LN jg1981-01-22.jgb.partial.aud-latvala.97266.flac1644
Corry listened to this and said he didn't hear two keyboards (in comments to his main post on Jimmy Warren). I don't think I do, either, but I'd love for someone to check the 2-minute mark of I'll Take a Melody and the 6-minute mark of Like a Road.
I have a much longer post about all of this, but for now I thought I'd post my listening notes.
Jerry Garcia Band
Keystone Palo Alto
260 South California Avenue
Palo Alto, CA, 94306
January 22, 1981 (Thursday)
partial show
--(5 tracks, 58:36)--
jg1981-01-22-latvala-partial-t01. Let It Rock [8:04] [0:03] % {8:07}
jg1981-01-22-latvala-partial-t02. Simple Twist Of Fate [12:53] [0:06] % {12:59}
jg1981-01-22-latvala-partial-t03. Like A Road [13:27] [0:04] %
jg1981-01-22-latvala-partial-t04. … Sitting Here In Limbo [9:09] [0:07] %
jg1981-01-22-latvala-partial-t05. [0:04] I'll Take A Melody [14:29] % [0:07]
[MISSING -> Midnight Moonlight
! ACT1: Jerry Garcia Band #12a
! lineup: Jerry Garcia – el-g, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn – el-bass;
! lineup: Melvin Seals – keyboards (Hammond B3);
! lineup: Daoud Shaw – 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/19810122-01
! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/97266 (this fileset). There are no other known recordings.
! band: JGB #12a (http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/01/jerry-garcia-band-personnel-1975-
1995.html). This is a quartet, very rare. Only these two shows (1/22-23) in this configuration. Then Jimmy Warren comes in, and later they add backing vocalists to turn it into a septet. See further notes below.
! R: Field Recordist: Dick Latvala;
! R: Field Recording Equipment: Nakamichi CM-300 microphone(s) > Technics 686 cassette recorder;
! R: Field Recording Location: front tables
! R: Post-Master Lineage: 1st generation cassette played back on Tascam 112mkII > Manley SLAM! > Anagram ADC (16/44.1) > HHB CDR 850 > CD > EAC > WAV > tracking (CDWave) > flac encoding (FLAC Frontend, level 8). All transfers and edits by df.
! Notes: “ - A huge thanks to Jeffrey Knudsen for supplying the analog tapes”
! Notes: “- Dick put this as fill on the 01-23-81 tapes sent to Jeffrey.”
! R: This is a really nice recording. Everything is there. Keys, bass, drums also captured very nicely.
! Setlist: my sense is that this is the end of set II (one can faintly hear Midnight Moonlight starting up). This fragment of tape supplies the only setlist information for the show.
! Historical: Personnel: I have noted that this is probably the great Melvin Seals’s debut with the Jerry Garcia Band, with which he’d play nearly without substitute for the next 15+ years. Melvin enters the taped record of his time with the Jerry Garcia Band with a nice, full, sweeping, on-key, sufficiently loud drop into this version of Let It Rock, about 25 seconds in. He is right there with everything to start Let It Rock. An impressive debut. This is also the public debut of Daoud Shaw with the JGB. On current understanding, he would play through June 1, 1981, though I’d want to widen my confidence bands around that estimate. Finally, as of December 2011, this has also been considered the public debut of Jimmy Warren, who played a Fender Rhodes electric piano. For almost a year and a half (into June 1982), the JGB would feature a twin keyboard attack almost unique in Garcia’s entire musical career. Yet it is not clear to me whether Jimmy Warren is here. Corry noted at Hooterollin’ Around that he is not present. I thought I heard a piano twice in listening to this, around 2: If that’s the case, then this is a previously-unknown quartet –Garcia, Kahn, Seals, Shaw—a relatively rare formation for Jerry. I guess now I need to listen to the next few shows, to learn more.
! P: t01 Let It Rock @ 2:20 he just does a second solo right away, and by 2:30 it's fanning like a motherfucker. Then he runs another bar of solos at 2:50ish formed not of malevolent fanning, but of aggressive, brassy picking and bending. Second verse comes in maybe 3:25 and Jerry is positively *enthused*. Melvin had been a little forward for a bit prior to this second verse, but we aren't really doing the Everything-I-Needed-To-Know-I-Learned-In-Kindergarten thing (to wit: “Share your toys”) thing here. Jerry’s just gonna keep soloing. That’s great. This is a brand new band. These other guys have maybe just been learning their charts and haven’t had time to think (nor reps to practice) soloing. And, hell, “When in doubt, let Garcia solo” is not a bad rule of thumb. Garcia is shredding like a motherfucker here, very much akin to what we’d hear on, say, February 4, 1981 at the start of the east coast tour.
! P: t01 LIR JG solo @ 6:50 just filthy. Not surprising that the only shows that sound remotely like this are also first-half of 1981. In fact, I’d say that there is a distinctive sound to the first half of 1981 (and obvious historic reasons for which they should sound of a piece).
! R: t02 enters with more hiss. There are a couple of indeterminate little clicks in the first 0:45, but give the picture that one can paint of taping this gig at this time/place (see the gloriously mindblown narratives that attach to the contemporary Jeff Knudsen tapes), and so one can infer that it’s from the master, its true nature is probably indeterminate, and it’s to be enjoyed as another artifact, brought to the future, of the glorious space-time confluence of the Keystone Palo Alto, on this night.
! P: t02 STOF @ 12-min mark is kind of a clusterfuck. It’s good that Jerry is trying to be assertive in signaling to these new guys that he wants to wrap it up, but it just comes off a little abrupt. And, for this era, it is pretty abrupt. This may well be one of the shorter pre-coma versions of STOF out there.
! setlist t03 This is the first “Like A Road” since March 14, 1974 (TJS).
! t03 Audience member calls out Like a Road while they are warming it up. What a knowledgeable audience! (I know it was released on Live at Keystone.) That’s gotta feel great to Garcia, to play to these people who know him so well, even in Palo Alto. I’d bet Freddie Herrera is on the peninsula when Jerry’s there. A nice, friendly, comfy crowd.
! P: t03 LAR Melvin Seals is a genius.
! P: t03 I think I can hear the electric piano in the 2-min mark of LAR. Piano playing while Melvin has got two hands, making his Hammond testify to us that there is, indeed, “a road leading home”. He is right there. I am not 100% sure it’s not Melvin playing organ with one hand and a little keyboard with the other … I just don’t know.
! P: t03 Like A Road is nice. It’s a little shaky, a little fragile. But think about what a genius choice it is when you have Melvin Seals, who has been spending 15 years of Sundays in Oakland churches, on the bench over there.
! R: t04 SIL enters in progress, not much missing. First 30 seconds sound is low (levels, loose cable, I dunno), more hiss and so forth, but things click in @ 0:32 or so and we’re back to a nice tape.
! P: t04 SIL @ 4:30 Garcia does repeats a nice little upward three-note run maybe three times. It’s pretty, not something I recall hearing him do much. @ 5:15 Melvin does a powerful blast off, where the Hammond is really vocalizing and says to the audience “I’m here!”. An aggressive, confident, and picture-perfect note. And you can feel the crowd jump back a little bit, and cheer. And even at this remove, that note gave me a little jolt. Well, guess what … Jerry heard it too! And they double-time it (not quite, maybe time-and-a-half-time it) for just a little bit. Really nice interplay between Melvin and Jerry, and I have to say that Daoud Shaw is right there in the pocket. That guy’s a pro.
