Greatest Story Ever Told - Grateful Dead Song Review

Moses came ridin'  up on a quasar

How I Learned About Greatest Story

Greatest Story Ever Told is a "first set" rocker that smokes.  This Bobby song was introduced way back in 1971 and played all the way through 1995. But for some reason I associate this song with hot 1980s shows (with Brent) that I would listen to on low quality cassette tapes that I would get from friends, so I always hear this song as low quality and "treble-y" when I hear it in my mind's eye (ear).

This song would always appear in the 1st set (sometimes the opener) and be  smokin'. It has a revved up beginning that is a "Chuck Berry" style riff (chords that are played by Phil!) and then just tears into its faced paced verses. The band punches through accents while Bobby spits the lyrics out and Jerry wails with his dynamic filter sound.

Greatest Story Ever Told appeared on Bobby's first solo album Ace, which was really a Grateful Dead record because the entire band was involved in providing the music that backed up Bobby's vocals.  That album by the way is a "must have" with 7 of the 8 songs becoming Grateful Dead concert favorites (including Cassidy and One More Saturday Night).

Some Crazy Lyrics in Greatest Story

There's not too many Bob Weir songs that feature lyrics written by Robert Hunter.  I must say, this song highlights the difference between the way that Bobby would use lyrics versus the way Jerry would.

For instance, some lines in Greatest Story really ring out and remind me of the cleverness of Robert Hunter lyrics that are in Jerry tunes:

I asked him for mercy, he gave me a gun

or

I asked him for water, he poured me some wine

But other lines sound like nothing of Hunter that Jerry ever sang:


Moses come riding up on a quasar 
His spurs was a-jingling, the door was ajar

or

Abraham and Isaac digging on a well
Mama come quick with the water witch spell



Lines like these  remind me of Bobby's habit of employing "nonsensical" lyrics that make the meanings to his songs hard to discern (for example, Estimated Prophet).  Also, as with the line "water witch spell," Bobby often uses consonance in his lyrics that make them very difficult to sing (like "quick beats in an icy heart, catch colt draws a coffin cart" from Cassidy).

So, although I can't figure out heads or tails of what the song Greatest Story Ever Told is about, I still think it's a good rock song that would get the crowd going.  I enjoyed it the one time I got to see it (at Shoreline). This is a nice and short upbeat song that I always listen in its entirety when it comes up on show recordings I am listening to.

Greatest Story Ever Told Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.2

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.

El Paso - Grateful Dead Song Review

El Paso is really notable for a couple of different reasons:

1. The Dead played it hundreds of times throughout almost every year from the song's introduction in 1979  right through 1995

2. Jerry basically solos the entire song (when he's not singing backing vocals on  the chorus)  - including right over Bobby's verses too

What's not to love? The song's melody is so infectious that it's an absolute classic (written by Marty Robbins). El Paso was a familiar and upbeat 1st set major key song. No wonder the boys relied on it so heavily.   I've never heard an El Paso where the band "stepped out" while jamming (ie playing outside the main key or adding rhythmic variations).  But, El Paso is an easy crowd pleaser and no doubt helped set the tone for some of the best shows in the Grateful Dead's history.

Here's a great version on youtube from Vegas 1994 (a show that I attended). Bobby is playing an acoustic and there's some great background vocals by Jerry on that video.

El Paso Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.7

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.

Desolation Row - Grateful Dead Song Review

I'm a huge Dylan fan so I wonder why this song isn't more of a favorite of mine.

In an interview I read in the Relix Compilation Book Jerry Garcia was asked what songs he wants to remove from the Grateful Dead repertoire.  Surprisingly instead of dodging the question outright, he responds "some of the Dylan" tunes (something along those lines*).  The interview was from later in the band's career - I believe in the 1990's.

I imagine Jerry was referring to Desolation Row and/or Queen Jane Approximately - first set "Bobby songs."  When I paint My Masterpiece seemed to be a little more of a favorite of the band (and much shorter with a harmonic modulation to keep it interesting).  Phil's Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues was rarer and pretty great too.  There are more examples of Dylan tunes (Watchtower, Baby Blue, Memphis Blues, etc.) but in my opinion Jerry was talking about Desolation and Queen Jane.

Why would Jerry be wanting to remove these songs from the Dead setlist?  For the same reason I think Desolation Row is a little lackluster - they are simple, long, and a bit boring.  Desolation Row is basically a very long acoustic beatnik poem that the band adopted to the live setting.  There's just too much firepower on stage to waste it on 11 minutes of Desolation Row.   The song also had no real jam section, just soloists taking "a verse here," and "a verse there."

So while there are some iconic lines like:  ....playing the electric violin on Desolation Row.
And: Cinderella she seems so easy, it takes one to know one she smiles, and puts her hands in her back pockets, Bette Davis Style...

