Oh sweet mama, your daddy's got them Deep Elem Blues
Deep Elem Blues is a upbeat bluesy acoustic song that always reminds me of Reckoning or Garcia/Kahn acoustic shows.
The song is not an original Grateful Dead tune but I am not sure who the credit for the tune goes to. It is about the red light district around Elm Street in Dallas. The message is about the shady areas and the activity that the narrator sings to the listener. Each verse features a little twist and the sense of humor definitely has the Grateful Dead spirit of celebrating some of the more tragic parts of life:
Once I had a girlfriend, she meant the world to me She went down to Deep Elem, now she ain't what she used to be
It's a simple song, and a pretty catchy one. I don't have much to say about the song except to point out that Reckoning is definitely not my favorite Grateful Dead album (or period). A lot of the "traditional standards" the Dead covered are completely forgettable - like Monkey & the Engineer and Tom Dooley (of course that's just my opinion). Deep Elem Blues is one of the better traditional standards that came out of this period (although the GD played it going back to 1966).
I really enjoy hearing it during Garcia acoustic shows (with John Kahn on bass). A fine example of this is a youtube I've embedded below in which Deep Elem Blues is the set opener.
Deep Elem Blues Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 7.0
Disclaimer: This is part of my blog that reviews all things Grateful Dead for fun. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion (and be sure to read myblog manifestoto understand a little more about where I'm coming from).
He managed the band through interesting phases- during the making/touring of Workingman's Dead and American Beauty (early 70's) and then again through the mid '80's which saw In The Dark and the success of Touch of Grey.
He has passed away from cancer at his home in Stinson Beach, CA. Stinson Beach on yesterday (Thursday Februrary 16th, 2012) due to cancer.
He was said to have created the following note which was included with Skull & Roses and is credited as beginning the longstanding Grateful Dead newsletter community/family (no doubt partially responsible for Grateful Dead Tickets - independently providing tickets directly through the mail to the Grateful Dead community for many years through the 80s and 90s).
Growing Up Dead: The Hallucinated Confessions of a Teenage Deadhead by Peter Conners
Another book I read during my 3 years hiatus from this blog was Growing up Dead. I enjoyed this book immensely in much the same way as Tiger in a Trance. Both books share some similarities but reading one does not detract from enjoying the other.
This book is about an East Coast teenager who get's hip to The Dead in his teen years. Peter's first show is 1987 at the age of 16 and it is an epic concert at Kingswood Theater in Canada. He proceeds to follow the band on and off until their final shows in 1995.
It's great to read passages about "life on the bus" (a vw camper in this case) and the daily grind of going to shows and making it to the next one. Also, this book is a little more detailed about the Dead concert musical experience than Tiger in a Trance. Peter gives detailed reviews of seleced shows.
You will also enjoy reading about Peter's life "off of tour-" going to college (on and off) and trying to find himself on the road. He makes some amusing observations about social structure of teenagers and how hippies fit into that.
The protagonist gets disillusioned with the Dead scene in the later years of the band's existence - pointing out the problems like arrests and the crowd gate crashing shows (at Deer Creek). He does get interested in some of the newer jam band upstarts on the East Coast during this period (like Phish, Blues Traveler, etc).
Overall, if you want to go down memory lane and be reminded (or learn about) life on the Dead lot in the 80's - this book will not disappoint.
Growing up Dead Book Rating: N/A(not going to do any more numerical ratings of books like this because they are not perfect yet I am too appreciative of their existence to give anything but a 10.0).
I did a lot of reading during the 3 years hiatus from this blog and one of the books that I enjoyed was Tiger in a Trance by Max Ludington.
This is an autobiographical account of a head on tour during the 1980s in his teens and twenties. It is really great to read his account of life on tour including:
making ends meet on tour
drug use on tour
life in the GD parking lot
romantic encounters and relationships on tour
travelling throughout America on tour
It delivers the kind of stories you would hope for and definitely made my pulse quicken a little as I read his account of events like going to shows and taking psychedelics.
You get to read a little about some family type relationships that the protagonist manages, as well as romantic ones. But if you are like me, you are reading for the extensive accounts of tour life - going to shows, getting to the next show, getting a hotel room, dodging the police. This book does deliver on this account.
One quote that really got me from this book was Max describing a night of tripping after a show (at this point he's back in the hotel):
"... I was hit with the change-of-atmosphere bug, a mild case of it since the acid had mostly worn off, but there it was. Fresh air, new places.I ppushed myself into a standing position against the wall and felt for the room key in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the blue plastic Sheraton diamond. I would need it to get past security in the lobby."
Suffice to say little moments like these are what triggered great memories for me as a reader.
The protagonist ends up leaving the tour scene and experiencing a whole different kind of life experience (and probably this other part of his life would make a great novel as well). He checks back in on tour after and things have changed or he has changed so the road seems to end.
This book is a thoroughly enjoyable for fans of the Grateful Dead, drug culture, or coming of age stories. If you are a fan of all then it is a must read.
Tiger in a Trance Book Rating: N/A(not going to do any more numerical ratings of books like this because they are not perfect yet I am too appreciative of their existence to give anything but a 10.0).
Death Don't Have no Mercy is a great slow bluesy grind that the Dead played early in their career (from 1966 through 1970) and also revived in 1989.
Death Don't Have no Mercy was written by Reverend Gary Davis and Jerry Garcia sings the whole song on Live/Dead. I can only assume that he did so on all the old versions of the song. The 1989 version of the tune has Jerry singing the first verse, then Bob, then Brent, and then Jerry.
