"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).
Showing posts with label Grateful Dead song review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grateful Dead song review. Show all posts
Monday, May 4, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Cream Puff War - Grateful Dead Song Review
This song is a fun old school song that sounds like the very early Grateful Dead trying to emulate the British Invasion. I kind of can't take it seriously for some reason. It was released on the eponymous debut album which I think the Grateful Dead were still trying to find their identity in the studio (they were already a powerhouse live of course). The fact that Cream Puff War ends with a fade out gives you an idea that it is a bit of a filler song.
Don't get me wrong though, Cream Puff War is a pretty good tune. It comes complete with a time signature change to 3/4 (pretty nicely integrated actually) and a ripping bluesy Jerry solo.
It is notable because music and lyrics written by Garcia (one of only a couple Dead songs that I know of that Garcia wrote both music and lyrics*)
Those lyrics are ... interesting. Here is the first and most memorable line:
No, no, she can't take your mind and leave
I know it's just another trick she's got up her sleeve
It sounds like Jerry is singing to a friend who's gotten himself involved with a bad woman. Here are the final lines:
Well, can't you see that you're killing each other's soul
You're both out in the streets and you got no place to go
Your constant battles are getting to be a bore
So go somewhere else and continue your cream puff war
You know I'm a Jerry fanatic but since this review comes on the heels of Crazy Fingers, I just have to kind of smile as I listen to this one.
Cream Puff War Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 7.5
*what are the other songs (if any) with lyrics and music by Garcia alone? Did someone once tell me Cryptical Envelopment falls in this category?
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).
Don't get me wrong though, Cream Puff War is a pretty good tune. It comes complete with a time signature change to 3/4 (pretty nicely integrated actually) and a ripping bluesy Jerry solo.
It is notable because music and lyrics written by Garcia (one of only a couple Dead songs that I know of that Garcia wrote both music and lyrics*)
Those lyrics are ... interesting. Here is the first and most memorable line:
No, no, she can't take your mind and leave
I know it's just another trick she's got up her sleeve
It sounds like Jerry is singing to a friend who's gotten himself involved with a bad woman. Here are the final lines:
Well, can't you see that you're killing each other's soul
You're both out in the streets and you got no place to go
Your constant battles are getting to be a bore
So go somewhere else and continue your cream puff war
You know I'm a Jerry fanatic but since this review comes on the heels of Crazy Fingers, I just have to kind of smile as I listen to this one.
Cream Puff War Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 7.5
*what are the other songs (if any) with lyrics and music by Garcia alone? Did someone once tell me Cryptical Envelopment falls in this category?
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).
Monday, April 20, 2009
Crazy Fingers - Grateful Dead Song Review
My favorite Grateful Dead song. I've contemplated making a list and it would definitely evolve over time but this one would always be number 1. It actually is so great I've been stalling on writing about it because, I just don't know if you can do the song justice. But I try....
First of all, Crazy Fingers wasn't my favorite song at first. It took years to really appreciate it. I did see it at my first show on May 15th, 1993 (Sam Boyd Silver Bowl, Las Vegas - Saturday night show) and the melody of the verse really was great and memorable, but the song requires a fine appreciation for the Dead to really absorb how unique and original it is.
Crazy Fingers is a slow, middling tune that was pretty inconsistent in it's delivery over the years. The studio version from Blues for Allah is extremely tight and well executed and just creates an aura of a really good mellow, mature, psychedelic reggae song (psychedelic reggae - not a genre you often hear about and maybe still not that accurate for this song but that shows how original this song really is).
The early live versions of this song held pretty true to the form on Blues for Allah (most notably from One for the Vault) including the guitar flanger effect. Naturally, I prefer the song the way it evolved into the nineties - but probably not the very last couple of years because I really like my Crazy Fingers to be crisply delivered and it did get really loose in the last couple of years. An absolutely phenomenal version of the song is on youtube from Dean Smith Center, North Carolina in 1993. That version has such a great solo on it with just the right amount of sparkling reverb and delay and Jerry taking the lyrical soaring leads seemingly in slow motion. The solo in Crazy Fingers is always a highlight for me, and is always delivered with just the right amount of effects. While it outlines the verse melody, it is still always thoughtfully and lyrically delivered in a unique and improvisational way - no two Crazy Fingers solos are the same (after the first few bars).
Before I even get into the words I must point out that Crazy Fingers is SO UNIQUE in its composition. From the slow haunting intro Jerry would play to the almost dissonant bridge section Life may be sweeter for this, I don't know.... to the bass heavy jam outro it is just like nothing else out there (and please do tell if there is other music you know of similar to this I would love to hear it).
The first hundred or so times I heard Crazy Fingers I think the melody on the bridge section (ie where they sing Gone are the days... we stopped to decide...) might have just rubbed my ears the wrong way, but now I can really appreciate the harmonic quality of the change and know that it is non traditional and therefore unfamiliar. It pushes the boundaries of the beautiful harmony that is established in the verses and is congruent with the dual nature of the lyrics that are joyous and beautiful but also about sadness and loss. The bridge really works with the song and breaks it up perfectly because while the verse melody is extremely pretty, it is a bit simple.
Now I have to talk about the words. I just can't do these lyrics justice. I've read them described as a haiku before (I think even by Robert Hunter's own description) but they are not the kind of (5-7-5) Haiku that I remember learning to create in elementary school.
