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.

Soft, Gentle and Round vs. Burning, Fiery and Huge: JGB at Laker Hall, SUNY Oswego, February 17, 1980

LN jg1980-02-17.jgb.all.aud-gatto.9017.sh2flac

The adjectives in the subject allude to the contrasts that really defined Garcia's guitar playing in 1980. Some tunes, like "I'll Take A Melody" featured both modes, the contemplative and the rockin'. "Friend Of The Devil", here in one of its last electric GOTS performances, features long, gentle, lovely progressions, as does "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry". "That's Alright, Mama" delivers the fire, as do "Money Honey" and "Let It Rock".

For whatever reason, the two obvious setlist highlights, "Positively 4th Street" and the "After Midnight -> Eleanor Rigby -> After Midnight" melody, get no notes. A reviewer noted that Eleanor Rigby kicked off at the stroke of 12, which is a good touch. Apparently John was pretty stationary, as he had a 102 fever and had visited the local Krankenhaus earlier in the day.

I used to do backflips over this show, this time I find it merely very-good-to-excellent. Strong. Fine. Enjoyable.

Jerry Garcia Band
Laker Hall
SUNY Oswego
Oswego, NY 13126
February 17, 1980 (Sunday) - 8 PM
Gatto MAC shnid-9017 shn2flac retrack

--set I (7 tracks, 83:47)--
s1t01. //I'll Take A Melody [#17:35] %
s1t02. Friend //Of The Devil [9:#06] [0:02] %
s1t03. /How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [#9:20] %
s1t04. /Catfish //John [#12:#06] %
s1t05. /Deal [#9:14] [0:08] %
s1t06. /Positively 4th Street [#14:17] [0:06] % dead air [0:13]
s1t07. [0:05] /That's Alright, Mama [#11:31] (1) [0:04] 

--set II (8 tracks, 79:56)--
s2t01. /Money Honey [#9:12] [0:02]
s2t02. Sitting In Limbo [12:54] %
s2t03. Let It Rock 9:13] %
s2t04. After Midnight [12:21] ->
s2t05. Eleanor Rigby [5:34] ->
s2t06. After Midnight [4:45] [0:06] % dead air [0:11]
s2t07. /It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry [#10:45] [0:01] %
s2t08. [0:05] Harder They Come [14:44] (2) % dead air [0:02]

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #11a
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g;
! 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; [ ] = 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 [x:xx] 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/19800217-01

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/9017 (this fileset)

! band: JGB #11a (http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-1995.html).

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/awDzv2i26GP2

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/03/laker-hall-suny-oswego-ny.html

! seealso: GratefulSeconds, "JGB's After Midnight>Eleanor Rigby>After Midnight Reigns Supreme in Oswego February 17, 1980," URL http://www.gratefulseconds.com/2019/06/jgbs-after-midnighteleanor-rigbyafter.html.

! ad: Oswegonian, February 7, 1980, p. 12;

! preview: Finn and Donoghue 1980; condensed version appeared as preview: "Jerry Garcia Band to Play at Laker Hall," Pulaski (N.Y.) Democrat, February 13, 1980, p. 12.

! review: [positive] Fausner 1980; "Kahn's lack of movement was due to the fact that he played the show with a 102 degree fever and had been taken to the hospital prior to the show." According to reviewer, Eleanor Rigby (in middle of "After Midnight") was started right at midnight - nice touch!

! historical: Rachel Sweet billed to open, but "announced the cancellation of her tour last week, much to the delight of Garcia fans" (Fausner). A ticket from ebay shows "Special Guest The Tom Johnson Band".

! R: field recordist: Keith Gatto

! R: field recording gear: 2x Nakamichi 300 > Sony TC-D5

! R: lineage: MAC > DAT > CD > WAV > SHN. shn2flac and retrack to sets, jgmf 2/17/2021

! R: Note: This was originally seeded with a corrupt d3t02 (HTC).

! R: good tape but for the cuts

! R: s1t01 ITAM cuts in

! P: s1t01 ITAM Jerry engages in some long wonderful mandolin fanning late 14 over 15.

! R: s1t02 FOTD presumed brief splice @ 0:40

! P: s1t02 FOTD it seems to me that this was relatively rare at this point, but maybe I just haven't paid attention. This version has some very lovely, gentle passages, but it ends a little abruptly. Update: Jerrybase shows it played again 2/22 and 2/23 and 7/24/80 the last GOTS electric version - after that it'd be JGJK, JGAB, JGBW (12/4/88) and JGDG only.

