Jobygoob's Retro Reviews

Me and the Man

2011-12-01T14:43:00.001-05:00

Guess which one is me?

This is a screen grab from View From the Vault I, live at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh PA, July ?? 1990. There's a funny story about my trip to that show that I can tell.

It was the Summer after my junior year at PSU, three friends and I travelled down to Louisville Kentucky for the Grateful Dead show there with plans to head back north to Pittsburgh for the next show and then ending up back at Penn State afterwards.

Well, what we didn't know was that this was the tour that ended any type of camping out in the parking lots after the shows. And the Louisville event staff were particularly bad ass at that show, with rumors of close to 100 deadheads crammed into the holding cells under the stadium waiting for arrest for various infractions. Well we were mercifully spared any problems inside the concert, but we didn't know that about three hours after the venue closed, the local cops completely cleared out the lots with megaphones, with the general message of "You don't have to go home but you can't stay here," and threatening to arrest anyone that remained any longer. Now remember this was pretty unheard of at the time and certainly unexpected by us.

We were exhausted, more than a little fucked up, and generally not ready for the road. So we made it as far away as we could, pulled over someplace we hoped was out of the way enough, and crashed for a couple hours to regenerate.

to be continued...

Warlocks Brand - Finest Quality!

2011-10-03T11:16:00.001-04:00

I was gifted this box for being a groomsman at my great friend Kevin's wedding, last October 9th. Such a wonderful present, especially poigniant for me since I was actually at this show and have such wonderful memories of the experience (see my earlier post for more details). Since, like most Deadheads, I've long had wonderful sounding soundboard copies of these shows, I only just recently tranferred the files to my iPod in order to give it a listen. WOW did it bring back memories. I don't know what magic they weaved, but these two shows, along with my recent listening party with some of the new Eourope 72 tour that was recently released, sound so freaking good it has really made me change my opinion on the official releases. I've been listening to Archive.org soundboards and audience recordings for so long I've forgotten how great an official release can sound. Due to the fact that I know these shows backwards and forwards from listening so many times, I can really hear the difference in these new remasters. Charlie Miller may be the greatest at what he does, but GDP sure knows how to release a show.

Attics Encore, 10-9-89 (You Tube)

2011-08-05T19:51:00.000-04:00

What a beautiful song, such an amazing experience it was seeing this live...one of the highlights of my life. Thanks so much to the uploader, I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Sunset over Lake Champlaign

2011-08-05T15:35:00.002-04:00

I took this picture on vacation in South Hero, Vermont, last week. My wife rented a lovely home on the lake for the whole family, and this shot was taken from the deck in back of the house. The age of the iPhone is so terrific, having the ability to whip out a camera at a moments notice to capture these fantastic images is a rare gift. I have been reading the most recent addition to George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, so this image brings to mind a giant golden crown slowly sinking behind the edge of the world.

SPAM!!!

2011-08-05T09:37:00.003-04:00

Well I just spent the better part of a half hour eliminating the plethora of spam messages left in the comments of my posts while I was gone, at least until Google implemented that "real person detector" you have to fill out now before you post. Hopefully that's the last time I have to do that. I am actually feeling fairly energized about posting here again, and I hope some folks stop by and join the conversation. I dunno if I'll be posting as many reviews of old tapes as I originally planned, but I will definitely be covering some of my favorite recordings for sure, both live and in the studio, and I will be posting my impressions of the live music I see over the next few months. Coming up first, most likely, will be a review of the Bob Dylan concert happening a week from Wednesday at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia PA. Then right after that I'll be publishing a post describing my experiences at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, happening on August 18-20. More about that in a bit, so stay tuned!

Golly Gee been a while boys and girls

2011-08-04T15:38:00.003-04:00

Just got surprised by a Google response to my request to search for "Grateful Dead 9/20/1970" and found my old blog entry from 2006 at the top of the list! Brought back some memories and made me feel so guilty for abandoning you all for so long without a word of explanation. What can I say, except that John Lennon said it best when he wrote "life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." My one baby girl that I had when we all last spoke is not a baby no more, going into second grade next month. My family has expanded to include two boys, currently ages two and four, and they are a handful let me tell you. Not much else has changed, a new job, a new house, still listening to alot of old music.

I truly hope the old friends I made while updating this blog are still out there somewhere, and doing well. Ben, Helen, Justin, Jonathan...I'd love to hear from you sometime if you happen to happen on by. And who knows, maybe, someday baby, I'll come back and update this blog with some new reviews!

Until that happens, Happy Jerry Week 2011 everyone!

Jerry Week 2006, Day 9

2006-08-09T22:11:00.000-04:00

As Jerry Week 2006 comes to a close, I'd like to look at reasons we celebrate things. We celebrate because we are happy, commemorating an important event in our lives, but mostly we celebrate because our religion or government tells us to. That's why I am advocating to all of you next year, forget Christmas, to hell with Rosh Hashana, screw Labor Day, make Jerry Week 2007 the biggest and best celebration you have all year long.

Today's download is a great JGB show from the Keith and Donna days, hope you enjoy it.

Jerry Garcia Band, 7/23/1977, Keystone Theater, Berkeley California

Sugaree, Stop That Train, Mystery Train, Simple Twist Of Fate, The Way You Do the Things You Do, They Love Each Other, Sitting In Limbo, Tore Up, Sisters and Brothers, Stir It Up, Tangled Up In Blue

Download Jerry Garcia Band, 7/23/77 (120MB)

Jerry Week 2006, Day 8

2006-08-08T18:24:00.000-04:00

Thanks for checking out Jobygoob's Retro Reviews. As Jerry week 2006 winds down, I thought I would offer another favorite of mine. Last Thursday, as part of my Jerry Week celebration I went out to see the best east coast Dead cover band, Splintered Sunlight, at a bar not too far from my house. I ran into my friend Eric, who was bumming that his favorite tape broke earlier that day. It turned out to be one of my favorites as well, and one I thought would be perfect to offer for download here on Retro Reviews: Grateful Dead, 10/9/1989, Hampton Virginia, billed as "Formerly the Warlocks." It so happens that there is an earlier Retro Review posted for this show, so check out the links below to read the review and download the show.

Check out the Retro Review for Grateful Dead 10/09/1989, Hampton Va

Download a soundboard copy of Grateful Dead 10/09/1989, Hampton Va (80MB)

Download an audience recording of Grateful Dead 10/09/1989, Hampton Va from the LMA

Jerry Week 2006, day 3

2006-08-03T19:43:00.001-04:00

Jerry and Sara Garcia, 5/4/1963, Tangent Coffee House, Palo Alto, California

Deep Elem Blues, Will the Weaver, I Truly Understand, All the Good Times Are Past and Gone, Long Black Veil, The Man Who Wrote Home Sweet Home Never Was a Married Man, Keno the Rent Man, Foggy Mountain Top

Happy Jerry Week everyone, and welcome back to Jobygoob's Retro Reviews. The special today for Day 3 is one of my favorite performances by a very young Jerry Garcia and his new wife Sara. Jerry plays banjo and guitar, and Sara plays fiddle and guitar, in a short set of classic bluegrass/folk selections along with one or two tunes you might recognize from Jerry's later repertoire. If you've never heard this one, definitely download the 24MB zip file of the MP3s and give it a listen.

