2019

Another year, pshew.

Check out Lana Del Rey, sailing along the Catalina Coast. You can’t say “not a care in the world” because, wow, she’s got plenty. Still, she seemed to have fun on last weekend’s first annual Liner Notes Holiday Booze Cruise.

I mean, I wish.

Normally in these wrap-up posts, I tell a story – about the blog’s virtual office (still totally fly, fwiw), about its fake staffers, about its year-end shindig, etc. This time, I’ll keep it short and sweet.

My 2019 Spotify Wrapped was misleading and sorta disappointing. The #1 album was pianist Jenny Lin’s take on Chopin’s Nocturnes. That’s accurate because I listened to it often (as in 134 hours often) while falling asleep. I have no idea what fell in line behind Chopin – the dumb thing didn’t tell me. Top artists were the aforementioned Ms. Lin, the Grateful Dead, Flying Lotus, Bob Dylan, and Wilco. Indie Rock was my top genre, natch. At least I was genre-fluid. I refused to let one sound define me.

Here is a list of the best records of the year.

1. Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell!

2. Big Thief – U.F.O.F. / Two Hands

3. Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow

4. Priests – The Seduction of Kansas

5. Oso Oso – basking in the glow

6. Caroline Polachek – Pang

7. Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride

8. Chromatics – Closer to Grey

9. Better Oblivion Community Center – Better Oblivion Community Center

10. Eluvium – Pianoworks

11. Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising

12. Flume – Hi This Is Flume

13. The National – I Am Easy to Find

14. Bill Callahan – Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest

15. White Reaper – You Deserve Love

16. Corridor – Junior

17. Hatchie – Keepsake

18. FKA Twigs – MAGDALENE

19. Angel Olsen – All Mirrors

20. Nilüfer Yanya – Miss Universe

21. Floating Points – Crush

22. Karen O & Danger Mouse – Lux Prima

23. Purple Mountains – Purple Mountains

24. Clairo – Immunity

25. Deerhunter – Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?

26. Jenny Lewis – On the Line

27. Aldous Harding – Designer

28. Hand Habits – placeholder

29. Cate Le Bon – Reward

30. Frankie Cosmos – Close It Quietly

31. Strange Ranger – Remembering the Rockets

32. Billie Eilish – WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?

33. Steve Lacy – Apollo XXI

34. Vagabon – Vagabon

35. Rozi Plain – What a Boost

36. DIIV – Deceiver

37. Girlpool – What Chaos Is Imaginary

38. mxtoon – the masquerade

39. Florist – Emily Alone

40. Jay Som – Anak Ko

41. Julia Jacklin – Crushing

42. Beck – Hyperspace

43. Tyler, the Creator – IGOR

44. Flying Lotus – Flamagra

45. Thom Yorke – ANIMA

46. Lowly – Hifalutin

47. Black Belt Eagle Scout – At the Party with My Brown Friends

48. Helado Negro – This Is How You Smile

49. Wilco – Ode to Joy

50. Twin Peaks – Lookout Low

And here are two playlists – one short and one long. The first provides a quick 30-track snapshot of some highlights from this year. The second provides a more comprehensive picture. The former was pulled from the latter.

More soon.

JF

 

31 Days of Dead 2019 | Day 31: The Days Between – Oakland, CA 12/11/94 // So Many Roads – Mountain View, CA 9/18/94 // Black Muddy River – Chicago, IL 7/9/95

December 31 

Gave The Best We Had To Give: The Last Masterpieces

The Days Between (12/11/94 – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum • Oakland, CA)

So Many Roads (9/18/94 – Shoreline Amphitheater • Mountain View, CA)

Black Muddy River (7/9/95 – Soldier Field • Chicago, IL)

BONUS TRACK: And We Bid You Goodnight (9/20/70 – Fillmore East • New York, NY)

We have arrived at the last day of this year’s project, so it seems appropriate to conclude our tribute to Robert Hunter by covering the final masterpieces composed by the Hunter/Garcia songwriting team – namely, “The Days Between,” “So Many Roads,” and “Black Muddy River.” They came at a time when the once very prolific songwriting team of the 1970s was long beyond the days of churning out an album’s worth of material a year, making these compositions all the more poignant. While Hunter continued to write, Jerry did not. Hunter expressed some regrets about that in his posthumous email to Jerry in August 1996, titled One Year Later:

One of my few regrets is that you never wanted to finish (Terrapin), though you approved of the final version I eked out many years later. You said, apologetically, “I love it, but I’ll never get the time to do it justice.” I realized that was true. Time was the one thing you never had in the last decade and a half. Supporting the Grateful Dead plus your own trip took all there was of that. The rest was crashing time. Besides, as you once said, “I’d rather toss cards in a hat than compose.” But man, when you finally got down on it, you sure knew how.

Read the rest of Hunter’s email here: https://archive.org/post/318384/jerry-eulogy-request 

The scarcity of Hunter/Garcia material during the later years isn’t the only thing that makes these songs special. A big factor is the quality and content of Hunter’s lyrics. Perhaps sensing that the end was near, Hunter knew he had to make these last ones count. These three particular songs seem autobiographical, as if he wrote them for Jerry. They also carry a common theme – a reflection from the perspective of somebody at the end of his life. Hunter cleverly uses metaphors and images to express that theme, such as the last rose of summer, the last bolt of sunshine, August dies, counting the years, collecting dust, giving the best you had to give, and having so many roads, but only wanting one to take you home. These lyrics stand in stark contrast to a song like “Ripple,” which was written from the perspective of somebody in their youth who has their whole life ahead of them – a life full of promise and optimism.

Also, whether or not it was intentional, I find it interesting that Hunter seems to reference lyrics in songs he wrote during the early years. It is another clever tool he uses to revisit or reflect on the past which is something we tend to do as we age. For example, the lyrics in “Black Muddy River” reference “Ripple” (“Listen to the ripples as they moan”) and “Eyes of the World” (“sing me a song of my own” / “sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own”). Another less obvious reference is in “The Days Between” (“once we grew into our shoes, we told them where to go”) and “Crazy Fingers” (“gone are the days we stopped to decide where we should go we just ride”). And, by the way, am I the only one who thought the band was busting out “Mountains of the Moon” the first time I heard them perform “The Days Between”? There is definitely some similarity in the musical composition there.