! R: s1t03 HSII levels lower, hiss higher until 8:47.

! P: s1t03 HSII Garcia's guitar work this date feels really round, soft, gentle. Not the least bit shreddy so far, but it's lovely.

! R: s1t04 CJ clips in, splice @ 10:44

! P: s1t04 CJ some really nice stacking chunks 10:15ish

! R: s1t05 Deal clips in

! P: s1t07 TAM shws the first real fire of the evening in Gar's guitar work.

! s1t07 (1) JG: "We're gonna take a break for a little while ..."

! P: s2t01 Money Honey ol Jer is playing some burning guitar in the 7 min range.

! P: s2t03 LIR huge, huge guitar work 6-7

! P: s2t07 ITALTL, ITATTC back in the gentle, contemplative guitar picking space.

! s2t08 (2) JG: "Thank you."

Positively Killer: JGB at Keystone Palo Alto, December 21, 1979

I was recently surprised when I listened to JGB 12/17/79 and found the show totally lackluster. Jerry sounds listless, indifferent, tired, and he and Johnny D, the 21 year old Marin kid drumming live with Jerry for only the seventh time, seemed badly out of sync. So, I listened to the next show, 12/20, and found it to represent a considerable improvement. Deciding to carry on, I spun 12/21/79 here on its 41st anniversary. This was a relatively rare soundboard tape in early circulation back in the day, was widely traded (insofar as Garcia Band tapes were), and has long been a fan favorite for the arc'ing, soaring "Sugaree" and, especially, for the long version of a relative rarity, Dylan's "Positively 4th Street".

I am here to say that 40 years of crowds have been wise to revere this show. It kills. Let me just mark a few points, but urge you to check it out yourself, perhaps especially from shnid-138677, which sparkles.

First, I guess Johnny D and Jerry just needed a little work together --they hadn't played since 11/18, and I doubt they had practiced between time. Yes, I'm talkin' 'bout practice. So we see monotonic improvement in how these two are sync'd, and that makes everything else work. By 12/21, I do not notice any problems at all - not a one. And I hear Johnny D doing some killer stuff, e.g., in Sugaree, that validates why Garcia wanted him in the band. He's really, really good.

Second, Ozzie Ahlers plays masterfully here, going toe to toe with Garcia with tremendous confidence. This would be less and less the case over the years of Garcia's side bands - Melvin Seals was wonderful, a perfect complementary player who could take sparkling features when it was his turn, but was certainly very submissive vis a vis Garcia. Here, Ozzie occasionally steps forward over Jerry, Jerry keeps playing loudly, and, rather than backing down, Ozzie ups his attack and amplitude. They really feed off each other wonderfully this night. Nick pointed out to me that there is no synth here, just electric piano, so maybe that gives his playing a little more oomph or something, I dunno. Or, like Johnny D, having played a few gigs has him feeling warmed up. Or, it's just a great night. Whatever the case, a great night for Ozzie Ahlers, the best I can recall having heard.

Third, Garcia plays very mathematically throughout, and alternates between loud, grungy rock and roll lead guitar on the one hand and some much more gentle, patient plucking on the other. I can't explain why it feels mathematical except that it's both arithmetic (like an expanding cycle) and geometric (lots of loop and circles). He also comps as well this night for Ozzie as he ever did. See especially "After Midnight", which rocks hard.

Fourth this "Positively 4th Street" more than earns its reputation as the BOAT version. Checking in at 17 minutes, it starts with some beautiful instrumental work, as Jerry patiently sets everything up. I wasn't following along with the lyrics or anything, but I think he gets all of the verses almost entirely right, and sometimes he just barely remembers a line in time but offers it up off the beat and a little faster, providing some really nice syncopated texture. I think he even has the verse order mostly right. His guitar tone works throughout, and he comps aggressively for Ozzie, including some fanning that would normally just be him but here serves the whole unit. By the end I just wrote "I am actually pretty speechless at this point. WOW." Check it out.

Fifth, I seriously doubt that HTC was really an encore. In this period, a 35 minute second set would only have happened if they were running up on closing time. But then they would not have been able to play an encore. So I suspect it's just a four-song, 50-minute second set.