Download 5/4/63 Jerry and Sarah Garcia, Palo Alto, California

Jerry Week 2006, day 2

2006-08-02T18:06:00.000-04:00

Jerry Garcia/David Grisman May 1992 Tour Compilation

The Thrill Is Gone, Rosalie McFall, The Fields Have Turned Brown, 16x16, Sitting In Limbo, Oh The Wind And Rain, Louis Collins, Bag's Groove, When First Unto This Country, Long Black Veil, Shady Grove, Down Where The River Bends, She Belongs To Me

Thanks for stopping by everyone, and welcome to Jobygoob's RetroReviews. To help everyone celebrate Jerry Week 2006, I thought I would use a site I found recently (Sendspace.com) to share some of my favorite recordings with you all. Today's selection is a compilation of soundboard recordings taken from the May 1992 Warfield theater Garcia/Grisman dates. The story behind this recording is that these songs were culled from the master soundboard recording and provided to David Gans for use on the Grateful Dead Hour. Then the master was subsequently "stolen" from Gans and put into circulation. The tracks included feature some of the most splendid moments from that tour, with perfect sound quality. See for yourself, click on the link below to download the 62MB zip file of the MP3s.

Download the Garcia/Grisman May 1992 Tour Comp

Happy Jerry Week!

2006-08-01T15:42:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try to celebrate Jerry Week as much as possible this year, and kicking off today on Jerry's 64th birthday I'd like to offer all of you a soundboard download of a very special Jerry Garcia Band show. The show was featured as one of my first RetroReviews, so click this link and check out the review if you missed it. Then click down below for a zipped file (about 142 MB) that contains MP3's of the entire show. These files are not really suitable for CD burning but perfect for use through your computer speakers or any portable music device like an Ipod or other MP3 player. Enjoy, and check back later in the week for some more downloads to please the ear and make you remember that the best times are still to come.

Check out the Retro Review for Jerry Garcia Band 8/29/1987, French's Camp at Eel River

Download Jerry Garcia Band 8/29/1987 French's Camp at Eel River

Happy Jerry Week everyone!

Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young: July 6, 2006, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

2006-07-07T12:44:00.000-04:00

1st Set
Flags Of Freedom (Young) Wooden Ships (Crosby/Stills/Kantner) Woodstock (Mitchell) Long Time Gone (Crosby) Military Madness (Nash) Wounded World (Stills) After The Garden (Young) Living With War (Young) The Restless Consumer (Young) Shock And Awe (Young) They Want It All (Crosby) Feed The People (Stills) Immigration Man (Nash) Families (Young)

Intermission

2nd Set
Helplessly Hoping (Stills) Our House (Nash) Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Young) Milky Way Tonight (Nash) Guinnivere (Crosby) Carry Me (Crosby) Treetop Flyer (Stills) Roger & Out (Young) Southbound Train (Nash) Ole Man Trouble (Jones) Teach Your Children (Nash) Southern Cross (Stills) Find The Cost Of Freedom (Stills)

Interlude: "The Star Spangled Banner" (perf. by J. Hendrix) the "raising of the Rust Never Sleeps microphone" by Larry Cragg

Let's Impeach The President (Young) For What It's Worth (Stills) Chicago (Nash) Ohio (Young) What Are Their Names? (Crosby) Looking For A Leader (Young) Deja Vu (Crosby)

Encore
Love The One You're With (Stills)

3am Friday July 7, 2006

I just got back from seeing Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young at the premiere show of their summer tour, in Camden New Jersey, and I want to write down a few impressions before I go to sleep. This was an awesome show, and has immediately easily jumped into my top ten favorite live concert experiences. The more I think about it the more I think it might even be top five. It was that good…wherever you are, the first thing you need to do when you finish reading this is to go to http://www.csny.com/ and find out when they are playing nearest you and buy tickets if you aren’t already planning on going.

Tonight’s concert was hot on the heels of an announcement today that Farm Aid 2006 is being held at the same venue tonight’s show was at. Neil Young held a public press conference ten minutes from my job today to make the announcement, but I didn’t hear about it until an hour after it was over. I was pissed I missed a chance to go down there and maybe shake his hand or just stare dumbly at him from pretty close. That is good news though, in mid-late September I’ll get to see Neil and probably the whole lineup of CSNY again at Farm Aid, held practically in my back yard right across the river from Philly.

The show tonight was totally intense. CSNY played most if not all of Neil Young’s new album, “Living With War.” This recent release is extremely political, I believe every song on it is a protest song of some kind. CSNY of course was one of the foremost providers of good old fashioned protest music going all the way back to 1969, so it was certainly appropriate to have them backing Neil on some of his most scathing, bitter, and angry songs ever written. They played a couple of the classic protest songs too, including Ohio and Chicago, though during Chicago they substituted George Bush for Mayor Daley once.

The most moving moment came when the four put down their instruments and sang Find the Cost of Freedom, and on the screen behind them they scrolled thousands of pictures of American soldiers that have died during the Iraqi War, and all through the song a counter ticked away the number of the dead. They continued singing the song, repeating the last verse for much longer than they ever did before as the counter on the giant screen behind them ticked the numbers off higher and higher.

The best moment for me was when Neil Young sat down at the piano, and played Only Love Can Break Your Heart with backing vocals by David Crosby and Graham Nash. It was an amazing, beautiful moment.

Of the four, the performer that probably stepped up the most after Neil was Graham Nash. He played a lot of his classic, seldom heard tunes that were really, really great to hear. Highlights were Military Madness, Immigration Man, and Southbound Train. Other great moments were Southern Cross, Helplessly Hoping, Treetop Flyer, Déjà vu, Guinnevere, Carry Me, Woodstock, Wooden Ships, oh man so many great great songs. So many iconic moments, songs that haven’t been played together with all four performers since as far back as 1974-1975. What a show…don’t miss it if you can help it.

Grateful Dead: 07/29/1988, Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey California

2006-06-30T11:39:00.000-04:00

Set 1
Iko Iko, Walkin' Blues, Candyman, Queen Jane Approximately, Althea, Blow Away, Cassidy > Deal
Two
China Cat Sunflower > Crazy Fingers > I Know You Rider > Playing In The Band > Drums > Space > The Wheel > Gimme Some Lovin' > Believe It Or Not > Sugar Magnolia
Encore
Black Muddy River

Welcome back to Jobygoob's Retro Reviews. Today's review is a show readily available for download at the Live Music Archive, 7/29/88, at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey California. This was the first of a three show run at Laguna Seca, and in my opinion the best of the three. I chose this show mainly because of the extremely high quality of the recording currently available at the LMA. It sounds to me to be a mislabelled soundboard or soundboard/audience matrix recording, but I suppose it's possible that its just a phenomenal audience recording. If this is the case, it's one of the best sounding audience recordings I have ever heard. I'll definitely be sending this over to Born Again Ben because he somehow missed this clearly worthy addition to his great list of best auds at the archive.

One small note about the LMA: If you haven't been over there recently, you'll notice next time you visit that they have undertaken a major overhaul of their site. All the Grateful Dead has been moved over to its own section, and they have altered the way that you search and access shows. You can still search by year, but it's not as intuitive as before, and each search results in a long list of shows that is nowhere nearly as easy to navigate as it was before. There's a new forum just for discussion of the Dead, which I'm sure is a great relief to all the other posters at the LMA that have no interest in GD. The coolest addition is a little java jukebox on the page of every show that lets you easily stream from any song in the show. This is very cool, and while it doesn't exactly lessen the blow of losing download access to all the great soundboard recordings, it is a real nice feature none the less. It also allows me to easily listen to the show while I write these reviews, a nice way to record my impressions on the fly. I'm not a big fan of these changes overall, but I get the feeling this is a work in progress and hopefully the interface will continue to improve as time goes on. Now on to the review:

This was one of only five times the Dead played at Laguna Seca Raceway. This must have been a fantastic place to see a show, because of the gorgeous surroundings and the campgrounds right on site at the venue. According to a post on the LMA, several Deadheads camped on the grounds of a U.S. Army rifle range nearby the venue, resulting in the Dead being banned from playing there ever again. Definitely a great loss.

This show was in the middle of an extremely prolific period for the Dead. Jerry was healthy and strong, and Brent was really coming into his own, adding so much to each and every show. The first set opened with a nice, laid back Iko Iko, featuring some interesting sound effects on Jerry's vocals and great organ fills and solos from Brent. This is a nice, always unexpected opener and is a good indicator of some unusual song selection for the show ahead.

