Sunday, July 22, 2012

Eyes of the World - Grateful Dead Song Review

This not only might be a signature Garcia/Hunter song, it might be the signature Grateful Dead song.

When you hear Eyes start, it's unmistakeable. That jazzy EMaj7 chord cruises along so nicely and the crowd will respond with wild cheers.  The little rhythmic punches throughout are just perfectly placed to make Deadheads dance.

Eyes usually tops out at longer than 10:00, and features non stop soloing by Jerry when he is not singing the verse or the chorus.  My last time seeing the Grateful Dead in Las Vegas 1995, it occurred to me that after all those years Jerry was still pushing and exploring during this song.  No two Eyes are exactly alike, and he didn't seem to have any "go to" soloing phrases that he would end up on, like he did in many other songs.  It was pure exploration and improvisation.

Lyrics by (Who Else?) Robert Hunter

The lyrics by Robert Hunter are very deep while also being vague.  I've never sat down and thought too much about the meaning behind them but they still mean a lot to me. I will also say that as I get older, the words mean different things.  Being the "eyes of the world" means to me that I am not a discrete individual but rather part of this entire greater organism that is all connected together with unseen bonds of energy.

A couple of my favorite lines are:

"the seeds that were silent all burst into bloom, and decay"

this quick encapsulation of the cycle of life reminds me of psychedelic experiences which add perspective to our place in the grand scheme of things.  Also, in later years I love the way Jerry would sing "decay-ay-ay-ay."

sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own

this line just reminds me of the sense of originality and spirit that Deadheads have.  If you've ever felt like you don't fit in anywhere in "normal society," but you've been welcomed into the Grateful Dead culture, then you'll probably like this line too.

As always, some great information can be found at the Annotated Grateful Dead lyrics site for this song, and a lot of connections are made between Eyes of the World and Buddhist philosophy.

Without a Net - The Peak of Eyes of the World?

Eyes of the World peaked (in my opinion) around the time Without a Net was recorded.  In fact, that's the quintessential version in my opinion.  Branford Marsalis brings just the perfect amount of color to that version.  I am sure there are better versions out there, but for me they would probably be from around this time.   Earlier versions (especially in the 1970's) rocked too hard and were played too fast. In the last few years (Vince era), the song was just a little too weak and meandered listlessly. Around 1989 and 1990 they really had the best of the energy and tightness combined with Jerry delivering great solos with the jazzy flavor he developed later in his life.

This song is probably very special and significant to every Deadhead. After Jerry died in 1995, I didn't listen to the Grateful Dead at all for about 10 years. In 2005, Eyes of the World came on my iPod when I was on a 40 hour train ride from Mumbai to Trivandrum in India. Staring out the window at the Indian countryside, I could finally appreciate the music and listen to it without the sense of loss that made the music too painful for so many years.  I was reborn a Deadhead that day and have been listening pretty constantly ever since.

No matter what show you were at (or are listening too), the second you hear the beginning strains of Eyes, the show becomes a much more memorable one. I've never met a Deadhead who didn't like Eyes of the World.


Eyes of the World Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 10.0

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.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Eternity - Grateful Dead Song Review


Eternity

Wow, it feels like I just reviewed Easy Answers and that was hard enough.  Now, this.  I wish I could skip Eternity (like I always do on my iPOD). 

As soon as Eternity starts you're just so disappointed - it just starts on a horrible chord.  I don't even feel like figuring out what chord - I don't want to know.  Eternity made it's debut right around the time I started seeing shows (1993) and then was played very frequently thereafter. I definitely got an earful of this song.

Eternity is a total "miss" by Wasserman and Weir.  It's scary that Willie Dixon wrote the lyrics, I don't even know what to think of that.  Just like Neil Young's "involvement" on Easy Answers, I'm guessing Eternity is one that Willie Dixon would just as soon forget.  

I defy anyone to make an argument that Eternity is a good song (I'm all ears).

Eternity's presence really detracts from some great shows in my favorite era of The Dead.  It is one of the list of embarrassing late era Grateful Dead songs like:

- Wave to the Wind
- Samba in the Rain
- If the Shoe Fits
- Childhood's End

I'm going to point out again that at this late stage in the band's career, Jerry was busting out killer new songs and covers, like:
  • Lazy River Road
  • Days Between
  • So Many Roads (thanks for the reminder Sundar)
  • Visions of Johanna 
  • I Just Want to Make Love to YOu
So when you hear someone tell you that the band was running on empty in the 1990s because of Jerry's  health issues, just remember that he was still bringing the wood a lot of the time and having to pick up the energy of a show that was horribly marred by songs like Eternity.