The entire song is just perfect but a couple of favorite sections:
Cloud hands, reaching from a rainbow,
tapping at your window
touch your hair
So swift and bright,
strange figures of light
float in air
So this is just psychedelia at its finest. This sounds like the best LSD experience of all time. Those lines always make me picture the most beautiful imagery and fill me with a sense of wonder at what beauty exists in nature that we may not comprehend until a moment when we are "opened up" to the beauty surrounding us.
Hang your heart on a laughing willow
stray down to the water
deep sea of love...
Beneath the sweet calm face of the sea
swift undertow
Deep stuff. This reminds me of the uneasy feeling that comes along with tripping when you contemplate that loving others and having relationships with them carries with it a risk of being disappointed in a way that can wound you more than any physical injury. Also, how could this line not require a mention of the fact that Jerry Garcia's father drowned when Jerry was just a young boy.
This song is mostly joyous but there is also a dark duality to it that reminds of the temporal fleeting nature of this life which is endlessly slipping by.
Finally, the best line of all:
Midnight on a carousel ride
reaching for the gold ring down inside
Never couldd reach it...
just slips away...
but I try...
So you take the man Jerry Garcia (and include his writing partner Robert Hunter) and you have artists who continually evolved and kept pushing the envelope for almost thirty years - never playing it safe or going for the easy home run but continually searching for another hidden musical gem, another magical combination of songs, another performance to bring audience and performer to a higher level of consciousness. In my opinion this is the highest calling someone can hope to fulfill in this life and Jerry and Robert were able to inspire people with their music and words for decades to the point that I am still chronicling it fourteen years after it came to an end in August 1995 (keep in mind I only really knew the Dead for two years at that point and consider what an impact it must have made on me).
So they never reached the gold ring? Maybe. But they helped inspired us to reach for ours within ourselves- it is the greatest gift you can give. I think that this is the effect that the wizards, shamans, and holy men who've been chronicled throughout the ages have had on people. This is the true magic, and this song is a spell.
Crazy Fingers Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 10.0
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).
First of all, Crazy Fingers wasn't my favorite song at first. It took years to really appreciate it. I did see it at my first show on May 15th, 1993 (Sam Boyd Silver Bowl, Las Vegas - Saturday night show) and the melody of the verse really was great and memorable, but the song requires a fine appreciation for the Dead to really absorb how unique and original it is.
Crazy Fingers is a slow, middling tune that was pretty inconsistent in it's delivery over the years. The studio version from Blues for Allah is extremely tight and well executed and just creates an aura of a really good mellow, mature, psychedelic reggae song (psychedelic reggae - not a genre you often hear about and maybe still not that accurate for this song but that shows how original this song really is).
The early live versions of this song held pretty true to the form on Blues for Allah (most notably from One for the Vault) including the guitar flanger effect. Naturally, I prefer the song the way it evolved into the nineties - but probably not the very last couple of years because I really like my Crazy Fingers to be crisply delivered and it did get really loose in the last couple of years. An absolutely phenomenal version of the song is on youtube from Dean Smith Center, North Carolina in 1993. That version has such a great solo on it with just the right amount of sparkling reverb and delay and Jerry taking the lyrical soaring leads seemingly in slow motion. The solo in Crazy Fingers is always a highlight for me, and is always delivered with just the right amount of effects. While it outlines the verse melody, it is still always thoughtfully and lyrically delivered in a unique and improvisational way - no two Crazy Fingers solos are the same (after the first few bars).
Before I even get into the words I must point out that Crazy Fingers is SO UNIQUE in its composition. From the slow haunting intro Jerry would play to the almost dissonant bridge section Life may be sweeter for this, I don't know.... to the bass heavy jam outro it is just like nothing else out there (and please do tell if there is other music you know of similar to this I would love to hear it).
The first hundred or so times I heard Crazy Fingers I think the melody on the bridge section (ie where they sing Gone are the days... we stopped to decide...) might have just rubbed my ears the wrong way, but now I can really appreciate the harmonic quality of the change and know that it is non traditional and therefore unfamiliar. It pushes the boundaries of the beautiful harmony that is established in the verses and is congruent with the dual nature of the lyrics that are joyous and beautiful but also about sadness and loss. The bridge really works with the song and breaks it up perfectly because while the verse melody is extremely pretty, it is a bit simple.
Now I have to talk about the words. I just can't do these lyrics justice. I've read them described as a haiku before (I think even by Robert Hunter's own description) but they are not the kind of (5-7-5) Haiku that I remember learning to create in elementary school.
The entire song is just perfect but a couple of favorite sections:
Cloud hands, reaching from a rainbow,
tapping at your window
touch your hair
So swift and bright,
strange figures of light
float in air
So this is just psychedelia at its finest. This sounds like the best LSD experience of all time. Those lines always make me picture the most beautiful imagery and fill me with a sense of wonder at what beauty exists in nature that we may not comprehend until a moment when we are "opened up" to the beauty surrounding us.
Hang your heart on a laughing willow
stray down to the water
deep sea of love...
Beneath the sweet calm face of the sea
swift undertow
Deep stuff. This reminds me of the uneasy feeling that comes along with tripping when you contemplate that loving others and having relationships with them carries with it a risk of being disappointed in a way that can wound you more than any physical injury. Also, how could this line not require a mention of the fact that Jerry Garcia's father drowned when Jerry was just a young boy.
This song is mostly joyous but there is also a dark duality to it that reminds of the temporal fleeting nature of this life which is endlessly slipping by.
Finally, the best line of all:
Midnight on a carousel ride
reaching for the gold ring down inside
Never couldd reach it...
just slips away...
but I try...