Bobby gives us a Walkin' Blues next, nothing too special here.

Jerry picks up the mike again for Candyman, always a treat. He mixes up some lyrics in the first verse but recovers nicely. Nice harmonies on the refrain. The first lead break is really nice. Jerry's vocals are strong here early in the show. The song builds up to a pretty powerful crescendo at the last verse, overall a great version.

Next song is Bob Dylan's Queen Jane Approximately, one of my favorites in this position from Bobby Weir. I was always so happy so see this instead of those cowboy double shots we get so often here. Nice harmonies from Jerry and Brent, and some great support solos from those two as well.

Jerry's up again next with Althea. A few more confused lyrics in the first verse, and a flaw in the recording cuts out a bit here, not too bad though. Great soloing after the bridge is the highlight here.

Brent takes over with an early version of one of my favorites of his original tunes, Blow Away. This is definitely an early version, only the fourth time played, with none of the backup vocals from the rest of the band that really added alot to this song. It's interesting to hear, though, and shows how this song evolved and really improved over the next couple of years. Phil comments after this song how the band seems to take longer in between songs than they used to and gets a rise out of the crowd.

Cassidy is next, pretty standard version here. This is just a great song, and I really never got tired of hearing it. Always a nice opportunity for Phil and Jerry to take off after the "faring thee well now" verse, and it never gets old listening to the whole band come back from the outer reaches to join together in unison for "flight of the seabirds." Probably in my top five favorite Bob Weir tunes of all time.

Deal closes the first set, which was always a crowd pleaser. Nice long high energy jam after the verses to end the set. Overall, while not a killer first set, definitely nothing to complain about.

Set two picks things up significantly. It opens up with a nice leisurely paced China Cat Sunflower. Jerry sounds good vocally and as usual for this song, there's some real fine interplay between his and Bobby's guitar work. There's a nice long jam at the end of verse three that sounds like a leisurely jaunt into the standard Rider, but tonight Jerry has other plans. He noodles for a bit before blowing everyones mind and smoothly transitioning into Crazy Fingers! The band is right with him and its a really nice version. The vocals are very strong, and while there's really no jamming, it's still really sweet considering what a surprise it is for everyone. After this great diversion from tradition the band transitions right back into the I Know You Rider jam and into the song. It's such a refreshing change and it really is a shame that the boys didn't mix up this classic pairing more often. This kind of surprise is a great example of why seeing the Grateful Dead was always such a fantastic experience for me. There always was the potential for some crazy magic flying in out of left field at any given show, and for me, more often than not, the boys would deliver.

The set doesn't slow down as they go right from Rider into one of the best versions of Playin' In the Band since the truly amazing versions from 1972. This Playin' is so good it is featured on the Grateful Dead box set retrospective "So Many Roads." Brent and Bobby sing together and their interplay is really wonderful here. The instrumental is superb, with creative and imaginative soloing from Phil and Jerry following the verses. The fun continues as the jam takes off into some serious weirdness, before coalescing back into the reprise and transitioning into Drums>Space, which contains some nice easy going jamming along with the usual explosive moments of terror.

Jerry brings us out of space with one of my all time favorites, The Wheel. Something unusual about this tune: The Wheel, in my opinion, is one of the few songs I think that Jerry did better in the recording studio than in most live versions. The intro to this song, on Jerry's first solo album "Garcia," is probably my favorite guitar work ever done on any recording. Just hauntingly beautiful and melodic. It's also featured during the animation sequence of the Grateful Dead Movie. The version from this show is practically flawless, but I've yet to hear a live version that captures the magic of that studio release. There's a couple from 1976 that come close...

Phil and Brent take control of the mike with a pretty rocking Gimmie Some Lovin'. Great guitar jams, organ music, and some serious Phil bombs highlight this tune.

Jerry graces us with a rarity for the next tune, Believe It Or Not. This was played only seven times by the Dead. I was lucky enough to catch two of them live, in Hamilton Ontario 3/22/90 (a phenominal show, a classic, deserving of its own review sometime soon), and in my hometown of Philly on 9/9/88. This song always reminds me of the JGB tune Gomorrah, I guess because of the signature little guitar run after each verse that is pretty similar. I think Gomorrah's a better song, in general. This version is as good as any of the few we saw, flawless but just not alot to this tune in my opinion.

Sugar Magnolia ends the second set. Bobby sounds tentative and a bit off here. He actually stops singing during verse two and has Jerry and Brent's harmonies finish the verse. Maybe he was having equipment or mike problems. Jerry and Brent are all over this tune tonight, but this is not one of the better Sugar Mags. Nothing really wrong with it, just doesn't take off the way this song sometimes does. The jam at the end is fine, and maybe I'd get a better feel of how the crowd was into this tune on a recording that featured the audience a bit more, but what we have here is basically a routine performance of the tune to close the set.

The band encores with Jerry's Black Muddy River. Nice version, not much different than any other one. Jerry sounds a bit tired here, but it's been a long, hot night. This was a great song, consistently effective and evocative. Not my favorite encore, I agree with Phil when he expressed the sentiment in his autobiography that this tune was kind of a bummer to end a show with.

And that's all for now, another Retroreview comes to a close. Check out the link at the beginning of the review to head to the Live Music Archive for a downloadable copy of this great show. I'll be back soon and let you know my impression of the Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young show tomorrow night in Camden.

My Father's Day present

2006-06-29T19:21:00.000-04:00

For Father's Day this year my dad got me a new Ipod. It's a 30gb video Ipod, which is a pretty nice upgrade from the one I currently have, which is a 20gb model without video capabilities. The first thing I did was to figure out how to rip DVDs I own, convert them to a format the Ipod can read, and then get them on there so I can watch in bed while my wife is sleeping ;) This entailed using a program to bypass the copy protection on most DVDs, which is breaking federal laws, which in my opinion is a bunch of BS. I spent good money on these things and should be able to watch them on any piece of equipment I want to, including my new Ipod video. Anyway, it's easy enough to get around the copy protection and any feds reading this can kiss my big white ass.

My next project is transferring the Dead shows I downloaded from the LMA off my old Ipod onto my new one. This is such a pain in the ass you wouldn't believe it. I have to use another program called Ephpod in order to access the music on my old Ipod, transfer it to my hard drive, then plug in my new Ipod and add the files. I tried to do it all in one big batch and for some goddamn reason it only decided to copy some files and not all of them, which left me with a bunch of incomplete shows, which is totally unacceptable to my OCD. So now I am doing each show individually and doublechecking to ensure everything is copied properly, which is taking me a crazy amount of time. All this is exacerbated by my super slow dinosaur computer that only has about 2gb of memory free, so I am having to do this all about 1.5 gb at a time. A huge hassle. It will be worth it in the end, and all this attention I am paying to my GD collection should result in at least one or two new Retroreviews for you all to enjoy in the near future.

Amazon.Com offers 50% off all Grateful Dead DVD movies

2006-06-14T13:53:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd post another quick note to let you know that Amazon.com is offering 50% off all Grateful Dead DVD movies for a limited time. Now would be an opportune moment to pick up any of the ones you might be missing from your movie library. For example, the newest release, Truckin' Up to Buffalo, is going for the ridiculously low price of $12.47. Dead Ahead, recently released on DVD, is also offered at $12.47. The Grateful Dead Movie and the Closing of Winterland are both going for fifteen bucks each. The best deal is on the collections, of which there are two. View From the Vault 1-3 are offered of a total price of 34.97, a great deal. Or you can pick up Downhill From Here, Ticket to New Year's, and View From the Vault 1 for the same low price of 34.97. These sets usually go for over seventy bucks. Normally you won't find me shilling for amazon.com or any other huge conglomerate on this site, but these deals are too good to pass up and I wouldn't wan't anyone in the blogging community to miss out on these bargains.

