been said, for today’s post, I thought I’d share some vague and unorganized thoughts about The Grateful Dead. I’m going to pu ton a tune and write on it for a few… And to stifle the collective yawns from my readership, I’m going to stream that music here from the get-go so you can listen while you read.
The above show (1982-08-06) is one that I got on tape more than 15 years ago. The “Bird Song” is a long standing favorite. (Go ahead, skip right to it.) The recording may not be the crispest ever but the playing is on point. Brent’s keys rig out and his voice warmly complements Jerry’s plaintive vocals. This song, written in memory of Janis Joplin can be heartbreaking. It is shot through with longing and the benefit of hindsight before offering the advice to clutch tightly those special few for whom time is likely short. Slipping pas the verses, Jerry begins to stretch and explore the theme. This is Grateful Dead music at its most perfect. Loose, slippery, on the cusp of flying out into oblivion but still hanging two wheels on the tracks as it rounds each twist and turn.
When asked, in the latter half of his career, why the Grateful Dead seldom played “Dark Star”, Jerry replied that there is a little bit of “Dark Star in almost everything they play. This is keenly apparently on any decent version of this song. I recall seeing “Bird Song” at a show at Hampton Coliseum. It utterly swept me up and carried me away. I can still find myself back on that floor, dancing about; egoless. And I remember stirring out of my trance as Jerry brought the lyrics back around for a reprise and repeated the line, “snow and rain,” like a mantra. It held no great meaning for me then but it still carved an impression into my consciousness. I’ve since ran with a few interpretations of the full line,
“Tell me all that you know, I’ll show you snow and rain.”
Share with me that which you’ve learned in this life and I’ll offer what I know of the elements, snow and rain, cold and sorrow, death and grieving and comfort. I love hearing “Bird Song” with Brent. His high harmonies on the refrain give me chills…
“Don’t cry now
Don’t you cry
Don’t you cry any more
Sleep in the stars
Don’t you cry
Dry your eyes on the wind.”
Until tomorrow…
btw… The delay on this post is due to a recent upgrade to WordPress and me trying to adapt to the new editor ‘features’.
Much has been written about the Grateful Dead’s commitment to presenting a show with great sound. Today’s installment for Jerry “Week” is a show from June 18, 1974 when the Wall Of Sound was in its heyday. An older friend of mine once told me that the Wall of Sound was, to date (this was 1995) the greatest sound system he had ever heard. For more about the Wall Of Sound, here, and here.
1974-06-18
Freedom Hall – Louisville, KY
Set 1:
The Promised Land, It Must Have Been The Roses, Black Throated Wind, Ramble On Rose, Beat It On Down The Line, Loser, Mexicali Blues, Eyes Of The World -> China Doll, Around And Around
Set 2:
Loose Lucy, El Paso, Row Jimmy, Weather Report Suite -> The Other One -> It’s A Sin Jam -> Stella Blue, Big River, Tennessee Jed, Sugar Magnolia
Encore:
Morning Dew
This show represents yet another grand slam in a year when they were consistently hitting home runs. The whole thing is great from “It Must Have Been The Roses” to “Loser” to “Eyes > China Doll”and a second set that, still is in my car on cassette. Dim the lights, turn up the speakers and send the kids to bed…
