 | eCachecommentary from down jersey |
It was with sadness that I read Martin Fierro died today. Martin was a saxophonist. I saw him in 1988 with Zero. Fierro was in Legion of Mary, a favorite band of mine. He is probably best known among Deadheads as touring with the Dead in ‘73 in support of the Wake of the Flood material. Of course, ‘73 is my favorite year in the Dead’s career.
In honor of Meester, I am loading up Legion of Mary’s 75-04-19 from Milwaukee.
Keep on keeping on . . .
It seems like I have been walking around with the same tunes all week. I finally finished the rotation and am preparing Silver for the weekend. Coming off are the following:
Grateful Dead
72-08-27: Old Renaissance Faire Grounds - Veneta, OR
There are legendary shows in the band’s 30-year history. This is one such show that I have listened to many times over the years, although it has been a while. The sound on this is excellent.
The set list is nice. Sunshine Daydream is interesting in its infancy.
92-03-02: The Omni, Atlanta, GA
Another show I attended. After Brent’s death, the band changed again. There was MIDI and Vince Welnick. I don’t listen much to 1990s Dead and this is why. While this is not as bad as the ‘94 show, in hindsight the band’s sound is not what I usually think of when I think of my favorite band. To be sure, I enjoyed the show. It just doesn’t hold up well with the rest of the catalogue. No standouts, but I enjoyed Hornsby helping out.
94-03-21: Richfield Coliseum - Richfield, OH
This show is highlighted as the show from 1994 to listen to. Somewhere I read that this was the last great Dead show. Hmmm . . .
Obviously, one thing that stands out is the Lovelight –> Stella Blue –> Lovelight. Everyone talks about it. On paper (in binary?) in looks wonderful. Forgetting just what this show was when I listened to it, my thoughts were that Bobby does a poor imitation of a blues singer with Lovelight. The song seemed forced. Stella is one of my favorites. It was good until the end where Jerry moaned offkey. Then to come back to Lovelight was a nice touch, but there was something about Bobby on this night . . . it just didn’t do it for me.
Peggy-O I thought was well-played. Another thing that occurred to me was how songs mature. I really liked West L.A. Fadeawy. When this song first came out, I was not thrilled. It was okay, but nothing I ever said, “Wow, they play West L.A. tonight!” This version smoked and had a nice jam in the middle. The song improved in the eight years since I first heard it. He’s Gone including the jam coming out of it was well done, but I am a huge fan of the song to begin with, so the standard is low. 
Once again, New Speedway was unrecognizable until Jerry began singing. The band’s sound is radically different than the band I grew up with. While there are moments late in the career that are nice, the MIDI sound is just not interesting to my ears. I am not a musician, but it sounds lazy to me.
Jerry Garcia Band
80-02-28: Wilkens Theatre, Kean College - Union, NJ
Robert Hunter guested for a few songs at the end of the second show. Hunter, longtime lyricist for Jerry, adds a different sound altogether.
This show is good. It’s a simple JGB band without Merl or Melvin laying in heavy keys. I like the sound of this band, even if it is not as mature as other incarnations.
83-12-04: Gym SUNY Stony Brook - Stony Brook, NY
I’ve been listening to a lot of ‘83 JGB recently. This is a short show, but my goodness it shines!
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door is up-tempo with a reggae feel, much like Dylan played it in ‘78. I really liked this version. Really, this whole set soars, particularly from Knockin’ on. A very good Mission in the Rain and Rhapsody in Red then a stellar trio of Don’t Let Go –> Deal –> Tangled Up in Blue. Awesome! It just smokes.
I was just about to type to make certain you download it, but I just found out my favorite site has just received a cease-and-desist order from Rhino Records. The Dead have outsourced their distribution to them. Not much has happened since. :( But to shut down sites sharing free music . . . errr . . . GD Productions is going to loose a lot of customers.
It looks like it will be the Archive only for a while.
I listen to more music on the weekend than during the week. I guess that is not surprising. Anyhow, as I re-load Silver, here is what is coming off.
Grateful Dead
69-12-26: McFarlin Auditorium, S.M.U. - Dallas, TX
This is an interesting set. Billy apparently showed up late so in the meantime the boys broke out an acoustic set. Good stuff. A couple seldom played numbers in Little Sadie and Long Black Limousine and the only performance of The Master’s Bouquet make for this impromptu set. Then there is the new song . . . something known as Uncle John’s Band. This was only the eighth time this classic was played. It is a very gentle song at this point
The electric set heats up. TC is with the band at this point. The highlight of the set for me is the Otis Redding standard Hard to Handle. Pig nails this! This show also sports the third time New Speedway Boogie was played. Given it is based on Altamont that occurred a mere 20 days earlier, that is quite a feat.
73-07-27: Grand Prix Racecourse
This is the warm up to the legendary Summer Jam at Watkins Glen show with the Allmans and The Band. The day before the bands ran through their soundchecks with those who had already showed up. Instead of a couple numbers, the Dead pulled out a complete set. This was no ordinary set; the Me & My Uncle –> Jam –> Wharf Rat is just as legendary as the show the following day. Awesome stuff!
