Dear Mr. Fantasy - Grateful Dead Song Review

Oh man, what a great tune this is.  I feel like Dear Mr. Fantasy should be up there in the annals of rock next to the widely considered "uber classics" like Satisfaction, Stairway to Heaven, and others.  This chord progression should be in every beginner guitarist's repertoire - perhaps replacing Smoke on the Water.  I like Dear Mr. Fantasy more than all of those tunes. I love the original Traffic version, I have a bootleg of Jimi Hendrix playing it (not that great) and I even have a version of Blind Melon doing this song....

but no one sings it like Brent.  This is my favorite Brent song, and it's not even written by him.  When the Dead slide into this tune in the second set, the show is almost always smoking, and it's going to continue to smoke for a while longer.  The vocals are so perfect for Brent's range and he always does a great amount of excellent showboating. As a bonus, Jerry sings with him the second time around the verse and chorus.  I've seen video footage of them playing this song and they seem to be having a ball.

Dear Mr. Fantasy has this kind of resigned "rolling stoned" rock and roll vibe to it that reminds me of Touch of Grey. It is a sense of saying "screw it" and accepting the role of a rock and roll entertainer. It's like saying "this isn't a good life -but it's our life, so let's celebrate it."  I'm not so much referring to the lyrics alone, but also just the spirit of the song.

Of course, a Dear Mr. Fantasy that interpolates Hey Jude into is like getting a cherry on top.  The first version that I became familiar with (like many no doubt) was the one on Without a Net.  It appears as an "encore" on that recording (or at least the last song) but it was never played as an Encore. The song was played pretty steadily from 1985 through Brent's death.

Dear. Mr. Fantasy is universally loved by Deadheads.  I certainly would've loved to hear Jerry belt it,  but I am glad they put it to rest when Brent died.  That seems fitting.

Dear Mr. Fantasy Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.2


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).

China Doll - Grateful Dead Song Review

In my opinion, here's what makes a "great" China Doll:

-Jerry nails all of the words
-the band makes the changes together
  - the background vocals are on key

...but if you are lucky enough to get he above, then you hope for this to make a "perfect China Doll":

-cool transition into China Doll from another song
-soulful well executed guitar solo

... and there are definitely some "perfect" China Dolls out there.

China Doll is a moody ballad with one of the most beautiful transitions from minor to major in rock music that I've ever heard. This song was originally released on the From the Mars Hotel album in 1974 and featured harpsichord.


China Doll is very much revered but is still underrated. China Doll should be an even more high profile Grateful Dead classic than it currently is. I am sure the song is virtually unknown outside of Deadheads so it earns the distinction of being For Deadheads Only.

This song is so deep, eerie, and mysterious it disappoints me that more people aren't exposed to it. It is a very slow melancholy dirge and another thing that might detract from it's popularity amongst Deadheads and the public at large is that the lyrics are very vague. I am not even sure what the plot of the song is or if the dialogue is a one person monologue or between two people, etc. The opening lines are vague:

A pistol shot at 5 o'clock
The bells of heaven ring
"Tell me what you done it for"
"No I won't tell you a thing"
It has been written in the books that (per Robert Hunter) the opening shot refers to a suicide but without that 3rd party information I wouldn't have known that. This fact of the vague lyrics does not bother me at all because I love China Doll so much but I am just conjecturing that the unclear storyline and lack of identifiable characters (ie no "Black Peter" in this one) might have caused the song not to receive the fanfare I think it deserves.

The song goes on with cryptic lyrics until the unbelievable tension release before the final lines:

Take up your china doll
it's only fractured
just a little nervous from the fall

This transition from minor to major is chillingly effective and really a compositional triumph on Jerry's part. This part gives me goosebumps pretty much every time I hear it. Also I must mention that Jerry always played an anguished, minimal, and soulful solo on China Doll in a "slowhand" style with lots of bent notes that was not his typical style.

I can honestly say that when I'm listening to a Dead show recording or a podcast and the 2nd set Drums/Space section is winding down the song I honestly want to hear most is always China Doll. I love this song a lot and always listen to see if I can hear Jerry start to outline the Dm chord that starts China Doll. This song just transports me to a dark (but comfortable) place and then delivers me to a wistful state of mind by the final refrain "La la la la la la laaaaa." I love Jerry ballads above all else so it should come as no surprise that I am hoping for a China Doll in every show I hear.

In my relatively few Dead shows I attended (17) it was not meant to be for me to hear a China Doll. Really, the vast majority of Deadheads probably didn't get to hear China Doll - it was played pretty intermittently throughout the Dead's career. The most frequency the song had was in the mid 80s - especially 1984 and 1985. It's been a while since I really analyzed the timeline of Jerry's drug use and physical decline in the 80s but I am going to go out on a limb and say that this song was played quite frequently during this period and he probably was in a lot of pain too. Maybe it was therapeutic for him to sing this song of loss and wail on the soulful solo...

China Doll Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.3

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).

California Earthquake - Grateful Dead Song Review

COOL SONG!

I would've never heard California Earthquake if I didn't just seek it out to complete a song review of it (or I would've probably eventually heard it if one of the podcasts I listen to played it). I guess I should give a shoutout to DoctorSapperstein for posting it on youtube.

