How about the Mouth on that Beast? JGB at the Stone, February 2, 1980, as recorded by Bad Bob Menke

LN jg1980-02-02.jgb.all.aud-menke-motb-0038.105635.flac1644

I recently revisited an old favorite, 2/17/80, and surprised myself by not noting anything about the "After Midnight -> Eleanor Rigby -> After Midnight" medley, to say nothing of an old favorite of another kind, "Positively 4th Street". I have vowed to revisit these. Someone was also extolling old favorite 3/8/80 on its recent anniversary, claiming that this last AMERAM was the best, and we speculated that maybe the band hung it up after that because, really, where else was there to go with it? Always leave 'em wanting more, amirite? It would indeed have been sad if AMERAM had become just another thing, like MAMU -> Mexicali over on the dark end of the street. I vow to revisit that one, too, though I have held a candle of hope out for the emergence of that master tape, ready for a fresh clean transfer, for coming on 25 years, to no avail. Why do you forsake me, tape goddesses?

Anyway, let me here touch on a charming third old favorite from this period, 2/2/80 at the Stone. As was typical in the Freddie Herrera - affiliated stable of clubs, old times bluesers Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker played the soft open Thursday night, and then Jerry headlined the first weekend under the new management. (I seem to recall this being pretty much the same billings as opened the seemingly ill-starred Keystone Stockton back in '74.)

John Angus pulled a remarkable tape from the Friday show, I think in the company of his brother Harry, who is the venue guru extraordinaire (a.k.a. JGBP) of our little corner of the blogosphere and who enjoyed the white linen tablecloths and vased red roses classing up the joint on that first Friday. I have not revisited that tape in many years - add another to the to-do list. But the legendary, enigmatic HOF taper Bad Bob Menke pulled an all-time great tape the next night. The Powers That Be (TPTB) even released a track of it, "When I Paint My Masterpiece", on a 2005 Dylan homage / money grab. I hope Bob got paid for it. Because, man, what a recording! The Mouth of the Beast, indeed.

And this is a characteristically killer early 1980 Garcia Band performance. Update: five years ago the first set did nothing for me. That tells you the scientific worth of my quality assessments, heh heh.

Lossless pioneer Danny Metz, who used to do the math to be sure to cut tracks on sector boundaries to ensure Red Book CD-audio compatibility before the programs automated that process, once said that "Jerry's solo in Train To Cry [from] 5:30-7:10 may be the sickest bluesy guitar work I have ever heard." Danny also praises Johnny D's drum work. I can't argue. One of the things I have noticed in some of these shows, too, is that Ozzie Ahlers doesn't take any shit from ol Jer. Here, in TLEO, Mr. Eponymy starts throwing elbows about 4 minutes in, and Ozzie just plays harder for a while. Yeah! All kinds of good glassine guitar work throughout, some of it Mutron-smooth like leaded cathedral fare and some of it sharp and shardy. For me, the real highlights arrive in Masterpiece, well-released not least because it features the longest scrub in the history of rock and roll, and then, of course, AMERAM. So much Mutron, so much killer jamming, such a killer medley. Ozzie even does a little "Riders On The Storm" descent 13:40ish, headed to the Beatles by way of the Doors. All in all, a wonderful listen!

Oh yeah, how about some color from the flamboyantly fabulous Bay Area Reporter (via archive.org):

Garcia's local club dates have long been one of the special joys of this burgh. Some will tell you that here resides the true wonders of The Dead, without all the hocus-pocus. Others will tell you it's just a boring old fart. Let those who have ears hear [!]

