The Other One
Dec. 10, 1972
Winterland Arena
This has so much more jazz in the first 11 minutes than most other Others from the era, and accordingly this is the first show in '72 where I really hear where the new year is going to take them. (Same for the China-Rider). This has a bit of an acid freakout and meltdown, but isn't as hard rocking as some. It is, in any case a perfectly executed and exciting version all the same. Edit: On second listen, I'm thinking the tape speed might be a bit high. Any thoughts? The OO and Truckin' both seem a bit accelerated. Also, I may be crazy, but around 20:30 they play with a theme that sounds to my mind like a proto-Slipknot. Someone tell me if I'm off my rocker, but it hangs in the air for about two or three minutes. This fits with my earlier comment that they were already exploring new sounds for '73 and beyond by this point.