So you take the man Jerry Garcia (and include his writing partner Robert Hunter) and you have artists who continually evolved and kept pushing the envelope for almost thirty years - never playing it safe or going for the easy home run but continually searching for another hidden musical gem, another magical combination of songs, another performance to bring audience and performer to a higher level of consciousness. In my opinion this is the highest calling someone can hope to fulfill in this life and Jerry and Robert were able to inspire people with their music and words for decades to the point that I am still chronicling it fourteen years after it came to an end in August 1995 (keep in mind I only really knew the Dead for two years at that point and consider what an impact it must have made on me).
So they never reached the gold ring? Maybe. But they helped inspired us to reach for ours within ourselves- it is the greatest gift you can give. I think that this is the effect that the wizards, shamans, and holy men who've been chronicled throughout the ages have had on people. This is the true magic, and this song is a spell.
Crazy Fingers Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 10.0
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).
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Chinatown Shuffle - Grateful Dead Song Review
"Take it... you can have it..."
Ahh, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan. The original frontman of the Grateful Dead and a character who seems almost mythical from what I've learned in studying the history of The Dead. First of all, he died at 27 and looked like he was 50. I'm 33 and I feel like a kid (and look way younger than Pigpen ever did) and believe me - I've been no angel in this life. 27 is so young for somebody to die, it is very sad but apparently he was a heavy drinker and his liver failed.
Unless I'm reading this entry from Wikipedia incorrectly it gives Pigpen writing credits for Chinatown Shuffle. That's cool, I never would have guessed- it sounds like an old traditional song. Certainly Wikipedia can be fallible though. If indeed it was written by Pigpen, I wonder if Chinatown Shuffle was inspired by Chinatown in San Francisco? It is pretty hard to tell by the lyrics which are pretty vague.
The song itself is pretty unfamiliar to me; I actually had to go to youtube.com to really remember how it went and luckily found a good version from the 1972 tour to Europe.
This is a bluesy New Orleans shuffle with an intro phrase that reminds me of U.S. Blues (or Wave that Flag). The song is upbeat and a lot more enjoyable to me than some of the slower bluesy songs that Pigpen sang (like Hurts Me Too or King Bee). Jerry plays a nice solo and this song is a fun and engaging tune.
Chinatown Shuffle doesn't really stand out as a signature Grateful Dead tune whatsoever. As I watch them play it in Europe on Youtube.com it almost seems as if they are being ambassadors for "American Music" and are playing a "sample blues shuffle." It seems like any other rock band from Americal could have produced a comparable version of Chinatown Shuffle. There isn't anything wrong with having fun upbeat traditional rockers in the set though, and Chinatown Shuffle does earn extra points for being an original GD tune.
Chinatown Shuffle Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 5.2
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).
Ahh, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan. The original frontman of the Grateful Dead and a character who seems almost mythical from what I've learned in studying the history of The Dead. First of all, he died at 27 and looked like he was 50. I'm 33 and I feel like a kid (and look way younger than Pigpen ever did) and believe me - I've been no angel in this life. 27 is so young for somebody to die, it is very sad but apparently he was a heavy drinker and his liver failed.
Unless I'm reading this entry from Wikipedia incorrectly it gives Pigpen writing credits for Chinatown Shuffle. That's cool, I never would have guessed- it sounds like an old traditional song. Certainly Wikipedia can be fallible though. If indeed it was written by Pigpen, I wonder if Chinatown Shuffle was inspired by Chinatown in San Francisco? It is pretty hard to tell by the lyrics which are pretty vague.
The song itself is pretty unfamiliar to me; I actually had to go to youtube.com to really remember how it went and luckily found a good version from the 1972 tour to Europe.
This is a bluesy New Orleans shuffle with an intro phrase that reminds me of U.S. Blues (or Wave that Flag). The song is upbeat and a lot more enjoyable to me than some of the slower bluesy songs that Pigpen sang (like Hurts Me Too or King Bee). Jerry plays a nice solo and this song is a fun and engaging tune.
Chinatown Shuffle doesn't really stand out as a signature Grateful Dead tune whatsoever. As I watch them play it in Europe on Youtube.com it almost seems as if they are being ambassadors for "American Music" and are playing a "sample blues shuffle." It seems like any other rock band from Americal could have produced a comparable version of Chinatown Shuffle. There isn't anything wrong with having fun upbeat traditional rockers in the set though, and Chinatown Shuffle does earn extra points for being an original GD tune.
Chinatown Shuffle Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 5.2
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).
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
China Cat Sunflower - Grateful Dead Song Review
Chinal Cat Sunflower originally released on the Dead's third studio album Aoxomoxoa is a real "one of a kind" rock song. The opening "fat" rhythm guitar figure and the beautiful lead contrapuntal melody (played by Bobby!) set the tone for the song as a combination of rock and "mystical" eastern themes. This happy melody should've inspired an entire genre of music to develop but never have I heard anything else remotely like China Cat Sunflower.
I mean, really, this song is a psychedelic gem that is so creative in melody and lyric that it is a total masterpiece.
The two versions that are really the most familiar to me are the Europe '72 and the Without a Net versions - both live. That isn't to write off the Aoxomoxoa studio version which is phenomenal too (and perhaps a little more psychedelic as a result of heavy studio effects).
Look, for a while at the China Cat
Sunflower
Proud walking jingle in the midnight sun
The rest of the lyrics are pure fantasy much like the opening stanza. This song sounds like the result of talented musicians taking the world's best acid and having the perfect trip. No wonder nothing else quite like it is out there.
The song is totally well played almost every time and leads into I Know You Rider (hence the designation China Rider on tapes and setlist transcriptions). I can't think of any time I've heard China Cat and it was weak. Some great Dead songs really suffer from being inconsistent (Help on the Way comes to mind for some reason) but China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider was always a winner.
