Gimme Some Lovin' - Grateful Dead Song Review

Gimme Some Lovin' is a relic from an era of The Dead that I narrowly but regretfully missed.

Throughout The Grateful Dead's career they mixed in fun "party rock" songs into their set to make sure they put on a remarkable "rock n roll" show (and probably had a lot of fun themselves).  These songs provided a counterpoint to more "serious" and "though provoking" songs like China Doll, Let it Grow, Space etc.

Gimme Some Lovin' is a Spencer Davis Group song written by Steve Winwood, Spencer Davis, and Muff Winwood.

It is a mid tempo rock song that Brent and Phil sang together. If you never noticed that Phil was singing too, you are not alone (I kind of forgot myself until I queued up the below video to get psyched to write this).  Brent really owns this song vocally and of course his screaming organ is heavily featured in it.

This song seemed to come up in the 2nd set and alleviate any tension built up by songs like Terrapin, Space, etc. I love hearing it when it comes up on tapes and can't even imagine how great it would've been to have seen it live (like at the Alpine show which there is a video for below - thanks thepitts3463 for posting). You can see in the video how much fun the band is having while playing this song.

If you'd never heard of The Grateful Dead and found yourself at a show in the mid to late 1980s because someone drug you there (most of us ended up at our first Dead show this way), you might struggle to enjoy some of the music without having heard it and developed a connection to it.  But if they played Gimme Some Lovin', then most likely you would be on the bus instantly from that point on.

Gimme Some Lovin' Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.5

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.

Why Don't We Do It In the Road - Grateful Dead Song Review

This song is a cool and funny jam that is kind of a novelty when you hear it on tapes. It was probably a really exciting surprise to see this song live at Grateful Dead shows in the 1980s.

It's not a favorite Beatles track of mine and isn't too notable musically when the Dead did it. There was no jamming, experimentation, or musical interpretation of the tune - it was played pretty much exactly as it appears on The White Album.  It's a little blues number that and Jerry would play the same rhythm figure that he would use in the JGB on Get Out of My Life Woman.

Phil and Brent sang this song in unison which is kind of interesting.  If anything, the fireworks for this song would be provided by Brent who would really "showboat" vocally as the song progressed. Hearing Brent belt out the final choruses is reason enough to listen to this song in its entirety when it comes up in on a tape.

For some reason, this song reminds me of Gloria and Louie Louie - cover songs that came around during the Brent era and aren't too polished or notable except that people at the shows probably had a heck of a great time hearing the familiar tunes.

Even if you aren't too knocked out by the song - it is so short (clocking in at less than 4:00), it's a pretty harmless addition to any set and a fun listen.


Do it In the Road Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 6.2

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).

Childhood's End - Grateful Dead Song Review

This is a rare Phil song, so I had to refer to archive.org to refresh my memory. It was only played about eleven times - almost exclusively in 1994 and almost exclusively in the 1st set.

I like the version of this on "Phil and Friend's" acoustic show in Berkeley in 1994 (NOT the post Jerry band Phil and Friends but the 1994 Dead lineup - without drummers).

I kind of associate this song with Wave to the Wind and If the Shoe Fits as songs that were new and popping up at Dead shows during the era that I was seeing them (ie '93-'95). These songs were not very well received and I remember not really seeking them out on tapes very much so I really barely know them.

Childhood's End is not a bad song, it is just a soft rock Phil song that never gained much traction in the boys' repertoire.

The song is pretty harmonically ambitious with lots of jazzy chords and not a very predictable progression. For some reason the verses reminds me somewhat of Unbroken Chain and the vocal melody definitely has some similarities to Mr. Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan.

I've listened to a couple of versions today and the song being not a typical rock song with evolving lyrics makes the recordings sounds honestly like the band didn't practice it a whole lot and were still "learning it on stage" (without a net so to speak).

Childhood's End has pretty nice lyrics that apparently Phil wrote including the memorable refrain that the band would join in on:

River run deep
River run slow

and this refrain changes over the course of the song:

River run cold
River run clear

and so on. The entry for this song on the Annotated Grateful Dead lyrics doesn't have the lyrics but they are definitely out there on the internet and they are really cool lyrics. Kind of wistful, nostalgic, with lots of references to nature and some of the good ol' Grateful Dead mysical content like:

Reach behind the wind
Search beyond the stars
We're the life on Mars

So Childhood's End isn't going to pop up on any "best of" Grateful Dead compilations but is still interesting for those of us who love the Dead and just want to hear rare songs like this one.

Childhood's End Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 6.5

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).

Box of Rain - Grateful Dead Song Review

Box of Rain is an inimitable Grateful Dead song that has earned a pretty legendary place in Grateful Dead lore. For one thing - it is a "Phil song." There aren't that many Phil songs, and some shows would go by when Phil wouldn't sing a tune. Another reason it is noticeable is that it has really great lyrics. There is the very memorable refrain:

What do you want me to do,
To do for you,
To see you through?

also, less memorable but very powerful lines like:

..this is all a dream we dreamed one afternoon long ago

and

A box of rain will ease the pain and love will see you through

and how about

Such a long long time to be gone, and a short time to be there

These are deep, emotional lyrics and clearly Robert Hunter at his best. This song has grown on me through the years - the lyrics are more poignant as life goes on and people and love are lost forever. I think that I probably just used to fast forward through Box of Rain when I would listen to my cassette copy of American Beauty in high school (I said the same thing about uber-favorite Attics of My Life when I reviewed that song last month).

There was a special on MTV about one of the early Dick's Picks (hosted by Bill Walton) and it coincided with a documentary called "From Anthem to Beauty" which chronicled this period of the Dead's history. In one of those specials, Phil Lesh talked about Box of Rain and the passing of his father to cancer.

...so this is no run of the mill "generic" rock song... I think we've established that.

One thing that I like about Box of Rain is that it has a very "open" and unstructured intro - not a recognizable riff (like He's Gone or Loose Lucy). This makes me feel like I never really know for 100% what song it is until Phil steps up and sings that legendary line:
Look out of any window, any morning, any evening, any DAY. Jack Straw also has this kind of a "loose" intro.

I also really like the way the rest of the band joins in with Phil as the song progresses.

Box of Rain is a song that no one was ever disappointed to hear at a Dead show (to my knowledge). Indeed I remember it fondly from the one time I heard it (during my favorite Dead show I witnessed 6-26-1994 in Las Vegas).


Box of Rain 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).