Cumberland Blues - Grateful Dead Song Review

One of the best memories I have of the Grateful Dead is the first time I heard Europe '72.

As soon as Cumberland Blues started (the first track on Europe '72) I fell in love with that bouncy bassline and the "down home" way the band would jam that "I-V" Cumberland progression that sounds like a jug band meets a rolling train. I'm kind of not as big of a fan of bluegrass and American "roots" music as most Deadheads, but I really love Cumberland Blues.

This song is deceptively simple at first and is characterized by it's main simple motif. Cumberland Blues actually has some pretty interesting vocal harmonies and a few different sections. This song is definitely not a blues progression like the name might suggest. The band also would jam pretty hard throughout this song and step out a fair bit within the relatively simple chordal framework.

The song was played fairly regularly early in the band's career and then was put on a shelf from 1974 through 1981 (a 394 show hiatus - thanks Deadbase). The song was played sparingly through the rest of the band's career. In later years, Cumberland Blues was usually mixed into the first set and often combined with similar songs like Maggie's Farm, Big River, and sometimes followed Mexicali Blues.
The lyrics by Robert Hunter are a really interesting and abstract tale of a mine worker who labors in unjust circumstances at the Cumberland Mine. It is a snapshot of the time when large American firms capitalized off of the sweat of their laborers and didn't compensate them fairly and this is the situation that gave rise to the labor unions (which are referenced in Cumberland Blues as well). The lyric's hopeless tone is somewhat contradictory to the fun bouncy rhythm of the song, but the lyrics do fit in perfectly with other songs like Easy Wind and Dire Wolf on Workingman's Dead.

Some versions of Cumberland would get really hot thanks to the musicianship and group dynamics when the band would start really stepping out on the solo sections behind Jerry's leads. At the very least Cumberland is always a great song to hear because of the excellent lyrics and beautiful harmonies.

Cumberland Blues Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.3

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

Cold Rain and Snow - Grateful Dead Song Review

This is a Grateful Dead song that was played throughout the band's entire career and one that I enjoy in every incarnation.

The later the version of this song that you hear, the slower it will be. I really like the late era slow versions where Jerry "grinds out" the main riff painstakingly note by note. Whatever the year this song was played, you'll hear Jerry played the to same original guitar solo from the studio version. There's little or no soloing from Jerry other than this predetermined segment. I think the Dead needed a song like this which after the first hundred times or so probably played itself.

I wonder if this song was an opener because of the simplicity and familiarity of the parts? The lyrics seem like they would be very easy to remember (the three "verses" are two lines each). It would seem to be a great warmup tune for these reasons.

The lyrics for Cold Rain and Snow have a little bit of that sly hubris of Jerry singing the part of the husband who has had it with his "troublesome" wife. Is it really that she's cold or perhaps our protagonist is looking for an excuse to have a wandering eye?

Well she's comin' down the stairs, combing back her yellow hair
And I'm going where those chilly winds don't blow

I'm reminded of Shady Grove which has a similar theme of the man who's had it with his wife (and wants to explore other options).

This song is credited to the Grateful Dead on Wikipedia but I always assumed it was a traditional song that they were covering. On the great site of "Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics" it credits McGanahan Skjellyfetti - which is no doubt some sort of silly alias the band created.


Cold Rain and Snow is one of my favorite opening songs. Again, I have to mention that very few songs were great throughout the Dead's entire career and actually got better with time. In comparison, I have a hard time enjoying older (70's) versions of Eyes of the World and Bird Song because they were so rushed and didn't have the maturity of later versions. Cold Rain and Snow hits the spot every time - no matter what show and what year. Very consistent tune.

Cold Rain and Snow Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.1

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

Bird Song - Grateful Dead Song Review

Bird Song

I was eyeing this song since I started the “songs that start with ‘B’ reviews” and during the somewhat painful review of the previous "first set rockers" I couldn’t wait to effuse about Bird Song.