For a medley with so much jamming the structure of China Cat Sunflower remained pretty rigidly the same for decades - even down to Jerry's scripted lead. Of course there was a lot of noodling in the transition into I Know You Rider but that was always a really consistent surge of energy as the tempo and dynamics of the song increased. The rock soloing in between the two songs always remained in the keys of D and G so wasn't harmonically explorative but extremely effective.
China Cat Sunflower is one of the first "real" dead live songs I fell in love with. What I mean is that while I enjoyed my cassete copies of Skeletons From the Closet and parts of American Beauty and most of Workingman's Dead, I had some very epiphanous moments while listening to China Rider (on both Without a Net and Europe '72) during which I started to understand what the Grateful Dead were really about. I can't put into words what the Grateful Dead concert experience was like but I could partially describe it as a joyous collaborative musical improvisation that incorporated the energy of the audience. China Rider is a good example of this at its best because it "worked" almost every time.
I am really glad I got to see a China Rider live (12-9-1993 at Los Angeles Sports Arena). It wasn't the rarest song but I only saw it once in the 17 Grateful Dead shows I went to. I will never get tired of these songs and when it comes on I will always stop what I am doing and listen carefully to the jam that connects the two songs.
China Cat Sunflower Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.9
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).
I mean, really, this song is a psychedelic gem that is so creative in melody and lyric that it is a total masterpiece.
The two versions that are really the most familiar to me are the Europe '72 and the Without a Net versions - both live. That isn't to write off the Aoxomoxoa studio version which is phenomenal too (and perhaps a little more psychedelic as a result of heavy studio effects).
Look, for a while at the China Cat
Sunflower
Proud walking jingle in the midnight sun
The rest of the lyrics are pure fantasy much like the opening stanza. This song sounds like the result of talented musicians taking the world's best acid and having the perfect trip. No wonder nothing else quite like it is out there.
The song is totally well played almost every time and leads into I Know You Rider (hence the designation China Rider on tapes and setlist transcriptions). I can't think of any time I've heard China Cat and it was weak. Some great Dead songs really suffer from being inconsistent (Help on the Way comes to mind for some reason) but China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider was always a winner.
For a medley with so much jamming the structure of China Cat Sunflower remained pretty rigidly the same for decades - even down to Jerry's scripted lead. Of course there was a lot of noodling in the transition into I Know You Rider but that was always a really consistent surge of energy as the tempo and dynamics of the song increased. The rock soloing in between the two songs always remained in the keys of D and G so wasn't harmonically explorative but extremely effective.
China Cat Sunflower is one of the first "real" dead live songs I fell in love with. What I mean is that while I enjoyed my cassete copies of Skeletons From the Closet and parts of American Beauty and most of Workingman's Dead, I had some very epiphanous moments while listening to China Rider (on both Without a Net and Europe '72) during which I started to understand what the Grateful Dead were really about. I can't put into words what the Grateful Dead concert experience was like but I could partially describe it as a joyous collaborative musical improvisation that incorporated the energy of the audience. China Rider is a good example of this at its best because it "worked" almost every time.
I am really glad I got to see a China Rider live (12-9-1993 at Los Angeles Sports Arena). It wasn't the rarest song but I only saw it once in the 17 Grateful Dead shows I went to. I will never get tired of these songs and when it comes on I will always stop what I am doing and listen carefully to the jam that connects the two songs.
China Cat Sunflower Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.9
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).
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks) - Grateful Dead Song Review
I love the Dead jamming "acid rock" style in the 1960's and this is a prototypical 1960s jam song. It really seems to have no main structure other than heavy drums and guitar improvistation and vocal passage that Pigpen sings about the gypsy woman and the call and response
all you need
all you need
all you need
The rest of the song seems to be totally improvisational and varies depending on which version you hear. Jerry always plays great solos on Caution and it seems his energy would drive the song to new heights while at other times the drums would be taking over.
To my knowledge Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks) was always played after Alligator, and as I
wrote in my review of the song Alligator, I remember many of my Deadhead friends refer to the combination of Alligator and Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks) from Anthem of the Sun as "Alligator Caution" (much like "Scarlet Fire" or "Eyes Estimated").
The way that Caution would develop out of Alligator was not necessarily built around chord changes but always incorporated a surge of energy and dynamics. The tempo would increase and free form jamming would ensue. This is a great example of a 60s rock band deviating from the traditional song composition structure and creating a vehicle for jamming and whipping the audience into a frenzy.
Caution Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.5
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).
all you need
all you need
all you need
The rest of the song seems to be totally improvisational and varies depending on which version you hear. Jerry always plays great solos on Caution and it seems his energy would drive the song to new heights while at other times the drums would be taking over.
To my knowledge Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks) was always played after Alligator, and as I
wrote in my review of the song Alligator, I remember many of my Deadhead friends refer to the combination of Alligator and Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks) from Anthem of the Sun as "Alligator Caution" (much like "Scarlet Fire" or "Eyes Estimated").
The way that Caution would develop out of Alligator was not necessarily built around chord changes but always incorporated a surge of energy and dynamics. The tempo would increase and free form jamming would ensue. This is a great example of a 60s rock band deviating from the traditional song composition structure and creating a vehicle for jamming and whipping the audience into a frenzy.
Caution Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.5
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).