! P: t03 LAR @ 11:57 Jerry shows a little vocal strain on “you travelin’ on” … it’s a little rough, but someone in the audience claps a little bit to pick him up. And in the context of the song (“and the road \ you’ve been travelin’ on \ doesn’t seem to be goin’\ anywhere”), it’s powerful. Not much sense speculating too deeply about people’s personal lives and proclivities, so that’s not the point. The point is just that that snapshot in time (Jerry feeling it, trying to get there but falling short, audience member picking him up and dusting him off, and Jerry gamely picking it up) is really evocative. The crystal of that moment embodies a lot of truth, tells us a lot. If the arc of anyone’s life is a series of moments, and if the idea of prosopography is that, given the time, energy, data, measurement technology and so forth, we can know things in ways approximating “truth”, then we could hold the jewel of that moment up, spend a long time with it, and learn an awful lot. The meaning of life might be hidden in that moment if we care to unlock it.
! Q: t05 Are there two keyboards @ 6:08 of ITAM, or is that all Melvin?
! P: t05 ITAM Daoud Shaw jumps onto a little double-time thing for awhile and gets Jerry to put his cape on. John keeps reasserting a slower pace (which I guess is his job), and after galloping around for a few bars Garcia digs deep and loud into a slightly more deliberate pace. But it’s a neat 30-second speed interlude in a song that almost never featured such a thing. @@ May well be unique (or I could find that it was always there, I just never noticed it until now).
! setlist: one can clearly hear the first notes of Midnight Moonlight coming out of ITAM.
Monday, December 05, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
The April 1975 Legion of Mary Tour
LN jg1975-04-10.lom.early.aud-moore.117250.flac2496
In April 1975, Legion of Mary (Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders, Martin Fierro, John Kahn and Ronnie Tutt) went on its only tour, performing, by my count, twenty-five shows in the seventeen days between April 4th and April 20th (inclusive). They started in Brooklyn, spent a bunch of time in the core Northeast (New York, Boston, Philly), down a bit further south (Washington, Atlanta) and up to the upper Midwest (Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison), mostly playing mid-size clubs and theaters.
t07. Boogie On Reggae Woman [15:45] [0:24]
In April 1975, Legion of Mary (Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders, Martin Fierro, John Kahn and Ronnie Tutt) went on its only tour, performing, by my count, twenty-five shows in the seventeen days between April 4th and April 20th (inclusive). They started in Brooklyn, spent a bunch of time in the core Northeast (New York, Boston, Philly), down a bit further south (Washington, Atlanta) and up to the upper Midwest (Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison), mostly playing mid-size clubs and theaters.
There is a great deal to say about this tour, and I’ll only
be able to scratch the surface here. My overarching point would be to remark on
the degree of institutionalization represented by this tour by this band. Not
only is there a set tour (which the innominate Garcia-Saunders aggregation had
test-flown in November 1974), but it’s with a band with a name and fixed
membership. It’s not really that surprising – the GD was on hiatus, and there
was space for a formalized alternative Garcia outlet—but it is noteworthy.
Remember that Garcia had only toured outside the Grateful Dead three times
prior to this: January 1972 behind Hooteroll?,
briefly (and I think abortively) with Old and In the Way in June 1973, and the
November 1974 Garcia-Saunders tour. Looking through the other end of the
telescope, this would be the final time Garcia would tour behind a non-GD band
that wasn’t eponymous --$5 word … “bearing his name”. When next he returned to
the Northeast, he’d be in front of the newly-christened Jerry Garcia Band,
which, with tiny variations (e.g., Jerry Garcia and John Kahn) is the name
under which he’d cross time zones for the rest of his too-short life when not
playing with the Grateful Dead.
The core of the tour, to my reckoning, was a three-night,
six-show run (April 8-10) spent at the Bottom
Line, 15
West Fourth Street, New York, NY, 10012. I should certainly say more about
this venue, but Corry has said
more than I could, anyway. [see also Jerry's Brokendown Palaces entry for the Bottom Line.] The shows were promoted by Allan Pepper and Stanley
Snadowsky, as indicated by this ticket for the Thursday (April 10) late show,
which I believe has been shared at the Merl Saunders Facebook page.
Jerry and Merl had played the Bottom Line twice before, with
the July
1-3, 1974 standalone shows (i.e., not part of a tour), and the full
November 1974 tour, which had featured the great Paul Humphrey on drums.
Somewhere I came across something that said the July shows were envisaged as a
dry run for the November tour, but now I can’t find the source. I have more to
say about the November tour as well, which features some naming and billing
variations that interest me (to say nothing of some pretty decent music). I
have already discussed it once in terms of when
it ended, but there’s lots, lots more to say.
What fascinates me about the April Bottom Line shows, for
whatever reason, is that, as far as I can tell, they went totally unadvertised.
If the Grateful Dead have come to be seen as pioneers for what we would now
call viral marketing, it’s worth noting that the first extensions beyond that
group may have been to Garcia’s side projects. The Bottom Line’s standing ads in
the Village Voice just sort of
skipped over these three nights (see the issues of March 31, 1975, p. 114, and
April 7, 1975, p. 106). Yet the shows quickly sold out (can’t find a cite for
that, but I think there is one) and one of them, the Tuesday (April 8) late
show, was even reviewed in the New York
Times (John Rockwell, “Legion of Mary Fans Cheer Band’s Winning Music,” New
York Times, April 10, 1975, p. 47). Again, it’s no big deal, but it just
fascinates me as a slight deviation from the otherwise pretty straight
institutionalization of the whole affair.
My own judgment has long been that these April 1975 shows
are not that great, and revisiting this April 10th early show as
taped by the late, great Jerry Moore does little to dissuade me from that view.
Stevie Wonder’s “Creepin’” [Allan] is an
interesting novelty, and this version shows some promise, but it never really
takes off. Two of the Garcia selections on this night, “It Ain’t No Use” and Jesse
Winchester’s “Every Word You Say” [Allan | Schofield], are
among my least favorite tunes from the period and just don’t do much for me. The
Merl Saunders vocals, “My Problems Got Problems” [Allan | Schofield]
(credited on Fire Up+ to Saunders
and Carrier) and another great Stevie song, “Boogie On Reggae Woman” [Allan | Schofield] are
both a little off, especially the former. It starts off with all kinds of whacked
out tempos, way too fast for Merl to keep up with lyrically, and it never
really settles in. It ends with kind of a thud after Merl tries,
unsuccessfully, to improvise some lyrics to fit the unfamiliar tempo. They pull
BORW together a little bit better, albeit after a rough start.
(Aside: I love how Merl got Jerry to play Stevie Wonder
tunes. Both “Creepin’” and “Boogie On Reggae Woman” appeared on Fulfillingness’ First Finale [1974]. A
propos of nothing, that album also has a track titled “It Ain’t No Use”, but it’s
not the same as the Jerry Williams / Gary U.S. Bonds / Don Hollinger track
played by Garcia and figuring in the present show’s setlist.)
The only real standout, to my ears – and it is a standout—is
Dylan’s “The Wicked Messenger” [Allan | Schofield]. I have
no idea where Garcia got the idea to turn this song into a raunchy, grinding,
wailing electric guitar dysphony … had someone else covered it this way before?