Neil Young movie Heart Of Gold released on DVD

2006-06-14T13:22:00.000-04:00

Tuesday June 13th marked the release of Jonathan Demme's documentary/concert film of Neil Young's Heart Of Gold on DVD for purchase and rental. This is a fantastic movie, one that should appeal to everyone, not just fans of Neil Young.

The movie documents Neil's concert at the Ryman Auditorium, a famous theatre in Nashville Tennessee, where he previously recorded his recent album Prairie Wind. The album is a return to the style of music Neil made famous with the International Harvesters, and some of his musicians including Ben Keith on steel guitar and Spooner Oldham on piano/keyboards have been playing with Neil since the days of this band lineup. The album is very similar in tone to the 1993 release Harvest Moon, and fans of that release will definitely enjoy this album. The songs are extremely personal, dealing with his relationships with his recently deceased father, his wife of many years Pegi, his daughter Amber Jean leaving home, and his recent brush with mortality as he was diagnosed with a brain aneurism a week before the filming of this movie. The concert features every song on the new album, and about eight classic songs at the end of the set. Some of these classics take on all new meanings in the context of Neil's illness. Look in his eyes when he sings "I want to live, I want to give" at the begining of the song Heart of Gold, and you'll know what I mean. Other highlights of the set include Comes A Time, Four Strong Winds, I Am A Child, Old King, One Of These Days, Old Man, and Needle and the Damage Done.

The DVD comes in a two disc set, with six or seven mini documentaries on disc two about the making of the film and the recording of the album. There is also a short clip of the Johnny Cash show from 1971 where a much younger Neil plays Needle & the Damage Done for one of the first times.

I can't recommend this DVD enough. It's a heartbreakingly raw and emotional performance. I was moved almost to tears several times just by looking at Neil as he smiles at his wife singing behind him. Definitely pick this one up and check it out as soon as you can.

Grateful Dead, 4/18/1969, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana

2006-04-18T10:19:00.001-04:00

Grateful Dead, 4/18/1969, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana

1 set
Hard To Handle, Morning Dew, Cryptical Envelopement-> Drums-> The Other One-> Cryptical Envelopement-> Sitting On Top Of The World-> I'm A King Bee, Doin' That Rag, Turn On Your Love Light, Cosmic Charlie, Beat It On Down The Line

In honor of this show's 37th anniversary, (and mine!) I thought I would post an abbreviated retro review of this often unfairly maligned and overlooked gem from 1969. I'm not sure why this show gets such a bad rap, particularly because it has so many high points that make it stand out.

First of all, there's a near-flawless soundboard source circulating pretty openly. I had a difficult time finding someone with this show before the Archive made it available to the general public, but since then it has been widely circulated. There's a few cuts and dropouts but nothing too bad. The sound is crisp and clear, with a great mix.

Jerry Garcia is in fine form, fresh, energetic, vocally and musically. Pig Pen steals the show, however. This show should hold an honored position in anyone's collection for the Lovelight alone: over 25 minutes of rocking and raunchy hilarity, this Lovelight is truly epic and phenominal. Other highlights include a really good Cryptical->TOO->Cryptical with a nice, easy segue into a surprisingly energetic Sitting On Top Of the World. Fun stuff. Doing That Rag is a fun song, with a nice easygoing jam at the end that is unfortunately marred by a dropoff during some of the best jamming. Cosmic Charlie seems short and aborted, not one of the better versions. King Bee is slow but good if you like that kind of bluesy Pig Pen stuff. The Dew, near the beginning of the set, is a Garcia showpiece, with highly emotional singing and playing. A stellar version.

This show is a worthy addition to anyones collection. As my "date of birth" show, it will always hold an extra special place in mine. Give it a stream at the archive, http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=12871 and if you like it, drop me an email at Jobygoob@aol.com and I would be happy to direct you to a link where you can download the show in MP3 format.

New Dead show added to Live Music Archive

2006-03-19T02:36:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post a quick note to let everyone know that the curators of the live music archive website recently added a pretty good audience recording of the March 19, 1995 Grateful Dead show from the Philadelphia Spectrum. This show has been discussed recently by members of the blogging community as being a favorite. This show features, of course, the historic breakout of the Phil Lesh/Robert Peterson masterpiece "Unbroken Chain." There's also a damn good "So Many Roads" and "Alabama Getaway" as well. Some of the show is a bit subpar, but regardless this is a performance that any Deadhead will want in their collection. Here's the link: http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=34829

Grateful Dead, 9-20-1970, Fillmore East, New York, NY

2006-02-27T01:01:00.000-05:00

Grateful Dead 09-20-1970, Fillmore East, New York, NY

Set I (acoustic) Uncle John's Band, Deep Elem Blues, Friend Of The Devil, Big Railroad Blues, Dark Hollow, Ripple, To Lay Me Down, Truckin', Rosalie McFall, Cumberland Blues, New Speedway Boogie, Brokedown Palace

Set II (Electric) Casey Jones, China Cat Sunflower-> I Know You Rider, Candyman, Sitting On Top Of The World, Good Lovin'-> Drums-> Good Lovin', Big Boy Pete, Me & My Uncle, Easy Wind, Sugar Magnolia, Attics Of My Life, Mama Tried, Not Fade Away-> Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)-> We Bid You Good Night

Sorry for being away so long. I didn’t mean for the time to slip away as long as it has, but that tends to happen quite often in life, doesn’t it?

I’m over my wishy-washy indecision about which show to review up next for y’all. I decided that this one is best because it is one of my “desert island picks” to borrow a term from Born Again Ben’s recent post (that is, to those of you not familiar with the term, one of my top five favorite Dead recordings of all time and one which I would take with me to a desert island were I only allowed five CD’s total) AND it is also one of the last soundboard recordings still available for download on the Live Music Archive. It’s mislabeled as an audience recording but it is actually a pristine, recently re-mastered soundboard. So read the review, head on over to LMA, and grab this while you still can. You won’t be disappointed, I promise! Now on to the review!

1970 was an incredible year for the Grateful Dead, special for so many reasons. Their two (arguably) finest studio albums, Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, were produced and released right around the dates of this show. With a wealth of new material to draw from, set lists were always unique and exciting. Frequent acoustic sets as well as increased attention to vocals and harmony singing expanded on the Dead’s folkie roots and added a whole new dimension to their sound.

9-20-70 is a special show for a lot of reasons. It was one of the last acoustic sets of the year, and once the Dead hung up their acoustic instruments, they wouldn’t pick them up again on a regular basis for a full decade. The acoustic set is, in my opinion, the finest of the year, with flawless playing and singing, and the Dead welcome two very special guests. Sitting in on mandolins are good friends David Nelson, from the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and David Grisman, who will later collaborate with Garcia in the Old and in the Way Band in 1973 and for some of Garcia’s most haunting and beautiful acoustic work twenty years later in the early 1990’s.

The acoustic set starts with a flawless Uncle John’s Band. Gorgeous harmonies and Weir’s pitch perfect falsetto highlight this version.

Next is a bluesy, wonderful Deep Elem Blues, followed by a quick and lively Friend of the Devil. The FOTD is album perfect. Bobby’s backing guitar and Grisman & Nelson on mandolin make this song a real joy to listen to over and over again.

My favorite ever version of Big Railroad Blues comes next. The mandolins add so much to this track. It’s a jumping, peppy, thrilling ride, and you can really tell how much fun Jerry is having this night by his improvisational singing on this song.

Bobby takes over lead vocals for his first song of the night with a nice Dark Hollow. I just love Garcia’s backup vocals during this song. It was one of the first songs I learned with the acoustic band I used to play with a few years ago, because of the great harmony singing in this tune.

