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grendel

Books and Music

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Submissions

2
Darkness Jam
March 26, 1973
Baltimore Civic Center

Call it a "near" Darkness Jam coming out of WX report prelude you'll hear a hint of the main theme about 1:12 in & the rest is just exquisite
2
Samson and Delilah
Nov. 29, 1979
Cleveland Public Hall

Ripping right out of a sensational (& underrated Shakedown) this equally shines w/fast flowing Garcia licks typical for the year & Brent on fire too
2
Me and My Uncle
May 2, 1970
Harpur College

Maybe b/c it's w/New Riders but one of the best acosutic versions ever should be here! Riders w/great backing vox + Jerry on pedal steel!
2
Bertha
Nov. 20, 1971
Pauley Pavilion

The new DaP release showcases how good this, especially w/Keith way up front in the mix & kicking the tune into ragtime jazz gear-a fantastic version!
3
Don't Ease Me In
Dec. 9, 1979
Kiel Auditorium

Don't sleep on this one. Brent's sweeping fluorishes permeate + a nice epic coda. Overlooked tune from a sleeper show now w/more looks due to DaP#47
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Comments

Greatest Story Ever Told
Aug. 21, 1972
Berkeley Community Theater

Unique, confident, just about damn near perfect. Slower, funkier pace to this one that starts with a slow drum beat after Bob implores Billy to get things started. Keith is also all over this version in the jam sections just crushing every fill he gets. Garcia cranks it up too but again at that more relaxed pace than usual.Top 5 all time territory here.
Morning Dew
Dec. 31, 1972
Winterland Arena

Unique among most Dews in that the intro is psychedelia - charged from the space jam it emerges from--rather than the usual dramatic ominous Phil bomb... this one brings some swirly/jangly carry-over and the rest is just Garcia and co. in charge of an emotional powerhouse version. Somehow less than 20 votes when I got here--deserves a much higher ranking.
Brown Eyed Women
March 18, 1977
Winterland Arena

Stellar version. May not have quite the extra g-round on the jam that marks some of the all timers like 11/4/77 but Keith shines on this one more than any other I'be heard and it's all around great stuff
Bird Song
Sept. 15, 1972
Boston Music Hall

No idea why I slept on this version (& this whole show in particular) for so long. Outstanding '72 Birdsong--vocally one of Jerry's best--and the China>Rider from this show is pretty killer too. Hidden gem.
Scarlet Begonias
July 3, 1984
Starlight Theatre

Easily overlooked as it doesn't connect directly to Fire but takes a turn into Touch instead...but this gets my upvote based on the Scarlet alone which really is beautifully played--some of the best pacing, especially on the flawless intro --propel us into a juicy and jammy '84 Garcia fingerpickin' fest of liquid lightning--check out the jam into Wind in the Willows--this is the stuff right here. Only caveat being Garcia's voice is in classic '84 stranglehold mode but he doesn't botch any lyrics and is giving it his all which more than makes up for the croaky vox. Real nice find here.
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