If Dylan’s album version featured a country lilt to contrast the grim lyrics, Garcia’s
version met darkness with darkness. It’s a biting, metallic display of anger
and virtuosity, not quite the equal of the version from the Great American
Music Hall on May 15, 1975 (featured on the bonus disc Absolute Mary),
but still a show-stealer and well worth ten minutes of anybody’s time.
All right, listening notes follow. Thanks again to Jerry
Moore (RIP, STW), Rob Berger and David Minches for getting this great recording
into the ears of the masses.
Legion of Mary
April 10, 1975 (Thursday) Early Show
Moore Minches shnid-117250
(7 tracks, 85:29)
t01. ambience [1:08]
t02. It Ain't No Use [12:20] [1:38]
t03. Creepin' [13:36] [1:07] % [0:33]
t04. My Problems Got Problems [14:42] [2:06]
t05. Every Word You Say [7:24] [0:11] % [2:37]
t06. The Wicked Messenger [10:10] [1:44]t07. Boogie On Reggae Woman [15:45] [0:24]
! ACT1: Legion of Mary
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards, vocals;
! lineup: Martin Fierro - saxophone;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-bass;
! lineup: Ron Tutt - 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.
! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/14209 (earlier transfer of
same tape).
! R: field recordist: Jerry Moore
! R: field recording gear: 2x AKG D1000E > Sony TC-152
! R: Transfer and FLAC encoding by David Minches: Master played back on Nakamichi Dragon > Korg MR-1000 (DSF [1-bit 5.6448 MHz Stereo]) Korg AudioGate > WAV [24/96] > Adobe Audition 3.0 > FLAC encoding. Speed/pitch Correction by Joe B. Jones. Thanks to Rob Berger for supplying the master cassettes.
! R: this is the only known recording of this show as of
11/2011. It's a characteristically excellent Jerry Moore tape.
! t03 Creepin' they find a nice little groove from 4:53
around Garcia's solo. This has real promise. It's better than the 2/14/75version I just listened to. It even swings a little bit.
! t04 PGP they have the tempo way too fast for Merl, and
generally. Around the 12-minute mark they are completely lost, Merl trying to
improvise through a tempo that he just doesn't have a handle on, not that
successfully.
! P: t06 WM I love the raunchy tone Jerry gets on this
during his first solo, late 1-min to early 2-min mark. And he is still
shredding in the early 3-min mark. Wow, this is very heavy stuff.
! P: t07 BORW starts off a little rough again, things just
out of sync.
! R: t07 some bumping of the microphone early in BORW.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Merl's Birthday Generosity: Aunt Monk, February 14, 1975
LN jg1975-02-14.aunt-monk.142mins.aud-castelli-motb-0149.108896.flac1644
Thought I'd throw in my 2/14/75 notes too, having just done 5/9/75.
MOTB Release: 0149 16/44.1
Release Date: 2010-07-10
Band: Legion of Mary
Date: 1975-02-14 (Friday)
Venue: The Generosity
Location: San Francisco, CA
Analog Audience Source: FOB Master Cassettes (MAC)
Medium Stock Brands: MAC = 2 x Maxell UD C120's
Analog Lineage: Sony ECM 270 >> Sony TC 110(mono) >> MAC
Analog Sound Preservation: MAC >> Nakamichi CR7a => Korg MR-1000 >> DSF [1-bit 5.6448 MHz Stereo] >> Korg MR-1000 => Korg AudioGate >> WAV [24/96] [>> FLAC1644]
Taped By: Robert Castelli
Transfer By: Bob Menke
Mastering By: David Minches
--Disc One (5 tracks, 70:41)--
d1t01: tuning [0:35]
d1t02: Little Bit Of Righteousness [17:50] [0:10] % [0:28] %
d1t03: Favela [16:15] [0:08] %
d1t04: Pennies // From Heaven [18:#14] [0:07] %
d1t05: When I Die [16:44] [0:08] %
--Disc Two (4 tracks, 71:05)--
d2t01: Valdez In The Country [16:51] ->
d2t02: People Make The World Go Round [21:55] [0:04] %
d2t03: Boogie On Reggae Woman [14:55] [0:11]
d2t04: Creepin' [17:00] [0:09] %
! ACT1: Aunt Monk
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards;
! lineup: Martin Fierro - saxophone;
! lineup: Tony Saunders - el-bass;
! lineup: Bob Stellar - drums;
! guest: Jerry Garcia - el-g.
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.
! Jerrybases: https://jerrybase.com/events/19750214-01
! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/17371 (older, generated copy of same source tape[s]); http://etreedb.org/shn/108896 (this fileset).
! R: MOTB Notes: "This is a compilation of 2 different sources. Both sources may emanate from the same master but I would guess 2 masters were made. Tracks 1 through 6 and the first 5:25 of track 7 are from source 1. The cross fade in track 7 begins at 5:22. Source 2 provides the remainder of the show. Speed correction by Joe B. Jones."
! Notes from shnid 17371 fileset (jjoops): "Amazing material!!! Essence of Legion of Mary [ed-- not really] -- nothing but pure, unadulterated instrumentals. Among many, many highlights, I will simply note that this version of People Make the World Go 'Round is about five times longer than any of the many other versions in circulation. It really takes the tune places you always thought it should have gone, but never seemed to. I felt similarly at many points during this material."
! personnel: The MOTB info file lists this as Legion of Mary with Garcia, Saunders, Kahn, Fierro and Tutt. But the Generosity was Merl's gig, the band is probably Aunt Monk, and the personnel is probably different. [edit: Tony Saunders has confirmed that this is him playing bass and Bob Stellar playing drums and that the band is Aunt Monk.]
! personnel: d1t02 the descending bass line around 5:00 of LBOR doesn't sound like John Kahn to me. I am guessing it's Tony Saunders. [confirmed]
! d1t02 @ 9:27 JG hits his "Dancin' in the Streets" lick from the Dead's disco version of that song, ca. 1976-1979.
! R: d1t04 PFH splice @ 11:00, not much missing
! R: d1t05 noticeable warbling about a minute and a half in
! P: d2t01 this is not the best version of VITC. It's a little disjointed, laconic.
! personnel: d2t03 BORW: again, this bass sounds to me like Tony Saunders rather than John Kahn [confirmed].
! R: d2t03 end of BORW the hiss really comes up
! This probably isn't the complete show, since they are tuning up when the tape ends after Creepin'.
Thought I'd throw in my 2/14/75 notes too, having just done 5/9/75.
MOTB Release: 0149 16/44.1
Release Date: 2010-07-10
Band: Legion of Mary
Date: 1975-02-14 (Friday)
Venue: The Generosity
Location: San Francisco, CA
Analog Audience Source: FOB Master Cassettes (MAC)
Medium Stock Brands: MAC = 2 x Maxell UD C120's
Analog Lineage: Sony ECM 270 >> Sony TC 110(mono) >> MAC
Analog Sound Preservation: MAC >> Nakamichi CR7a => Korg MR-1000 >> DSF [1-bit 5.6448 MHz Stereo] >> Korg MR-1000 => Korg AudioGate >> WAV [24/96] [>> FLAC1644]
Taped By: Robert Castelli
Transfer By: Bob Menke
Mastering By: David Minches
--Disc One (5 tracks, 70:41)--
d1t01: tuning [0:35]
d1t02: Little Bit Of Righteousness [17:50] [0:10] % [0:28] %
d1t03: Favela [16:15] [0:08] %
d1t04: Pennies // From Heaven [18:#14] [0:07] %
d1t05: When I Die [16:44] [0:08] %
--Disc Two (4 tracks, 71:05)--
d2t01: Valdez In The Country [16:51] ->
d2t02: People Make The World Go Round [21:55] [0:04] %
d2t03: Boogie On Reggae Woman [14:55] [0:11]
d2t04: Creepin' [17:00] [0:09] %
! ACT1: Aunt Monk
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards;
! lineup: Martin Fierro - saxophone;
! lineup: Tony Saunders - el-bass;
! lineup: Bob Stellar - drums;
! guest: Jerry Garcia - el-g.
