What I miss about the 80s

I was born in the middle of the 80s, so I don't remember them much.  But listening to the Grateful Dead has highlighted a few "memories", if you will, for me. 

- Bob Weir and CIGS

Something inspired Bobby to indulge noticably more in his tasty Camels in the early-mid 1980s.  Whether it was the repetitive setlists, the inclusion of more and more Las Vegas tour stops, or just a general interest in strong tobacco, these babies give Weir tunes a distinct (and not necessarily good) tinge.  Check out this One More Saturday Night, paying particular attention to the screaming sections.  And it's not just the voice.  It's the way of life that was obviously being lived. 

- Stadium Tours:

There is something astounding to me about the Grateful Dead playing in 100,000+ capacity stadiums where pro football games are played.  And with Bob Dylan!!! 

-  Brother Esau
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r0GdQ5Vrdc
This is a fantastic song, and it's unfortunate that Bob decided not to play it anymore.  In my opinion, it encompasses all that is great about the 80s.  Especially the drumming.  Which leads me to my next topic...

- Heineken

 

There is a certain indescribable quality to the 81-86 era that is summed up pretty nicely by the thoughts and smells of Holland's favorite beer.  One can imagine seeing the guys grind through "Stagger Lee" at a dark, smoky indoor palace with Heineken spilled all over the floor.  Accompanies Camels well. 

 

Graph of Sizzness

This is a graph that represents the level of sizzness (Y axis) by the year (X axis). (Please click on the graph for a more clear picture.) As you can see there are many peaks and valleys, with a mega climb from the beginning until 1977, and then the resurgence of the Dead in the late 80's and early 90's the hiatus in 1975, as well as the heroin years (1978 - 1986 and 1991 - 1995) being the valleys.

Look forward to sometime soon, when I will go into my top 5 and worst 5 years of the Grateful Dead.

Via Pilcher

Pilcher made the comment about this hilarious interview with famous Dead head, then SNL star, now Senator Al Franken interviewing the "new guy" Brent Mydland. This clip is from the movie Dead Ahead (which I maintain has the best cover of any GD video release). This was from 1980, a couple months after Brent joined the band, and you can tell he is completely shell shocked. Enjoy.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, this is the funniest youtube video on the entire site. At the 1:08 mark, Bobby SPRINTS into a leg kick. Not only does he look exactly like Shawn Michaels here, but he actually does some Michaels like moves. Amazing. In other news, this is a killer Estimated Prophet with Clarence Clemons sitting in. Here is part 1

Candid Interview

This is one of the few candid interviews with Jerry. It is from 1981, and is hilarious. Jerry is surprisingly very nice, as he and the interview people smoke some pot, and Jerry gets a phone call. Pretty funny.

Embarrassing

So on February 20, 1985 (two days before I was born) the Grateful Dead decided to play the Beatles cover Day Tripper. Sweet! right? WRONG. It is really, really, really, bad.

Amazingly, after doing a little research, they actually played it one time before this (12/28/84) and even more astoundingly PLAYED IT THREE MORE TIMES!!!! Including at the infamous worst show ever (8/24/85 Boreal Ridge).

My Five Favorite Garcia Looks

5) Serious Heroin Jerry
This photo is astoundingly from when Jerry Garcia was 44 years old (1986). Imagine your parents, friends, siblings being 44 and looking like this. This speaks for itself on why not to use heroin. Also, you should most likely avoid sitting in the same chair for endless hours pounding cigarettes and Haagen Daaz.

4) Idealistic Jerry
This is the face of Captain Trips, a nickname given to Jerry in the Sixties. This is the face of the acid dropping, world saving, band leading Garcia of the 60's. His acne scars are very apparent in this time period. Too bad there was no Accutane for ol' Jer.

3)Travis Bean Jerry
This is the Garcia look of clean tone which goes with this sweet sounding Travis Bean guitar. This photo is from 1976. Garcia has a nice black beard untainted by harsh heroin abuse, and a belly untainted by room service, Dominoes, and cig burns.

2) Cool Grandpa Jerry

Grandpa/Uncle Jerry look. Back from the hospital after his heroin coma, and clean and healthy Jerry is again ready to rock. He loves waving at the massive stadium crowds that now follow him wherever he goes after their "hit" touch of grey. (no pun intended on the hair)

1) Cool Guy Jerry

1978 had Jerry start experimenting with Heroin. This gave him a nice grey tint in his hair, as well as an even more aloof attitude where he often gazed off in the distance with cool things in the background like the Pyramids. I love this look with the 100% sunglasses wearing rate (including indoors), and the long hair. Only two years later he would look fat and gross, but the beginning of his heroin use lead to a cool look. One more pic:


YEAHHHHHHH

Five Noteworthy Pairings/Transitions

5) St. Stephen > Not Fade Away - http://tinyurl.com/yjgpzdq
St. Steve is a rollercoaster in itself, and it leaves off with a question that just begs for a snap transition.  Could there be a more perfect way to pick up the pieces than to let the rhythm devils slam into a Stones rocker?  In the sound of 1976, no.