Friday, March 6, 2009
Casey Jones - Grateful Dead Song Review
Now here is a song I knew about even before I knew who the Grateful Dead was. This song is so catchy and controversial I remember being very young and hearing my silly cousin jokingly sing it almost as if it was a parody song or something that would belong on Dr. Demento's radio show of bizarre music (next to the latest 'Weird' Al Yankovic tune).
Casey Jones is kind of weird lyrically because the song is about a folk legend of a train engineer who crashed. There are other older traditional songs about this incident. The reason I think it's kind of a weird song lyrically because none of the verses really mention anything about cocaine and it is kind of hard to get a story line out of the lyrics (other than the train wreck). There is a "lady in red" at one point and the song is somewhat disjointed in it's lyrics - but still they're very memorable nonetheless.
One thing is for sure though, the music rocks and the melody is catchy. The rhythm is a medium tempo plodding shuffle that actually sounds like a train to me. The first solo Jerry takes on the studio recording (and he usually played it true to this original in concert) is a really simple interpretation of the chorus melody. Jerry played very lyrically and often interpreted verse and chorus melodies in his solos, but this one is particularly scaled back.
This song was released on the fantastic studio album Workingman's Dead. This is an album I was able to connect with a lot more than American Beauty when I was listening to the "classics" at a relatively young age trying to understand what the Dead was all about.
The song really should be heard on a live bootleg to get the proper effect of the "train speeding up" at the end. This build up jam is Grateful Dead at their best - the whole band collectively playing faster and with more attack as the song comes to a climax. Is there any live Grateful Dead "official release" that includes this song? I can't think of any (I'm sure there's a Dick's Picks and probably a Road Trips release with it on there - but I can't think of any major label release).
I'm sure this song was played hundreds of times in the 70's but was very rare by the time I was seeing shows in the 1990's. I bet it was an incredible experience to catch a live version of Casey Jones. It wasn't meant to be for me.
Casey Jones Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.2
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).
Casey Jones is kind of weird lyrically because the song is about a folk legend of a train engineer who crashed. There are other older traditional songs about this incident. The reason I think it's kind of a weird song lyrically because none of the verses really mention anything about cocaine and it is kind of hard to get a story line out of the lyrics (other than the train wreck). There is a "lady in red" at one point and the song is somewhat disjointed in it's lyrics - but still they're very memorable nonetheless.
One thing is for sure though, the music rocks and the melody is catchy. The rhythm is a medium tempo plodding shuffle that actually sounds like a train to me. The first solo Jerry takes on the studio recording (and he usually played it true to this original in concert) is a really simple interpretation of the chorus melody. Jerry played very lyrically and often interpreted verse and chorus melodies in his solos, but this one is particularly scaled back.
This song was released on the fantastic studio album Workingman's Dead. This is an album I was able to connect with a lot more than American Beauty when I was listening to the "classics" at a relatively young age trying to understand what the Dead was all about.
The song really should be heard on a live bootleg to get the proper effect of the "train speeding up" at the end. This build up jam is Grateful Dead at their best - the whole band collectively playing faster and with more attack as the song comes to a climax. Is there any live Grateful Dead "official release" that includes this song? I can't think of any (I'm sure there's a Dick's Picks and probably a Road Trips release with it on there - but I can't think of any major label release).
I'm sure this song was played hundreds of times in the 70's but was very rare by the time I was seeing shows in the 1990's. I bet it was an incredible experience to catch a live version of Casey Jones. It wasn't meant to be for me.
Casey Jones Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.2
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).
Friday, February 27, 2009
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).
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).
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
C.C. Rider - Grateful Dead Song Review
Hmmm, I am almost tempted to skip reviewing this song. It is going to be the first song to get a below 5.0 song rating.
This is a Bobby song that is a traditional blues type song that is plodding and uninteresting. I can enjoy a tried and true classic like this if the Dead can really put their "stamp" on it (see El Paso, Bobby McGee, or Not Fade Away) but C.C. Rider does not have this distinction.
C.C. Rider Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 4.0
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).
This is a Bobby song that is a traditional blues type song that is plodding and uninteresting. I can enjoy a tried and true classic like this if the Dead can really put their "stamp" on it (see El Paso, Bobby McGee, or Not Fade Away) but C.C. Rider does not have this distinction.
C.C. Rider Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 4.0
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).
Friday, February 20, 2009
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).
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).
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Brokedown Palace - Grateful Dead Song Review
Faaare ye well, my honey
Fare ye well, my only true love
All the birds that were singin'
Have flown except you alone
Wow, I am beginning to feel like a broken record when I say this is a legendary Grateful Dead song that displays Robert Hunter's work at its finest. I suppose that what happens when you have Box of Rain and Brokedown Palace one after the other in the alphabetical song list.
Brokedown isn't as metaphysical as Box of Rain but instead a much more sincere and poignant love song. It is possibly more impressive that Robert Hunter could put together such an interesting and effective traditional ballad than write about mind bending concepts like "it is a box of rain, I don't know who put it there..." (from Box of Rain).
This song also reminds me of Box of Rain because it doesn't have that really recognizable opening riff - always leaving me waiting until Jerry sings the first line to know for sure which song it is (although, much like Jack Straw - the placement in the set makes the tune pretty obvious no matter how varied the introduction to the piece is).
Yet another thing I would like to point out yet again is that I can't imagine that I really understood what a great song this was in high school when I got that cassette copy of American Beauty. Since I've now said the same about Attics of My Life and Box of Rain it begs the question - what did I listen to on American Beauty back then. The truth is... I don't know if I was really mature enough to appreciate these types of songs at that age...