This song reminds me of a 2nd Set Jerry Garcia band ballad. It reminds me of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (the beginning especially) or That Lucky Old Sun. As a huge Jerry fan (and JGB too of course) I have to admit that I prefer this Grateful Dead version of California Earthquake over any version of those JGB songs I just mentioned.

Let me try to count the ways that I love this song. Jerry ballad, good old fashioned song (written by Rodney Crowell), it has a lot of lyrics about California, has religious overtones (mentioning the devil) and a rebeillious spirit to it:

We may fall off in the ocean Lord you'll never make us run
You're a partner of the devil Lord we ain't afraid of him
We'll build ourselves another town so you can tear it down again

This song was played twice in 1989. Once it closed the first set and once it opened. How great must that have been to be at either performance? It closed set I at the Spectrum in Philadelphia on Friday October 20th, 1989. It opened the first set at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday October 23rd, 1989.

I'm getting a sense of California pride as I listen to this right now and also a bit of hope in contemplating how destroyed our state is economically at the moment. A great song!

California Earthquake Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.2

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).

Broken Arrow - Grateful Dead Song Review

Am I a cheesy guy for loving this song??

Who else is gonna bring you... a broken ahahaharrrrowww (that spelling is my attempt to emphasize the nasal timbre of Phil's voice).

I tallied up all songs I saw at Dead shows and this one is in first place! This song I saw 6 times (and it is tied with So Many Roads and Liberty). I love all of these songs and I'm probably one of the few really hardcore Deadheads who would state that unequivocally. That alone tells you what kind of Dead I like - the later years.

Now I admit, I can see both sides of this argument of which era of the Dead is better because, frankly, if you took a tape of Broken Arrow from the Los Angeles Sports arena in 1994 and played it for a Dead Head in 1977 they would probably try to do something drastic to prevent this outcome for the Dead (ie "Terminator" style of altering the future).... and this might not bode well for Phil making it as far as he has...

And I can also admit that Broken Arrow is... a little cheesy. I distinctly remember talking my friend Josh into seeing the Dead with me and him particularly being disgusted with this song (he pointed out that it is a Rod Stewart song - that's hard to defend- not that there's anything wrong with Rod Stewart...).

But let's talk about what's good about Broken Arrow. It is a very good composition and the Dead played it with a tasteful mature "smooth jazz" approach that I really enjoy. Vince does some nice descending "waterfall" melodies throughout and Jerry uses a guitar effect that sounds like a pitch shifter which is interesting too. The melody is very catchy and romantic. Phil's vocals are always a little unpalatable for me, but it underscores the beauty when Jerry and Bobby back him up periodically in the song:

There you go, ooooh ooooh.

So as a Dead fan who saw Broken Arrow six times, I'm going to go on record as saying I enjoyed every single one I saw. Now, if I had the chance to trade in all six Broken Arrows for one Help->Slip->Frank, would I? Probably (heck I'd probably trade them all for a China Doll - which I also never saw), but it is a cool song nonetheless and I hope to hear Phil sing it when I see them in LA this May. With my history of catching this song so frequently - it's a good bet they'll play it if I'm in the audience.

Broken Arrow Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 7.4


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).

Big Railroad Blues - Grateful Dead Song Reviews

Big Railroad Blues

Continuing yet again on the theme of the songs that start with B’s – largely 1st set blues/rockers that aren’t exactly the tunes that get my heart pumping, we arrive at Big Railroad Blues.

Big Railroad Blues is an energetic blues song that Jerry sings - so it has that going for it.
It has a really catchy melody and of course being a blues is a reliable vehicle for Jerry et al to rip and deliver a good consistent song. Just like the last song reviewed (Big River) it also was performed throughout the entire Grateful Dead band’s history.

Big Railroad Blues is a bit “ho hum” but to me distinguishes itself because Jerry sings it and the tempo is upbeat enough to be noteworthy (what Dead songs are played at a higher tempo than Big Railroad Blues? I can’t think of any).

Big Railroad Blues Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 6.4

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).

Big River - Grateful Dead Song Review

Big River

This is a rough patch of song reviews because there seems to be a lot of 1st set “blues/rockers” in this ‘B’s’ and that’s not my cup of tea.

I’m beginning to sound like a broken record about this concept but Big River falls into that category (yet again) of songs that rock live – and serve their purpose as a rockin’ tune to get the crowd moving but are somewhat mundane to listen to on tape after all these years.

Don’t get me wrong, Big River has a lot going for it. It is a great composition by (I think Johnny Cash?) and I love the song structure - which is a refreshing departure from the traditional I-IV-V structure. Also, I love Dead songs that have the bouncy I-IV bass progression (like Cumberland Blues, Maggie’s Farm, etc). Another thing that Big River always delivers is that Jerry rips during this song and it seems almost as if he doesn’t even need to try and think about it because it is just always so consistent. The Dead played this song throughout their entire twenty odd years listed in Deadbase X so Jerry must’ve known how to play this progression like the back of his hand.

So Big River is actually a pretty good 1st set rocker after all and I will give it a much higher song score than it’s counterparts like Me and My Uncle and New Minglewood Blues.

Big River Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 5.1

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).