4) Drums > Samson & Delilah - http://tinyurl.com/383kcc / see also: 6/7/77 Complete Recordings
I don't think I'd be taking a pee break during the Drums segment in 76/77... As overplayed as it was, Samson & Delilah showcases all 7 members of the band, and creates a palpable energy in the room that could carry the set on many nights.  I feel this is done best when slid into from the free-form clanging of Mick and Bill.

3) The Other One > Wharf Rat/Morning Dew - http://tinyurl.com/yce6kej / http://tinyurl.com/ycfpjzs
As they shake off the haze of space, any good version of The Other One will undoubtedly contain a period of above-normal intensity.  With trippy voice sound filters, a thunderous bassline, and sometimes unceasing buildup, this tune could seemingly drive the audience to the point of overstimulation (if that's possible).  This is an obvious second-set fixture of the late-Dead era, but the setup for a winding Jerry ballad could not be more unique or, well, cool.  From the rubble of borderline anti-establishment/Neal Cassady-following space cadet's world comes a glowing, Lesh-guided crowd pleaser.

2) Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain - http://tinyurl.com/yksdhep or http://tinyurl.com/yzjhgzt 
Like pretty much all the sequences mentioned above, there is a certain undefinable (song) > ? > (song) which makes the Dead who they are.  Following one of their best upbeat, snappy tunes comes the predictable and often drull Fire on the Mountain (sorry Mick).  But what comes in between is the audience's gift, and has produced some of the most patently Grateful Dead moments.  The swinging entrance to FOTM could make even the most Persian-drenched Garcia bob his head and stomp his feet.  

1) China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider - http://tinyurl.com/ybkf88n
There are many good reasons for why this was played from the near the beginning to the end.  It would be difficult to summarize the sequence any way other than "Beautiful".  In good years, the basket that carries the music from China Cat to Rider is a level-headed buildup that creates anticipation but not impatience.  Each member can find their way into the segue, and perhaps like no other standard, can be appreciated in the largely vocal flow of IKYR.

My Five Favorite You Tube Videos

5) Jerry Garcia & Bob Weir on David Letterman - 1987



This is Jerry and Bobby in a 1987 appearance on David Letterman. This is after Touch of Grey came out, and suddenly, they were huge rock stars. Hilariously, when asked to go on the Letterman show to "promote their hit album" In the Dark do they play their hit single? No. A song from the album? No. A Dylan song released as an extra on Bob Dylan's greatest hits Vol. 2? Yes. Someone convinced Jerry and Bob to don sport coats for this gig. This is a funky version of one of my favorite songs ever, When I Paint my Masterpiece. Notice a young(er) Paul Shaffer on the keys.

4) China Cat Sunflower Jam > I Know You Rider - 1972




A solid clip from Europe '72 (second best tour ever). Please watch and listen to Bobby Weir and reference my previous post about his guitar tone. This features one of my favorite moments around 3:28 mark when they step up to the mic for Rider

3) Visions of Johanna - 3/18/95 Philly Spectrum




This is a very late version of the gehs playing Visions of Johanna, one of my favorite Dylan tunes. This is an example of Jerry waking up to put on a killer performance 1995. This is March 1995, a little less than 5 months before his death. Love how the camera focuses on him the entire time. Note how POWERFUL Jerry's guitar Bolt sounds.

2) Liberty - 1994




This is the Liberty video created by Justin Kruetzmann (yes, Bill's son) in'94 for the So Far DVD. I always will associate this video the time in college where I pulled an all nighter studying and watched this video alone in the CCM and water started coming out of my eyes.

1) Death Don't Have No Mercy - 10/9/89 Hampton Coliseum



This is a top 5 moment in the history of the Grateful Dead. They had not played this song in almost 20 years, before whipping it out at the Hampton Coliseum where the show was billed as "Formerly The Warlocks" (their former band name from 1965). Highlights: Bobby's shirt, switching off verses, Brent screaming at the top of his lungs, Jerry playing Wolf

OCTAPAD!!!

 

So, one of my favorite parts about '87-'90 is the perpetual waiting for Mickey to use his OCTAPAD and the hilarious music that happens when he does.  I'm not entirely sure when he started using it, but '87 definitely stands out in the age of Octapad.  But I am pretty sure what Mick programmed the 8 channels to play.  Four were normal conga and cymbal noises for an electrified version of Mick's normal clanging, but the rest were much, much more.  They were as follows:

1) The concentrated noise of 10,000 or more steel strings
2) The screech of a tiger's claws against concrete
3) The dramatic background noise that would later be used for the Goldeneye video game
4) The loudest fucking thunder you've ever heard

Who would have thought that in 1989, Jerry would be playing the trumpets on six strings, Brent filling with some tin-can violins, and Mickey harvesting the power of the universe through 8 pre-selected channels of greatness.  All in the same Row Jimmy!  Technology!!!

