Cassidy
Aug. 3, 1982
Starlight Theatre
Definitely a solid version but extremely confused as to how this has been so highly rated. Verses are very strong, but jam is weak and transition back to chorus is pretty terrible - this is a song where the jam and especially the reentry from said jam is key.
Around 1985, the band learned how to take the jam sideways (shifting keys) before charging back into the chorus, and that really elevates this song - definitely one that got better later in life. I'm hard-pressed to upvote any pre-85 Cassidy, and one like this with a short and weak jam really can't compete either with the vocally pure 77 versions or the exciting late-80s versions. Give 11/10/85 or 5/16/93 a shot if you wanna get rocked.