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.
! Jerrybases: https://jerrybase.com/events/19750214-01
! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/17371 (older, generated copy of same source tape[s]); http://etreedb.org/shn/108896 (this fileset).
! R: MOTB Notes: "This is a compilation of 2 different sources. Both sources may emanate from the same master but I would guess 2 masters were made. Tracks 1 through 6 and the first 5:25 of track 7 are from source 1. The cross fade in track 7 begins at 5:22. Source 2 provides the remainder of the show. Speed correction by Joe B. Jones."
! Notes from shnid 17371 fileset (jjoops): "Amazing material!!! Essence of Legion of Mary [ed-- not really] -- nothing but pure, unadulterated instrumentals. Among many, many highlights, I will simply note that this version of People Make the World Go 'Round is about five times longer than any of the many other versions in circulation. It really takes the tune places you always thought it should have gone, but never seemed to. I felt similarly at many points during this material."
! personnel: The MOTB info file lists this as Legion of Mary with Garcia, Saunders, Kahn, Fierro and Tutt. But the Generosity was Merl's gig, the band is probably Aunt Monk, and the personnel is probably different. [edit: Tony Saunders has confirmed that this is him playing bass and Bob Stellar playing drums and that the band is Aunt Monk.]
! personnel: d1t02 the descending bass line around 5:00 of LBOR doesn't sound like John Kahn to me. I am guessing it's Tony Saunders. [confirmed]
! d1t02 @ 9:27 JG hits his "Dancin' in the Streets" lick from the Dead's disco version of that song, ca. 1976-1979.
! R: d1t04 PFH splice @ 11:00, not much missing
! R: d1t05 noticeable warbling about a minute and a half in
! P: d2t01 this is not the best version of VITC. It's a little disjointed, laconic.
! personnel: d2t03 BORW: again, this bass sounds to me like Tony Saunders rather than John Kahn [confirmed].
! R: d2t03 end of BORW the hiss really comes up
! This probably isn't the complete show, since they are tuning up when the tape ends after Creepin'.
Odes to Joy: Aunt Monk at the Generosity, May 9, 1975
LN jg1975-05-09.aunt-monk.84mins.aud-castelli-motb-0144.107829.flac1644
For a couple of years, the good people at Mouth of the Beast (MOTB) were dropping some ridiculously great and important listening material on the masses. Most important, from the perspective of Garcia on the Side (GOTS) were the Robert Castelli tapes, a handful of recordings made by the gentleman of that name who seemed to find his way into, and record, especially rare and special shows. The most important of these, for me, were a couple of recordings from The Generosity, traveling with dates of February 14, 1975 and May 9, 1975.
The Generosity
My notes tell me that The Generosity was located at 1981 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94123 (street view). I frankly do not know much about it beyond that. It is not discussed in Selvin's San Francisco: The Musical History Tour (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1996). I don't recall ever having seen ads or calendar listings for it, nor posters nor anything else, quite frankly, except these tapes. Maybe we can get the maestro behind Jerry's Brokendown Palaces to dig up more information!
Aunt Monk
Though the tapes travel with the band name Legion of Mary, I believe it was probably actually Aunt Monk. This is almost certainly true of the Generosity gig dated 2/14/75, since that predates what I reckon to have been the first local usage of the Legion of Mary moniker on March 1-2, 1975. When that tape first emerged, Merl Jr. indicated that Aunt Monk (i.e., Merl Sr.) had a standing gig at the Generosity around that time. The 2/14/75 and 5/9/75 tapes are most definitely of a piece – all instrumental, less oriented toward songs (especially Jerry-centric ones) and more oriented toward long workouts of funk, soul and R&B numbers than even LOM would typically be. As I note below, there are some bass slides that sound utterly unlike John Kahn to my ears, and I have to think that’s Aunt Monk bassist Tony Saunders funking things up.
I have discussed Aunt Monk a few different times. To reiterate, the written record ("Rap-Up's Wrap Up," Oakland Tribune, August 25, 1974, p. 2-RAP) suggests that this band name emerged around August 1974, as I discussed in a post about the Garcia/Saunders/Fierro material that circulates dated “July 21, 1974” and “July 22, 1974” from the Keystone in Berkeley. The first billings I presently show are from the Tuckett Inn in September 1974, continuing well (if sporadically) into 1977. As indicated in the Trib and my post, it seems that the band (name) replaced The Merl Saunders Band, which had been featured at least in ca. summer 1974 at the Sand Dunes down in the Sunset District, and with which Jerry apparently played with some regularity. I have also recently discovered a June 1, 1975 Aunt Monk w/ Jerry Garcia gig at the Inn of the Beginning in Cotati, which nicely brackets the May 9th date I am contemplating.
GOTS Context
In a recent interview on the Jake Feinberg Show (promoting his new album, "Romancing the Bass"), Tony Saunders has discussed this time period a little bit. The relevant bit starts around 34:35 of the hourlong interview. I transcribe some of it here.
When Feinberg asks (@ 35:35) who was in the group, Tony says “At first it was E.W. Wainwright, myself, my Dad and … most of the times Jerry would come sit in and be the guitar player. Another young guitar player, Chris Hayes, who went on to play with Huey Lewis and the News for twenty years.” (As an aside, Tony had earlier said that his first gig with his Dad and Jerry, when he was 18 (ca. 1974) was at the Inn of the Beginning, about which I have written a fair bit [see also the IOTB handbill collection at Chicken on a Unicycle]. I have a speculation about that, but it’ll have to wait for another post.)
Anyway, I love Tony’s description of Garcia’s involvement. “He just wanted to play”, indeed. And what we have on this tape, if not the precise Stanley Clarke song Tony was talking about, is Garcia waaaaayyyyy out on the edge of what he knew and could play. This ain’t “My Funny Valentine”, friends. The final two songs here, are one-offs of the Horace Silver's "Nica's Dream" and Stevie Wonder’s “Love Having You Around”. Wow! These stealth gigs with Merl would be among the last Jerry would ever do. I wouldn’t say this is Jerry’s best playing, but I would say it’s among his most interesting, and certainly among the last times he’d perform publicly utterly without a net.
Well worth a listen. Thank you Robert Castelli, Bob Menke and MOTB crew for getting this stuff out for everyone to hear. Pretty amazing documents of a fleeting phenomenon.
Listening notes ...