May the "deer durr duhh chee chee chee kkkhhaaaa" live on in our hearts

6/8/77: Night 2 of Winterland '77 Review

Minglewood: Starts same as 5/8/77, always a good sign. Nice sounding tape so far, Keith very prominent. Keith solo, always an underrated portion of this song. Brent was a much different player and soloist. Keith is much more subtle, but during a Keith solo, it always pays off to listen to Jerry’s “rhythm” playing in support. This is something that he does very uniquely and in my opinion better than anyone else. It is very prominent in JGB shows. Overall, a nice hot ’77 Minglewood opener.
Sugaree: The Tapers Compendium reviewer claims this to be his favorite Sugaree ever. (BTW, if you do not have the compendiums, they are an absolute MUST have) This tape continues to be a good mix, with each member being clearly heard. An interesting thing about the Grateful Dead is each members actual influence and importance to every song. For instance, this is the 175th time they have played Sugaree, but each member is doing something unique each and every time. I can absolutely see how someone would think this is the best version ever, all 17 minutes of it. Jerry’s solos are very liquid and tactful, his voice very personable and human. Donna always adds a nice flavor to the ’77 versions of this song. 6:15 into the song, Keith starts his solo. Jerry begins to intertwine his own solo on top of Keith’s for a very full sound. Bobby’s guitar work during this part is exquisite, with his downbeat strums adding a layer both on top of and inside of the music. The drummers follow Garcia and pick up the excitement for the end of the solo break, complete with Jerry’s patented chord strum solo. Truly one of the best versions of this song ever.
Mexicali Blues: Jerry starts out this song sounding like the trumpets on the album version of this song. This song always sounds pretty ridiculous with two drummers, but they seem to hold it together. Short sweet version, nothing special.
Row Jimmy: Keith whips out the funky electric keyboard for this tune. I am not the biggest fan of this song, especially in the 70’s. I think this song grew its hair in the late 80’s and 90’s, with Jerry’s more full guitar tone, although Donna, again, is nice to have on this song. I think the slide Jerry always plays in this song is a little unnecessary.
Passenger – YES! Love me some ’77 passengers. I find it hilarious that Phil wrote this song. One of the highest energy songs in the Grateful Dead song book. Another positive Donna experience, am I becoming a true fan of Donna? Perhaps…Jerry, keeps the slide out, and tears it up with some lead fills and aosm rhythm playing. The drummers are pure force in this song, and Weir’s strong vocals lead this quick hitter.
Sunrise – Just when I was so positive about Donna…I may have spoken too soon. This song is OK, at best, although I’m sure the fans were a little put off by it after a rockin’ passenger. I can’t help but laugh thinking about the gehs playing this one in the Cig Years with Brent on lead vocals. Ok, thank god that is over.
Brown Eyed Women – One of Jerry’s best songs starts off with the fans clapping in anticipation. My favorite part of this song is Weir’s playing. He does so much on top of the lyrics in this song. ’77 is the best year for this song in my opinion, and this version does not disappoint.
It’s All Over Now – Bobby truly has a huge bonedogger for this jam in 1977. Love Garcia’s arpeggio playing in this song. This song can be a little sloppy with the drummers being a little too aggressive. This version is no different. Bobby is extremely excited and screams the lyrics more than he sings them.
Jack-A-Roe – This song changed very much after this era. It started as a funky song, complete with Weir disco style licks, a la Dancin’ in the Streets.
Lazy Lightnin’ – Jingle Bells themed with billy and mickey riding their bells hard. Always appreciate Donna in this song. Lately, I have been extremely pro-Donna, and it is scaring me sometimes. A tragedy that the gentlemen stopped playing this song. Although, it could be a blessing in disguise as it is almost frightening to think about a 90’s version of this tune. Bobby’s mucous screams lead into…
Supplication – Garcia starts by dancing around with his typical ’77 tone. I just love the balance of keith and bobby being the “rhythm players”. I feel like it is something that Bobby and Brent never really worked out. Drummers are excited and hitting cowbells and toms galore. Jerry continues with some serious chord soloing, with phil doing his ’77 slide up “doo doo doo doo”. About 4 minutes in, Bobby finally starts singing with one of the funniest lines in GD history: “Dizzy Ain’t the word for the way you’re making me feel now”. I think supplication would be quite an experience to see live, it is one of the fastest, deepest grooves the GD had in their song book, and much like it’s sister song above, could be a blessing they stopped playing it. (Although they did play it a few times as a stand alone jam, and I think Bobby even sang it a couple times)