The Days Between

According to Robert Hunter, “The Days Between” is the last song he ever wrote with Garcia. The somber ballad was written by the pair while on vacation in Hawaii during the winter of 1993. Nostalgic and subtly self-referential, “The Days Between” throws moral shade on the world’s passage from an idealized Summer of Love to the dark days of the early ‘90s. Here is what Hunter said about the song in an interview with Rolling Stone:

I’ve heard Jerry do versions of that and leave you a puddle. That is the story of what went down as far as I can see. More so than any other single song. It seemed to get my feeling about those times and our place in it. Jerry didn’t die that much… you know, a couple years after that. He had been into rehab again, and he called me up and he was out and he was going to come over and we were going to get writing again and he said some wonderful stuff that was very uncharacteristic of him. He said, ‘Your words never stuck in my throat.’ Jerry didn’t tend to talk like that, and there was something possibly, slightly alarming about it because he was dead within a week or so after that. Jerry wasn’t like that — to hand out appreciation that way. It was always implicit with him. Perhaps there was a finality to it, that that was the last statement, whether or not he knew he was going to die in a week or not. Apparently he died with a smile on his face, though. Uhh! Those were the heavy times.

With those words in mind, I selected the heaviest version of “The Days Between” that I could find – December 11, 1994. Haunting, mournful, dark, tragic, spiritual – this version has it all. The outro jam is a monster, filled with fury that finds Garcia going nuts with distorted fanning tremolo. In that posthumous email to Jerry, Hunter noted that Garcia sang this song “like a prayer.” This version definitely had the holy on their knees. Apparently GDM thought so too because it was officially released last month as part of the Ready or Not collection, which was curated by the band’s archivist, David Lemieux.

So Many Roads

No song epitomized Jerry’s struggles in his last years better than “So Many Roads.” It is the song where he bared his soul to us – the performances often seemed personal … almost too personal. Some particularly memorable performances were 10/1/94 (“HEAL my soul”), 6/23/92 (huge, screaming finale), and of course, the last one on 7/9/95 (“Lord, so many roads to ease my soul..I’ve been down that road”). Jerry’s vocal delivery on the version I selected is right on par with those performances – extremely passionate – but we also get a few other treats to ease our souls. First, Jerry changes the words a bit, opting for “So many roads to FILL my soul” before switching back to the more common, “EASE my soul.” And then instead of ending the song after the final chorus, which was the norm, we get a rare, post-lyrics GUITAR SOLO! Unlike the brief, noodly solo in 10/1/94, this one is light years better. It starts off a little tentative – a few sour notes here and there, typical in this era due to Jerry’s fragile health. You can tell that he is struggling to keep it together with every note he plays but he stays focused, desperately trying to channel whatever magic may be left in him. The man was playing as if his life depended on it – the reality of impending mortality. Suddenly, he finds a melodic, bluesy pattern and patiently builds it up to a life-affirming peak. It’s an extremely poignant moment. Chills! Finally, he brings it back one more time for a vocal reprise of titanic proportions not unlike the Eugene “Standing on the Moon” (8/21/93). It’s one of those stunning moments that catches you off-guard in disbelief and leaves you speechless. It’s a beautiful, heart-wrenching version for the ages. Essential GD listening.

Black Muddy River

I decided to conclude this year’s project with “Black Muddy River,” the gospel-infused number, from the 1987 hit album, In The Dark. It is the last Hunter/Garcia composition that the band performed and it’s the last song on which Jerry sang lead vocals (Soldier Field, July 9, 1995). Interestingly enough, the band had just brought “Black Muddy River” out of retirement on June 24, 1995 at RFK Stadium in Washington DC (my last show) after a four-year absence (last played on August 13, 1991 at Cal Expo). Hunter wrote it after Garcia’s near-death experience in 1986. It seems more than eerie that the band brought the song back a month before he died. Many people look to the cosmic significance of “Box of Rain” being the last song that the band performed (“such a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there”), but I would suggest that this version of “Black Muddy River” might just hold that honor.

And, while we are talking about gospel-infused songs, I included the ultimate traditional gospel song as a bonus track – “And We Bid You Goodnight.” This lovely performance ends my project at the same place from where we began – the Fillmore East on September 20, 1970. How’s that for those of you who like musical sandwiches? The Dead ended some of their best shows with this somber, yet uplifting sendoff. And that is the way I have chosen to express my thanks and gratitude to Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia for touching my soul with their beautiful songs.

I hope you enjoyed this year’s edition of the 31 Days of Dead. I will do a project wrap-up in a few days that will include zipped mp3 files for you download. Before I sign off I want to send a big thank you to Jason Freitag for hosting my project on his blog, linernotesmusicblog.com, and to Brian Levine for creating the fabulous, 10-year anniversary artwork. And thanks to all of you who took the time to send notes of thanks, encouragement and kindness. Happy New Year!

Behind The Lyrics:

The Days Between – https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-days-between

So Many Roads – http://artsites.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/soma.html

Black Muddy River – https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-black-muddy-river

MediaFire:

The Days Between – http://www.mediafire.com/file/iv4q09ofkwkkn8o/83_Days_Between_%252812.11.94_%25E2%2580%2593_Oakland_Coliseum_%25E2%2580%25A2_Oakland%252C_CA%2529.mp3/file

So Many Roads – http://www.mediafire.com/file/5b6p0yeuoogpyw7/84_So_Many_Roads_%25289.18.94_-_Shoreline_Amphitheatre_%25E2%2580%25A2_Mountain_View%252C_CA%2529.mp3/file

Black Muddy River – http://www.mediafire.com/file/k804idi4fssvaox/85_Black_Muddy_River_%25287.9.95_-_Soldier_Field_%25E2%2580%25A2_Chicago%252C_IL%2529.mp3/file

Bonus Track: We Bid You Goodnight – http://www.mediafire.com/file/tx5aywog3hrl4io/86_And_We_Bid_You_Goodnight_%25289.20.70.mp3/file

Live Music Archive:

12/11/94 – https://archive.org/details/gd94-12-11.sbd.unknown.12525.sbeok.shnf

9/18/94 – https://archive.org/details/gd1994-09-18.136849.sbd.miller.flac16

7/9/95 – https://archive.org/details/gd1995-07-09.sbd.miller.114369.flac16

9/20/70 – https://archive.org/details/gd1970-09-20.140664.sbd.boswell.smith.miller.clugston.flac1644

Relisten:

The Days Between – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1994/12/11/the-days-between?source=99801

So Many Roads – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1994/09/18/12-so-many-roads?source=99992