MOTB Release: 0144 16/44.1
Release Date: 2010-05-19
Band: Legion Of Mary
Date: 1975-05-09 (Friday)
Venue: The Generosity
Location: San Francisco, CA
Analog Audience Source: Aud Master Cassettes (MAC)
Medium Stock Brands: MAC = 2 x Maxell UD C90'S
Analog Lineage: Sony ECM 270's => Sony TC 152 >> MAC
Analog Sound Preservation: MAC >> Nakamichi CR7a => Korg MR-1000 >> DSF [1-bit 5.6448 MHz Stereo] >> Korg MR-1000 => Korg AudioGate >> WAV [24/96]
Taped By: Robert Castelli
Transfer By: Bob Menke
Mastering By: Derek McCabe
(6 tracks, 83:51)
t01: ... When I Die [11:59] [0:18] %
t02: noodling [0:34], Little Bit Of Righteousness [15:07] %
t03: Little Sunflower ... [18:53] %
t04: ... Wondering Why [2:29] [0:10] %
t05: noodling [0:38], Nica's Dream [18:38] [0:16] %
t06: Love Having You Around/ [14:45]
! Band: Aunt Monk
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards;
! lineup: Martin Fierro - saxophone, flute;
! lineup: Tony Saunders - el-bass [confirmed];
! lineup: Bob Stellar - drums;
For a couple of years, the good people at Mouth of the Beast (MOTB) were dropping some ridiculously great and important listening material on the masses. Most important, from the perspective of Garcia on the Side (GOTS) were the Robert Castelli tapes, a handful of recordings made by the gentleman of that name who seemed to find his way into, and record, especially rare and special shows. The most important of these, for me, were a couple of recordings from The Generosity, traveling with dates of February 14, 1975 and May 9, 1975.
The Generosity
My notes tell me that The Generosity was located at 1981 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94123 (street view). I frankly do not know much about it beyond that. It is not discussed in Selvin's San Francisco: The Musical History Tour (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1996). I don't recall ever having seen ads or calendar listings for it, nor posters nor anything else, quite frankly, except these tapes. Maybe we can get the maestro behind Jerry's Brokendown Palaces to dig up more information!
Aunt Monk
Though the tapes travel with the band name Legion of Mary, I believe it was probably actually Aunt Monk. This is almost certainly true of the Generosity gig dated 2/14/75, since that predates what I reckon to have been the first local usage of the Legion of Mary moniker on March 1-2, 1975. When that tape first emerged, Merl Jr. indicated that Aunt Monk (i.e., Merl Sr.) had a standing gig at the Generosity around that time. The 2/14/75 and 5/9/75 tapes are most definitely of a piece – all instrumental, less oriented toward songs (especially Jerry-centric ones) and more oriented toward long workouts of funk, soul and R&B numbers than even LOM would typically be. As I note below, there are some bass slides that sound utterly unlike John Kahn to my ears, and I have to think that’s Aunt Monk bassist Tony Saunders funking things up.
I have discussed Aunt Monk a few different times. To reiterate, the written record ("Rap-Up's Wrap Up," Oakland Tribune, August 25, 1974, p. 2-RAP) suggests that this band name emerged around August 1974, as I discussed in a post about the Garcia/Saunders/Fierro material that circulates dated “July 21, 1974” and “July 22, 1974” from the Keystone in Berkeley. The first billings I presently show are from the Tuckett Inn in September 1974, continuing well (if sporadically) into 1977. As indicated in the Trib and my post, it seems that the band (name) replaced The Merl Saunders Band, which had been featured at least in ca. summer 1974 at the Sand Dunes down in the Sunset District, and with which Jerry apparently played with some regularity. I have also recently discovered a June 1, 1975 Aunt Monk w/ Jerry Garcia gig at the Inn of the Beginning in Cotati, which nicely brackets the May 9th date I am contemplating.
GOTS Context
In a recent interview on the Jake Feinberg Show (promoting his new album, "Romancing the Bass"), Tony Saunders has discussed this time period a little bit. The relevant bit starts around 34:35 of the hourlong interview. I transcribe some of it here.
[Garcia] would show up at my Dad and my gigs with Aunt Monk. He was playing little places. He played on Union Street in San Francisco at this place called The Generosity. It was tiny. And he would just show up with his amp in his car, show up, come in and play. He never wanted any money. He just wanted to play. And when you talk about him learning … we played a Stanley Clarke song one night … but the song just went all over the place. And he came up to me and he shook my hand and he said ‘Tony, that was a good one, because I couldn’t just do what I thought that I could do. I couldn’t just play along and every time I went to go, when I felt comfortable, I really liked that. That was a great song.’ And a lot of the songs that they played in Legion of Mary, we played them at first with the Aunt Monk group. And Jerry … he would play them first there, and then he would transpose them over to the groups with my Dad.
When Feinberg asks (@ 35:35) who was in the group, Tony says “At first it was E.W. Wainwright, myself, my Dad and … most of the times Jerry would come sit in and be the guitar player. Another young guitar player, Chris Hayes, who went on to play with Huey Lewis and the News for twenty years.” (As an aside, Tony had earlier said that his first gig with his Dad and Jerry, when he was 18 (ca. 1974) was at the Inn of the Beginning, about which I have written a fair bit [see also the IOTB handbill collection at Chicken on a Unicycle]. I have a speculation about that, but it’ll have to wait for another post.)
Anyway, I love Tony’s description of Garcia’s involvement. “He just wanted to play”, indeed. And what we have on this tape, if not the precise Stanley Clarke song Tony was talking about, is Garcia waaaaayyyyy out on the edge of what he knew and could play. This ain’t “My Funny Valentine”, friends. The final two songs here, are one-offs of the Horace Silver's "Nica's Dream" and Stevie Wonder’s “Love Having You Around”. Wow! These stealth gigs with Merl would be among the last Jerry would ever do. I wouldn’t say this is Jerry’s best playing, but I would say it’s among his most interesting, and certainly among the last times he’d perform publicly utterly without a net.
Well worth a listen. Thank you Robert Castelli, Bob Menke and MOTB crew for getting this stuff out for everyone to hear. Pretty amazing documents of a fleeting phenomenon.
Listening notes ...
MOTB Release: 0144 16/44.1
Release Date: 2010-05-19
Band: Legion Of Mary
Date: 1975-05-09 (Friday)
Venue: The Generosity
Location: San Francisco, CA
Analog Audience Source: Aud Master Cassettes (MAC)
Medium Stock Brands: MAC = 2 x Maxell UD C90'S
Analog Lineage: Sony ECM 270's => Sony TC 152 >> MAC
Analog Sound Preservation: MAC >> Nakamichi CR7a => Korg MR-1000 >> DSF [1-bit 5.6448 MHz Stereo] >> Korg MR-1000 => Korg AudioGate >> WAV [24/96]
Taped By: Robert Castelli
Transfer By: Bob Menke
Mastering By: Derek McCabe
(6 tracks, 83:51)
t01: ... When I Die [11:59] [0:18] %
t02: noodling [0:34], Little Bit Of Righteousness [15:07] %
t03: Little Sunflower ... [18:53] %
t04: ... Wondering Why [2:29] [0:10] %
t05: noodling [0:38], Nica's Dream [18:38] [0:16] %
t06: Love Having You Around/ [14:45]
! Band: Aunt Monk
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards;
! lineup: Martin Fierro - saxophone, flute;
! lineup: Tony Saunders - el-bass [confirmed];
! lineup: Bob Stellar - drums;
! guest: Jerry Garcia - el-g;
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/19750509-01
! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/107829 (this source).