Bertha- Beginning of my tape is cut off a little bit, but the boys tear into a typical ’77 rockin’ Bertha. Jerry’s mic doesn’t pick up the first verse too well, but all is well after that. Listening to Phil in a Bertha gives someone a perfect example about how different they play the same song each time. Phil consistently does something different in every version of this song. In this particular version, he is all over the upper frets of his bass. Always the same style, never the same way. After a LOT of “anymooooore”ing, the boys groove right into
Good Lovin’ – Love the pre-shakedown street album start to this song. Bobby tells the boys “easy” around the 45 second mark, to which no one seems to listen. Seems to be a frequent happening for suggestions made by Mr. Weir. Jerry works up the neck during his first solo, and brilliantly takes the solo to another level an octave higher with the traditional Good Lovin’ lick made famous by the rascals. I literally laughed out loud when bobby suggests good love is necessary “even in Russia”. Ahhhh, pre cold war hilarity
Ramble on Rose – Wonderful. Love bobby’s tactful additions behind jerry’s angelic voice on this. Again, Donna is absolutely appreciated on this number. I am beginning to question why people don’t like her. Jerry’s solo is nice, but wish he turned on his MUTRON III. I forget when he started doing this, but it was a definite plus. It makes the solos he doesn’t use it sound hollow. This version is a little below average for the time period. The drummers get a little too aggressive, during the final verse build up. But I am just trying to be picky…
Estimated Prophet – Now we are talking. To be fair, this is my favorite grateful dead song. And I was happy to see in a interview with Jerry that this is his favorite Bobby song. (His least favorite: Minglewood). The tape starts with an Aud patch that quickly returns to the SBD. MUTRON is out in full force here. I admit that my heart skips a beat every single time “You all been asleep” part begins, because that part through the solo is my favorite part of any Grateful Dead song. Keith’s weird sounding synth/organ takes them into Garcia solo. Disappointingly short. Something to remember about ’77 Estimated Prophets is that the main solo is also very short. It really extends in the late 80’s and 90’s. On the other hand, the “NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH-NAH OOOOOOO” jam is extended and glorious. Drummers perfectly in the pocket, bobby and keith playing the extremely difficult rhythm part, Lesh driving a melodic base line, and Garcia playing in a way only he could do. This is a great estimated, but there are certainly better one’s to be found in ’77 and outside of ’77. Heavy drums lead into the song so often paired with Estimated.
Eyes of the World- Garcia starts with a very harsh tone, before dancing a melody on the high strings. A long intro solo (3:55) at a pretty quick pace guides them into the first verse. ’77 is an excellent year for pretty much every tune, but this is especially true for Eyes of the World. Their sound forms itself right around this song. Jerry seems to be taking a lot of chances on his solos in both the intro and solo 1. To be honest, most of them don’t work out that well. However, as I type this, he brings it together for several spectacular runs right in a row. Bobby hilariously is completely out of tune on the second chorus.
The Other One: Phil starts it off with a bomb, and drummers are very heavy in the mix. Garcia plays a dissonant solo with bobby twinkling rhythms behind him, while Phil drives a bassline into the first verse. The first solo comprises of scale runs leading into a free jam, where Garcia is clearly the leader. The drummers are mixed very well in this recording, each of them prevalent and clear. The jam silks back into The Other One theme, but then fades away with Keith and Jerry giving heavy Wharf Rat teases, finally everyone drops out except Garcia, and a spacey jam evolves into Wharf Rat.
Wharf Rat- Begins bold and strong. I love Weir in this tune, as he is always adding tactful rhythm lines that only he can do. Keith is prominent in the mix, and during the “I’ll get back…” part, he does some cool stuff. Again, Donna sounds wonderful singing with Jerry. Garcia’s solo weaves perfectly through Keith, Bobby, and Phil, or is it them who are weaving through Garcia’s solo? Drums end the song, and Jerry begins the NFA chords.
Not Fade Away: Straight up ’77 rocker. Keith SLAMS THE KEYS AS HARD AS HE CAN during the intro. Bobby also teases China Cat Sunflower. The Not Fade Away ends on a soft note, and leads into Goin’ Down the Road
Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad – A very Chuck Berry like version, with keith heavy in the mix continuing to pound chords with all his might. Ends rambunctiously, with the transition to the half time riff.
Johnny B. Goode – the Gentlemen, and lady, keep the show rocking with a actual Chuck Berry tune. After some 6 string barnburning and screaming, it ends with an eruption of applause.
E: Brokedown Palace – This is my favorite encore of this era. This version might be the slowest I have ever heard this song. Jerry and Donna sing strong harmonies, with Bobby somehow silking his way in between them. Hilariously, I picture Mick and Billy having a fit about how slow they are playing this song. Hopefully they were appeased with the drummers paradise that ended the second set.

New Name, Same Blog

Happy New Year, and welcome back.