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OrangeTangoJam

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Submissions

1
Drums
Dec. 10, 1972
Winterland Arena

Supercharged Billy at the helm deconstructing and building layers of structure like a master architect. Some of his most inventive fills put to record
1
Me and My Uncle
July 16, 1972
Dillon Stadium

Notable for coming straight out of Cumberland and the alternate lyrics “And I Grabbed the Bottle, Grabbed Him in the Jaw” A cowboy classic.
1
Promised Land
Aug. 5, 1974
Philadelphia Civic Arena

Firing on all cylinders right out the gate. I'm certain Jerry's fretboard caught fire after that first solo. Impossible not to groove to.
1
El Paso
Dec. 4, 1971
Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden

Delicate. Like a last waltz of the cowboy and his love, with each lick from Jerry conveying the urgency of the story. Keith makes such an impact here.
1
Cumberland Blues
Dec. 4, 1971
Felt Forum, Madison Square Garden

Part of the beginning is cut off, but that doesn't stop this train from rolling on down the mines. Short and sweet.

Comments

Mountain Jam
July 28, 1973
Grand Prix Racecourse

Enter the hall of the Mountain King!! As epic as they come. I love how this one flows, doesn’t stay in one place for too long at all. Simply sublime. Dickey is quite tasteful on this one, allowing Jerry to traverse these mountain ranges with ease. It’s really THAT good. Highly recommend to anyone who hasn’t checked this out yet.
Playin' In The Band
July 28, 1973
Grand Prix Racecourse

Deadly interplay on this one. Bobby’s on full attack mode as soon as the jam starts, creating this wonderful urgency in the music without being too aggressive or rushed. This trapezes between underwater exploration and celestial travel through unexplored nebulas and gas giants. Gets into Tiger territory very early on but never leaves it, reappearing multiple times as a swirling vortex that shoots the band into these wonderful and inventive territories. Check out 14:15, unison lines in full force. Phil rings like a bell and the boys enter this witchy and archaic space. Great suggestion darkstar, I forgot this was the show with the famous Mountain Jam, going to be relistening shortly.
The Other One
March 28, 1972
Academy of Music

Starts as a raging tornado that spirals the listener into a chaotic and twisted journey. This really reminds me of Dorothy’s journey to the land of Oz, the idea of everything you once knew about anything is gone, and you’re taken away by this force of nature only to land in this mysterious and quite dreamlike landscape. The boys follow the yellow brick road and walk towards their goals. Will they get home? Will they muster up the courage within themselves? You can hear the band find themselves in this tumultuous journey. Analogies aside, this The Other One is dense and rich with ideas. Gets into Dark Star territory with not one single person leading. Keith starts this wonderful motif around the 12 minute mark in which Jerry responds with an almost sarod or sitar inspired lick that leaves me utterly speechless. I also find Bobby’s parts are quite intriguing, the way he thinks about the music and how open minded he is with throwing everything you know out the window and just “going for it” really makes this one quite unique. 5 star The Other One with so much to unpack.
The Other One
June 22, 1973
Pacific Coliseum

Reaches a point of singularity that consumes the band in a dark energy unlike anything before. Undefinable. Out of body, indulging in this desolate, nightmarish world of inexplicable constructs, structures that defy the laws of physics, The outer reaches of the universe, and the edge of insanity. Where are they? I don’t think they even knew at this point. How dark, and how mysterious this version is. “Madness is but an over acuteness of the senses”
Truckin'
June 22, 1973
Pacific Coliseum

Phil, like Atlas, holds the world on his shoulders. With each pluck of a string, maintaining balance of everything that is. The Truckin is a portal to a vast, ghostly realm of the dead, misty, and full of intrigue. This is as uniform as the band gets, astral projecting and leaving the material world behind, and exploring these places not yet known to mankind. RIP Phil.