Grateful Dead - Baba O'Riley into Tomorrow Never Knows Video

Haven't written many blogs lately, been doing a lot of travel and moving.  I was watching this video today and wanted to share.  You can read my thoughts on Baba O'Riley here.

I remember hearing this sequence on tapes back during my (short lived) GD tour life and I always thought it was really majestic.  I think Vince Welnick does great on this medley and I think that it's a really cool choice for The Grateful Dead to integrate into the set at that period.

Here Comes Sunshine - Grateful Dead Song Review

Another truly original gem from Hunter/Garcia via the Wake of the Flood album is Here Comes Sunshine.

As it appears on the studio album it has a very mellow (almost sedated) gait and laid back vocal delivery.  You can almost hear it as a continuation of the spirit of psychedelic epics like Cosmic Charlie and China Cat Sunflower.  By the mid 1970s, The Grateful Dead were still very psychedelic but in such a  tasteful, understated, and harmonious way (see Eyes of the World and Crazy Fingers).

The lyrics are a bit abstract and of course start of with the line that became the namesake for the album Wake of the Flood.  According to the entry for this song on The Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics site, the song was accompanied by this note from Robert Hunter in the lyric book:

"Remembering the great Vanport, Washington flood of 1949, living in other people's homes, a family abandoned by father; second grade"

As played live, the song definitely brought a lot more energy and when Jerry would sing "keep the mother rolling," truly the band would be thundering along.

Vince Welnick Revives Here Comes Sunshine

Here comes Sunshine was "retired" in 1973 or so it would seem.  After a 19 year hiatus the Grateful Dead busted it out to open the show at Compton Terrace on December 6th, 1992.  If you listen to the soundboard you can hear the crowds reaction.  It sounded like they're about to start Help on the Way when Jerry warmed this one up to start off concerts in the 1990s.

Vince Welnick is credited for the return of Here Comes Sunshine including the (almost) a capella arrangement that started it.  Vince's keyboard sound reminds me of The Disney Magic Lights parade and some would definitely characterize it as cheesy.  Personally I love the sound he uses and I love 1990s versions the best (although 1970s versions are fantastic).   I might be biased because I have a soft spot for Vince (and listen to 1990s shows mainly).  Also, I heard this song at my first show on May 15th, 1993 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.  It still seems crazy to me that I can only hear an audience recording of this show (though I'm very grateful to have at least that).  This is why I created an open letter for the release of all recordings of The Grateful Dead 1990s shows. Release all those soundboards and videos, Grateful Dead!!

It is a bit of a surprise to realize that Brent never played this one. His voice would've made it great. It's also a surprise that Wake of the Flood wasn't released on CD until 1995. Heck I remember my first CDs in 1985, so it comes as a surprise this wasn't available digitally until 1995 - perhaps a complication with the fact that it was originally released on Round/Grateful Dead Records?


Here Comes Sunshine Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.5

Disclaimer: This is part of my blog that reviews all things Grateful Dead for fun. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion.

Note: comments are encouraged and appreciated but it takes a while for them to show up in the blog entry (due to a Disqus plugin issue). Enter them below!

Help On the Way - Grateful Dead Song Review

During my short time of seeing Grateful Dead concerts, I let anyone and everyone know that this was the song I wanted to see most.... it was not meant to be.

Help on the Way is a true "one of a kind" song that no other rock song sounds like.  That's a pretty impressive feat.

I can't even put my finger on why it is so original - it's not like it relies on any middle eastern scales but it does sounds really good in the context of the Blues for Allah album (on which it is the opening track).

Help on the Way is a modal minor song (as is the following Slipknot!) that uses lengthy complicated patterns that are probably partially inspired by modern (at the time) jazz songs like Freedom Jazz Dance written by Eddie Harris (and played by Jerry in Legion of Mary).

Another Hunter/Garcia Masterpiece

While the song does have some great and original music what makes it amazing are the simple and catchy verses and chorus.  And as great as the chords and vocal melody are, Hunter's lyrics are even better:

Paradise waits

on the crest of a wave, her angels in flame

She has no pain

Like a child, she is pure, she is not to blame

Great imagery. It's difficult to put my finger on a specific theme or story in these lyrics but the words are beautifully mysterious and left up to interpretation.

Great Versions of Help on the Way

I originally became familiar with Help on the Way from Without a Net, and that Help>Slip>Frank medley is great, but the versions that I hear from the mid 70s are the finest in my opinion.

The 8-13-75 version on One From The Vault (with legendary intro by Bill Graham) really stands out as  a great version.  I posted a video of this performance at the bottom of this blog (thanks MyInnerEyeMike for posting that).

Also, the version from October 9th, 1976 really stands out in my memory.  I would link to this show but as the archive.org entry for this night tells us, it's been released as Dick's Picks 33 (Oakland Coliseum Stadium - 10/9/76).  I don't want to add any song spoilers but the Help>Slip>Frank progression has some extra songs mixed in to it.  This show is ridiculous - seek it out.

Lackluster Performances in the 1990s

If you read this blog much, you know how much I enjoy the late 1990's era of the Grateful Dead.

Unfortunately, almost every version of Help on the Way that I've heard from 1993 through 1995  are all  disappointingly sloppy .  The band can never seem to get on the same page for the complex passages that lead into and out of Slipknot!.  Vince Welnick definitely knew the part but just had a really tough time getting in step with Jerry.