Up next is the beautiful, iconic, Ripple. This is probably the best version the Dead ever did. Grisman’s mandolin over the bridge perfectly recalls the album version, Jerry’s vocals are just spot-on, and Weir and Lesh’s harmonies are understated and unobtrusive. A stellar version.

Garcia doesn’t let up for one second, for next is one of the greatest To Lay Me Downs ever. Jerry sits down at the keyboards and plays some sweet tinkling piano here. I can’t tell who’s responsible, but there’s some electric guitar behind Jerry’s singing and it’s sweet and wonderful. My guess would be Nelson, but it could be Weir.

The acoustics come out again for the fourth ever Truckin’. This would be the last time ever that they played this song acoustically. Of the four acoustic versions, this is the best. The arrangement is perfect, other than a false vocal start by Bobby. The acoustic guitars give this song a quality and sound that is completely fresh and unique for those only familiar with the electric versions. From the polish on this version its amazing they only played this song three times before.

Upbeat peppy mandolin fills continue in the next selection, a rousing Rosalie McFall. Jerry vocals really dominate this set, which is one of the prime reasons it is a favorite of mine. There’s a little confusion near the beginning of the song, when everyone stops playing at the same time, but it’s barely noticeable.

The set keeps rolling along with a great Cumberland Blues next. Jerry is playing his electric guitar for this one, backed up by Weir and the two mandolin players on their acoustics. Jerry’s long country jams are perfectly accented by the acoustics behind him. The harmonies are fantastic as well, the boys in fine vocal form all night long.

The next song marks the last time the Dead would play New Speedway Boogie for over twenty years, until the revival at Oakland Coliseum on 2-19-91. Don’t ask me why, this version is a bluesy, apocalyptic masterpiece. Jerry continues to play electric guitar for this song. Another perfect rendition.

The acoustic set comes to a close with another new tune, Brokedown Palace, which quickly found its way to its position in the set where it would stay: closing. This is a lovely version, with Jerry playing acoustic again, beautiful harmony singing, and clear, crisp acoustic guitars.

Upon reflection, we see that out of a twelve song first set, Jerry Garcia sings lead on ten of them. Bobby takes the reins on Dark Hollow, and the other song is the ensemble piece, Truckin’, though most people probably consider this a Bobby tune. Jerry lovers cannot be disappointed with this set, it’s really a masterpiece and virtuoso performance. In my opinion, this ranks as the best acoustic set the Dead ever performed. It's definitely my favorite ever.

The electric set opens with an energized Casey Jones. Nothing really stands out about this version, it’s as good as it always is.

Jerry keeps things moving with a sweet China->Rider. Fiery jams in between the verses of China Cat are played to perfection. The transition to Rider peters out slightly near the end, but there’s some cool unique jamming near the beginning of Rider that makes up for it.

Up next, Candyman. The archive version cuts the first few seconds out of the tune, one of the few flaws in this outstanding recording. Jerry’s first guitar solo here is, while short, really nicely done, and evokes some real emotion going into the “oohs.” This is a nice, mellow break after the smoking China Rider.

Next ANOTHER Jerry vocal. Did Bobby have laryngitis or something this night? I’m not complaining. The band delves into the 60’s with an upbeat Sitting On Top of the World. I love hearing the boys play this tune, especially later versions as it is generally completely unexpected. The jam at the end is great.

Some really interesting three part harmony from Jerry, Bobby and Pig Pen highlight the rare Big Boy Pete. This would be the last time we heard this song till the band revived it for one last time at the Kaiser on 11/21/85.

Bobby finally sings us a song next, for the third time in a three show run he offers up Me & My Uncle. Nothing special here.

Pigpen takes up the mike for Easy Wind. This version seems a little bit slower and bluesier than usual. It’s not one of the best versions, with the transitions not as jumpy and exciting as usual.

Bobby sings us an early version of Sugar Magnolia next, only the seventh time played. Jerry shreds it up with the first solo, exciting and full of energy. I love any Sugar Mag that has the boys trying the “doo doo doos” even though it never really sounded that good.

One of my favorite songs is broken out next, Attics of My Life. The band really takes its time with this version, and the harmonies shine.

Bobby sings Mama Tried, and nothing really comes of it. Very short and nothing special at all about it.

But things pick right up with an energized Not Fade Away. Really inventive, exciting soloing make this a standout version. Phil’s booming bass brings the whole jam into some unexplored territories, and it really works. You can hear the genesis of the Going Down the Road transitions here, which wouldn’t be paired with NFA for the first time for another few weeks, until 10-10-70. The We Bid You Goodnight jam is prevalent near the end.

The whole jam blends into a blistering latter day Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks.) Pig Pen has some genuinely funny moments in his rap before the whole thing takes off into uncharted territory. Peppy, bluegrassy jamming and harmonica fills are intercut with sudden bursts of frightening psychedelic explosions. The recording is unfortunately marred by some weird volume fluctuations throughout the song, but I’m not sure if this was an intended effect or not. It ticks me off though, because it really messes up some of the best parts of the song, until it finally cuts out completely and transitions into the always weird and unfathomable Feedback.

I always love whenever Feedback slowly and softly fades out and the singers come together into We Bid You Goodnight. A perfect ending for an outstanding show.

Head on over to the archive and download this before they realize their mistake and fix the tags so it’s listed as a soundboard and you can’t access it anymore. Here’s the link:

http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=26098

Grateful Dead: 03/28/1990, Nassau Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York

2005-12-27T22:35:00.000-05:00

Grateful Dead: 03/28/1990, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale New York

Set list:
I. Cold Rain & Snow, New Minglewood Blues, Easy To Love You, High Time, Queen Jane Approximately, Loose Lucy, Cassidy, Deal

II. Foolish Heart, Looks Like Rain, Cumberland Blues, The Weight, Hey Pocky Way, Drums-> Space-> Other One Jam-> The Other One-> Wharf Rat-> Good Lovin'

Encore: Revolution

The Grateful Dead was at their absolute “post-coma” peak from the summer of 1989 through the summer of 1990. They had never been more popular, playing at consistently sold out venues and even selling out some huge arenas. Jerry Garcia was by all reports clean and sober, and his playing and singing hadn’t been as good since the late 70’s. The whole band, as always, fed off Garcia’s newfound energy and their playing reached levels not seen for over a decade. It’s no accident that this era of the Grateful Dead’s playing has been heavily mined by Grateful Dead Productions for official releases. These include:

Truckin’ Up To Buffalo (Rich Stadium, 7/4/89)
Downhill from Here (Alpine Valley Music Center, 7/17 & 7/19/1989)
Nightfall of Diamonds (Meadowlands Arena, 10/16/1989)
Grateful Dead – Terrapin Limited (Landover Capital Center, 3/15/1990)
Dozin’ At the Knick (Knickerbocker Arena, 3/24, 3/25, & 3/26/1990)
View from the Vault III (Shoreline Amphitheater, 6/16/1990)
View from the Vault I (Cardinal Stadium, 7/6/1990 & Three Rivers Stadium 7/8/1990)
Without A Net (tracks culled from the Fall 1989 and Spring 1990 tours)

In addition to these wonderful releases, this era of the Grateful Dead’s touring contains some of the most popular live recordings in circulation among traders, including the brilliant Warlocks shows from 10/8 &10/9/1989, Ontario Canada 3/22/1990, and the rightfully famous 3/29/1990, which featured the band’s first meeting with jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis.

During this incredibly prolific year, the Dead revived or introduced a number of new songs, such as We Bid You Goodnight, Death Don’t Have No Mercy, Help On the Way-> Slipknot, Dark Star, Attics Of My Life, Loose Lucy, Black Throated Wind, Easy To Love You, Revolution, The Last Time, and Hey Jude.