...But I sure do now. Brokedown Palace is an emotional song for me now more than ever. I am a lot older, a lot more burned out, and a lot has been lost in life (and I have a lot less to lose than before). I now love this tune. It is so fitting that it often ended the weekend of shows. It is kind of a farewell song - the end of a period of life. It may refer to a relationship, a job, a situation, a friendship, but it just has that vibe of a spent person kind of giving up and moving on. There is also that affection for the subject the song is being sung to... which reminds me that so many times in life we are faced with situations that don't work out and it isn't necessarily that we don't want them to, it just wasn't meant to be.
So I hope that makes sense. I enjoy writing about songs like this and all the memories that they bring up for me. Later this year my life will be equal lengths "pre Grateful Dead discovery" and "post Grateful Dead Discovery" (because I was introduced their music at the age of 17, and will turn 34 in a few months. This means that I've spent more of my life as a Deadhead than not (and for only 3 years of my liking the Dead was Jerry even alive!). I've been through a lot since I first heard Brokedown Palace, and god willing I will go through a lot more before I hear it a final time.
Brokedown Palace Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.0
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).
Fare ye well, my only true love
All the birds that were singin'
Have flown except you alone
Wow, I am beginning to feel like a broken record when I say this is a legendary Grateful Dead song that displays Robert Hunter's work at its finest. I suppose that what happens when you have Box of Rain and Brokedown Palace one after the other in the alphabetical song list.
Brokedown isn't as metaphysical as Box of Rain but instead a much more sincere and poignant love song. It is possibly more impressive that Robert Hunter could put together such an interesting and effective traditional ballad than write about mind bending concepts like "it is a box of rain, I don't know who put it there..." (from Box of Rain).
This song also reminds me of Box of Rain because it doesn't have that really recognizable opening riff - always leaving me waiting until Jerry sings the first line to know for sure which song it is (although, much like Jack Straw - the placement in the set makes the tune pretty obvious no matter how varied the introduction to the piece is).
Yet another thing I would like to point out yet again is that I can't imagine that I really understood what a great song this was in high school when I got that cassette copy of American Beauty. Since I've now said the same about Attics of My Life and Box of Rain it begs the question - what did I listen to on American Beauty back then. The truth is... I don't know if I was really mature enough to appreciate these types of songs at that age...
...But I sure do now. Brokedown Palace is an emotional song for me now more than ever. I am a lot older, a lot more burned out, and a lot has been lost in life (and I have a lot less to lose than before). I now love this tune. It is so fitting that it often ended the weekend of shows. It is kind of a farewell song - the end of a period of life. It may refer to a relationship, a job, a situation, a friendship, but it just has that vibe of a spent person kind of giving up and moving on. There is also that affection for the subject the song is being sung to... which reminds me that so many times in life we are faced with situations that don't work out and it isn't necessarily that we don't want them to, it just wasn't meant to be.
So I hope that makes sense. I enjoy writing about songs like this and all the memories that they bring up for me. Later this year my life will be equal lengths "pre Grateful Dead discovery" and "post Grateful Dead Discovery" (because I was introduced their music at the age of 17, and will turn 34 in a few months. This means that I've spent more of my life as a Deadhead than not (and for only 3 years of my liking the Dead was Jerry even alive!). I've been through a lot since I first heard Brokedown Palace, and god willing I will go through a lot more before I hear it a final time.
Brokedown Palace Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.0
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).
Friday, January 30, 2009
Born Cross Eyed - Grateful Dead Song Review
I admit I had to pull up this tune in my library to see if it was the one where they sing "all graceful instruuuuments." (it's not).
As much as I am a fan of Anthem of the Sun, this song doesn't stand out much to me. It is very short and it is a Bobby song. I will give it recognition for being a pretty original tune and Bobby sings pretty well on it. You can hear a version on Youtube if you're so inclined.
Born Cross Eyed Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 6.0
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).
As much as I am a fan of Anthem of the Sun, this song doesn't stand out much to me. It is very short and it is a Bobby song. I will give it recognition for being a pretty original tune and Bobby sings pretty well on it. You can hear a version on Youtube if you're so inclined.
Born Cross Eyed Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 6.0
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).
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Brown Eyed Women - Grateful Dead Song Review
Brown Eyed Women is a great fun old Grateful Dead Song. This song came out on Europe '72 and is one of those tunes that Robert Hunter was referring to years later when he pointed out that there was a lot of original music created around that time that he wished had gotten properly recorded in a studio (like Jack Straw, Ramble on Rose, and others).
For me, the Europe '72 version is just a great version of Brown Eyed Women. I love this type of Dead song with Robert Hunter's lyrics harkening back several decades to a past era of American life. He sings about a man who raised a ragged family of farmers and/or moonshiners. The "old man" and Delilah Jones (the mother of twins, two times over and the rest were sins) recur throughout the song and a great tale of love and loss is born.
Brown Eyed Women also boasts one of those memorable refrains to start off some of the verses "..Gone are the days when the...." This song is Grateful Dead songwriting at its finest and I was lucky enough to see this song live at Shoreline Amphitheater on 9/18/1994. I will always listen to Brown Eyed Women when it comes on a tape or podcast.
Brown Eyed Women Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 7.9
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).
For me, the Europe '72 version is just a great version of Brown Eyed Women. I love this type of Dead song with Robert Hunter's lyrics harkening back several decades to a past era of American life. He sings about a man who raised a ragged family of farmers and/or moonshiners. The "old man" and Delilah Jones (the mother of twins, two times over and the rest were sins) recur throughout the song and a great tale of love and loss is born.