Sixth, I also seriously doubt that this comes from master reels. Maybe I shouldn't - the tape sounds absolutely fabulous, and it sounds even better, on a quick comparison, via shnid-138677, than the "Bertha" version I got with. It sounds light years better than the cassette master of the next night, which doesn't circulate but which I have heard. But all of that said, I am just not aware of anyone running reels at this point. The last Garcia Band reels I know about date from summer 1978. Betty ran reels for Reconstruction at least into July 1979, but the Garcia Band tapes from after that were limited to cassette. I dunno. It seems pretty certain there is a cassette gen here, based on cuts in After Midnight and Harder They Come. Older circulating versions have also tended to be a little bit hissy. But, I dunno. Happy to be proven wrong!

So let me just close this fun little exploration that I do think 12/17/79 was quite weak, but the band gets better each night of the three I have engaged over the last few days. The 12/21/79 show is absolutely outstanding, holding its own next to anything JGB did plus or minus a few years. I have seen folks say that they use it to introduce novices to the Garcia Band, and I can see why - the tape sounds great and the performance is outstanding. True, I can hear the limitations creeping in to Jerry's voice, which is still sweetly high but which is starting to bump into tighter range and volume constraints. It ain't perfect, but it is excellent.

Listening notes below the fold.

Checking Myself: JGB at Keystone Palo Alto, December 20, 1979

I just listened to JGB 12/17/79 and found it to be ... off. Out of sync. Low energy.

Since I don't trust how my own frame of mind can color my listening experience, I decided to turn directly to a contemporary show, in this case 12/20/79. The big degree to which these are apples and oranges have to do with recording sources, 17th being a good aud and 20th being a hissy and maybe fast sbd.

It's a night and day difference. The most recently circulated version of 12/20/79 comes out like a bat outta hell, and I mean HARD - That's Alright, Mama screams, How Sweet cooks, Catfish John and After Midnight both bring the juice. Hypothesis 1 is that tape quality is driving this. 12/20 has more high end for sure and, even more problematically, may run fast. It'd be great if someone with good pitch could check it out, though the seeder, AF, has great ears and I suspect things are OK. Hypothesis 2 is that, indeed, 12/17 was just not as good - Jerry more recently off the road, a case of the Mondays, I dunno.

I am considering spinning 12/21 as well to complete this little study, another board which I remember being flat as a pancake, so it might give a third distinct vantage.

When I saw this clipping, I remembered that I remembered this strip comic strip Momma from this period. (I was ten.) We were a Chronicle and Contra Costa Times family, my parents being morning paper readers and us being in the east bay. It was a good combo, back in the times when two such papers would cover a good gamut from global to local news.

LN jg1979-12-20.jgb.all.sbd-AF.91965.flac1644

JERRY GARCIA BAND 

Keystone Palo Alto

260 S. California Avenue

Palo Alto, CA 94306

December 20, 1979 (Thursday)

sbd shnid-91965

--complete show (8 tracks, 79:56)--

t01. That's Alright Mama [6:51] [0:19]

t02. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [9:56] [0:08] %

t03. Catfish John [9:04] [0:08] %

t04. After Midnight [12:24] [0:04] %

t05. Love In The Afternoon [9:25] [0:10] %

t06. Let It Rock [9:46] [0:10]

t07. Simple Twist Of Fate [12:15] [0:03] %

t08. Tore Up Over You [9:06] [0:08] %

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #11a

! lineup: Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals;

! lineup: Ozzie Ahlers - keyboards, synthesizers;

! lineup: John d'Fonseca - drums;

! lineup: John Kahn - bass.

JGMF:

! R: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [x:xx] = 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 [x:xx] 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/19791220-01

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/22889 (same ultimate source tape, deprecated); https://etreedb.org/shn/91965 (this fileset).

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/7AzlG

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/11/keystone-sophies-260-s-california-ave.html

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

! seealso: JGMF, "Sunday, Monday, What's the Difference? JGB #11a at Keystone, December 17, 1979 (Monday)"

! ad: San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Datebook, December 9, 1979, p. 24

! listing: San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Datebook, December 16, 1979, p. 18

! ad: San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Datebook, December 16, 1979, p. 30

! mention: San Francisco Examiner, December 20, 1979, p. 27

! setlist: It is claimed that this was a complete, single set show, which would be very anomalous.

! historical: Bill Belcher opened.

! R: Source: SBD > ? > Cassette. 

