Weekend Nuggets: North of the Border In ’94
DOWNLOADS OF THE WEEKEND:
Apologies for Friday. One unexcused absence for Miner. Here we have two shows from Canada at the beginning of Spring ’94. Enjoy the three-day weekend. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – respect.
4.5.94 The Metropolis, Montreal, Quebec < Torrent
4.5.94 The Metropolis, Montreal, Quebec < Megaupload
Canada
I: Runaway Jim, Foam, Fluffhead, Glide, Julius, Bouncing Around the Room > Rift, AC/DC Bag
II: Peaches en Regalia, Ya Mar, Tweezer > If I Could, You Enjoy Myself, I Wanna Be Like You > Hold Your Head Up, Chalk Dust Torture, Amazing Grace
E: Nellie Kane, Golgi Apparatus
Source: B&K 4011
*****
4.6.94 Concert Hall, Toronto, Ontario < Torrent
4.6.94 Concert Hall, Toronto, Ontario < Megaupload
I: Llama, Guelah Papyrus, Poor Heart, Stash, The Lizards, Sample in a Jar, Scent of a Mule, Fee > Run Like an Antelope
II: The Curtain > Down with Disease, Wolfman’s Brother, Sparkle, Mike’s Song > Lifeboy > Weekapaug Groove, The Squirming Coil, Cavern
E: Ginseng Sullivan, Nellie Kane, Sweet Adeline
Source: Panasonic SV-3700> RCA cable(S/PDIF)> Tascam PCI-822(48k)>
Cool Edit Pro(44.1k)> CDWav> MKWshn
=====
Jam of the Weekend:
” Tweezer > Lifeboy” 5.22.94 II
Another nugget from Canada ’94.
=====
VIDEO OF THE WEEKEND:
“Reba” 12.4.09 I MSG, NYC
keep hope alive, brother
well, hopefully Dr. P won’t have trouble with the AACs…iTunes should play them regardless of mac/pc or whatever…I am uploading the zipped versions now
im thinkin about busting the What It Is! mix as house music for the next CF show.
hey Mr C
I downloaded that Cresting the Wave, but when it uploaded to my ITunes it went into it in alphabetical order… now I got it all ordered up, but I don’t know which St. Stephen goes first.. the short one or the long one?
the long one goes first, second one is the reprise
bummer about that, they are numbered, but I’ve never been clear on what exactly to do to get the metadata right so they always import correctly…
the mixes all have text files that go with them with setlists and track order and times, etc
High Time – Live Dead 1979-90 – volume 1
===========================
http://tinyurl.com/hightime1
all SBD sources
“First set”
01 tuning 0:13 87-10-03 Shoreline
02 Hey Pocky Way 5:03 87-10-03 Shoreline
03 Feel Like a Stranger 8:38 80-05-15 Nassau
04 West LA Fadeaway 8:09 89-07-19 Alpine Valley
05 Minglewood Blues 7:08 89-07-18 Alpine Valley
06 Loser 7:14 89-08-19 Greek Theater, Berkeley
07 Tom Thumb’s Blues 4:24 89-07-12 RFK Stadium
08 Lazy Lightning > 6:57 79-11-09 Buffalo
09 Supplication 2:07 79-11-09 Buffalo
10 Althea 7:58 89-07-19 Alpine Valley
11 Let it Grow 12:51 87-12-30 HJ Kaiser, Oakland
“Second set”
12 Scarlet Begonias > 8:04 90-03-22 Hamilton, Ontario
13 Fire On the Mountain 11:23 90-03-22 Hamilton, Ontario
14 Playin’ in the Band 12:27 88-07-29 Laguna Seca
15 Standing on the Moon > 10:52 90-07-06 Louisville, KY
16 He’s Gone > 9:40 90-07-06 Louisville, KY
17 jam > drums 13:36 90-07-06 Louisville, KY
Zip file 4
=======
18 space > 1:23 89-08-19 Greek Theater, Berkeley
19 The Other One > 9:53 89-08-19 Greek Theater, Berkeley
20 Wharf Rat 8:47 89-08-19 Greek Theater, Berkeley
21 Gimme Some Lovin’ > 5:11 87-12-30 HJ Kaiser, Oakland
22 Morning Dew 11:17 87-12-30 HJ Kaiser, Oakland
I have a massive selection bias when it comes to this era. I tend to collect the shows I was at, so I have a lot more from ’85 on. Also the SBDs sound better starting in about ’88.