Eternity Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 0.0

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. 

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Estimated Prophet - Grateful Dead Song Review


Estimated Prophet is a powerful, lumbering, and truly original Grateful Dead song.

Estimated Prophet has a stuttering gait in 7/4 (or 14/4) and a brooding minor feel (except on the chorus, "California!..").  It is often played in conjunction with Eyes of the World (aka "Estimated Eyes") and that's a powerful combination.

Bobby sings about some crazy conceptual world of a person with delusions of being a prophet.  I seem to remember reading somewhere that Bobby, when discussing Estimated Prophet, made a reference to all the crazies he would meet at the backstage door of concerts (or something to that effect).  That's fitting because I always thought this song's lyrics were impenetrable but interesting.  It seems almost as though Bobby himself is rambling about nonsense. The lyrics are credited to John Barlow, and they are certainly mysterious (at best).  I found a cool discussion on TheWell.com about this song. The music is credited to Bob Weir alone, an impressive composition.

The song was on Terrapin Station and played very steadily from 1977 on through the end of the band in 1995. There is a great version on the famed Cornell 5/8/77 show (can we still really be waiting for an "official release" of this show?).  Jerry would always deliver great solos on this song but  the rest of the band never really stepped out on it.  Perhaps they were hamstrung by the odd meter...

Estimated Prophet Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.9

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.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

El Paso - Grateful Dead Song Review

El Paso is really notable for a couple of different reasons:

1. The Dead played it hundreds of times throughout almost every year from the song's introduction in 1979  right through 1995

2. Jerry basically solos the entire song (when he's not singing backing vocals on  the chorus)  - including right over Bobby's verses too

What's not to love? The song's melody is so infectious that it's an absolute classic (written by Marty Robbins). El Paso was a familiar and upbeat 1st set major key song. No wonder the boys relied on it so heavily.   I've never heard an El Paso where the band "stepped out" while jamming (ie playing outside the main key or adding rhythmic variations).  But, El Paso is an easy crowd pleaser and no doubt helped set the tone for some of the best shows in the Grateful Dead's history.

Here's a great version on youtube from Vegas 1994 (a show that I attended). Bobby is playing an acoustic and there's some great background vocals by Jerry on that video.

El Paso Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.7

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.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Easy Wind - Grateful Dead Song Review


Gotta find a woman be good to me,
won't hide my liquor try to serve me tea


Easy Wind is a hard rocking song that showcased the tough rock and roll side of the Grateful Dead - namely Pigpen.

This is a great track from Workingman's Dead and really epitomizes the album's title.  This bluesy rocker has great singing by Pigpen who creates the imposing impression of an out of control day laborer who's living life on the edge.  This actually reminds me of a lot of Deadheads I can think of  - although not all are still around today.

According to Dead.net this song has credited words and lyrics to Rober Hunter. I had no idea bout that and I'm surprised to hear it, although the character definitely fits in with Robert Hunter's other interesting slices of Americana.
Easy Wind was played frequently in 1969 and 1970. There are some videos that show the band playing the song live on youtube like this one.

Every Deadhead knows Easy Wind but it's not a tune I hear people bring up that much or try to play on guitar.

A great song on an even greater album.

EasyWInd Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.9

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.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

1993 Was So Great - Incredible Grateful Dead Era

In the last entry, I posted these two videos to represent a great performance by The Grateful Dead in 1993 and how great Jerry played on Lightning Bolt. These videos are so good they bear repeating. Spoiler alert  - I will be wanking on about these below so don't scroll down if you don't want to know the songs played before watching. Also, the soundboard on archive.org is here.

