Monday, February 1, 2010

Back in the Dead Saddle Again...

Hey there peoples, I took last Monday off from posting a Grateful Dead show, because I was gloriously on vacation.  Took some time-out in the great state of Florida on it's gulf coast; soaking up some rays some rum runners and some great novels.
So for today's show I am mentally going to go back to sunny F.L.A.   Granted it is the east-side with this gem from Miami 1974, but this is a whale shark of a show and hell Miami's close enough and a ton warmer then this windy New York City.  This show is so big though it makes up for a week off... 

You can listen to the full show here on this Embedded Player or you can go over to the archive and check it out there, full setlist is below with some highlights:


The first highlight of this recording (and the first set) is how in sync and tight the vocals are for the fellas and one lady.  Singing was an incredibly underrated aspect of the Dead and starting with Working Mans Dead the group made a concerted effort to improve their vocal stylings.  Once we get past some audio difficulties the band was experiencing you can hear the harmonies at work on "Mississippi Half Step", "Jack Straw" (a personal favorite) and Jerry's aching voice on "Row Jimmy" and a super "Cumberland Blues" again all of this is in the first set!

This set also contains the Grateful Dead's only known performance of Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock":

 Though Garcia loved the tune so much he did play it during his solo outings.

The second set's anchor is the "Dark Star Jam>Spanish Jam>US Blues"  a blissful combo and the main reason why I picked this FLA show today.  My old roommate had an AUD tape of this that was good, but when this trio was released on the So Many Roads box set my ears were freshly blown.  This is some of the jazziest interplay the fellas ever threw down and an all time must hear for any Dead fan new or old that want to listen to great music for about 32 minutes (longer then some full length albums).     

In the Dark Star Jam (they never get around to the lyrics), Jerry's lead is fine, but the interplay going on just below him is The Jelly; linking snare runs and cymbal rides, twinkling keys and well timed bass entrances critically connecting all parts moving things along before they start freaking the f out (in a good way) around the 10 minute mark.  At the 15 minute mark you can hear some bass drops and a snare, Phil and Billy getting ready to start the Spanish proceedings.  I am a sucker for a good "Spanish Jam", taking the spirit of Miles Davis "Solea" from Sketches of Spain and tye-dying it up Dead style is a win/win in this Mick's music book.  This version is pure Boosh, and even has a metal flair with Jerry going to town on Wolf, Phil dropping low end and some distorted gremlins messing with the sound.  Things clean up and then get rollicking with "US Blues" while Keith friskily bangs those ivories; Loud Keith ='s Good Keith and he is the MVP on this version of a classic tune that Dead Heads seem to sour on, not me, and not the receptive crowd at Jai-Alai.         

I could go on all day with this one but I won't, go have a listen and enjoy for yourself.
6-23-74
Jai-Alai Fronton, Miami, FL 
Set 1
Ramble On Rose
Black Throated Wind
Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
Beat It On Down The Line
Row Jimmy
Jack Straw
Let It Rock
Cumberland Blues
El Paso
To Lay Me Down
Weather Report Suite Prelude ->
Weather Report Suite Part ->
Let It Grow ->
China Doll

Seastones

Set 2
Jam ->
Ship Of Fools
Big River
Black Peter
Around And Around
Dark Star Jam->
Spanish Jam ->
U.S. Blues
Uncle John's Band ->
One More Saturday Night

Encore
Casey Jones





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