Dire Wolf - Grateful Dead Song Review

Dire Wolf is a cool song from Workingman's Dead that I connected to immediately as a teenager (unlike so many of the great songs that it took me years to appreciate).  Of course, I heard it for the first time when discovering the Dead in the 1990's, but still it is a catchy and accessible tune - even to my 'unexperienced' ears.

The lyrics are the product of Robert Hunter's amazing imagination and take you to a (seemingly) long ago snowy night where the protagonist is visited by an eerie and imposing animal.

The song was played throughout the Dead's career and translated well to acoustic and Jerry would also include it on "acoustic type" shows with John Kahn.  Having the song available for the acoustic JGB means that Jerry was really comfortable with the song and performances of it seem consistently great.

It's definitely a 'classic' and the version on Workingman's Dead has some great pedal steel playing on it (by Jerry).

One interesting memory I have is hearing the tale of Jerry playing this song at Deer Creek on July 2nd 1995 after receiving death threats. That concert was played with the house lights on (for the safety of the band).  The sense of humor involved in singing these lyrics:

Don't murder me
I beg of you dont murder me
Please don't murder me

after getting death threats is pretty legendary.  I believe that version is available on archive.org here (an audience recording with some nice crowd reaction):

http://archive.org/details/gd95-07-02.aud.ball.587.sbeok.shnf

There's an amazingly long comment thread on that page about the gate crashing incident.  Many commenters have gone out of their way to point out how bad Jerry played at this show.  This may be true, (I havent listened to the entire show) but that means that what I said about Dire Wolf being consistently great is true because it's a pretty flawless version on that recording.


Dire Wolf Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.8

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).

Deep Elem Blues - Grateful Dead Song Review

Oh sweet mama, your daddy's got them Deep Elem Blues

Deep Elem Blues is a upbeat bluesy acoustic song that always reminds me of Reckoning or Garcia/Kahn acoustic shows. 

The song is not an original Grateful Dead tune but I am not sure who the credit for the tune goes to.  It is about the red light district around Elm Street in Dallas.  The message is about the shady areas and the activity that the narrator sings to the listener.  Each verse features a little twist and the sense of humor definitely has the Grateful Dead spirit of celebrating some of the more tragic parts of life:

Once I had a girlfriend, she meant the world to me
She went down to Deep Elem, now she ain't what she used to be   

It's a simple song, and a pretty catchy one.  I don't have much to say about the song except to point out that Reckoning is definitely not my favorite Grateful Dead album (or period). A lot of the "traditional standards" the Dead covered are completely forgettable - like Monkey & the Engineer and Tom Dooley (of course that's just my opinion).   Deep Elem Blues is one of the better traditional standards that came out of this period (although the GD played it going back to 1966).

I really enjoy hearing it during Garcia acoustic shows (with John Kahn on bass). A fine example of this is a youtube I've embedded below in which Deep Elem Blues is the set opener.

Deep Elem Blues Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 7.0

Disclaimer: This is part of my blog that reviews all things Grateful Dead for fun. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion (and be sure to read my blog manifesto to understand a little more about where I'm coming from).

Been All Around this World - Grateful Dead Song Review

Been Around this World

Sing it with me: "Upon the Blue Ridge Mountains, there I'll take my stand..." This is another nice mellow old-timey American folk song (that is kind of indistinguishable from (Oh Babe It) Ain't no Lie in my opinion).

This song is probably known often as I've Been All Around this World. Again (just like Ain't no Lie) there is a great version at the Jerry/John Kahn Oregon State Prison show from May 5th, 1982. Man, I can just imagine that scene unfolding - does anyone have pictures of this show? I would love to see Jerry and John playing in front of a bunch of inmates.

This song was also on the acoustic album Reckoning as well. It is a great fingerpicking song that Jerry sings with a lot of character.

Been All Around this World Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 7.8

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).