Richfield Coliseum on September 9th, 1993 Set 1


Richfield Coliseum on September 9th, 1993 Set 2



~~~Spoiler Alert All the magic is up there, below is my wanking about this show below~~~~

Wow, nice concert.  I would describe this as a magical show. Can't imagine what it would've like to be at this one, and I look forward to my next listen of the next night's show (on my next jog).

How about that Lightning Bolt?

I saw the Shoreline run before this in August where, according to this site, Jerry introduced Lightning Bolt. That was a pretty phenomenal Shoreline run (by Shoreline standards).  Jerry took to the guitar well as this show from Richfield shows.

In this Richfield show, the St of Circumstance 2nd "build up jam"(starts at about 22:30 in the 2nd set video), the extended jam in Terrapin (starts at 30:30 2nd set),  and of course the Morning Dew are just amazing and make this one for the ages.

How about that weird sound during Morning Dew (at around 1:22:00 and 1:23:40 in the 2nd set video)?  WTF is that? It's also on the soundboard for this show.

Finally, I'm always a fan of Victim for the Crime for some reason.... and I might really be revealing a bias for this period (more likely my fond memories) but I even love the I Fought The Law encore.

Thanks to StickyFingers44111 for uploading this incredible footage.


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 my blog manifesto to understand a little more about where I'm coming from).

Sunday, July 1, 2012

On Lightning Bolt - Jerry Garcia's Controversial Final Guitar

'Lightning Bolt,' as Jerry's last guitar is referred to, has a bit of a controversial reputation.  Jerry adopted the guitar in 1993 and used it as his primary electric guitar until his death.  It is pictured above as the background to the logo for Mike's Grateful Dead Blog.

On the one hand, the tone sounds like an acoustic guitar, not like the incredibly sophisticated and "electrified" tone of Rosebud or Tiger1.  Lightning Bolt is very clear though and cut through the mix nicely.  

On the other hand, Lightning Bolt was much lighter and easier for Jerry to manage for the 3 hour Dead concerts.

On The one hand, Doug Irwin (main designer of Jerry's guitars for many years prior to Lightning Bolt)  is like a Michaelangelo to most Deadheads - and deservedly so.  For over 20 years the Grateful Dead's amazing concerts were performed with Jerry using a Doug Irwin Guitar -  from The Wolf in 1972 up through Rosebud which was retired in 1993.  Jerry left the guitars to Doug Irwin when he died - it's stated as one of the first things in his will.  The rest of the Grateful Dead (in a total dick move) intervened and prevented this from coming to fruition by claiming the instruments that the Dead used in their live concerts were property of the Grateful Dead entity, not individual performers.

On the other hand, no one really knows anything (or seems to care) about Stephen Cripe, the Florida woodworker hobbyist who crafted Lighning Bolt from watching a Grateful Dead video and mailed it unsolicited to Grateful Dead headquarters.  If you consider the unlikely story that Garcia adopted the guitar and then Stephen Cripe died when the fireworks he was making in his shed blew up (cover story for meth lab?), this story is stranger than fiction and is worthy of Dead folklore.

Lightning Bolt's Facility of Playing

Below are posted 2 sets from Richfield Coliseum on September 9th, 1993.  If you watch these (particularly the 2nd set) you will hear Jerry playing with incredible fluidity. In fact, there are times when he is utterly unconscious in the 2nd set.

While I, too, prefer Rosebud's sound to Lightning Bolt, I would definitely sacrifice some sound quality to allow Jerry the ability to more easily express himself and hit higher heights.

I actually saw the Shoreline run a few weeks before this Richfield show where Jerry introduced Lightning Bolt (according to this site).  That was a pretty phenomenal Shoreline run (by Shoreline standards).  Jerry seemed to take well immediately to Lightning Bolt because in addition to these shows there is a lot of additional great music throughout the rest of 1993.


Lightning  Bolt's 'Acoustic Sound'

Jerry was actively rehearsing and recording incredible acoustic music with David Grisman around the time Lightning Bolt showed up.  Jerry's acoustic chops really got honed during this period.  His strong fingerpicking prowess was on display not only on great albums like Garcia/Grisman and Not for Kids Only, but also in Grateful Dead concerts in the 1990s.

Jerry started adding a lot of additional voices to his guitar arrangements of Grateful Dead songs, and you can really hear his emphasis on fingerpicking in songs like Stagger Lee, Lazy River Road, and Friend of the Devil (the intro guitar riff).  So, it makes sense that he would opt for a clear sound like Lightning Bolt provided to make sure each string would ring out clearly - like an acoustic guitar. 

Behold, Lightning Bolt in a great show from Richfield.  The archive.org audio (for soundboard) is here. There will be much more discussion of this show in my next blog entry:

Richfield Coliseum on September 9th, 1993 Set 1


Richfield Coliseum on September 9th, 1993 Set 2



Thanks to "Obie's" Pictoral Guide to Jerry Garcia's Guitars for for invaluable information.
Thanks to StickyFingers44111 for uploading this incredible footage.

1listen to Bird Song on Without a Net for the incredible tone of Rosebud although I think it is actually the guitar called Tiger. 
Disclaimer: This is part of my blog about the world of The Grateful Dead. 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 my blog manifesto to understand a little more about where I'm coming from).