! R: Transfer: Maxell XL-II > Nakamichi DR-8 (Dolby off) > Audiophile 2496 > Soundforge > CD-Wave > TLH > FLAC, by Andrew F. (May 2008) 

! R: Notes: This source is an improvement in sound quality over the currently circulating source (shnID-22889), with brighter sound and more consistent levels, although there is still some hiss. Both this and 22889 have the same eight songs, but in a different order. This version presents the songs as they appeared on the cassette that was transferred (four per side). The fades heard between the songs (tracks 2 thru 8) were there on the cassette. It is not clear if the cassette has the songs in the correct order as they were performed, or if this is the entire show, or possibly a compilation ... With my THANKS to Ted Gidley for providing the tape to transfer!

! P: t01 TAM is blazing a mile a minute. My goodness. Johnny D doesn't know when it's ending, but Jerry just forces the issue.

! P: t02 HSII Ozzie is soloing 4 and Garcia is comping grungily, really good. Then 4:40 or so Jerry steps up and starts wailing, Ozzie recedes, Jerry breaking off big ol shards of glass. Very good.

! P: t03 CJ late 6 over 7 just some great fanny guitar work.

! P: t04 AM as with 12/17/79 I don't think Johnny D is supplying the beat that it needs. Jerry goes around a few times rather than jumping right into the lyrics. Good high energy later in the tune.

! P: t07 STOF I don't think John had a feature here.

Sunday, Monday, What's the Difference? JGB #11a at Keystone, December 17, 1979 (Monday)

LN jg1979-12-17.jgb.s1s2p.aud-walscoller.106057.flac1644

I wanted to spin some JGB #11a (Ozzie-Johnny D quartet) from late in 1979, a little window I have neglected in favor of their first few gigs on the one hand (10/7, 10/14), and the Winter 1980 tour (overall economics, 2/16, 2/20, 2/24) on the other hand. (update: see also 12/20/79)

Joanie Walker, Paul Scotton and Charlie Miller collaborated in putting out an aud tape of 12/17, which had never really circulated much, as distinct from shows on the 20th and the 21st. Following my nose for the obscure, I checked it out.

The tape: nice.

The show: blech.

Really blech. The most obvious thing is that Jerry and Johnny D'Fonseca are just not sync'd up, a big problem given that Johnny D is the drummer. And I blame Garcia. This is not only because Johnny D is so dang young (just 21 at the time of this show) or because it's only his seventh night out with the band. And it's not just because, corresponding to these, we might put responsibility on the older fella with his name on the band to help him out, the way he did with the JGB's previous young drummer, Buzz Buchanan. It's mostly because Garcia mostly just sounds out of it. His voice is still sweet in its sweet spot, but it lacks oomph and shows limited range. There are some good pyrotechnics in Sugaree, but 22+ minutes for Sugaree is a little indulgent even for Our Hero. And the second set material, which I think is incomplete on the tape, just doesn't really go anywhere or do anything.

Maybe I am totally wrong. Maybe you will listen to it and wonder what's wrong with me. I dunno. Let's discuss.

The only other thing I have to say about this show relates to the scheduling. The left side of the panel above shows the Keystone pink section ad dated December 9th, the right the one dated December 16th. You will see that JG was originally scheduled in Berkeley for Sunday 12/16, with Monday the 17th billing the "Best New Bay Talent" for no cover and a one drink minimum. Jerry on Sunday had still been listed in the Examiner as late as the 14th. But by the time the day-of-show ad comes out, the New Riders are in the Sunday slot and Jerry has moved to Monday. What's more, we now have a newly-added Jerry show on Saturday 12/22. Maybe that one was to makeup for the canceled gig on 12/8.

No biggie, stuff happens. The Pareto Criterion asks us to evaluate a possible change in the world such that it leaves at least one party to a transaction better off, and no party worse off. This one fits the bill. The New Riders get a gig, Freddie gets the New Riders on a Sunday (selling tickets and presumably more beer than the Best New Bay Talent) and Jerry on a Monday, great for him. As for Garcia, I SPECULATE that he was totally indifferent to the change. Sunday? Monday? Whatever.

One question I have is to what extent some notion of Jerry doing the Riders a favor might have entered into the equation. Call this Qustion 1. Of course he lent his lucrative name and considerable talents to these boys out of the gate, getting them some huge paydays before sending them off on their own. I don't know who besides Dawson was in the NRPS by late 1979, but the band had certainly fallen on hard times, and would never sniff its early 70s success again. Maybe part of the context was the chance for Jerry to help produce a payday, however modest, for an old friend. I dunno.