Black Muddy River – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1995/07/09/black-muddy-river?source=100064

And We Bid You Goodnight – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1970/09/20/gd70-09-20-s3-t15-and-we-bid-you-goodnight?source=102783

YouTube: Black Muddy River (7/9/95) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKxHQk2I6h

#thedaysbetween #12111994 #somanyroads #09181994 #blackmuddyriver #07091995 #andwebidyougoodnight #09201970 #gratefuldead #roberthunter #jerrygarcia #bobweir #phillesh #billkreutzmann #mickeyhart #pigpen #tomconstanten #keithgodchaux #donnagodchaux #brentmydland #brucehornsby #vincewelnick #31daysofdead #linernotesmusicblog

 

31 Days of Dead 2019 | Day 30: Terrapin Station – San Francisco, CA 3/18/77

December 30 

Let My Inspiration Flow…Again

Terrapin Station

3/18/77 – Winterland • San Francisco, CA

I started this project with the story about that magical afternoon in England when divine inspiration (and a bottle of Retsina wine) helped Robert Hunter write “Ripple,” “Brokedown Palace,” and “To Lay Me Down” in one session. Lightning struck twice (quite literally) because Hunter did it again sometime in early 1977 when he wrote the “Terrapin Station” suite in a single sitting as he watched a lightning storm from a picture window overlooking the San Francisco Bay from inside his unfinished home at China Camp State Park on Marin County’s San Pablo Bay.

The storm inspired Hunter to sit down at a typewriter, put a piece of paper in, and type two words – “Terrapin Station.” After staring at those words for some time he appealed to a muse seeking creative intervention, which led to the opening lyric:

Let my inspiration flow

in token lines, suggesting rhythm

that will not forsake me

till my tale is told and done

From that point, Hunter said, “the rest poured out in one sitting.” At the same time that Hunter was being struck by lyrical inspiration during the lighting storm, Jerry Garcia was struck by musical inspiration while he was in his car driving across the Richmond Bridge towards San Francisco. Not wanting to lose the melody that was in his head, Garcia turned his car around and quickly hurried home, so he could memorialize the composition. The two met the next day and the lyrics and music dovetailed perfectly. Hunter referred to it as “magic.”

The Terrapin Suite has two parts:

Part 1

Lady With A Fan

Terrapin Station

Terrapin (Instrumental)

Terrapin Transit (Instrumental)

At A Siding

Terrapin Flyer (Instrumental)

Refrain (Instrumental)

Part 2

Return To Terrapin

Ivory Wheels, Rosewood Track

And I Know You

Jack O’ Roses

Leaving Terrapin

Recognition

Part One appears on the album Terrapin Station. I’ve indicated the instrumental sections that were added to the final album version. Part Two was never recorded or performed by the Grateful Dead, much to Hunter’s chagrin as he revealed in his posthumous e-mail to Jerry in August 1996, titled “One Year Later.” Hunter wound up writing and recording the music in his solo work over the years. You can read more about that in the links I provided. I have also linked a YouTube video of Robert Hunter’s 1980 iteration of “Terrapin Station,” with the first sections (as performed by the Grateful Dead) and new additions “Ivory Wheels/Rosewood Track” and “Jack O’Roses.”

The majority of Part One is comprised of the first segment titled, “Lady With A Fan” which tells the story of a sailor and a soldier, and of course, a lady with a fan. It’s a tale of love and courage that asks the question: Are you more of a doer and risk-taker like the sailor? Or more of a strategist and theorist like the soldier, who is more grounded in thought than action? As the storyteller, it is not Hunter’s job to tell us what/who is right or wrong.

Terrapin Station, was released on July 27, 1977. The title track, which takes up the entire second side of the LP, is about as ambitious as anything the band ever did. However, several band members, including Hunter, were disappointed with the way it turned out. Specifically, they were upset about the unilateral decision that producer, Keith Olson, made to add orchestral and chorale parts when he took the master tapes to England, while the band was touring. In an interview, Hunter once said, “I’ve never been able to listen to that without gritting my teeth, but I love the song.”

The first live performance of “Terrapin Station” was on February 26, 1977 at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California. It was the first song at their first show in 1977. As Howard F. Weiner said in his book, The Rise of Terrapin Nation, it was an “absolutely fearless choice.” Hunter was present at that show and had this to say:

The first night it was played, took me about as close as I ever expect to get to feeling certain we were doing what we were put here to do…Bill Graham was standing next to me on the side of the stage and he looked at me and asked, “You write that?” I said, “Yeah.” And he nodded and went, “Pretty good.” [laughs] Coming from Bill Graham, that was incredibly high praise.

The first live performance deviated from the highly orchestrated studio version that would be issued five months later in that the band played the “Lady With A Fan” and “Terrapin Station” segments only. This became the customary format when the band played the suite.

However, there was one occasion when the Grateful Dead attempted to play the complete “Terrapin Station Part 1” suite as it appears on the album. It occurred on March 18, 1977 at Winterland in San Francisco. Six of the seven parts of the suite were attempted, including the only known live versions of “Terrapin,” “At A Siding” (without lyrics) and “Terrapin Flyer.” Many tapes have this segment incorrectly labeled as “The Alhambra” (or “L’Alhambra”). In the notes to this song in A Box of Rain: Lyrics 1965-1993, Hunter states that “The Alhambra” was “written to a Moorish setting composed by Mickey Hart that eventually evolved into a wordless melodic segment of Terrapin Station.” No recordings of that exist.

The band’s exclusion of “At A Siding” during live performances didn’t sit entirely well with Hunter, who didn’t like the incompleteness of it – the omission of the suite’s lyric resolution. While Garcia thought it played better without “At A Siding,” Hunter felt that approach lacked closure. Since I’m dedicating this project to Robert Hunter, I decided to use the only “complete” performance of “Terrapin Station” I referred to above on March 18, 1977 at Winterland in San Francisco. By doing so, perhaps I will be atoning for my sin of including “Barbed Wire Whipping Party” in yesterday’s post.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Terrapin:

Greatest Stories Ever Told Blog: Lady With A Fan – https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-lady-fan

Greatest Stories Ever Told Blog: Terrapin Station – https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-terrapin-station

Greatest Stories Ever Told Blog: Terrapin Station Suite – https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-terrapin-station-suite

JamBase – https://www.jambase.com/article/inspiration-celebrating-40-years-terrapin-station-terrapin-station-medley

SongMango – https://songmango.com/dead-best-10-top-performances-of-terrapin-station/