This song is really dark, and could be boring. But the performances I've heard are really ominous and the Dead "pull it off" by keeping the song interesting with this dark energy.
An Unbelievable Guitar Performance
The version that is on the So Many Roads Box Set features some really unbelievable soloing by Garcia. Garcia's lyrical guitar style is typically associated with clean jazzy leads (or at least that's what I feel best represents his talent). I do not really associate Garcia with "shredding the blues" - which is what many guitarists build their entire career on.
However, this performance features Garcia "shredding the blues" and it is just an unbelievable lead. It is really flawless and almost hard to believe it is a "one-take" live performance. I could almost point to this guitar performance as a sort of pinnacle of Garcia's later years. Also, bonus points for him pulling it off at Shoreline (commonly referred to as "Snoreline"), where Garcia (and the band) often seemed a little too relaxed to pull off career defining musical moments.
Here is the link where you can hear 9-29-89 Shoreline on archive.org.
Death Don't Have no Mercy Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.3
Disclaimer: This is part of my blog that reviews all things Grateful Dead for fun. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion (and be sure to read myblog manifestoto understand a little more about where I'm coming from).
Deal was a smoking first set closer (in the latter years of JGB and the Grateful Dead). Every JGB show I saw closed the first set with this song and at least a couple of the Grateful Dead shows I saw did as well.
Deal has kind of an "old timey" honkey tonk feel to it. The song structure has 7th chords and diminished chords that you might find in classic show tunes but not very common in pop music these days. It is kind of tongue in cheek song lyrically. The lyrics are about a wiley gambler who is giving some advice to the listener. The character is reminiscent of the character in Loser.
The main takeaway about Deal is that it has smoking solos by Garcia that are supported by the surging energy of the supporting cast. Jerry played the song so many times and it is a simple progression so when I hear Jerry ripping through the 2nd or 3rd solo in Deal, words that come to mind are "workmanlike." It seems that this is Jerry "in the shop," and he is "doing the job." He always tried to play down his fame by referring to himself as "just a guitar player."
A Garcia 'Signature' Song?
Is it somewhat of a Garcia signature song? I'd say so - but only one of several signature songs (Scarlet Begonias, Bird Song, and Morning Dew are others that come to mind). Jerry was so consistent on Deal and the frequency it was played with the JGB makes me consider it a Garcia signature song.
Deal was the first track on Jerry's first solo album Garcia (released in 1972). Other original songs on this album: Bird Song, Sugaree, Loser, The Wheel, and To Lay Me Down - so Garcia is a "must have" album.
DealSong Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.0
Disclaimer: This is part of my blog that reviews all things Grateful Dead for fun. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion (and be sure to read myblog manifestoto understand a little more about where I'm coming from).
Polished like a golden bowl... the finest ever seen.
This song review is going to really reveal my bias about The Dead (re: Jerry favoritism and preferring late-era Dead). To me Days Between is "the final masterpiece."
This song was underwhelmingly received when I was seeing shows, and I've heard some pretty devoted Deadheads state they don't like it. I find this hard to understand because to me this song is completely original and very moving. I think when Days Between was originally introduced, the "newness" factor made some Deadheads not like this song - because they'd rather hear a tune that they were more "connected" to. But to me, all Dead music was new at the time when I heard this song, and it really stands out.
An Original Structure and Spotty Performances
This song has a really original song structure that moves from an opening theme through a building chord progression that comes back to the opening theme after the climax. It's a kind of linear structure that escalates in intensity and there is no traditional verse, chorus or bridge. Jerry would occasionally solo over the entire chord cycle, but more commonly solo over the opening coda (when it is played at the end).
Since I specialize in listening to '90s Dead, I've heard most of the versions of Days Between, and it usually is played after Space (or after a more upbeat song that came out of Space). Performances of Days Between were rather varied in the way the band approached it, and some are much better than others. My favorite versions are the ones that have a pulsing undercurrent from the rhythm section that really builds in intensity throughout the song. Other times, it was a little listless. Sometimes Jerry was definitely more "on" than others (like all songs). When he would take one of the full chord cycles for a solo, it is usually pretty sloppy, but when he would solo at the end (over the opening theme), it usually came off better. There's a great version of it on a youtube video at the bottom of this blog post - thatnks to roadrunnerismyname for the post.
I think the fact that the Dead were still pretty new to the song (it was in the repertoire for about 3 years when Jerry died) explains why it was a little inconsistent. They were still finding their way with this tune.
The "studio demo" version that is on the So Many Roads Box Set is decent, but nothing great.
Hunter and Garcia's Final Masterpiece
In my opinion, as much (or more) credit goes to Hunter on this tune. The lyrics are really special. There is a sense of nostalgia and wonder throughout the song. And, as the best art always does reflect life, there is also kind of a dark brooding sense of fear and loss: Summer flies and August dies, and the world grows dark and mean...
Hearing Jerry sing "When all we ever wanted, was to learn and love and grow" still gives me chills, but I really like lines like this too: "No one knows much more of this, than anyone can see..." To me it is saying to not seek answers from anyone else, but just try to make the most of this short window of time we have on this planet.
The Days Between August 1st and August 9th
There's kind of a legend that the "Days Between" August 1st and August 9th have a special significance because Jerry was born on August 1st and died on August 9th. I always try to observe this time period as much as possible to reflect on the man and the music he created. The gamut of emotions that this reflection brings are as varied as the range of themes that are present in Days Between: from wonder to fear. From joy to loss.
Days BetweenSong Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.9
Disclaimer: This is part of my blog that reviews all things Grateful Dead for fun. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion (and be sure to read myblog manifestoto understand a little more about where I'm coming from).
Posts