For all these reasons, many Deadheads are distracted by the glitter and glamour of the recordings listed above, and the 3/28/1990 show at Nassau Coliseum is unfairly overlooked and unknown. This is a real shame, because those that give this show a good listen will find that it stands up next to any single one of the shows or recordings listed above. On to the review...

3/28/90 features one of the best first sets of the year. The first set of this show is all about Jerry. His song selection is what makes the set so unique and different. The set opens with a smoking Cold Rain and Snow, which always seems to portend a special night ahead. The jams are crisp and concise, with none of the fumbling or lost feeling that you sometimes hear when Jerry noodles around a tight arrangement like this. There’s nothing tentative about the harmony singing here, with Brent and Bob pitch perfect. Brent does a little noodling around the melody with his organ near the end of the song, adding a nice touch.

Next Bob sings New Minglewood Blues, highlighted by Jerry’s creative, fiery guitar soloing apparent from the very first break. Bob sings about “Island fillies looking good” and “tea right here in Long Island” to get the hometown crowd nice and fired up. The second break features a couple of measures of some smoking organ solos by Brent, but unfortunately before he gets really cooking he’s prematurely cut off by Bob’s attempts at some slide guitar soloing. On my recording his guitar is way down in the mix, barely audible over Jerry’s rhythm and the drums. Jerry takes over with some more lead and saves the jam from petering out.

Brent takes over singing lead with a pretty Easy To Love You. This was the third performance of this tune since it was revived two weeks earlier in Landover, MD. The arrangement is tight and Jerry plays some really nice licks behind Brent’s singing. This is pretty low on my list of favorite Brent tunes, but this is a nice version. A sweet tinkling piano solo, a tight guitar solo, and nice backup singing by Jerry are the highlights here.

Jerry takes back control of the set, and continues the eclectic song selection of this set with the first High Time in over a year. A perfect time to break it out…his voice had never been stronger, and this version hit every note perfectly. The bridge is sung as beautifully as I’ve ever heard it, and all through the song the plaintive and wavering quality in Jerry’s singing makes this version stand out as a highlight of the set. No lead break here and no need for one, really. It’s all about Jerry’s masterful control of the lyrics.

Bobby sings Dylan’s Queen Jane Approximately next, which I was always so glad to hear ever since they started playing this after their tour with Bob Dylan in 1987. I found this tune a lot more satisfying in this position than some of Weir’s other choices. There are more opportunities here for some creative Jerry noodling behind Bob’s singing, and he takes full advantage. I love his harmony singing in this song as well, he sounds perfect in the high harmony here. The first instrumental break is a moving jam by Garcia with some really unique interplay with Brent’s piano for a few measures.

To the delight of everyone involved, Jerry keeps things moving full force by pulling Loose Lucy out of his bag of tricks. This is the third time they played this great song since its revival in Landover MD on 3/14/90, and this version is sweet. The singing is really strong. Jerry really belts this out, and his jamming is raunchy and wonderful. Brent’s fills are perfect, not distracting in any way but add just the right amount to the mix. Jerry forgets to sing the “Bebop Baby” verse, but the jam in place of it is so fiery and smoking that it’s barely missed. This is one of my favorite first set tunes in the Dead’s repertoire.

Bob Weir’s Cassidy is next, with Brent harmonizing really nicely through the first two verses and bridge. The jam that follows “faring thee well now” never reaches the peak of weirdness that you’ll sometimes find in this song, but the result is a tight spacey jam that completely satisfies. Here’s a really interesting link I found featuring John Barlow writing about his experiences with Neal Cassady, and the origins of the lyrics of this song. Definitely check it out if you haven’t seen this:

http://www.litkicks.com/Topics/BarlowOnNeal.html

This set closes with a really above average Deal. Jerry’s leads are superb, and Brent plays his organ like his ass is on fire. It sounds like the drummers get really excited during the last jam in this song…someone is slamming really hard on their kit. At the end of the tune, after a fiery jam, everything gets quiet as Jerry nearly whispers the repeated lyrics over and over until exploding into the finale and ending the set.

Jerry opens the second set with Foolish Heart, a song I love wherever it appears in a set. The soundboard I have cuts a couple seconds off the beginning of the tune, and I haven’t seen any versions without this cut. This song explodes out of the bridge into a beautiful jam that never loses its cohesiveness, feels forced or floundering. It’s a perfect example of what I love about this show. As you’ll see from the song selection that follows, the best word you could use to describe this show is "deliberate." There are no wasted notes here. Every jam is tight, and the loose, spacey feel that is so much a part of the Grateful Dead is little evidenced tonight. It makes for a unique experience, and really shows off the sheer musicianship and talents of every player in this band.

Bob’s next song is Looks Like Rain, one of my favorites of his. Any song that affords Jerry the opportunity to noodle away behind Bobby’s singing is ok in my book (see El Paso for another good example of this) and there’s plenty of it here. There’s some cool thunder effects provided by the drummers near the end of the song. This version of Looks Like Rain was taken and recorded for the tour compilation released by the Dead, Without A Net.

Jerry keeps everyone on their toes with the second of only three Cumberland Blues’ in 1990. Bobby comes in early for the first verse and gets a laugh from the crowd. It doesn’t faze anyone though, because this song just smokes right along. Listen for some really imaginative soloing around 4:45 into the tune.

Next is the cool breakout of this show…the first appearance of The Weight. It rarely sounded this good, the harmonizing sweet and vocals in general very good. Even on my soundboard version of this show, you can hear the audience explode when they figure out what song the Dead are playing. They burst out even louder with pleasure when Phil takes his verse. There’s a little bit of confusion following the instrumental jam after Bobby’s verse. It seems like they didn’t have the arrangement perfectly down yet, and the jam is aborted. The song ends with a sweetly harmonized last verse. This song would generally be played as an encore in later shows, and seems a bit out of place here in the set, but from the perspective of a breakout it is really well done.

Brent gets to lead us into the drum solo by belting out a raging Hey Pocky Way. His organ solo really soars and you can tell he was ready to explode by the time he got set loose on this song. Jerry’s solo smokes as well. This is one of the best Brent tunes, full of energy and opportunity.

Drums is about ten minutes, not much to say about it. It doesn’t really take off like some of the drum breaks around this time period. About seven minutes after the band comes back on stage space morphs into what soon becomes a clear jam into The Other One. It’s a really smooth, funky transition, and a nice change from the explosive openings we usually hear for this song. There’s neat echo on Bob’s vocals adding a nice touch. Once Bob starts the vocals the song only has about another three minutes left in it, but they are a wild three minutes.

Other One segues sweetly and perfectly into the always moving Wharf Rat. Jerry’s vocals continue to highlight and be perfectly on the mark in this powerful rendition of this song.

Bobby closes the set with an upbeat Good Lovin’. Check out near the end of the first verse for two of the girliest squeals you have ever heard emanate from Bob Weir’s vocal chords. Verse two is handled robustly by Brent. Jerry’s first jam reminded me of the cool Good Lovin-> La Bamba-> Good Lovin’ sandwiches we heard a few times in 1987. The verse after the jam features some really cool interplay between Bob singing lead and Jerry joining Brent with the “ooh baby baby” response and then moving to the “got to have loving” line. Very nice.

The encore features the band’s final performance of the Beatles’ Revolution. I guess Jerry finally gave up on getting the words right; I don’t think there is a single version of this song done by the Dead that has correct lyrics. It’s a shame they didn’t bring this back once the band added teleprompters to the stage, because this song was a huge crowd pleaser. Once again, even on the soundboard, you can hear the crowd explode in joy at the first few notes of this tune. A great closer, muddled lyrics and all.