88-07-31: Laguna Seca Raceway - Monterey, CA
I had seen a couple of the NE shows a month earlier than this one. I downloaded it to hear Gentlemen Start Your Engines. It had been a while. Lots of folks were not a fan of Brent’s. I loved his gritty vocals. While the song is nothing great, there is a lot of soul that Mydland shares. Terrapin into Take Me Home is an odd way of leading into Drums, methinks.
Jerry Garcia Band
83-12-02: Tower Theatre - Upper Darby, PA
Some of my friends attended this show. The more I listen to ‘83 Jerry, the more I realize I missed a good era. I love these set lists. The recording here is nothing great. Another Masterpiece to like. A fun The Harder They Come. Cats, Run for the Roses, and then Tangled Up in Blue to end the show is a good run. Nice and upbeat.
It’s the weekend so it’s time to re-load the iPod. Coming off are the following:
Grateful Dead
69-06-08: Fillmore West - San Francisco, CA
I downloaded this as it was discussed on a board I am on. I thought someone said Pig was missing from the show. It doesn’t sound like it although he does not sing Lovelight. Elvin Bishop sits in and Wayne Ceballos from Aum takes the vocals on Lovelight.
I’ve never been a fan of the Dead as a back-up band. Even when I saw them support Dylan, it had a rather odd feel to it. So did the few songs in the middle of this set. If one were not listening carefully, he would not even realize it was the boys on stage.
I’ve been listening to some older stuff recently and it is nice to reacquaint with New Potato Caboose.
91-06-17: Giants Stadium - East Rutherford, NJ
I contemplated going to this show. I had already sworn off the stadium gigs, but it had been a little bit since I had seen a show and I was going to run down from Boston for this. I didn’t. I missed a good one.
This set list is to die for. Eyes opened; awesome! And as much as I enjoyed listening to this (it’s been a decade at least), I was immediately reminded of the sound changes the band was going through. There’s lots of MIDI here. Yuck! Some songs are so re-arranged that I didn’t even recognize it until the vocals kicked in. Loose Lucy and Might As Well are two in particular.
After the opener, a very well played Walkin’ Blues and then Brown-Eyed Women followed. Then the Dark Star teases began. Throughout the show the band would drift into this. Wonderful, but they never get to it. Damn!
The show is very good. The band was once again changing and this is a good show to hear that with. The boys were re-energized after the Europe run the year before and were breaking out all sorts of nuggets. Giants Stadium definitely rocked that day.
93-04-04: Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY
I attended this show. I have it somewhere in the basement, but it is easier to download off the ‘Net. No one will ever state this is the best show of a run, tour, year, etc. However, it was a decent show. So Many Roads was well played. It was great hearing Attics even if the harmonies were off. Estimated stood out as did a good version of Liberty as an encore, a song that doesn’t get much notice. I always liked Phil’s Broken Arrow and do not tire of hearing it. Some of the later songs are actually good. Go figure!
Jerry Garcia Band
83-11-26: Early & Late - Forum, Binghamton, NY
This sounds more like two sets than two shows, but there may have been a second admission. Who knows?
I like the set lists Jerry played during this stretch. I had listened to the previous night’s show earlier, and this one was just as good, although the recording wasn’t as crisp. Love in the Afternoon was nice and I always liked Jerry singing Masterpiece. This one wasn’t perfect, but I think his voice is better suited than Bobby’s. I wonder why they made the change for the Dead. This would have been a good time to have caught Jerry.
Time to load the iPod. Coming off are the following:
Grateful Dead
73-06-26: Seattle Center Arena - Seattle, WA
I love ‘73. While the setlists are not as dynamic as they could be, the playing is awesome. And where else will you ever get to hear this run: He’s Gone> Truckin> Other One> Bobby McGee> Other One> Sugar Magnolia? Bobby McGee in the middle of The Other One! Holy smokes!! I love hearing Here Comes Sunshine. I still have a hard time with the uptempo TLEO.
80-10-26: Radio City Music Hall - New York, NY
I never understood why the Dead didn’t play more acoustic sets later in their career. With the penchant the boys had to play wooden music, why they didn’t grace the audience with shows like the SF and Radio City runs is a mystery.
Acoustic China Doll is something I will never tire of. And I have always liked Bobby’s singing of On the Road Again. Good stuff. Not to be outdone, the electric sets are very good. One has to like Jack Straw and Sugaree as the two openers. The only “down” part of the show is a very slow Althea, a song I like but seems to never get going at this show.
Jerry Garcia Band
83-11-25: Cleveland Music Hall - Cleveland, OH
An upbeat show and Jerry sounds strong vocally. I love the setlist:
set one: I’ll Take A Melody, Cats Under The Stars, They Love Each Other, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, The Way You Do The Things You Do, Run For The Roses
set two: Sugaree, Love In The Afternoon, Rhapsody In Red, Night They Drove Old Dixie Down > Dear Prudence, Tangled Up In Blue
Awesome stuff. The Dixie Down > Dear Prudence is a must listen.