Aquarium Drunkard – https://aquariumdrunkard.com/2019/04/30/from-the-eagle-mall-to-terrapin-station-a-skeleton-key-to-robert-hunter/

 MediaFire:   http://www.mediafire.com/file/9j68fpgv6ocn0nj/82_Terrapin_Station_%25283.18.77_-_Winterland_Arena_%25E2%2580%25A2_San_Francisco%252C_CA%2529.mp3/file

Live Music Archive:  https://archive.org/details/gd1977-03-18.123285.sbd.miller.flac16

Relisten:   https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1977/03/18/terrapin-station?source=90935

YouTube: 

Terrapin Station by Robert Hunter Solo Acoustic 1980 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDeeWExBrVM&feature=emb_log

#terrapinstation #morningdew #04271977 #gratefuldead #roberthunter #jerrygarcia #bobweir #phillesh #billkreutzmann #mickeyhart #pigpen #tomconstanten #keithgodchaux #donnagodchaux #brentmydland #brucehornsby #vincewelnick #31daysofdead #linernotesmusicblog

31 Days of Dead 2019 | Day 29: Rare and Different Tunes

December 29

Rare and Different Tunes

I thought it would be fun to present a collection of songs composed by Robert Hunter that were either rarely or never performed live. Since it would take too long to write-up each of these songs, I simply listed some brief stats taken from DeadBase XI (1999) along with additional information where it seemed warranted.

Mason’s Children (12.28.69 – Miami Pop Festival, International Speedway • Hollywood, FL) – A Hunter/Garcia song about Altamont that was written and recorded for Workingman’s Dead, but left off the album. A studio outtake was included on the So Many Roads box set in 1999. Debut – 12/19/69. Last played – 2/28/70. Total performances – 18

Till The Morning Comes (10.31.70 – SUNY-Stony Brook • Stony Brook, NY) – A Hunter/Garcia song that appears on American Beauty. Debut – 9/18/70. Last played – 12/26/70. Total performances – 5

Clementine (1.23.68 – Eagles Auditorium • Seattle, WA) – A Lesh/Hunter song written in 1968 during the recording of Anthem of the Sun, but never released. Debut – 1/20/68. Last played – 1/26/69. Total performances – 3 (does not includes 2 instrumental versions). Read more about it here: http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2009/08/clementine.html

Rosemary (12.7.68 – Bellarmine College • Louisville, KY) – A Hunter/Garcia song that appears on Aoxomoxoa. Debut/Last Played – 12/7/69. Total performances – 1. Read more about it here: https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-rosemary

What’s Become Of The Baby? (1969 – Aoxomoxoa Outtakes) – A Hunter/Garcia song that appears on Aoxomoxoa. Debut/Last Played – 4/26/69 (Dick’s Picks Vol. 26). Total performances – 1

The Barbed Wire Whipping Party (1969 – Aoxomoxoa Outtakes) – Written and recorded for Aoxomoxoa, but not released and never performed live. Robert Hunter is a significant participant on the recording. It was considered for inclusion on the So Many Roads box set and as a bonus track for the Aoxomoxoa remix, but was supposedly vetoed “in no uncertain terms” by Hunter. He provided a clue as to why he may have done that during his solo acoustic performance at the Museum of History & Industry on June 11, 2003, and I hope/pray that he does not rise from the grave to haunt me for including it in this project:

“The barbed wire whipping party in the razor blade forest” – That was my addition to Aoxomoxoa but when I listened to it (I suppose you all have heard tapes of it by now) I decided it was blasphemy and I wasn’t sure I wanted to live with it for the rest of my life, so I decided it shouldn’t go on. That was when they realized I was a chicken and a coward and I couldn’t be in the band. “Here, Hunter, take a pencil, you asshole. You realize how good that is?” Hey man, I could have been the next Kurt Cobain. ‘The other day I went to Mars and talked to God. And he told me to tell you to hang tight and not worry. The solution to everything is death.’ I mean, would you want that on your conscience for the flower-power generation, man? No, no. I mean, it’s true in its own way, but … well the part about going to Mars is true, the rest of it’s not.

Let Me Sing Your Blues Away (9.11.73 – William & Mary College Hall • Williamsburg, VA) – The only Hunter/Godchaux collaboration and the only song where Keith sings the lead vocals. Appears on Wake of the Flood. Debut – 9/8/73. Last played – 9/21/73. Total performances – 6

France (1.8.78 – Shakedown Street Rehearsal) – “France” is the second track on the Dead’s 1978 studio album, Shakedown Street. It has the great distinction of topping Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 22 Terrible Songs by Great Artists. The review is priceless: “Jerry Garcia’s Spanish-tinged acoustic guitar can’t rescue this yacht-rock tune.” Bob Weir’s comments are equally as good: “This may be the worst song the Grateful Dead ever recorded….I didn’t actually write that one – it just sort of happened. But it sure as hell didn’t happen right.” The rest of the band must have agreed because the song was never performed live. Robert Hunter wrote the song’s lyrics, while Mickey Hart wrote the music, with Weir wrapping up the final arrangement. The original conception of the song was very different from the final product. In the book Box of Rain, Hunter says: ” ‘France’ was written to tapes of a joyous afternoon Latin jam at Mickey Hart’s ranch. It originally contained 13 verses(!), which were eventually paired down to 4 when the Dead recorded the song. Can I make a confession? I like it. Flame away!

If I Had The World To Give (8.30.78 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre • Morrison, CO) – A Hunter/Garcia song that appears on Shakedown Street. Debut – 8/30/78. Last played – 11/20/78. Total performances – 3

Believe It Or Not (7.17.88 – Greek Theatre, University of California • Berkeley, CA) – A song that was written and recorded for Built To Last but never released until a studio outtake was included on the So Many Roads box set in 1999. Debut – 6/23/88. Last played – 3/22/90. Total performances – 7

MediaFire: 

Mason’s Children (12.28.69) – http://www.mediafire.com/file/edbwxmqdqrmxhmc/71_Mason%2527s_Children_%252812.28.69_-_Miami_Pop_Festival%252C_International_Speedway_%25E2%2580%25A2_Hollywood%252C_FL%2529.mp3/file

Till The Morning Comes (10.31.70) – http://www.mediafire.com/file/zrtl3kpxsn2eq6b/72_Till_The_Morning_Comes_%252810.31.70_-_SUNY-Stony_Brook_%25E2%2580%25A2_Stony_Brook%252C_NY%2529.mp3/file