I would say this mix is all about energy, tight execution, and doin’ the funky Grateful Dead shuffle. Hey Pocky Way was a favorite opener of mine, especially ones like this from before Brent exchanged his killer B3 lead sound for an uber-cheesy synth tone. Stranger is one of those strangely complicated Bobby songs with an angular, shifting feel that always strikes me as Phishy in some hard-to-describe way. The jam on this one has a classic filter lead from Jerry and I love the way it wraps up. LA Fadeaway became overplayed and sometimes lumbering and ended up on a lot of “least favorite” lists, but I love it, and this one features the explosive dynamics and snaky swagger that exemplify the best versions. Check out Jerry’s rhythm lick during Brent and Bobby’s solos in this Minglewood…Loser is a deeply underrated song, one of the strongest in the catalog I think, and this smoldering version shows why. Tom Thumb’s Blues is a fun little blast of lyrical weirdness from the Phil Zone, but was often sloppy in execution. Not this one. Lazy > Supplication didn’t last long in this era but they tore it up most of the time. Let It Grow was a song that could blow up at the drop of a hat right up to the end; I love the subtly structured jam with its many changes.
This well known Scarlet > Fire features beautiful MIDI work in the transition and a nice tight performance in general. The Playin’ is a real outlier – a volcanic explosion in the middle of an otherwise relatively straightforward year. Standing on the Moon and He’s Gone are both merely above-average versions of these great songs, but the jam out of he’s gone is legendary, perhaps the last really out-of-the-box, wildly psychedelic ensemble improv they created. The Other One is a personal favorite out of the ones I saw, the first “Phil bomb” intro in many years, and he does it twice to make sure he gets it right. The body of the song is just good, but the unusual post-second-verse “bonus jam” at the end just pushes higher and higher; they refused to end the song until they got the explosion they wanted. What a way to say goodbye to the Greek! The energy fully flows into the Wharf Rat that follows, and while it’s certainly true that some people won’t like any version of Gimme Some Lovin’, this one’s about as fun as they get, and I think it’s a hoot. And the Dew – well, just another great one. Not the greatest of the era, but that’s for another day.
This one’s kind of a warmup. It’s great I think, but if you’re going to download only one, make it volume 2.
I forgot to mention, forgot to mention althea.
It ain’t bad either.
not one of the too-slow ones.
High Time – Live Dead 1979-90 – volume 2
===========================
http://tinyurl.com/hightime-vol2
all SBD sources
“Set 1”
01 Bertha 7:02 87-07-24 Oakland Col.
02 Jack Straw 6:19 80-10-10 Warfield Theater
03 They Love Each Other 8:12 85-09-03 Kansas City, MO
04 Masterpiece 4:19 87-10-03 Shoreline
05 Dupree’s Diamond Blues 5:52 82-09-20 MSG
06 Maggie’s Farm > 6:25 87-10-03 Shoreline
07 Cumberland Blues 4:17 87-10-03 Shoreline
08 High Time 8:23 80-05-16 Nassau Col.
09 Cassidy 7:05 87-07-24 Oakland Col.
10 Bird Song 8:41 87-07-26 Anaheim, CA
11 Promised Land 4:26 87-07-26 Anaheim, CA
“Set 2”
12 Shakedown Street 17:32 79-10-31 Nassau Col.
13 Women are Smarter 7:12 89-07-18 Alpine Valley
14 She Belongs to Me 7:54 85-11-01 Richmond, VA
15 Lost Sailor > 6:17 80-05-15 Nassau Col.
16 Saint of Circumstance 6:34 80-05-15 Nassau Col.
17 Uncle John’s Band > 9:55 79-12-26 Oakland Col.
18 Caution jam 9:41 81-05-06 Nassau Col.
19 Terrapin > 11:48 87-07-26 Anaheim, CA
20 drums 3:00 87-07-26 Anaheim, CA
21 …space > The Wheel > 5:11 90-03-24 The Knick
22 All Along the Watchtower 7:41 90-03-24 The Knick
23 Black Peter 9:13 90-03-25 The Knick
24 Death Don’t Have No Mercy 6:36 89-09-29 Shoreline
25 Truckin >
Smokestack Lightnin’ 8:59 85-09-07 Red Rocks
26 Dear Mr. Fantasy 8:57 89-07-18 Alpine Valley
27 Comes a Time 8:20 85-11-01 Richmond, VA
28 Throwin’ Stones > 10:02 89-07-18 Alpine Valley
29 Not Fade Away 7:43 87-07-26 Anaheim, CA
“encore”
30 Brokedown Palace 4:42 90-03-26 The Knick
31 And We Bid You Goodnight 2:25 89-10-26 Miami, FL
This has been my go-to Brent era mix for about a decade. Everything good I remember about the music from this era is in this mix somewhere. There are a number of songs on here that I think peaked in the Brent era, meaning these are among the finest performances of all – depending on your taste, of course.
