Hurts Me Too - Grateful Dead Song Review

This is a slow blues song that I associate with Europe '72 (my primary exposure to it).

When I was a young whippersnapper first discovering great albums like Europe '72, this kind of slow blues song was definitely "not my bag." But, as I get older, I think I can appreciate more the soulful vibe that Pigpen brought to songs like this.

When I hear Hurts Me Too, I am reminded that Jerry Garcia was an amazing blues guitar player who got a great slide guitar sound out of that strat (with the Alligator on it).

Hurts Me Too was written by Elmore James and his version is great (I just listened to it here on youtube.com).

Hurts Me Too was only played between 1967 and 1972.  There is a nice version of it below from the Europe '72 tour.  It was recorded at Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen Denmark (thanks to Park Lots for posting).  If you've read any accounts of this tour, you can imagine that the Dead were probably very happy to slow down and do a bluesy slow song like this - they were in the middle of a wild tour!

Hurts Me Too Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 6.5

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.

Note: comments are encouraged and appreciated but it takes a while for them to show up in the blog entry (due to a Disqus plugin issue). Enter them below.

Hey Pocky Way - Grateful Dead Song Review

It is really a blast to write this blog because I get to focus on songs like Hey Pocky Way.

I really was looking forward to this one because this funky high octane song just plain rocks.  Originally recorded by The Meters, Hey Pocky Way really smokes when Brent sang it with The Grateful Dead.

The song is credited to the guys in The Meters on Dead.net, but also includes a nod to "traditional," so the origins of the song might be a bit murky. Perhaps it is an adaptation of a Mardi Gras type chant that was handed down through the ages.

This song is the perfect vehicle to showcase the talents of Brent Mydland.  Between his singing/screaming and searing Hammond organ solos, Hey Pocky Way picks up the tempo and energy of any Grateful Dead set in which it appeared (and it frequently opened the set).

Two of Brent's best known tunes are not written by him (Hey Pocky Way and Dear Mr. Fantasy).

Hey Pockey Way was played a total of 25 times between 1987 and Brent's death in 1990. The version below was from the first month they brought the song out and it already sounds super tight (thanks Park Lots for posting this to youtube). I've yet to hear a version that isn't totally awesome.


Hey Pocky Way 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.

Note: comments are encouraged and appreciated but it takes a while for them to show up in the blog entry (due to a Disqus plugin issue). Enter them below.

New Feature on Dead.net - Greatest Stories Ever Told

There's a great new feature on Dead.net: Greatest Stories Ever Told, in which David Dodd will take readers through a review of one of the Grateful Dead's songs each week.

David Dodd is a great GD scholar who is behind the Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics site - a site that is often linked to from this site.

Greatest Stories Ever Told is a similar format to what I've been doing here, but certainly with a much more experienced and embedded Deadhead, so I recommend following it as I've liked what I read so far.

Don't worry, I'll keep doing what I do here as well as time permits.  I enjoy the interaction this site brings, thanks for reading.

Here Comes Sunshine - Grateful Dead Song Review

Another truly original gem from Hunter/Garcia via the Wake of the Flood album is Here Comes Sunshine.

As it appears on the studio album it has a very mellow (almost sedated) gait and laid back vocal delivery.  You can almost hear it as a continuation of the spirit of psychedelic epics like Cosmic Charlie and China Cat Sunflower.  By the mid 1970s, The Grateful Dead were still very psychedelic but in such a  tasteful, understated, and harmonious way (see Eyes of the World and Crazy Fingers).

The lyrics are a bit abstract and of course start of with the line that became the namesake for the album Wake of the Flood.  According to the entry for this song on The Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics site, the song was accompanied by this note from Robert Hunter in the lyric book:

"Remembering the great Vanport, Washington flood of 1949, living in other people's homes, a family abandoned by father; second grade"

As played live, the song definitely brought a lot more energy and when Jerry would sing "keep the mother rolling," truly the band would be thundering along.

Vince Welnick Revives Here Comes Sunshine

Here comes Sunshine was "retired" in 1973 or so it would seem.  After a 19 year hiatus the Grateful Dead busted it out to open the show at Compton Terrace on December 6th, 1992.  If you listen to the soundboard you can hear the crowds reaction.  It sounded like they're about to start Help on the Way when Jerry warmed this one up to start off concerts in the 1990s.

Vince Welnick is credited for the return of Here Comes Sunshine including the (almost) a capella arrangement that started it.  Vince's keyboard sound reminds me of The Disney Magic Lights parade and some would definitely characterize it as cheesy.  Personally I love the sound he uses and I love 1990s versions the best (although 1970s versions are fantastic).   I might be biased because I have a soft spot for Vince (and listen to 1990s shows mainly).  Also, I heard this song at my first show on May 15th, 1993 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.  It still seems crazy to me that I can only hear an audience recording of this show (though I'm very grateful to have at least that).  This is why I created an open letter for the release of all recordings of The Grateful Dead 1990s shows. Release all those soundboards and videos, Grateful Dead!!

It is a bit of a surprise to realize that Brent never played this one. His voice would've made it great. It's also a surprise that Wake of the Flood wasn't released on CD until 1995. Heck I remember my first CDs in 1985, so it comes as a surprise this wasn't available digitally until 1995 - perhaps a complication with the fact that it was originally released on Round/Grateful Dead Records?


Here Comes Sunshine Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.5

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.

Note: comments are encouraged and appreciated but it takes a while for them to show up in the blog entry (due to a Disqus plugin issue). Enter them below!