So that’s it…this is a great show and definitely a worthy addition to any Deadhead’s collection. Like I mentioned above, it is certainly unique with the absence of some truly psychedelic jamming. This show reminds me of the best of the shows we heard the Dead play in 1971, when the songs were frequently short and the playing extremely tight. This brings me to the point where I am tempted to post a link to this show where you can easily download a soundboard copy for yourself. But partly with respect for the band’s (or Bob Weir’s) expressed wish that soundboards not be distributed over certain websites and partly because I don’t want the websites that do continue to host these boards to get in any trouble, I've decided not to post these links. If my review has piqued your interest and you want to hear the show for yourself, get in touch with me through here or drop me an email (jobygoob@aol.com) and I’ll send you the link.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

2005-12-27T09:51:00.000-05:00

Here's wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.

I am extremely gratified by all the positive response I have received to my first couple of reviews. Thank you all for your support.

My next review should be up within the next few days, so please keep checking back.

Jerry Garcia Band, 08-29-1987, French's Camp at Eel River, Piercy California

2005-12-22T01:33:00.000-05:00

Review: Jerry Garcia Band, 08-29-1987 French’s Camp on the Eel River, Piercy California

Set 1: Acoustic Set

Deep Elem Blues, I've Been All Around This World, Friend Of The Devil, Trouble In Mind, Little Sadie, Diamond Joe, Spike Driver Blues, Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie, I’m Troubled, Ripple

Set 2: Electric Set

How Sweet It Is, Forever Young, Get Out Of My Life Woman, Run For The Roses, And It Stoned Me, Sisters and Brothers, Deal

Set 3: Electric Set

The Harder They Come, I Shall Be Released, Think, Evangeline, Gomorrah, Let It Rock, Lucky Old Sun, Tangled Up In Blue

This is hands down one of the cleanest, best sounding soundboards I’ve ever heard of a Jerry Garcia Band show. As you may know, Jerry never authorized recording of any incarnation of the Jerry Garcia Band, so most recordings in circulation are stealth audience recordings. Soundboard patches were few and far between, so every one in current circulation is like gold to me. This one is absolutely perfect, with a pristine mix and gorgeous tone all the way through.

This show is a fantastic representation of the kinds of shows Jerry was playing during his run with the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band, as well as this final lineup of the Jerry Garcia electric band. This particular show is unique in several ways. First, it is the premiere performance of the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band. Second, it is the only time that Jerry played an acoustic set with JGAB as well as two full electric sets with his regular band. At all the shows after this one there was only one electric set following the acoustic set. Finally, the acoustic set contained the only known performance by this band of Friend of the Devil, and one of only two versions of Little Sadie.

A little about the site itself: French’s Camp at Eel River is a gorgeous site in Humboldt County, in Northern California. Now you probably are aware, Humboldt County is known for more than its gorgeous scenery. You have to imagine that this beautiful outdoor venue in the heart of the summer had some splendid aromas wafting through the air, and I’m not talking about the scent of fresh pine. Here’s an aerial shot of the campsite taken in 2003 during the annual reggae festival held there:

Nice place to see a show, huh?

On to the review:

The Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band featured JGB regulars John Kahn on bass and David Kemper on drums. Rounding out the group were Jerry’s old friends David Nelson on rhythm guitar and Sandy Rothman on mandolin and dobro. Both Nelson and Rothman were longtime associates of Garcia, from as far back as one of Garcia’s earliest live bluegrass bands, the Black Mountain Boys. Several recordings of the Black Mountain Boys are known to circulate amongst traders from various dates around early 1964. David Nelson later helped form the New Riders of the Purple Sage, who frequently toured with the Grateful Dead in the early 1970’s and for a time featured Garcia sitting in on pedal steel guitar and banjo. Garcia also appears on three of the New Riders early studio albums. There’s a lot of history in the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band, and you can tell by how tight this band played on their very first live performance.

The acoustic set starts off with a peppy, rousing version of Deep Elem Blues. This song was probably made most famous by its version on the GD album Reckoning, but one of the earliest incarnations I’ve heard is from as far back as 1965, and this version is reminiscent of those early days. Upbeat soloing from Garcia and Rothman, and clear, crisp vocals mark the beginning of this great set. Next is the traditional classic, I’ve Been All Around This World, another highlight of the early 80’s acoustic Dead sets. Jerry’s picking here somehow seems both melancholy and upbeat, no mean feat, but perfectly suited to the themes of loss and redemption inherent in this song. From here we hear the only known performance of Friend of the Devil by this incarnation of the JGB. It’s fairly similar to many of the slower, more sedate versions of this song we’ve all heard the Dead, JGB, and Garcia/Grisman perform. Nelson’s backup guitar is a real nice addition though, he’s more studied in the bluegrass style than Bobby Weir ever was, and you can really hear the difference here if you listen. A superior, melodic Jerry guitar solo helps this version stand out from many of the others. Next, Trouble In Mind showcases Jerry’s bluesy chops, and features some great singing by Garcia. Little Sadie marks another return to an old classic of Garcia’s, played only four times by the Dead but a number of times during his solo acoustic shows in the early and mid 80’s and his duets with John Kahn from the same era. This version is solid and enjoyable, with some nice backup jamming from Sandy Rothman on the mandolin. David Nelson takes over on vocals for an upbeat version of Tex Logan’s Diamond Joe. Tex Logan was an accomplished fiddle player and played in a number of bands throughout the 1970’s, notably the New Lost City Ramblers. Next Jerry takes back vocal duties for a bluesy jam of Mississippi John Hurt’s delta blues classic Spike Driver Blues. Up next is a really nice version of Elizabeth Cotton’s Oh Babe it Ain’t No Lie, featuring some really interesting guitar work by David Nelson here. There’s a cool story about the origins of this song at the following site: http://www3.clearlight.com/~acsa/introjs.htm?/~acsa/songfile/OHBABEIT.HTM

The band picks things up again and features some unique vocal harmonies in this version of I’m Troubled. The set closes with a nice version of Ripple. Any time Jerry sings this song you can’t help but feel good and sway back and forth in time to the simple, hypnotic melody. Nelson and Rothman’s backup guitar and mandolin add a lot to this sweet version. This fantastic acoustic set is a true precursor to the classic performances this band will go on to display at the famous series of Lunt-Fontanne shows on Broadway in New York City later in 1987. This set in itself stands on its own as a classic.

Next the Jerry Garcia Band takes the stage for two full electric sets. This version of the JGB is the same band he would continue to play with until his death, consisting of John Kahn on bass, David Kemper on Drums, Melvin Seals on electric organ, and Gloria Jones and Jackie LaBranch on backing vocals. The sound quality on the recording I have takes a small hit during the electric set, I don’t know if it’s the mix or what, it just seemed to me the acoustic set sounded a lot crisper and clearer. The quality is still A+, just not the A+++ of the first set.

How Sweet It Is was always a great, rousing opener to any JGB show, and this one is peppy and full of energy. Great solos and flawless vocals help this version stand out from the many others. Jerry’s fine vocals throughout this show are one of the prime reasons this show is so good. Bob Dylan’s Forever Young is next, and is of anthemic proportions. Jerry’s solo work is heartbreakingly beautiful here. Things pick right up again with a one-two punch of Get Out Of My Life Woman, and Run For the Roses. Roses is notable again for the fine vocal work and none of the lyrical flubs that were somewhat common due to the difficult pacing of this song. Van Morrison’s And It Stoned Me comes next, and it’s another great version. When Jerry didn’t sound good, this tune could really drag a set down, but not this time. Here he sings with real emotion and you can feel it in his unique guitar work as well. An average Sisters & Brothers comes next, which segues right in to a rousing, smoking Deal to end the second set.