Help on the Way Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.7

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.

Note: comments are encouraged and appreciated but appear slowly due to a disqus plugin issue.  It takes a while for them to show up in the blog entry but they will, so please contribute by commenting below!

Foolish Heart - Grateful Dead Song Review

Foolish Heart is in my top 5 Grateful Dead songs and I think it's the possibly the most underrated song in The Grateful Dead catalog.

Before Reading Further, You Must Listen to this Version:

This song was definitely hit and miss, and most versions are not great.  There's one version in particular from 9-18-1990 that you can hear here that is possibly my favorite live Grateful Dead recording ever.  The jam section in the middle of the song features such tight collective improvisation and the band is so "on" that it is truly a magical moment where "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts."

More about this version: Both Bruce Hornsby and Vince Welnick are playing together with the Dead at this point, and the Grateful Dead is less than a month into their new lineup (after the death of Brent Mydland in March July of 1990 - thanks Ouish).  There is a sense of hope and rebirth in this version of Foolish Heart. But more than anything, Jerry is flawless on this version of the song and the entire band is firing on all cylinders.

Strangely, the "Jam" out of this version of the song is included on the So Many Roads Box Set.  And while the Jam is great... I can't imagine why the song itself is not included as well. 

My original exposure to this version was taping it off of the radio from David Gans's Grateful Dead Hour broadcast. What's amazing is how many years and hundreds of times I played the cassette and then still managed to convert it to CD in the digital age and it sounds louder and more crisp than all of my other .mp3s. This is pretty amazing considering I originally taped it off of the radio (not a recipe for high fidelity). I attribute this to a little GD magic but I'm sure that I converted it to digital with some weird settings that cranked up the audio (I converted it via a stereo system hooked up to a CD burner).

The Last Great Jam Masterpiece

I already called Days Between the "final masterpiece" and it came along several years after Foolish Heart, but I can definitely give Foolish Heart the title of the the final jam masterpiece - because of the built in jam section after Jerry sings "a selfish heart is trouble, but a foolish heart is worse!" The Dead would stretch out on songs all the time but only certain songs had a special section for a jamming build up (The Music Never Stopped, Cassidy, and Playing in the Band to name a few).  I can't think of a song that came along after Foolish Heart with this kind of built in improvisational section.  

As I alluded above, the jam in Foolish Heart was definitely hit and miss.  Most times the band was not really in sync and the very tight punches that end the jam ("duh duh, duh DUH!") required supreme coordination and was frequently butchered.  Still, this is the chance you take when you "step out" on a song and have your lead guitarist staring down at his instrument trying to explore new territory while everyone else has to guess when the climax is coming and react accordingly.  As you can hear in the version I posted at the beginning of this article, the rewards are worth the risk.

Words by Robert Hunter

I can see why this song was pegged for a radio single.  The lyrics are really succinct and "traditional." It is a very tidy little ditty that follows the same kind of ironic theme throughout and there's not a single syllable wasted.  The song functions as a warning that we all probably wish we could've heeded at one time in our life.  I think I've read Jerry quoted as saying something to the effect that he didn't really feel this was advice he truly would give from the heart because he'd rather someone recklessly pursue whims of romance and take chances.

Foolish Heart Video: Foolish Heart was released on the final studio album Built To Last which came out in 1989.  There was an "official" Grateful Dead video for Foolish Heart. I've posted it at the bottom of this article.  The Foolish Heart video is pretty cool for a novelty but you'll probably enjoy watching one of the many live versions more (many are available on youtube).

Foolish Heart Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 9.8

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.

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).

Baba O'Riley - Grateful Dead Song Reviews

This is a great song by the Who which is probably more often referred to as Teenage Wasteland. The song as played by the Grateful Dead is definitely an interpretation of the synth-heavy Who song (which is so dense and complex it would seem to seem to impossible to recreate in a live setting). The song would feature Vince starting off with a keyboard loop (that was only vaguely reminiscent of the original Who song) and Jerry would play a repetitive lyrical pattern.

Vince sang this song and it always led into Tomorrow Never Knows (a Beatles' song from Revolver). This is a great 2 song medley that was played several times in 1992 and rarely thereafter. The drums were played in the spirit of the Who's version of Baba O'Riley, and the strong guitar chords at the appropriate moments added some excitement. The crowd would respond with loud cheers when Vince would sing "they're all wasted."

The bootleg I used to have of this song many years ago is my first reference point but I seem to remember there was a didgeridoo but it has been many years since I had that recording (and if I remember it was a "filler" on the end of a cassette - so I am not even sure what show it was from). The only other reference point is the incredible Dick's Picks Volume 27 from Oakland Coliseum 12-16 and 17-1992 show. That is an incredible example of excellent 90's era Dead. I really like it because it is the final incarnation of the band (no more Hornsby - although he was great) playing in one of my favorite venues: Oakland Coliseum.

I listened to this song over and over on that old lost cassette, because I appreciated the electronic sensibilities of the song medley, the modal qualities of Tomorrow Never Knows, the sound of that didgeridoo (I think) and the response of the crowd. Witnessing the Dead play Baba O' Riley into Tomorrow Never Knows was something only a small handful of Dead fans ever got to do and it must have been great to be there.

Baba O'Riley Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.4

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).