A second, question, call it Question 2, this is somehow related to the fact that the GD canceled the last two shows of its tour in Milwaukee on 12/13 and St. Paul on 12/14. At Jerrybase we note cancellations because "one band member ill and band wants to finish new album". Maybe Jerry needed Sunday night to work on what would become Go To Heaven. Or maybe he was the sick band member and needed another day to recover, which might also account for how out of it he sounds here.

Q1 and Q2 are not mutually exclusive, of course. Maybe all of the above, and Pareto smiles.

Anyway, my notes below.

Jerry Garcia Band
Keystone
2119 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94740
December 17, 1979 (Monday)
s1s2p walscoller aud shnid-106057

--set I (4 tracks, 62:37)--
s1t01. [0:14] Sugaree// [22:15#] %
s1t02. //Catfish John [12:38] [0:09]
s1t03. That's Alright Mama [10:25] [0:41]
s1t04. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [16:16] %

--set II (3 tracks, 47:54, probably incomplete)--
s2t01. /After Midnight [#14:16] [0:07] %
s2t02. Simple Twist Of Fate [19:39] %
s2t03. /Harder They Come [#13:45] [0:07] %

! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #11a
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals;
! lineup: Ozzie Ahlers - keyboards, synthesizers;
! lineup: John d'Fonseca - drums;
! lineup: John Kahn - bass.

JGMF:

! R: symbols: % = recording discontinuity; / = clipped song; // = cut song; ... = fade in/out; # = truncated timing; [x:xx] = 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 [x:xx] 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/19791217-01

! db: https://etreedb.org/shn/106057 (this fileset)

! map: https://goo.gl/maps/LDc43

! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/02/keystone-2119-university-avenue.html

! venue: URL http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2010/12/2119-university-avenue-berkeley-ca.html; URL http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2011/01/jerry-garcia-and-keystone-shows.html

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

! listing: San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Datebook, December 16, 1979, p. 18

! ad: San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle Datebook, December 16, 1979, p. 30

! seealso: JGMF, "Checking Myself: JGB at Keystone Palo Alto, December 20, 1979"

! historical: show was originally scheduled for Sunday night, 12/16, but moved to Monday for reasons unknown to me.

! R: Recording Info: Unknown Mics -> ? -> Cassette (Maxell UDXLII)

! R: Transfer Info: Cassette (Nakamichi DR-1) -> Sound Devices 744T (24bit/96k) -> Adobe Audition v3.0 -> Samplitude Professional v11.03 -> FLAC/16 (2 Discs Audio / 1 Disc FLAC). All Transfers and Mastering By Charlie Miller charliemiller87@earthlink.net February 14, 2010

! R: seeder notes: -- Thanks to Joani Walker and Paul Scotton for the tapes -- Thanks to Joe B. Jones for his help with the pitch correction

! R: this recording is clean. The keyboards are way forward and the bass is buried, the guitar also a little low.

! R: s1t01 Sugaree cuts out

! P: s1t01 Sugaree tempo variability, Johnny D trying to figure out where Jerry wants to be. But if you know this tune from this era, you know it's good. Many hold 12/21/79 to be the one of the best. Certainly the guitar work Jerry is doing in the 14-minute range and forward is outstanding. Standing big layers of notes 15:23. Still big peaky stuff 19.

! R: s1t02 CJ cuts in

! P: s1t03 TAM wonky start, but Jerry just bulldozes it forward and Johnny D jumps on almost immediately once Jerry really sets things. He's good. Things still wonky, but he's doing as well as anyone might.

! P: s1t04 HSII sounds a little off key for a bit, JG can't remember the lyrics in the first verse or so.

! R: s2t01 AM clips in

! P: s2t01 AM JG and JD are not syncd at all to start the tune. It's really pretty bad until about 2, when it seems to synchronize. Talk near taper @0:56: "Jerry's just like a jazz musician". More conversation that is nearly audible, someone could probably get ears on it and report out. Still late 5 it doesn't sound to me like the drums are doing what they need to be doing. JG also sounds pretty out of it on this whole version. Nothing of note here.

! P: s2t02 STOF good high peaky guitar work 10. John should take his feature late 10, but Ozzie takes it. Tempos a little unsure. John is fluttering behind, Ozzie pretty perfunctory, now John steps out a little more 11:38, still not very loud. JG steps out 13:34, crowd gives John a nice round of applause.

! R: s2t03 HTC cuts in. I cannot put my finger on what feels off this night, other than everything. Jerry's voice is still high, but it lacks oomph and range. He really needs backing vocalists to fill it out that aspect of the band's sound. All night the tempos have struck me as off.