Clementine (1.23.68) – http://www.mediafire.com/file/sevp4r3nipmh5xi/73_Clementine_%25281.23.68_-_Eagles_Auditorium_%25E2%2580%25A2_Seattle%252C_WA%2529.mp3/file

Rosemary (12.7.68) – http://www.mediafire.com/file/h49i1hpr9rsy7n1/74_Rosemary_%252812.7.68_-_Bellarmine_College_%25E2%2580%25A2_Louisville%252C_KY%2529.mp3/file

What’s Become Of The Baby? (Aoxomoxoa Outtake)– http://www.mediafire.com/file/ozorext3oaxy106/75_What%2527s_Become_Of_The_Baby__%25281969_-_Aoxomoxoa_Outtakes%2529.mp3/file

Hunter’s Stage Banter about The Barbed Wire Whipping Party (6.11.03) – http://www.mediafire.com/file/44icul9i4626s60/76_Hunter%2527s_Stage_Banter_about_The_Barbed_Wire_Whipping_Party_%2528Robert_Hunter_Solo_Acoustic_-_6.11.03_%25E2%2580%25A2_Museum_of_History_%2526_Industry%2529.mp3/file

The Barbed Wire Whipping Party (Aoxomoxoa Outtake)– http://www.mediafire.com/file/94ogs34qdpscxhd/77_The_Barbed_Wire_Whipping_Party_%25281969_-_Aoxomoxoa_Outtakes%2529.mp3/file

Let Me Sing Your Blues Away (9.11.73) – http://www.mediafire.com/file/a6z1m2pfjq177ov/78_Let_Me_Sing_Your_Blues_Away_%25289.11.73_-_William_%2526_Mary_College_Hall_%25E2%2580%25A2_Williamsburg%252C_VA%2529.mp3/file

France (1.8.78 – Shakedown Street Rehearsal)– http://www.mediafire.com/file/taup2wow6s8natz/79_France_%25281.8.78_-_Shakedown_Street_Rehearsal%2529.mp3/file

If I Had The World To Give (8.30.78) – http://www.mediafire.com/file/z32zrcmjxm3mwmw/80_If_I_Had_The_World_To_Give_%25288.30.78_-_Red_Rocks_Amphitheatre_%25E2%2580%25A2_Morrison%252C_CO%2529.mp3/file

Believe It Or Not (7.17.88) – http://www.mediafire.com/file/olzsm3abuq9cqmc/81_Believe_It_Or_Not_%25287.17.88_-_Greek_Theatre%252C_University_of_California_%25E2%2580%25A2_Berkeley%252C_CA%2529.mp3/file 

Live Music Archive:

Mason’s Children (12.28.69) – https://archive.org/details/gd1969-12-28.sbd.gmb.96578.flac16

Till The Morning Comes (10.31.70) – http://archive.org/details/gd1970-10-31.122042.sbd.deluca.Digitalrbb.miller.flac1648

Clementine (1.23.68) – https://archive.org/details/gd1968-01-23.sbd.miller.97343.sbeok.flac16

Rosemary (12.7.68) – https://archive.org/details/gd1968-12-07.sbd.miller.88674.sbeok.flac16

What’s Become Of The Baby? (Aoxomoxoa Outtake)– https://archive.org/details/gd69-xx-xx.sbd.dodd.16760.sbeok.shnf

Hunter’s Stage Banter about The Barbed Wire Whipping Party (6.11.03) – https://archive.org/details/rh2003-06-11.sbd.126772/rh03-06-11d1t05.shn

The Barbed Wire Whipping Party (Aoxomoxoa Outtake)– https://archive.org/details/gd69-xx-xx.sbd.dodd.16760.sbeok.shnf

Let Me Sing Your Blues Away (9.11.73) – https://archive.org/details/gd1973-09-11.113051.sbd.GoodBear.flac16

France (1.8.78 – Shakedown Street Rehearsal)– https://archive.org/details/gd78-08-XX.sbd.wiley.11692.sbeok.shnf

If I Had The World To Give (8.30.78) – https://archive.org/details/gd1978-08-30.s2.sbd.miller.110151.flac16/gd78-08-30d3t02.flac

Believe It Or Not (7.17.88) – https://archive.org/details/gd1988-07-17.sbd.miller.87752.sbeok.flac16

Relisten:

Mason’s Children (12.28.69) – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1969/12/28/masons-children?source=88157

Till The Morning Comes (10.31.70) – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1970/10/31/till-the-morning-comes?source=88605

Clementine (1.23.68) – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1968/01/23/clementine?source=87899

Rosemary (12.7.68) – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1968/12/07/rosemary?source=87778

What’s Become Of The Baby? (Aoxomoxoa Outtake)– N/A

Hunter’s Stage Banter about The Barbed Wire Whipping Party (6.11.03) – https://relisten.net/robert-hunter/2003/06/11/whats-become-of-the-baby-outtake-stage-chatter-shady-grove?source=193396

The Barbed Wire Whipping Party (Aoxomoxoa Outtake) – N/A

Let Me Sing Your Blues Away (9.11.73) – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1973/09/11/let-me-sing-your-blues-away?source=90229

France (1.8.78 – Shakedown Street Rehearsal) – N/A

If I Had The World To Give (8.30.78) – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1978/08/30/if-i-had-the-world-to-give?source=91305

Believe It Or Not (7.17.88) – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1988/07/17/19-believe-it-or-not?source=124330

#rareanddifferenttunes #masonschildren #12281969 #tilthemorningcomes #10311970 #celemtine #01231968 #rosemary #12071968 #whatsbecomeofthebaby #barbedwirewhippingparty #aoxomoxoaouttakes #letmesingyourbluesaway #09111973 #france #studiorehearsal #ifihadtheworldtogive #08301978 #believeitornot #07171988 #gratefuldead #roberthunter #jerrygarcia #bobweir #phillesh #billkreutzmann #mickeyhart #pigpen #tomconstanten #keithgodchaux #donnagodchaux #brentmydland #brucehornsby #vincewelnick #31daysofdead #linernotesmusicblog

 

31 Days of Dead 2019 | Day 28: The Wheel – Oakland, CA 2/17/79 // Soundcheck Jam – San Jose, CA 4/21/79 // China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider – South Yarmouth, MA 10/28/79

December 28

1979 Flashback: Farewell to the Godchaux’s & Wolf / Welcome Brent & Tiger

The Wheel (2/17/79 – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum • Oakland, CA)

Soundcheck Jam (4/21/79 – Spartan Stadium • San Jose, CA)

China Cat Sunflower > I Love You Rider (10/28/79 – Cape Cod Coliseum • South Yarmouth, MA)

Today we travel back in time 40 years to 1979. It was a time of great change for the Grateful Dead. Keith and Donna Godchaux left the band in late February for numerous reasons, both musical and personal. Their last show was on February 17, 1979 at the Oakland Coliseum. It was a show where the band busted out a bunch of songs that had not been played in a long time: “Greatest Story Ever Told” (last played 10/18/74), “High Time” (last played 5/26/77), “Big Railroad Blues” (last played 10/19/74) and “The Wheel” (last played 2/3/78), the latter of which is one of the featured songs today.