! This show is completely unknown except for this tape, which came into the light via the efforts of Bob Menke and the MOTB crew in the first half of 2010. Thanks to Rob Castelli for recording and sharing this, to Menke for his tireless work on behalf of the recordings, and the MOTB recordings for making it sing and getting it out to us, the masses. It is historically fascinating. I suspect that the band is actually "Aunt Monk", which was Merl's band of the time, with a regular gig at the Generosity [confirmed]. See also 2/14/75 for another instance of what I believe to be this band at the same venue. The material is more oriented toward long instrumental workouts of soul-funk-R&B numbers than the Garcia/Saunders aggregation, which featured more (i.e., more than no) Garcia vocals. This is not Jerry's band ... he is just a player. Who knows if they even have vocal mics? The performances are loose and out there, the setlists are fascinating (this one includes Garcia's only known engagements with the songs "Nica's Dream" and "Love Having You Around"), and the whole vibe of this is really special. It would not be long before Garcia could no longer play a stealth club gig (or, in any case, would no longer do so). Indeed, it's hard to think of any at all after about this point in time.
! personnel: Tony Saunders has confirmed that he is playing bass and Bob Stellar is on drums.
! R: t01 When I Die enters in progress
! R: t01 fade down/return @ 0:56
! P: t01 @ 8:30 ish Jerry sounds like he's doing a little Dancing in the Streets thing. Still/again @ 9:20ish.
! personnel: based on the bass work being done t01 @ 3:50-4:42, I am concluding that this is not John Kahn. I have never heard Kahn do those little funk slides in there. This is probably Tony Saunders playing bass.
! R: t02 fade to splice @ 0:49, undetermined amount missing, possibly substantial; fade down splice/return @ 6:07;
! P: t02 LBOR Garcia is raunching and tearing it up, e.g., in the 6-min mark. Indeed, this is some of the free-est Garcia playing of 1975, I think. Vigorous, hot, engaged, creative. Very, very nice.
! R: t02 fade down splice/return @ 9:36
! P: t03 Martin plays an Eleanor Rigby quote @ 4:35
! R: t03 Little Sunflower fades out
! R: t04 Wondering Why is fragmentary
! R: t05 splice @ 1:34
! song: Nica's Dream (t05). This is the Horace Silver composition, done by all kinds of people. Here's a nice clean (and hot-as-shit) take from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, The Jazz Messengers (1956): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLAbozQz4T0. This track is not obscure, but there are a lot of possibilities from within the jazz canon, and there's always more to hear and learn! It was first labeled simply "untitled 19750509a". Then etree user diethylether proposed on 8/27/2011 "I'm fairly convinced that untitled 19750509a is 'Bahia' by Ary Barroso. Compare it to the the version that Aunt Monk/Merl recorded on their 1976 album You Can Leave Your Hat On (Fantasy 9503, June 1976) ... the arrangement is similar, though on this LoM recording Fierro is playing the melody where Merl plays it on the album. The break between the original groove leading into a more swinging section at the chorus is another point of similarity." At some point I listened closely, did some A-B comparison, to check this thesis, and came away saying "I have confirmed that this is Ary Barroso's 'Bahia, sometimes also written 'Baia'." Yet now (2/18/2013), a knowledgeable anonymous commenter has indicated that it's "Nica's Dream", and I agree. Diethylether agrees. We all want to get it right, and it's wonderful when more knowledgeable folks chime in. Thank you! So, for those keeping score at home, this is the third and hopefully final appellation for this track, which is a singleton performance of the song.
! setlist: t06 was originally labeled "untitled 19750509b", but DNC user Santos L. Halper proposed, and A-B comparison confirms, that this is an instrumental of "Love Having You Around", the first track on Stevie Wonder's 1972 album "Music of My Mind" (DNC Garcia Folder, Aug 8, 2011 10:55 am (#39795 ***39796)).
! R: t06 Love Having You Around fade/return @ 9:45; fades out as ending.
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/19750509-01
! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/107829 (this source).
! This show is completely unknown except for this tape, which came into the light via the efforts of Bob Menke and the MOTB crew in the first half of 2010. Thanks to Rob Castelli for recording and sharing this, to Menke for his tireless work on behalf of the recordings, and the MOTB recordings for making it sing and getting it out to us, the masses. It is historically fascinating. I suspect that the band is actually "Aunt Monk", which was Merl's band of the time, with a regular gig at the Generosity [confirmed]. See also 2/14/75 for another instance of what I believe to be this band at the same venue. The material is more oriented toward long instrumental workouts of soul-funk-R&B numbers than the Garcia/Saunders aggregation, which featured more (i.e., more than no) Garcia vocals. This is not Jerry's band ... he is just a player. Who knows if they even have vocal mics? The performances are loose and out there, the setlists are fascinating (this one includes Garcia's only known engagements with the songs "Nica's Dream" and "Love Having You Around"), and the whole vibe of this is really special. It would not be long before Garcia could no longer play a stealth club gig (or, in any case, would no longer do so). Indeed, it's hard to think of any at all after about this point in time.
! personnel: Tony Saunders has confirmed that he is playing bass and Bob Stellar is on drums.
! R: t01 When I Die enters in progress
! R: t01 fade down/return @ 0:56
! P: t01 @ 8:30 ish Jerry sounds like he's doing a little Dancing in the Streets thing. Still/again @ 9:20ish.
! personnel: based on the bass work being done t01 @ 3:50-4:42, I am concluding that this is not John Kahn. I have never heard Kahn do those little funk slides in there. This is probably Tony Saunders playing bass.
! R: t02 fade to splice @ 0:49, undetermined amount missing, possibly substantial; fade down splice/return @ 6:07;
! P: t02 LBOR Garcia is raunching and tearing it up, e.g., in the 6-min mark. Indeed, this is some of the free-est Garcia playing of 1975, I think. Vigorous, hot, engaged, creative. Very, very nice.
! R: t02 fade down splice/return @ 9:36
! P: t03 Martin plays an Eleanor Rigby quote @ 4:35
! R: t03 Little Sunflower fades out
! R: t04 Wondering Why is fragmentary
! R: t05 splice @ 1:34
! song: Nica's Dream (t05). This is the Horace Silver composition, done by all kinds of people. Here's a nice clean (and hot-as-shit) take from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, The Jazz Messengers (1956): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLAbozQz4T0. This track is not obscure, but there are a lot of possibilities from within the jazz canon, and there's always more to hear and learn! It was first labeled simply "untitled 19750509a". Then etree user diethylether proposed on 8/27/2011 "I'm fairly convinced that untitled 19750509a is 'Bahia' by Ary Barroso. Compare it to the the version that Aunt Monk/Merl recorded on their 1976 album You Can Leave Your Hat On (Fantasy 9503, June 1976) ... the arrangement is similar, though on this LoM recording Fierro is playing the melody where Merl plays it on the album. The break between the original groove leading into a more swinging section at the chorus is another point of similarity." At some point I listened closely, did some A-B comparison, to check this thesis, and came away saying "I have confirmed that this is Ary Barroso's 'Bahia, sometimes also written 'Baia'." Yet now (2/18/2013), a knowledgeable anonymous commenter has indicated that it's "Nica's Dream", and I agree. Diethylether agrees. We all want to get it right, and it's wonderful when more knowledgeable folks chime in. Thank you! So, for those keeping score at home, this is the third and hopefully final appellation for this track, which is a singleton performance of the song.