Brown Eyed Women also boasts one of those memorable refrains to start off some of the verses "..Gone are the days when the...." This song is Grateful Dead songwriting at its finest and I was lucky enough to see this song live at Shoreline Amphitheater on 9/18/1994. I will always listen to Brown Eyed Women when it comes on a tape or podcast.
Brown Eyed Women Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 7.9
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).
Monday, January 26, 2009
Blues For Allah - Grateful Dead Song Review
Blues for Allah is a really unique and powerful song that is possibly the song that is the furthest departure from "American rock" that the Dead were to make (as far as incorporating world sounds).
Blues for Allah is an eerie middle eastern tune based on a middle eastern scale and set in a non traditional meter. It is also the name of the album on which it originally appears - released in 1975. The lyrics are really great with lines like:
Arabian wind, The needle's eye is thin, The ships of state sail on mirage,
And drown in sand, Out in no-man's land where Allah does command.
When I think of the period of time in which this album was released I picture Garcia with his long dark hair, long dark beard, and apparent fondness for persian heroin. I really like the entire album with the same name but I will say that it is inconsistent. At least the Dead were very ambitious with this album and pushing the envelope of traditional American rock albums by putting several lengthy instrumental songs on it.
The Kezar Stadium show in San Francisco on 3/23/1975 is always the main live version of this song that I can refer to. This show is notable to me because it is very close to the day I was born and is notable also because it was largely an instrumental show without lyrics (at least until the Johnny B. Goode encore). I would recommend hearing this show on archive.org but I can see that it is not posted because the show has been commercially released.
Blues for Allah only was played a few times in 1975. I am kind of surprised now that I look at the Egypt shows (recently released and obtained by yours truly) that this song didn't make the setlists in what would seem to be it's most natural setting - an Egyptian desert. Perhaps Blues for Allah might have been a bit too much of a departure musically to work into the rest of the set, or perhaps the song wasn't very accessible to the Dead's audience at the time. I can only guess at the reasons that Blues for Allah didn't have more of a run in the Dead's setlists but one thing that I do know for sure is that I really wish there were more live verisons of it out there - I would love to hear Jerry and co. use this very unique sounding song as a vehicle for experimentation.
Blues for Allah Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.5
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).
Blues for Allah is an eerie middle eastern tune based on a middle eastern scale and set in a non traditional meter. It is also the name of the album on which it originally appears - released in 1975. The lyrics are really great with lines like:
Arabian wind, The needle's eye is thin, The ships of state sail on mirage,
And drown in sand, Out in no-man's land where Allah does command.
When I think of the period of time in which this album was released I picture Garcia with his long dark hair, long dark beard, and apparent fondness for persian heroin. I really like the entire album with the same name but I will say that it is inconsistent. At least the Dead were very ambitious with this album and pushing the envelope of traditional American rock albums by putting several lengthy instrumental songs on it.
The Kezar Stadium show in San Francisco on 3/23/1975 is always the main live version of this song that I can refer to. This show is notable to me because it is very close to the day I was born and is notable also because it was largely an instrumental show without lyrics (at least until the Johnny B. Goode encore). I would recommend hearing this show on archive.org but I can see that it is not posted because the show has been commercially released.
Blues for Allah only was played a few times in 1975. I am kind of surprised now that I look at the Egypt shows (recently released and obtained by yours truly) that this song didn't make the setlists in what would seem to be it's most natural setting - an Egyptian desert. Perhaps Blues for Allah might have been a bit too much of a departure musically to work into the rest of the set, or perhaps the song wasn't very accessible to the Dead's audience at the time. I can only guess at the reasons that Blues for Allah didn't have more of a run in the Dead's setlists but one thing that I do know for sure is that I really wish there were more live verisons of it out there - I would love to hear Jerry and co. use this very unique sounding song as a vehicle for experimentation.
Blues for Allah Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.5
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).
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Blow Away - Grateful Dead Song Review
I admit that I just had to go to youtube.com to hear Blow Away because in my mind I was thinking... "Wait, which Brent song is that again" (all I was able to locate was a studio version from Built to Last).
I love Brent Mydland playing with the Dead. In fact, I love all the Dead's keyboardists. I think Jerry had a great relationship with Brent and you can clearly see them enjoying playing off of each other a lot in the DVDs that I've bought (like the Alpine Valley show). I wonder if Jerry's affinity for Brent helped Brent get a lot of his material on Grateful Dead albums? Some of Brent's songs don't really sound like Dead songs to me, and this is one of them. It's not bad at all, it just sounds like something that Michael McDonald or Starship would play.
Built to Last is a little bit overproduced and the studio version of Blow Away has a "Top 40" background chorus. Jerry's guitar leads sound good on this track. This song get's credit for being an original song (as opposed to a blues song). I am going to seek out a couple of live versions of Blow Away and may change my opinion after hearing them but I'd say this is for the most part just an "okay" song.
Blow Away 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).
I love Brent Mydland playing with the Dead. In fact, I love all the Dead's keyboardists. I think Jerry had a great relationship with Brent and you can clearly see them enjoying playing off of each other a lot in the DVDs that I've bought (like the Alpine Valley show). I wonder if Jerry's affinity for Brent helped Brent get a lot of his material on Grateful Dead albums? Some of Brent's songs don't really sound like Dead songs to me, and this is one of them. It's not bad at all, it just sounds like something that Michael McDonald or Starship would play.
Built to Last is a little bit overproduced and the studio version of Blow Away has a "Top 40" background chorus. Jerry's guitar leads sound good on this track. This song get's credit for being an original song (as opposed to a blues song). I am going to seek out a couple of live versions of Blow Away and may change my opinion after hearing them but I'd say this is for the most part just an "okay" song.