“The Wheel,” a Hunter/Garcia composition written spontaneously during the sessions for Jerry Garcia’s seminal 1972 LP Garcia, was recorded without beginning or ending as part of a side-long suite improvised in the studio. “The Wheel” didn’t see its live debut with the Dead until June of 1976. It was often heard rolling out of the drums/space segments, as it did in the version that I selected from Keith and Donna’s final show on February 17, 1979.

Two months later, Brent Mydland made his debut as a member of the Grateful Dead after doing a stint with Bob Weir’s solo band to promote the release of Bobby’s 1978 album, Heaven Help The Fool. The Dead wanted a versatile keyboard player who could play a B3 organ and electric piano as well as sing the high vocal harmonies that Donna handled. Brent was able to fill both jobs.

Brent’s first show was on April 22, 1979 at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California, but the audio recordings are awful. Fortunately, the sound-check from the previous day is not. The performance, which could be considered Brent’s first unofficial live performance with the band, included a free-form jam that came out of “Shakedown Street.” The 14-minute jam, which explores many different themes and goes to some very interesting places, provides a preview of just how vital Brent would be to the band.

Also featured today is a top-tier rendition of the classic “China > Rider” combo from October 28, 1979 at Cape Cod Coliseum – the night after the legendary show at the same venue. This one is long (15 minutes) and exceptionally jammed-out. As I mentioned earlier in this year’s project, “China Cat Sunflower” was one of the earliest lyrics that Robert Hunter wrote before he officially joined the Dead. It was inspired by hallucinations he had when he took LSD as a paid volunteer test subject for research on psychedelics. In a 1992 interview with Steve Silberman, Hunter said that a cat dictated “China Cat Sunflower” to him: “It was just sittin’ on my stomach, purring away, and sayin’ this stuff. I just wrote it down; I guess it’s plagiarism. I’ve credited the cat, right?” Haha!

Finally, 1979 was also the year that Jerry Garcia switched guitars. On August 4, 1979 at the Oakland Auditorium, Jerry Garcia played a custom-built, Doug Irwin guitar named “Tiger” for the very first time (“Jack Straw”). Prior to that, Jerry had played a different Doug Irwin guitar named “Wolf” since September 1973. When you listen to the tracks I selected today, see if you hear the difference in Jerry’s tone in “The Wheel” on February 17, 1979 and the Soundcheck Jam on April 21, 1979 vs. “China > Rider” on October 28, 1979. You can read all about Jerry’s guitars at https://jerrygarcia.com/guitars/, if you really want to get your nerd on.

Behind The Lyrics:

The Wheel – http://artsites.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/wheel.html

China Cat Sunflower – https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-china-cat-sunflower

MediaFire:

The Wheel – http://www.mediafire.com/file/x3p73kkau0yicrn/68_The_Wheel_%25282.17.79_-_Oakland_Coliseum_%25E2%2580%25A2_Oakland%252C_CA%2529.mp3/file

Soundcheck Jam (Bonus Track) – http://www.mediafire.com/file/tproxp7018g1d9y/69_…Shakedown_Street_Jam_%2528Soundcheck_-_4.21.79_-_Spartan_Stadium_%25E2%2580%25A2_San_Jose%252C_CA%2529.mp3/file

China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider – http://www.mediafire.com/file/o7ep1n4unm3sbko/70_China_Cat_Sunflower_I_Know_You_Rider_%252810.28.79_-_Cape_Cold_Coliseum_%25E2%2580%25A2_South_Yarmouth%252C_MA%2529.mp3/file

Live Music Archive:

2/17/79 – https://archive.org/details/gd1979-02-17.sbd.scotton-miller.88123.flac16

10/28/79 – https://archive.org/details/gd1979-10-28.134396.sbd.miller.flac16

Relisten:

The Wheel – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1979/02/17/the-wheel?source=91674

China Cat Sunflower – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1979/10/28/china-cat-sunflower?source=91625

I Know You Rider – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1979/10/28/i-know-you-rider?source=9162

#thewheel #02171979 soundcheckjam #04211979 #chinacatsunflower #chinarider #10281979 #gratefuldead #roberthunter #jerrygarcia #bobweir #phillesh #billkreutzmann #mickeyhart #pigpen #tomconstanten #keithgodchaux #donnagodchaux #brentmydland #brucehornsby #vincewelnick #31daysofdead #linernotesmusicblog

 

31 Days of Dead 2019 | Day 27: Standing on the Moon – Noblesville, IN 6/7/91 // Built to Last – Palo Alto, CA 5/7/89 // Foolish Heart – Sacramento, CA 8/13/91

December 27 

30-Year Anniversary of Built To Last: The Final Studio Album

Standing On The Moon (6/7/91 – Deer Creek Music Center • Noblesville, IN)

Built To Last (5/7/89 – Frost Amphitheater, Stanford University • Palo Alto, CA)

Foolish Heart (8/13/91 – Cal Expo Amphitheatre • Sacramento, CA)

Today we feature the three Hunter-Garcia contributions to the Dead’s thirteenth and final studio album, Built to Last, which was released on Halloween 30 years ago.

We start with “Standing on the Moon.” Both “Standing on the Moon” and “Black Muddy River” came into the repertoire after Garcia’s coma, and both seem to be uncannily appropriate for what he had been through. Hunter said, ” ‘Standing On the Moon’ was one of those neat, sweet, quick things, like ‘It Must Have Been the Roses,’ where the whole picture just came to me, and I grabbed a piece of paper and got it down. No changes, no nothin’. Out of the head of Zeus, full-born, and clad in armor.” “Standing on the Moon” was the last ballad that the Hunter-Garcia team wrote and recorded for a studio album, which automatically elevates it to reverence status. This version from Deer Creek Music Center on June 7, 1991 is absolutely exquisite. Garcia’s passionate vocal delivery is perfectly complemented by the piano mastery of Bruce Hornsby and the “Be with you” outro followed by Jerry’s final guitar solo renders chills.