Jerry Garcia Band

The Stone

412 Broadway

San Francisco, CA 94133

February 2, 1980 (Saturday)

Menke motb-0038 shnid-105635

--set I (5 tracks, 49:13)-- 

s1t01. //It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry  [8:20] [0:02] %

s1t02. They Love Each Other [9:28] [0:12] % [0:18]

s1t03. Money Honey [8:19] [0:15]

s1t04. Sitting In Limbo [13:26] ->

s1t05. That's Alright, Mama [8:34] (1) [0:14]

--set II (6 tracks, 72:30)--

s2t01. [0:12] Harder They Come [16:53] [0:54]

s2t02. When I Paint My Masterpiece [13:51] [0:16] %

s2t03. [0:13] Russian Lullaby [14:57] [0:07]

s2t04. After Midnight [15:40] ->

s2t05. Eleanor Rigby Jam [4:28] ->

s2t06. After Midnight [4:49] [0:12]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #11a

! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;

! lineup: John Kahn - el-b;

! lineup: Ozzie Ahlers - keyboards;

! lineup: John D'Fonseca - drums.

JGMF:

! Recording: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [m:ss] = recorded event time. The recorded event time immediately after the song or item name is an attempt at getting the "real" time of the event. So, a timing of [m:ss] right after a song title is an attempt to say how long the song really was, as represented on this recording.

! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19800202-01

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/4432; https://etreedb.org/shn/16681; https://etreedb.org/shn/85532; https://etreedb.org/shn/92372; https://etreedb.org/shn/92432; https://etreedb.org/shn/105635 (this fileset)

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/Vr6EBXU6KvA2

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/07/stone-mothers-412-broadway-san.html

! band: http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html

! ad: San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Datebook, January 20, 1980, p. 22; San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Datebook, January 27, 1980, p. 13

! mention: San Francisco Examiner, January 25, 1980, p. 23;

! listing: Bay Area Reporter, January 31, 1980, p. 22. In characteristically cheeky style, the BAR writes "Garcia's local club dates have long been one of the special joys of this burgh. Some will tell you that here resides the true wonders of The Dead, without all the hocus-pocus. Others will tell you it's just a boring old fart. Let those who have ears hear."

! listing: BAM no. 72 (February 1, 1980), p. 41

! official: Jerry Garcia - Garcia Plays Dylan (Rhino, R2 73263, 2005) (d2t01-Masterpiece)

! recollex: Harry Angus recalls that the white linens and roses were on the tables again this night, as the night before, which was the hard opening of the Stone as such. See that date for the specifics.

! R: field recordist: Bob Menke

! R: field recording gear: 2x Nakamichi CM700 > Sony TC-D5

! R: field recording media: 2x Maxell UDXLII

! R: Analog Sound Preservation: MAC >> Nakamichi CR7a => Korg MR-1000 >> DSF [1-bit 5.6448 MHz Stereo] >> Korg MR-1000 => Korg AudioGate >> WAV [24/96]. Transfer By: Bob Menke; Mastering By: Derek McCabe

! R: MOTB Release: 0038 16/44.1

! R: Release Date: 2010-01-26

! R: Bob Menke pulled a truly amazing audience tape this night.

! R: s1t01 ITALTL, ITATTC clips in

! P: s1t02 TLEO Ozzie missed Jerry's not-so-subtle cue to step back early 4, Ozzie just asserts and plays. Good on ya!

! R: s1t04 SIL tape flip near end (patched?? with Nak300's > Sony 158 > MAC (Maxell UD XLII) source

! P: s1t05 TAM killer glassine guitar tone 2.

! s1t05 (1) JG: "We're gonna take a short break, be back in a little while."

! P: s2t02 WIPMM Jerry working the Mutron. Huge long scrubby segment through the 11 range. Whoa. Still at it over 12. Longest scrubbing run ever, until 12:15?

! P: s2t04 AM so much Mutron 10:15. Wonderful jamming here 11. Ozzie does a little "Riders On The Storm" descent 13:40ish. Man, this jam is stretchy-good.

! R: s2t05 tape flip patched with Nak300's > Sony 158 > MAC (Maxell UD XLII source

! P: s2t06 AM more big fanning. Great stuff.