Set three opens up on a high, energetic note with an eleven minute Harder They Come. Melvin always came alive during this tune, and this version is no exception. I Shall Be Released is next in the set, and with all the power and pathos that comes with this version of the song, it would have been better suited to closer to the end of the set. The soloing is just gorgeous here, and you can feel the resignation tinged with hope come out of every note played. Jerry had such an incredible instinct for how long to hang on to a note, and it really show during this song. A nice bluesy jam comes next with Think and the energy of the set picks up again during Evangeline. Next comes one of my favorite JGB tunes, Gomorrah. I do prefer the Keith and Donna versions of this tune, however, even though this one is really, really nice. Another of my favorites comes next, Let It Rock, but unfortunately Jerry starts to sound a bit tired here. His guitar certainly didn’t suffer any, but his voice starts to waver a bit, and he starts to have some of the first problems of the day remembering lyrics here. Hey, I’ll cut him some slack, it’s been a monster, epic day of music. Lucky Old Sun showcases Melvin Seals’ fine organ work, but the set really drags to a halt here. Not one of my favorites. Things pick right back up again, however, with a fantastic version of Bob Dylan’s Tangled Up In Blue. What a pleasure it always is to hear Jerry sing Tangled. You can tell in every line and every jam how much he loves this song.

All in all this is a classic show. The acoustic set alone makes it a sure-fire download, and followed by two solid electric sets, this one is definitely a keeper in my book.

Just to get things started..."Formerly the Warlocks" 10/9/1989 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton Va

2005-12-21T12:31:00.000-05:00

I think, just to get things going, I'll post a copy of a review I wrote for the Live Music Archive of one of my favorite Dead shows I had the good fortune to attend back in 1989. This show was probably the pinnacle of my live concert experiences...nothing I've seen since then has equalled the total rush, the amazing thrill of that outstanding second set. Check the bottom of the review for some links where you can download and/or stream the show over the internet.

Setlist:

I. Feel Like A Stranger, Built To Last, Little Red Rooster, Ramble On Rose, We Can Run But We Can't Hide, Jack A Roe, Memphis Blues, Row Jimmy, The Music Never Stopped

II. Playin' In The Band-> Uncle John's Band-> Playin' In The Band Reprise, Dark Star-> Drums-> Jam-> Death Don't Have No Mercy-> Dear Mr. Fantasy-> Hey Jude Reprise-> Throwing Stones-> Good Lovin'

E: Attics Of My Life

Review: "Hey man, you got your Attics!"

I was one of the lucky few thousands that was at this monster show, and along with the birth of my baby girl, it is the memory that I will cherish most of all for the rest of my life. I have certainly never been to any live concert that comes close to equaling the experience.

It was the fall semester of my junior year at Penn State in 1989, and my buddy Mike and I heard about the "stealth" Warlocks shows from the daughter of a woman that lived in State College who used to date Rob Wasserman and was friendly with Bob Weir. We immediately agreed that there was obviously no option other than scraping together every dime we could and heading down to Hampton for the shows.

We got to the 10/8 show at around five o clock that afternoon, and no tickets were to be found. They had sold out, and though we tried as hard as we could, nobody kicked us any down in the lot. We missed 10/8. I was bummin', coming all the way down with no tix for either show was starting to seem like a big mistake. But later that night we spied a trailer set up at the far end of the parking lot outside the venue, with about fifty or so Heads lined up outside it. It turned out they were selling tickets for the 10/9 show. Both Mike and I scored tix and our outlooks suddenly changed mightily. Those lime green beauties with the "Warlocks" in gold embossed lettering were a joy to behold.

While the show was on that first night, I remember coming upon a pretty young thing hanging by a fountain right outside the Coliseum. We could hear the faint strains of Help->Slip echoing from inside the venue, and she was in tears that she couldn't get inside the show that night. I comforted her by saying that we were both going in tomorrow night, and that was going to be the big show anyway. I had no idea how prophetic my words were.

We couldn't afford a hotel room, so we partied in the streets all night long. As soon as they allowed cars back in the lot, around 8am or so, we pulled in and I sat myself down at the front of the line that had already started to form at the yellow police tape about 100 yards away from the Coliseums entrance. This was a general admission show and I wanted prime position on the floor. The ten or so hours before they let us in the venue flew by, and my perserverence paid off. I wound up in the best spot I could imagine when they let us in: right in front of the stage, smack dab in the middle of Jerry and Bob.

When the band took the stage, the boys were clearly in a fantastic mood. Phil was all smiles, pointing, laughing, and waving at people in the crowd. The first set smoked, but was not exactly mind blowing. Other than the phenominal Stranger ("long, long, crazy, crazy tour," classic Brent!) the Row Jimmy and Jack A Roe, there weren't really any songs that I was completely stoked to see. It certainly didn't give us any indication as to the history making set that was to come.

In between sets a mop topped Deadhead with a spiral bound notebook and pen in hand came by, interviewing folks and asking them what they thought was going to be played in the second set. I had heard about a week before that the band had been soundchecking Attics out west, and I had a strong feeling that this was going to be the breakout. When I told him my prediction, I remember getting a strange look of disbelief as he moved on. I also remember there was someone up in the lighting catwalks high above the stage with a laser pointer, and he had it right on my chest in between sets. I grinned and waved at him and he moved it along to others around me.

The boys came out for set two and we were blown away early. Playin was funky and amazing, the Uncle John's perfect with sweet harmonies slipping quickly into psychedelic scary jamming back into the Playin reprise. When those opening notes of Dark Star thundered out, I started jumping up and down like a pogo stick. I literally jumped out of my shoes. My buddy Mike had his hands on my shoulders behind me, and if he hadn't held me down I probably would have shot right out the roof of the arena like a rocket ship. Drums and Space were perfectly appropriate, and the Death Don't brought down the explosive energy in a haunting and profound manner. Fantasy->Jude, Throwin Stones, Good Lovin' brought us back to the standard set closers of this era with nice energy and a crowd pleasing finish. The encore was as beautiful an experience as I think I've ever had. I can't find the words to express what a moment it was for me. It's such a gorgeous, meaningful song, Hunter/Garcia at their poetic, melodic best. And the boys nailed it tonight.

After the show, everyone was stunned and drained. As the crowd was letting out of the arena, I saw the guy that took my prediction in between sets, and he pointed at me saying, "Hey man, you got your Attics!" I grinned back at him ear to ear. I sure had.

Stream a soundboard of this show: http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=16033

Download an audience recording of this show: http://www.archive.org/audio/etree-details-db.php?id=16257

Welcome to Jobygoob's Retro Reviews!

2005-12-21T11:49:00.000-05:00

Hey now everyone, so glad you made it!

Welcome to Retro Reviews. I am pretty new to the world of blogging, so bear with me as I plow my way through the one and zeroes. My plan is to use this site to share some reviews of the live music I have obtained over the years. I'm a huge Grateful Dead fan, and the live Dead in my collection outnumbers everything else by about twenty to one. The reviews here will reflect this, so you'll find more reviews of Dead shows here than anything else. Over time, I plan to share some of my thoughts on the various Neil Young, Bob Dylan, CSNY, Jerry Garcia Band, and Garcia/Grisman live recordings in my collection as well. I got this idea when I stumbled across a terriffic site run by Jonathan Laughlin. Check it out here: http://jonathanlaughlin.com/df/

A little about myself: My name is Joby. I'm a 36 year old, married father of one beautiful little 18 month old girl named Riley Sylvia, whose picture you should see on the right if I did this correctly ;) We all live in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I grew up in and around Philadelphia, and before I started travelling long distances to see the Dead, most of my concert experiences were here in Philly.

I'm a social worker at a large hospital in central Philadelphia. I've worked for about fifteen years now with adults and children that have developmental disabilities. I'm also an amateur musician, although I haven't played in a band for a few years now.

Anyway, that should do for now. Hopefully over time you'll get to know me a little better and I'll get to know some of you. I should be posting my first review within a couple of days. I really hope that this blog can add something in some small way to the vast online community of Deadheads and live music lovers. Like I said, I am new to this so please feel free to get in touch with me and post any comments, ideas, or suggestions you might have.