Next is the elusive “Built To Last” – the song for which the album was named, but oddly enough played only total of 18 times, before being retired on March 26, 1990 in Albany, New York.  This solid performance from Frost Amphitheatre on May 7, 1989 is the winner of the 1989 DeadBase poll for best version.

We conclude with “Foolish Heart.” This under-the-radar version from Cal Expo on August 13, 1991 has one of the best middle sections that I have ever heard. Jerry patiently builds his solo to an incredible peak behind the swirling vortex created by the dueling pianos of Bruce Hornsby and Vince Welnick. Check it out!

Behind The Lyrics: 

Standing on the Moon – http://artsites.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/sotm.html

Built to Last – http://artsites.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/buil.html

Foolish Heart – https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-foolish-heart

 MediaFire:

Standing on the Moon – http://www.mediafire.com/file/x94be29pwkv3nhk/65_Standing_On_The_Moon_%25287.6.91_-_Deer_Creek_Music_Center_%25E2%2580%25A2_Noblesville%252C_IN%2529.mp3/file

Built to Last – http://www.mediafire.com/file/b7t18ir970q8x10/66_Built_To_Last_%25285.7.89_-_Frost_Amphitheater%252C_Stanford_University_%25E2%2580%25A2_Palo_Alto%252C_CA%2529.mp3/file

Foolish Heart – http://www.mediafire.com/file/5vwjp5kivh6hts6/67_Foolish_Heart_%25288.13.91_-_Cal_Expo_Amphitheatre_%25E2%2580%25A2_Sacramento%252C_CA%2529.mp3/file

Live Music Archive:

Standing on the Moon – https://archive.org/details/gd91-06-07.sbd.miller.18712.sbeok.shnf

Built to Last – https://archive.org/details/gd89-05-07.dsbd.stephens.10978.sbeok.shnf

Foolish Heart – https://archive.org/details/gd1991-08-13.sbd.miller.109241.flac16

Relisten:

Standing on the Moon – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1991/06/07/standing-on-the-moon?source=98727

Built to Last – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1989/05/07/built-to-last?source=97403

Foolish Heart – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1991/08/13/foolish-heart?source=98469

YouTube:

Standing on the Moon – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyZqp7u3WTQ

#standingonthemoon #sotm #06071991 #builttolast #05071989 #foolishheart #08131991 #gratefuldead #roberthunter #jerrygarcia #bobweir #phillesh #billkreutzmann #mickeyhart #pigpen #tomconstanten #keithgodchaux #donnagodchaux #brentmydland #brucehornsby #vincewelnick #31daysofdead #linernotesmusicblog

 

31 Days of Dead 2019 | Day 26: Shakedown Street – Essen, Germany 3/28/81

December 26

Disco Dead

Shakedown Street

3/28/81 – Gruga Halle • Essen, Germany

There’s nothing quite like the bomb-drop opening of “Shakedown Street.” This Garcia-Hunter collaboration about the causes of inner-city urban decay (e.g., drugs) represents “Disco Dead” at their very finest. “Shakedown Street” is the title track of the studio album Shakedown Street, released on November 15, 1978. The band debuted it at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on August 31, 1978.

Here is a great, in-the-pocket “Shakedown” from Germany on March 28, 1981. Unlike most versions that were played as the first or second set opener, the band took the unusual move by throwing down this dance-party “Shakedown” in the middle of the first set! The entire concert was filmed for the long-running Rockpalast television program,  and included a sit-in from guitarist Pete Townshend of The Who.

Behind The Lyrics: http://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-shakedown-street?page=3

MediaFire: 

http://www.mediafire.com/file/fooib9lb5aemnff/64_Shakedown_Street_%25283.28.81_-_Grugshalle_%25E2%2580%25A2_Essen%252C_Germany%2529.mp3/file

Live Music Archive:  https://archive.org/details/gd1981-03-28.140323.fm.eaton.miller.clugston.flac1648

Relisten:   https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1981/03/28/gd81-03-28-07-shakedown-street?source=100530

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12EczFYpeMA

#shakedownstreet #03281981 #gratefuldead #roberthunter #jerrygarcia #bobweir #phillesh #billkreutzmann #mickeyhart #pigpen #tomconstanten #keithgodchaux #donnagodchaux #brentmydland #brucehornsby #vincewelnick #31daysofdead #linernotesmusicblog

 

31 Days of Dead 2019 | Day 25: Uncle John’s Band – San Francisco, CA 3/19/77

December 25 

Come Hear Uncle John’s Band

Uncle John’s Band

3/19/77 – Winterland Arena • San Francisco, CA

Today’s entry is taken from David Dodd’s blog, Greatest Stories Ever Told:

Blair Jackson once wrote something to the effect that “Uncle John’s Band” is the song. I’ve thought a lot about that statement over the years. And I think I know, or feel more than know, what he meant. When the Dead played the song, the crowd came together in a huge way. We were in that band; we were coming to hear Uncle John’s band by the riverside…Everything about the Dead, it seemed, could be wrapped up in that song. Beauty and danger, all swirled together. Familiarity and risk-taking. Dark and light. And then, arising from that dark swirling jam the chorus: “Come hear Uncle John’s Band….” Campfire time again. Hands clapping in time, the crowd being the rhythm section. Then off again into some other song…or back to one previously abandoned…

Second encores were rare for the Dead, so when the band did them, you knew it was an “on” night. This sublime version of “Uncle John’s Band” from March 19, 1977 at Winterland is no exception. Jerry and Keith lead the gorgeous introduction. The lyrics have that “campfire” element that David Dodd refers to above. Folky meets acid. The coda section is full-throttle, powerhouse, late-70s Dead at its best. 