Blow Away 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).
Monday, January 19, 2009
Black Peter - Grateful Dead Song Review
"Alll of my friends come to.... see me last night..."
Black Peter is an extremely revered Dead song from Workingman's Dead. It is almost a surprise to me that this song has the mystique that it does. So many people I've met through the years have raved about Black Peter. It has that kind of "magical quality" of a somewhat rarely played classic Dead song that when it is played at a show the song by itself makes a show (like Casey Jones, Truckin', and many others). I can see in Deadbase X that Black Peter is evenly played a few times a year throughout the entire history of the Grateful Dead. I think the power of the opening phrase "All of my friends..." coming out of nowhere in the 2nd set must really set the crowd off. I was not fortunate enough to ever see a Black Peter live.
I say that I'm surprised about Black Peter's popularity because it is not a rocking or catchy tune. I think it is a very well composed slow song about a character named Peter who is on his deathbed. The whole song seems to be about this person and his sad life waiting to die - so nothing much happens nor is there much of a story.
This is what's great about Deadheads - they don't need every song to be upbeat or have an interesting and obvious storyline to be a classic.
Black Peter Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.9
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).
Black Peter is an extremely revered Dead song from Workingman's Dead. It is almost a surprise to me that this song has the mystique that it does. So many people I've met through the years have raved about Black Peter. It has that kind of "magical quality" of a somewhat rarely played classic Dead song that when it is played at a show the song by itself makes a show (like Casey Jones, Truckin', and many others). I can see in Deadbase X that Black Peter is evenly played a few times a year throughout the entire history of the Grateful Dead. I think the power of the opening phrase "All of my friends..." coming out of nowhere in the 2nd set must really set the crowd off. I was not fortunate enough to ever see a Black Peter live.
I say that I'm surprised about Black Peter's popularity because it is not a rocking or catchy tune. I think it is a very well composed slow song about a character named Peter who is on his deathbed. The whole song seems to be about this person and his sad life waiting to die - so nothing much happens nor is there much of a story.
This is what's great about Deadheads - they don't need every song to be upbeat or have an interesting and obvious storyline to be a classic.
Black Peter Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.9
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).
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Black Muddy River - Grateful Dead Song Review
Black Muddy River, from the album In the Dark is a slow emotional dirge that has an excellent fingerpicked feel, a sad melody, and Robert Hunter's inimicable mysterious lyrics:
"the hot sun chills me to the bone..."
and how about this verse:
"When it seems like the night will last forever
And there's nothing left to do but count the years
When the strings of my heart start to sever
And stones fall from my eyes instead of tears"
That's some really inspired, well written lyrics that give a strong sense of reminiscing, nostalgia, and acceptance.
I don't think I've ever had someone walk up to me and say "you've got to hear this killer Black Muddy River" or "my favorite Dead song is Black Muddy River" but it is definitely a solid tune. If nothing else it just has Jerry and Robert's fingerprints over the whole song- every note. It sounds like a Jerry Garcia/Grateful Dead tune (even without any "jam section") - you know what I mean.
I think that in the last few years of Jerry's life he was gravitating towards writing and playing slow emotional dirges like Black Muddy River. I always enjoyed the Jerry ballads most at the shows I saw, and I enjoyed the JGB shows with their numerous "slow jams" mixed in the set list (like Shining Star!).
Many times I've read about this being the last Grateful Dead "Jerry encore" (then Phil played Box of Rain - also I suppose with some lyrical significance). This train of thought reminds me of when my friends used to point out that the last "vocal lead line" Brent sang was "I've got to go but my friends can stick around..." in The Weight (I've never verified this). While finding significance in these occurrences seems morbid and kind of rubs me the wrong way, I am looking at my Deadbase X and Black Muddy River was not played for almost four years and then brought back and played 3 times in the last month of Dead shows (all within 60 days of Jerry dying).
Anyway, I think it's a great song and always takes me to a sad nostalgic place...
Black Muddy River Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.3
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).
"the hot sun chills me to the bone..."
and how about this verse:
"When it seems like the night will last forever
And there's nothing left to do but count the years
When the strings of my heart start to sever
And stones fall from my eyes instead of tears"
That's some really inspired, well written lyrics that give a strong sense of reminiscing, nostalgia, and acceptance.
I don't think I've ever had someone walk up to me and say "you've got to hear this killer Black Muddy River" or "my favorite Dead song is Black Muddy River" but it is definitely a solid tune. If nothing else it just has Jerry and Robert's fingerprints over the whole song- every note. It sounds like a Jerry Garcia/Grateful Dead tune (even without any "jam section") - you know what I mean.
I think that in the last few years of Jerry's life he was gravitating towards writing and playing slow emotional dirges like Black Muddy River. I always enjoyed the Jerry ballads most at the shows I saw, and I enjoyed the JGB shows with their numerous "slow jams" mixed in the set list (like Shining Star!).
Many times I've read about this being the last Grateful Dead "Jerry encore" (then Phil played Box of Rain - also I suppose with some lyrical significance). This train of thought reminds me of when my friends used to point out that the last "vocal lead line" Brent sang was "I've got to go but my friends can stick around..." in The Weight (I've never verified this). While finding significance in these occurrences seems morbid and kind of rubs me the wrong way, I am looking at my Deadbase X and Black Muddy River was not played for almost four years and then brought back and played 3 times in the last month of Dead shows (all within 60 days of Jerry dying).
Anyway, I think it's a great song and always takes me to a sad nostalgic place...
Black Muddy River Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.3
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).
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