Overall, the song is a little lackluster.  It would've been great to see Desolation Row (I never did) but it is hard to make it through it on tapes.

Desolation Row Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 6.8

*the Relix book is great and reviewed here, but it does not have a table of contents so it is hard to find specific articles.

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).

Corinna - Grateful Dead Song Review

My affection for the late era Grateful Dead has given me a bias for Corinna and I would say it is an "okay" song. I really don't mind it. I remember seeing the Velveeta logo "Corinna" shirts around Dead shows. Cheese it up Bobby.. indeed.

The thing about Corinna is that it has a good beat. It reminds me somewhat of electronica. There are some good changes in the tune and that chorus is really memorable:

Corinnaaaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaah Shake it up now

Looking up the lyrics just now (which I never paid attention to before) I see that they are written by Robert Hunter and the pairing of Robert Hunter and Bob Weir is pretty rare. The lyrics are vague and clever but hard to glean much of a story from them. Also, per the Annotated Grateful Dead lyrics site, Mickey Hart is the other contributor to the musical portion.

I think the song is pretty original and an interesting "late era" Grateful Dead song. It was primarily a second set song and Jerry would play an interesting solo on it. I would definitely prefer Corinna over other new Dead songs like Way to Go Home and Eternity and even over a tired 2nd set song like Need a Miracle.

Corinna Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 6.7

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).

Cassidy - Grateful Dead Song Review

Oh I just got a little chill thinking about seeing Cassidy at Oakland Coliseum during the Chinese New Year run in 1994. It was raining outside and Cassidy was sandwiched betwen Loser and Don't Ease Me In. What a lucky man I was and still am to be able to remember this.

Cassidy is probably my favorite Bob Weir song. It is definitely a Bobby song and it was originally released on the studio album Ace, Bobby's solo album that had several other songs that would become Grateful Dead classics (Greatest Story Ever Told, Black Throated Wind, Mexicali Blues, Playin' in the Band, and Looks Like Rain).

I'm a little hard on Bob but I'm going to have to give credit for Cassidy and the Ace album as a whole - wow. Very prolific and great output of good music. If I remember what I read in the Grateful Dead books correctly - the sessions for Ace turned into almost like a Grateful Dead recording session because the band members were all participating.

But back to Cassidy. This song is magic. A first set song with an open jam section (a rare feature) and with great lyrics by John Barlow. There are extremely catchy and memorable lines to open:

I have seen where the wolf has slept by the silver stream
I can tell by the mark he left you were in his dream

and my other favorite part at the end:

Fare thee well now, let your life proceed by its own design
Nothing to tell now, let the words be your I am done with mine.

I don't know how to describe why Cassidy's lyrics are so magic to me. Well, they just have a timeless quality and the way the jam opens up slightly dissonant after they sing the "Fare thee well now..." line adds to this mysterious quality. Oh did I mention that the song has references to Neal Cassady:

Lost now are the country miles in his cadillac,
I can tell by the way you smile, he's coming back

This is evocative of a wonderful and magical time in the history of California and reminds me of the Merry Pranksters, Ken Kesey, the Acid Tests, and of course the beatnik era. I love reading books like On the Road, the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, and others about this proud period in the history of California. There is a really great article on the Literary Kicks website where Barlow discusses Neal Cassady and also mentions the origins of the lyrics to Cassidy (many thanks to Sundar for bringing this to my attention).

So again I want to emphasize that Cassidy was one of the few first set songs with a wide open exploratory jam. Another one that comes to mind is Bird Song and these two songs always remind me of each other for some reason. Basically, you were hoping to get one or the other in the first set (both never seemed to be played in the same night) and either almost singlehandedly indicated a good set and probably a great show.

Bird Song also has that open jam section and the jam section in both Cassidy and Bird Song incorporate dissonant sounds - which transport the listener elsewhere. For some reason I want to point out that like in Bird Song, when the jam in Cassidy winds down, it is often not a precise transition back into the chorus: flight of the sea birds... there was always a looseness to this return to the song that some might describe as "sloppy." I actually really like the fact that it wasn't precise. This loose transition shows that The Grateful Dead were about pushing the envelope and exploring the jam portion of songs like this - not so much interested in earning style points for being tight.

For me, the quintissential version of Cassidy is on Without a Net. So I guess that means that I associate the song with Brent doubling the lead vocal. How cool is it that Brent could just sing along with Bobby through the entire tune even though he wasn't around when the song was initially created and played? How many other bands do you know of welcome a new keyboardist into the fold and then share lead vocals with him on their most favorite songs? That's just one of many reasons why the Grateful Dead rules, and tonight I'm gonna give it up for Bob Weir for making this song happen.

Cassidy 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).

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).

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).