Bill from NYC Posted August 4, 2020 Posted August 4, 2020 On 8/2/2020 at 3:29 AM, Logic said: Jerry Garcia was born on August 1st, 1942 and died on August 9, 1995. The eight days from August 1st through August 9th are thus called “the days between” by Deadheads and are a great excuse to listen to and immerse ourselves in all things Grateful Dead (as if we needed an excuse). So, fellow Deadheads, what are YOU listening to at the moment? Personally, I’ve been immersed in the Europe ‘72 tour. All 22 shows from this tour are available in their full length, crystal clear glory on Spotify. I’ve been listening to each one in chronological order for some weeks now. Up to 5/13 in Lille, France as we speak. Favorites so far are 4/14 in Denmark, 5/7 in Wigan, England, and 5/3 in Paris, France. Listening to an entire tour like this has given me a new respect and level of appreciation for the nuances of the music. I feel like I’m getting my doctorate in Dead-ology. Certainly this tour has an undeniable magic. It’s Pigpen’s last stand, Keith is at his all time best and most creative, Phil and Bobby have mastered their instruments, Billy (the only one to refrain from any cocaine use this tour) sounds amazing, and Jerry’s tone and skill is golden. The single drummer and dual keyboards provide a unique and all-too-brief musical atyle that they’d never quite replicate again. The whole band is just HAPPY this tour, and it comes through in the playing. The Other Ones and Dark Stars from this tour are marvelous. If you don’t have Spotify, head over to Archive.org and listen to a soundboard of Paris 5/3. You won’t regret it. I don’t know that the band was ever tighter than they were on this tour. Pure magic. So, weirdos: what are YOU listening to right meow? I think that the band peaked in summer/1989. I like almost all of their music and have seen them numerous ties but in 89 they really had it together. I am in the minority but I think that things went downhill when Furthur broke up. Kadlecik is great imo. 2
Greg S Posted August 4, 2020 Posted August 4, 2020 15 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said: I think that the band peaked in summer/1989. I like almost all of their music and have seen them numerous ties but in 89 they really had it together. I am in the minority but I think that things went downhill when Furthur broke up. Kadlecik is great imo. I think their best years were in the 70's although the 80's with Brent were good as well. For me I am a big fan of 77. You could pick any show from this year and it is excellent. 1
Logic Posted August 4, 2020 Author Posted August 4, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, Bill from NYC said: I think that the band peaked in summer/1989. I like almost all of their music and have seen them numerous ties but in 89 they really had it together. 3 hours ago, Greg S said: I think their best years were in the 70's although the 80's with Brent were good as well. For me I am a big fan of 77. You could pick any show from this year and it is excellent. It's really hard to pinpoint when the Dead were at their peak. Frankly, over the course of their 30 year career, they had several peaks (and several valleys). It's a testament to the variety and evolution of their music that if you ask ten Deadheads, you'll get ten different answers. What do you like most in Grateful Dead music? Tightly played songs? Exploratory jams? Psychedelic frenzy? For me, the reason it's tough to pick is because different elements of the band peaked at different times. In 1968-1969, the Dead, as a whole, were at a psychedelic/primal/intense high water mark of playing. Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, however, were nowhere near as good as they would become, and they didn't yet have the wide variety of songs they would offer later. In 1972, the band was in high spirits, everybody's playing was great, Keith Godchaux was playing the keys the best he ever would with the Dead (seriously, check out some Europe 72 stuff...Keith is absolutely off the charts great), the band could transition more quickly/tightly with just one drummer....BUT...they didn't quite "stretch out" and jam as much as they would in the years to come. 1977, another oft-listed peak year, features the two-headed drumming monster at full power, everyone playing well, the band stretching out and playing 20 minute renditions of songs with not a care in the world...but Keith's playing has SERIOUSLY fallen off as his heroin addiction has progressed. Jerry, also now in the midst of opiate use (though still playing very well overall) has seen some sloppiness and lack of focus seep in to his playing. 1989, the next most often mentioned peak, is indeed tight and and features many great shows. Brent is playing very well, the band is energized, Jerry is (relatively) healthy....but no one can ever convince me that their musical adventurousness and originality and overall musicianship is anywhere near what it was in the best year of the 70s. Just my opinion. Phil Lesh felt the band peaked pre-hiatus, which would be 1974. Bobby felt they peaked in 1989. Jerry said during the press tour for Europe '72 that they were at a sort of "peak optimum" at that moment. Me? Gun to my head, on this particular day, I'd say winter '73 through winter '74, those 12 months, were their peak. Ask me again next week and you're likely to get a different answer. Edited August 4, 2020 by Logic 2 1
Bill from NYC Posted August 4, 2020 Posted August 4, 2020 Interesting that Weir chose 1989. He looked as happy as I have ever seen him at the Philly concert, which was a completely amazing show. I saw them in several locations, to include the Garden, Meadowlands, Roosevelt Stadium (Jersey City, and a bunch of other venues). In Philly/89, Weir looked completely satisfied and happy. Jerry appeared to be sober and was smiling for most of the show. Brent really took off was encouraged by Jerry to get deeper into it. The shows at the Meadowlands and Buffalo were just a few days away from Philly and they were also great. As I'm sure you know, Jerry hated the studio but did (imo) some splendid work there too. 2
Logic Posted August 4, 2020 Author Posted August 4, 2020 2 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said: Interesting that Weir chose 1989. He looked as happy as I have ever seen him at the Philly concert, which was a completely amazing show. I saw them in several locations, to include the Garden, Meadowlands, Roosevelt Stadium (Jersey City, and a bunch of other venues). In Philly/89, Weir looked completely satisfied and happy. Jerry appeared to be sober and was smiling for most of the show. Brent really took off was encouraged by Jerry to get deeper into it. The shows at the Meadowlands and Buffalo were just a few days away from Philly and they were also great. As I'm sure you know, Jerry hated the studio but did (imo) some splendid work there too. His picking 1989 made sense to me because he personally was likely at his peak as a player and singer in that year. They always talked about the Dead being "the longest running musical argument in history", and by that point, they'd been arguing for a good, long time. They all knew each other as well as they ever would. I once heard the quote that the 60s Dead belonged to Pigpen, the 70s Dead belonged to Jerry, and the 80s Dead belonged to Weir. That made sense to me. Here's Weir's quote on the end of '89/beginning of '90 tours, courtesy of Rolling Stone:“For my money, this was our hottest era,” he says. “We couldn’t wait to go on tour; we couldn’t wait to play because it was really working for us and it was keeping us amused. We had been working together as a unit for a good length of time.” 2 1
WhoTom Posted August 9, 2020 Posted August 9, 2020 1 hour ago, The Poojer said: Let there be songs, to fill the air! That's one of the prettiest songs ever written. Grisman played mandolin on the studio version too. I read an interview where he said he wanted to play throughout the whole song instead of just the chorus, but Jerry said no. I think it was the right call.
Recommended Posts