Death Don't Have no Mercy - Grateful Dead Song Review

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

Deal - Grateful Dead Song Review

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.

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

Cryptical Envelopment - Grateful Dead Song Review

"Cryptical" is a cool song that I think someone told me was completely written by Garcia (words and lyrics) - interestingly the very last song reviewed (Cream Puff War) is the only other GD song that I know of that falls into this category. Here is the memorable opening line:

The other day they waited, the sky was dark and faded,
Solemnly they stated, "He has to die, you know he has to die."

Cryptical Envelopment is probably thought by most people to be part of The Other One - and it most definitely is, but of all the various parts of The Other One that were listed on the original track listing for Anthem of the Sun, Cryptical Envelopment is the only one I consider to really stand on it's own (as opposed to sections like Quadliblet for Tender Feet which were merely named as separate tracks as part of a ploy to increase royalties).

Cryptical has a circular feel to it and otherworldly lyrics. It is a really cool song fragment and I think it could have been a song that stood on its own although it does provide a great intro to The Other One. The song was played well over a hundred tunes between 1967 and 1972 and then dropped from the repertoire until it made a reappearance in 1985 for several shows.

Also don't forget that when they finish the other one it returns to the Cryptical theme:

And when the day had ended, with rainbow colors blended,
Their minds remained unbended,
He had to die, oh, you know he had to die.

Then Jerry goes off and wails: "You know he had to dieeeeeeeee....." This is one of the earliest examples of him taking a phrase and repeating it several times with more and more emphasis, so I always enjoy hearing it.

Cryptical Envelopment Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 7.5

Disclaimer: This is part of my review of every Grateful Dead song from A-Z. 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).