! setlist: t06 was originally labeled "untitled 19750509b", but DNC user Santos L. Halper proposed, and A-B comparison confirms, that this is an instrumental of "Love Having You Around", the first track on Stevie Wonder's 1972 album "Music of My Mind" (DNC Garcia Folder, Aug 8, 2011 10:55 am (#39795 ***39796)).
! R: t06 Love Having You Around fade/return @ 9:45; fades out as ending.
Monday, November 14, 2011
NRPS were best when Marmaduke was focused and sober (LN jg1971-10-27.nrps.all.fm-weiner.18357.shnf)
The New Riders of the Purple Sage opened for the Grateful Dead for most or all of its October-December 1971 touring. Happily, a lot of the shows were broadcast and there are pretty good tapes.
This one, from the Onondaga War Memorial in Syracuse, NY on October 27, 1971 is an above-average tape of a well-above-average performance. I can't say I've listened forensically to tons of late 1971 New Riders, but the band represented here is really, really hot. The vocals are tight and correct, with no drunken Marmaduke silliness on, e.g., Honky Tonk Women. He sounds sober and focused. David Torbert sings lead on "Hello Mary Lou" [Allan | Scofield], made famous by Ricky Nelson, and "Willie and the Hand Jive" [Allan | Scofield], which had been a top-ten single for its author, Johhny Otis, in the summer of 1958 [wikipedia]. Nelson is great, as usual, and Garcia is good and tasteful, with the awesome, rusty buzz-sawing steel in "Dirty Business" that I really love.
Anyway, good clean fun, and a very favorable review in the next day's Syracuse Post-Standard (see reference in notes, below).
New Riders of the Purple Sage
Onondaga County War Memorial
800 South State Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
October 27, 1971 (Wednesday)
FM shnid-18357 shn2flac
--complete set (12 tracks, 62:20)--
t01. {03:40} //Six Days On The Road [#2:09] [1:21]
t02. {04:34} I Don't Know You [3:32] [1:02]
t03. {03:30} Down In The Boondocks [3:04] [0:26]
t04. {13:58} Dirty Business [11:03] [2:55]
t05. {04:04} Rainbow [3:11] [0:53]
t06. {07:34} Garden Of Eden [6:41] [0:53]
t07. {03:27} Hello Mary Lou [2:59] [0:28]
t08. {03:58} Henry [3:39] [0:19]
t09. {03:10} S//ailin' [#1:59] (1) [1:11]
t10. {03:57} Sweet Lovin' One [3:10] [0:47]
t11. {06:00} Willie And The Hand Jive [5:55] [0:05]
t12. {04:28} Louisiana Lady [4:00] (2) [0:28]
! ACT1: New Riders of the Purple Sage
! lineup: John Dawson - rhythm guitar, vocals;
! lineup: David Nelson - lead guitar, vocals;
! lineup: David Torbert - bass, vocals;
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - pedal steel guitar;
! lineup: Spencer Dryden - 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. Fancy brackets {} represent track times.
! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19711027-01
! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/18357 (FM broadcast, this fileset)
! review: John Wisniewski, "6,500 Rock to ‘Dead’ Sounds; Riders Superb in Warmup," Syracuse Post-Standard, October 28, 1971, p. 8.
! R: "FMMR(C?) > ? > R > DAT > WAV > SHN"
! R: "A > D transfer by Noah Weiner - June, 2003 from Jimmy Warburton's 7" Reel."
! R: "The recording is mono, and the left channel had a great deal more hiss and noise than the right. Thus, the right channel was copied over the left in Sound Forge to produce a more clean and strong signal for the final digital project. Also, throughout the reel there are occasional static pops, fuzz, and crackles."
! R: "Reel playback on Pioneer RT-701 > Teac AN-180 Dolby decoder > Fostex D5 DAT (A>D only) > Turtle Beach Montego II Digital I/O > Soundforge (wav edits and track IDs) > SHNTOOL (SBE fix) > MKW (shn)."
! R: this has a gen or two on it, and as Noah notes it has some warts, but overall it is quite good, a fine listen.
! historical context: NRPS opened for the Grateful Dead for all of the out-of-town gigs in October-December 1971, with a great many of the sets broadcast on FM radio. The FM broadcasts are nice because I think Marmaduke and the rest are just a little more careful when they think they are being broadcast: things are nice and tight, everything is pretty good. If you wanted to hear what NRPS sounded like at this stage, this set is totally representative. This would be one of Garcia's last gigs with the New Riders, with the last known one being four nights later in Stony Brook, NY. There were apparently no NRPS sets at the Harding on November 6-7, and by Atlanta on 11/11 Buddy Cage had taken over the pedal steel chair.
! NB Torbert lead vocals on Hello Mary Lou (t07) and Hand Jive (t11).
! R: t09 Sailin' has a splice a few seconds in, not sure if there's a verse missing. Cuts in on "//My lady is lovely and she carries no comb".
! t09 (1) station ID: "WAER, Syracuse".
! t12 (2) ?McIntire?: "Yeah, the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Thank you, New Riders. OK, this is what we're gonna be doing for the next twenty minutes. We're gonna have a quick change-around, so we can get the Grateful Dead//"
t06. {07:34} Garden Of Eden [6:41] [0:53]
t07. {03:27} Hello Mary Lou [2:59] [0:28]
t08. {03:58} Henry [3:39] [0:19]
t09. {03:10} S//ailin' [#1:59] (1) [1:11]
t10. {03:57} Sweet Lovin' One [3:10] [0:47]
t11. {06:00} Willie And The Hand Jive [5:55] [0:05]
t12. {04:28} Louisiana Lady [4:00] (2) [0:28]
! ACT1: New Riders of the Purple Sage
! lineup: John Dawson - rhythm guitar, vocals;
! lineup: David Nelson - lead guitar, vocals;
! lineup: David Torbert - bass, vocals;
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - pedal steel guitar;
! lineup: Spencer Dryden - 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. Fancy brackets {} represent track times.
! Jerrybase: https://jerrybase.com/events/19711027-01
! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/18357 (FM broadcast, this fileset)
! review: John Wisniewski, "6,500 Rock to ‘Dead’ Sounds; Riders Superb in Warmup," Syracuse Post-Standard, October 28, 1971, p. 8.
! R: "FMMR(C?) > ? > R > DAT > WAV > SHN"
! R: "A > D transfer by Noah Weiner - June, 2003 from Jimmy Warburton's 7" Reel."
! R: "The recording is mono, and the left channel had a great deal more hiss and noise than the right. Thus, the right channel was copied over the left in Sound Forge to produce a more clean and strong signal for the final digital project. Also, throughout the reel there are occasional static pops, fuzz, and crackles."
! R: "Reel playback on Pioneer RT-701 > Teac AN-180 Dolby decoder > Fostex D5 DAT (A>D only) > Turtle Beach Montego II Digital I/O > Soundforge (wav edits and track IDs) > SHNTOOL (SBE fix) > MKW (shn)."
! R: this has a gen or two on it, and as Noah notes it has some warts, but overall it is quite good, a fine listen.
! historical context: NRPS opened for the Grateful Dead for all of the out-of-town gigs in October-December 1971, with a great many of the sets broadcast on FM radio. The FM broadcasts are nice because I think Marmaduke and the rest are just a little more careful when they think they are being broadcast: things are nice and tight, everything is pretty good. If you wanted to hear what NRPS sounded like at this stage, this set is totally representative. This would be one of Garcia's last gigs with the New Riders, with the last known one being four nights later in Stony Brook, NY. There were apparently no NRPS sets at the Harding on November 6-7, and by Atlanta on 11/11 Buddy Cage had taken over the pedal steel chair.