Behind The Lyrics: https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-uncle-johns-band-0

MediaFire: 

http://www.mediafire.com/file/h0gywyrjz5h6avl/63_Uncle_John%2527s_Band_%25283.19.77_-_Winterland_Arena_%25E2%2580%25A2_San_Francisco%252C_CA%2529.mp3/file

Live Music Archive: http://archive.org/details/gd1977-03-19.123190.sbd.miller.flac16

Relisten:    https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1977/03/19/uncle-johns-band?source=91005

#unclejohnsband #ujb #03191977 #gratefuldead #roberthunter #jerrygarcia #bobweir #phillesh #billkreutzmann #mickeyhart #pigpen #tomconstanten #keithgodchaux #donnagodchaux #brentmydland #brucehornsby #vincewelnick #31daysofdead #linernotesmusicblog

 

31 Days of Dead 2019 | Day 24: Crazy Fingers – Columbus, OH 9/30/76

December 24

Something New Is Waiting To Be Born

Crazy Fingers

9/30/76 – Mershon Auditorium, Ohio State University • Columbus, OH

According to Hunter, from his book A Box of Rain, “‘Crazy Fingers’ is a collection of haiku-style verses, mostly seventeen syllables, some more successful than others, with no connecting link other than the similarity of mood.” Garcia cleverly added a reggae-tinged groove that works perfectly. The lyrics contain some of my favorite imagery ever.

“Crazy Fingers” debuted on June 17, 1975 at Winterland Ballroom, and the Dead played it only ten more times before retiring it on September 30, 1976 at Ohio State University. The band revived it on July 18, 1982 at Ventura County Fairgrounds and played it sparingly throughout the rest of their career.

The version of “Crazy Fingers” I selected is from that OSU show. It’s exceptionally and spans 15 minutes in a long, luscious journey. It makes you wonder why the band retired it for so long after this performance.

Behind The Lyrics: https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-crazy-fingers

MediaFire:  

http://www.mediafire.com/file/7ojj2dtqkzj7lkn/62_Crazy_Fingers_%25289.30.76_-_Mershon_Auditorium%252C_Ohio_State_Univ._%25E2%2580%25A2_Columbus%252C_OH%2529.mp3/file

Live Music Archive:   https://archive.org/details/gd1976-09-30.137537.mtx.dusborne.flac16

Relisten:   https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1976/09/30/crazy-fingers?source=90687

#crazyfingers #09301976 #gratefuldead #roberthunter #jerrygarcia #bobweir #phillesh #billkreutzmann #mickeyhart #pigpen #tomconstanten #keithgodchaux #donnagodchaux #brentmydland #brucehornsby #vincewelnick #31daysofdead #linernotesmusicblog

 

31 Days of Dead 2019 | Day 23: Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain – Springfield, MA 4/23/77

December 23 

A Marriage Made In Heaven

Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain (4.23.77 – Civic Center Arena • Springfield, MA)

Fire on the Mountain – proto-rap version (Unreleased Mickey Hart solo album – 1973)

On March 18, 1977, the Grateful Dead paired “Scarlet Begonias” with “Fire on the Mountain” for the first time ever. It was a marriage made in heaven that became forever known at “Scarlet > Fire.” Both songs had a long, single life before being coupled together.

“Scarlet Begonias” was first performed live on March 23, 1974 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco and clocked in at just under 8 minutes. It was played as a stand-alone piece 48 times over the next 3 years. Many think of “Scarlet” as a lysergic ode to a girl. But in a 2004 interview, Hunter said that he wrote the song about and for his wife, Maureen, when he was living in London. In the song, the character flees (“As I was closing the door …”); in real life, he didn’t, and Hunter remained married to his wife. Like all of his great songs, “Scarlet” is replete with Hunter’s trademarked gambling references, psychedelic imagery (“the sky was yellow and the sun was blue”), and cosmic wisdom (“Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right”). Hunter’s lyrics are set to a beautiful morsel of syncopated polyphony.

“Fire on the Mountain” made its live debut during the March 18, 1977 show as part of the first Scarlet-Fire combination. With an uncharacteristically foundational bass line and a taste of calypso, it became a springboard for knee-bending Garcia solos. The lyrics, according to Robert Hunter in Box of Rain, were “written at Mickey Hart’s ranch in heated inspiration as the surrounding hills blazed and the fire approached the recording studio where we were working.” It was one of the few Dead songs composed by drummer Mickey Hart. He recorded a proto-rap version of the song with extra lyrics for an unreleased album entitled Area Code 415, recorded in 1972 and 1973. It was also included on a Hart album entitled Fire on the Mountain, recorded in 1973-74. It appeared as an instrumental entitled “Happiness is Drumming” on Hart’s 1976 studio album, Diga. And it finally began showing up in the Grateful Dead repertoire, sung by Jerry Garcia, in 1977, undergoing a number of variants of the lyrics until it settled into the form that was eventually recorded and released on Shakedown Street in November 1978. Here are the additional lyrics Hunter wrote that were extricated from the final studio version:

blind man, blind man, call your dog

he lifts his leg on the fire, he’s [hoggin’] the log

fire on the mountain, here she comes, here she comes

all the way around

 

The more that you give, the more….

Out of the frying pan into the fire,

Over the [rattrap] and under the wire

Fire on the mtn. here she comes, here she comes

all the way around

Fire on the mountain, it’s coming around

It never goes up and it never comes down

We return to Springfield ’77 for this early version of “Scarlet > Fire.” This one has super energized “Scarlet,” where Garcia growls during the final verse (“ain’t nothing wrong”). The transitional jam is subdued and has a pleasant musical theme that loosely hints at “Dear Prudence.” Garcia has a love-fest with his new Mu-Tron pedal during “Fire.” I also tossed in Mickey’s proto-rap version of “Fire on the Mountain” as a fun bonus.

Behind The Lyrics:

Scarlet Begonias – https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-scarlet-begonias

Fire on the Mountain – https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-fire-mountain

MediaFire: 

http://www.mediafire.com/file/ks8be2gx2adoc9g/60_Scarlet_Begonias_Fire_On_The_Mountain_%25284.23.77_-_Civic_Center_Arena_%25E2%2580%25A2_Springfield%252C_MA%2529.mp3/file

Live Music Archive:  https://archive.org/details/gd1977-04-23.sbd.miller.88401.sbeok.flac16

Relisten:

Scarlet Begonias – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1977/04/23/scarlet-begonias?source=90945

Fire on the Mountain – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1977/04/23/fire-on-the-mountain?source=90945

#scarletbegonis #fireonthemountain #scarletfire #04231977 #gratefuldead #roberthunter #jerrygarcia #bobweir #phillesh #billkreutzmann #mickeyhart #pigpen #tomconstanten #keithgodchaux #donnagodchaux #brentmydland #brucehornsby #vincewelnick #31daysofdead #linernotesmusicblog