This is a signature Grateful Dead song with what I consider to be Jerry’s signature lick. The main guitar refrain just sounds like the essence of how Jerry built his melodies… simple, rambling, and melodic.

The song also has a very open modal quality to it. The original studio recording (released on Jerry Garcia’s first solo album) was in the key of D (dom) but the Dead version of later years is in E (dom). There are some early live versions of Bird Song that the Dead played which sound very similar to the studio version – and frankly I don’t like these. The song didn’t really gel until sometime in the mid 80s. I would also say that I’m not too big of a fan of the acoustic versions of Bird Song (from around the Reckoning era) either. I think the song needs electricity (and midi) to realize its open modern jazz potential.

So the version that I am really a fan of is on Without a Net. This version is just recorded so well and played so well I’ve never really found a version I like more (but if you know of one, by all means – suggest it to me!). Of course, Jerry plays the midi flute on the Without a Net version and the sound of his guitar on that CD is just impeccable in general. I believe the guitar he was using was Rosebud and I’ve never really heard a better sounding Jerry guitar. I can’t remember the reason he switched to the “lightning bolt” guitar but I’ve seem to remember reading that it had great sustain and was lighter.

Bird Song is about Janis Joplin I’ve been told, but you know… it doesn’t really evoke her in my opinion. To me the song’s lyrics are a wondrous monologue from one entity about another that is the “bird” which seems to me to represent the spirit of woman, a muse, or something else desirable. Sorry to get a little abstract, but the point that I am making is that while I love Janis, I’ve never felt that this song is for or about her. (Cassidy on the other hand is a different story - that song has lines that could only be about Neal Cassady).

This song opens up with the rambling main figure, then there is a verse and a very interesting chorus and great background vocals when they sing “la la la la lAAAAAhhhh…” (you know what I’m referring to - that part is so beautiful). After the second verse the song opens up into the “jam” and I just love the way the jam always starts off with Jerry subtlely noodling over the standard song rhythm, and then the band gradually “stepping out” with him and collectively improvising based on Jerry’s leads. The jam is always spacious and ambitious – really the fact that the key rests on the Dominant I for the entire jam causes this song to really go “out there” and they swell and build with crescendos and then long spacious passages. Often time the jam will have multiple swells and then quieter passages. This is not only some of the most “spacey” improvisational type of playing the Dead did in the 1st set, it is actually one of the more routinely harmonically experimental jams the band had in their repertoire.

The open “jam” part ends with the one of the main guitar riffs pulling it right into the chorus. The jam was usually so far “out there” that I’ve notice this transition back into the song is often not very “tight” as you would expect the Dead would want it, but a worthy tradeoff for the openness of the jam.


Then one more chorus, verse, chorus and then the end of the song. The structure is very simple but the playing is always ambitious. This song reminds me of some of the modal jazz epic songs from the 70s from the likes of Coltrane and Miles Davis. It is just a great, great song with a great history and the entire band participated in it’s evolution from a simple 2 part song to an epic jam vehicle. I saw this song at my first show (Las Vegas, May 15th, 1993) and I can say without a doubt that I had no idea at that moment how great the song was and how I would listen to it hundreds of times for years to come. Now it is definitely a highly beloved Dead song that causes me great emotion when I hear it.

Bird 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).

Big Railroad Blues - Grateful Dead Song Reviews

Big Railroad Blues

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

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

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

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

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

Big Boss Man - Grateful Dead Song Review

Big Boss Man

As stated in my blog manifesto I am somewhat of a blasphemer because I much prefer the late 80’s/90’s Dead over the mid 70’s. In that regard I will also say that while I love Pigpen, I just don’t listen to that much Pigpen era Dead and when I do, I prefer many of their more psychedelic “acid rock” exploratory jams (ie. The Eleven) over blues vehicles like Big Boss Man.