Bertha went through a lot of arrangements, and I think this is the best of all. That’s right, I said it. The best. Check out the way the beat shifts in the jam: on 1, then on 2, then 3, then 4. Then – “test me, test me” POW! Love it. Jack Straw gained dramatically in shred and Phil bombage during this era and older versions always sound a little lacking to me in those areas. This TLEO packs an oddball solo, totally different from the normal exercise in bends and slides. Masterpiece was quickly slowed down and drawn out after its debut, and I like some of those versions too, but punchy ones from the first tour or two are my favorites. Dupree’s is a great song that was rarely played well, but this one is, pretty clean and sharp with a funky solo. The Maggie’s > Cumberland combo is an alltime live highlight for me, featuring charged, smoking versions of both songs and a perfect (if dead simple) segue. This achingly beautiful High Time, with its potent dynamics, presents this often overlooked song at its best. Cassidy is another great song that I think peaked in the Brent era, when they learned to let the jam out of its box, releasing a brief roar of psychedelic energy in the first set. There are many great Bird Songs throughout the 80s, and this is one of the shorter jams out of the top shelf ones, but listen to the energy in the jam here, and the twists and turns of the old-school changes at the peak. Promised Land was usually a write-off, but would I do you like that?
Shakedown – rough vocals in spots, but one of the finest jams the song ever sported. A favorite if typical caribbean dance party from Women (that’s right!)… and then the rare beauty of She Belongs To Me, this one featuring one of the collection’s peak highlights, a transcendently lovely first solo from Jerry. A prototypical version of Lost Sailor > Saint, a great combo which was sadly dropped not long after I started going to shows. Those lyrics could have been written about me, during the time I saw going to these shows. This Uncle John’s is widely regarded as an alltime favorite version, not much argument about that, and the Caution jam is held in similar regard. To me, the Terrapins of ’87 are one of the biggest secrets in Dead lore – I think there are some from this year (yet to circulate in clean SBD) which are the best of all, for their incredibly psychedelic extended time-stretching fanfare sections. This one is a small step below and still amazing.
The Wheel was either perfection, or a mess. You guess which kind I’d include. Watchtower was pretty often the hottest Jerry lead of the show, and this scorcher typifies that blazing attack – just a relentless storm of notes from Jerry on this one, and Bobby at his demented best (going nuts but not shrieking). The Black Peter is delivered with tremendous passion and intensity, leading into another epic moment, the breakout of Death Don’t Have No Mercy and maybe the greatest solo I ever saw Jerry play. A real jaw-dropping moment even in retrospect. A more standard but well delivered Truckin’ > Smokestack sets up a classic Dear Mr. Fantasy/Hey Jude, dropping down to the crown jewel of Jerry ballads: Comes a Time. This wrenching performance blossoms into an unearthly solo that dies and comes back to life. Throwin’ Stones is anothe Bob tune that often featured some of the best Jerry soloing of the night, and while NFA might not have featured the extended jams of old, it could still pack quite a punch. A heartfelt Brokedown/Bid You Goodnight brings the collection to a close.
@ Mr. C
This it totally awesome. Thanks for sharing with the folks on the blackboard. In listening to so much Phish lately I have let my Dead and JGB boots go cold. You’ve inspired me to reacquaint myself.
Now here is the totally selfish request……..Any chance you could build a volume or two from 70’s Dead? I got to see Brent once and once only. Then he passed on and all live Dead for me from then on was either Bruce or Merl. For some strange reason I just can’t get in to Brent. It’s his voice that is an acquired taste and after repeatedly tasting I’ve come to realize I just don’t like his voice.
I know people feel the same way about Donna. But Keith’s piano for me more than makes up for any vibe, good or bad, that Donna brings to the mix.
Feel free to tell me to go blow. I will post on today’s thread as well.
-Aqua-
Well “F” me this is today’s thread. Can you tell I had beers last night?
Me have hangover brain