Couple that with the fact that Big Boss Man doesn’t usually (to my knowledge) have a “rave up” jam in the middle and you have a rather mundane Grateful Dead blues rock song with (in my opinion) not much of a Grateful Dead “stamp” on it. There are other songs like this including Mr. Charlie and Hurts Me Too that I just don’t have much love for.

One reason that Big Boss Man does stand out is that Jerry revived it in the eighties as an opener and I can only imagine how great that would have been to be at that first concert (or any concert where Jerry revived this tune). I actually prefer these versions of Big Boss Man.

Big Boss Man Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 5.5

Attics of My Life - Grateful Dead Song Review

Attics of My Life

The second bona fide Grateful Dead classic song in the "A" section (the first being Althea).

What can I say about Attics? One of the most beautiful songs ever written. Incredibly original. Very soulful lyrics. It was the song that when I first got that American Beauty cassette in high school, I think I probably fast forwarded right through it after hearing it once.

Now, it ranks as one of the all time favorite songs. I don't know how to describe this song, it really defies categorization in a genre. It seems to be a love song, and it is a slow ballad. I feel that it has an almost Irish quality to it, but I can't really say why. The song is sung in 3 part harmony and I think the Crosby Stills and Nash guys had to help the Dead accomplish this disciplined vocal style. It is just pure soul and it has very abstract, psychedelic lyrics written of course by Robert Hunter.

The lyrics are so great that it is tempting to post them all, but will focus on the "goosebumps" part which I guess you could refer to as the bridge or "B" section (the song has an AABA structure):

In the book of love's own dream, where all the print is blood

Where all the pages are my days, and all the lights grow old

When I had no wings to fly, you flew to me, you flew to me

Then of course after the verses there are additional vocalizations where the band continues to harmonize (ie. "to meeee to meeee-eee") that I find to be really emotional. A great version of this song is the acoustic "Phil Lesh and Friends" show from Berkeley in 1994.

Note that this Phil Lesh and Friends actually was the Dead (as opposed to his post Jerry band of late).

Also note that people who got to witness this song (and this entire show) are critical of it on the archive.org message board below the media player in that link. How can these people take themselves seriously? Oh wait, that's basically why I started this blog is to air my (sometimes negative) opinions on the world of the Grateful Dead. Music (and reality I guess) is a beautiful thing because it is so subjective. To each his own.

Attics of My Life 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).

Alabama Getaway - Grateful Dead song review

Alabama Getaway

This is a great rock song from the album Go to Heaven. This song falls into the category of music I call "for Deadheads only." This category of music describes songs that are beloved to Deadheads but utterly unknown to the public at large. I do believe this song actually was released as a single or at the very least the Dead played it on Saturday Night Live (if memory serves).

This song sounds like a 70's rock song that a Southern boogie woogie rock band would play. The word "honky tonk" comes to mind. The lyrics are about a character named Alabama who is a reckless casanova and gets into trouble a lot. The lyrics remind me of Tennessee Jed for some reason.

I would have loved to have seen this song live, but it wasn't meant to be. I can see in my Deadbase X that the band did revive the song in 1995 for the first time since Brent's passing.

Alabama Getaway Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.0

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).

(Oh Babe It) Ain't No Lie - Grateful Dead Song Review

(Oh Babe It) Ain't no Lie

This song is great, a mellow acoustic traditional American song. I think this song is often referred to as "Oh Babe, it Ain't No Lie" and you can just imagine some folk singer singing it in the early 20th century somewhere back east. Elizabeth Cotten wrote this song and she is a venerable great American songwriter who definitely had a great contribution to the canon of American folk music.

This song is always nice to listen to but is kind of indistinguishable (to me) from (Been) All Around this World. I like the version of this that Jerry played at the Oregon State Prison on May 5th, 1982. I found someone has samples from this show available here: Jerry at Oregon State Prison Audio. Jerry was really on for this entire show - so you should check it out, but the fingerpicking in this particular song is really beautiful.

(Oh Babe It) Ain't No Lie 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).