! NB Torbert lead vocals on Hello Mary Lou (t07) and Hand Jive (t11).
! R: t09 Sailin' has a splice a few seconds in, not sure if there's a verse missing. Cuts in on "//My lady is lovely and she carries no comb".
! t09 (1) station ID: "WAER, Syracuse".
! t12 (2) ?McIntire?: "Yeah, the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Thank you, New Riders. OK, this is what we're gonna be doing for the next twenty minutes. We're gonna have a quick change-around, so we can get the Grateful Dead//"
Thursday, November 10, 2011
What else, today?
http://www.archive.org/details/gd67-11-10.sbd.sacks.1612.sbeok.shnf
I love the Archive's This Day in History feature. And on November 10, it's '67 that comes up first. This here is the fire-breathing psychedlic 12-armed beast version of the Grateful Dead. Play it loud!
I love the Archive's This Day in History feature. And on November 10, it's '67 that comes up first. This here is the fire-breathing psychedlic 12-armed beast version of the Grateful Dead. Play it loud!
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
An Echo at Reconstruction's Ending
JG19790929: Reconstruction: Saturday, September 29, 1979, Keystone Palo Alto (UNCERTAIN)  |
| Listing for Reconstruction at Keystone Palo Alto, 9/29/79, from BAM no. 63 (September 1, 1979), p. 14. |
Like lots of us, I have been really busy. I'll resist temptation to say a whole lot about this, but will try hard to just put it out there.
I have said before that BAM would be a treasure trove of information for Bay Area music prosopographers whose interests run to the late 1970s and beyond. I just got a stack of many dozen copies from late '78 into the mid-1980s (thanks, friend!) and have been pawing through them a little bit. Sure enough, there's really just a treasure trove of information. Anyone writing about New Wave or lots of other things definitely needs to soak some of this in.
So, just flipping through these, making some notes, and find a listing for Reconstruction at Keystone Palo Alto, 260 South California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 94306 for Saturday, September 29, 1979. See the scan above. A few points about this.
First, the current last-known Reconstruction date is 9/22/79 from the Keystone Berkeley. This would extend the band's known (too short!) history another week.
Second, a week is just a week, but it would also truncate the time between the end of Reconstruction and the start of the next iteration of the Jerry Garcia Band, featuring Ozzie Ahlers on keyboards and John D'Fonseca on drums, which is conventionally dated to October 7, 1979 (Keystone, Berkeley).
Third, I'll just say none of us has ever really dug into the end of Reconstruction. WTF happened? Obviously I could do a long post on that, and will unless someone scoops me, but for now I'll just raise the question (and happily invite the scoopage).
Fourth, of course Garcia might not have been present at all. It is said that some Reconstruction shows featured ex-Moby Grape Jerry Miller, but very little is known about this. I can say I didn't find many listings going through these BAMs. update 20150509 - I have added some more dates from various sources, and I now list the following non-Garcia, or Garcia-questionable, Reconstruction shows.
- Friday, August 3, 1979, Keystone Berkeley [Gar could have been there, though I'd bet his GD bandmates would not have been thrilled at the thought]
- Saturday, August 4, 1979, Keystone Palo Alto [GD play Oakland Auditorium]
- Sunday, August 5, 1979, Keystone Palo Alto [GD play Oakland Auditorium]
- Monday, September 3, 1979, Frenchy's, 29097 Mission Blvd., Hayward, CA, 94544 [GD play Madison Square Garden]
- NB: subtitled "Merle [sic] Saunders and Friends" ... I thought this was John's band?
- NB: venue contrast with and without Garcia.
- Tuesday, September 4, 1979, Sleeping Lady Cafe, 58 Bolinas Road, Fairfax, CA, 94930 [GD play Madison Square Garden]
- NB: off-night, tiny room
- Saturday, September 29, 1979, Keystone Palo Alto [this post]
- Thursday, November 29, 1979, Rancho Nicasio [GD play Cleveland Public Hall]
Fifth, and in connection with my fetish for formal institutions, we know very little about Garcia's "true" status in Reconstruction. Was he a band member (insofar as that concept applies), or just a “special guest” (as he was sometimes billed)?
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Acoustic Disc
Looks like Grisman lost acousticdisc.com, despite the fact that there are still lots of links from http://www.dawgnet.com/. Odd.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Listening Notes around the material mistakenly traveling as OAITW 4/16/73 early show at the Boarding House
update 20240718: this material is not from 4/16/73. Nothing from that date currently circulates. I have not yet determined the correct date for this material.
/update
Updated LN jg1973-04-16.oaitw.a.fm-nfagdtrfb.100404.flac1644
Anyway, some time ago I did a half-assed "listening notes" on the circulating set (set I) of OAITW 4/16/73. This is one of the "Four Nights at the Boarding House" that seem so incredibly, richly evocative of what a relatively healthy, happy, loose and jamming Garcia wanted out of his side projects. It's an important moment, too, the first known recording with Richard Greene (unless I am right in my speculations, initial and more elaborate, about a 4/12/73 show in Santa Barbara). [update: yes, indeed!] As we have witnessed time and time again, Garcia liked to work in "new members" of his bands on off-nights and/or off-the-beaten path. I don't think the Boarding House qualifies in the latter sense, but this Monday show surely does in the former.
So, I have revisited the tape and I have a slightly more detailed set of notes. Still not super-detailed -- maybe I'll make a third post on it someday.
One other point: the chatter transcribed as note 2 really interests me. Rowan (I think) says Garcia should introduce the band, and Garcia pretty clearly doesn't want to. The Burden Of Being Jerry: Man can't go down to the club on a Monday night, pick some banjo without some kind of star trip imposing itself on him.
Old And In The Way
Boarding House
960 Bush Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
April 16, 1973 (Monday) - A (set I or Early Show)
Rex reels > RE > WBAI-FM > DAT > flac1644 shnid-100404
--set I or early show (14 tracks, 49:35)--
a-t01. (1) [0:06] Goin' To The Races [2:24] [0:17]
a-t02. Tragic Romance [3:40] [0:12]
a-t03. Katie Hill [3:27] [0:09]
a-t04. The Willow Garden [4:57] [0:34]
a-t05. 'Til The End Of The World Rolls 'Round [2:25] [0:11]
a-t06. band introductions (2) [1:19]
a-t07. Pig In A Pen [2:36] [0:05]
a-t08. Panama Red [2:17] (3) [1:43]
a-t09. Lonesome L.A. Cowboy [4:25] [0:36]
a-t10. Hard Hearted [2:30] [0:51] (4)
a-t11. Wild Horses [4:37] [0:27]
a-t12. Lost [3:22] (5) [0:15]
a-t13. stage banter (6) -> Blue Mule false start [1:22]
a-t14. Blue Mule [4:36] (7) [0:12]
! ACT1: Old And In The Way
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - banjo, vocals;
! lineup: Richard Greene - fiddle.
! lineup: David Grisman - mandolin, vocals;
! lineup: John Kahn - bass;
! lineup: Peter Rowan - guitar, vocals.
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.
! TJS: http://www.thejerrysite.com/shows/show/931.
! JGC:
! map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=960+Bush+Street,+San+FRancisco,+CA&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x8085808d89ff49b9:0xebab856481e4d520,960+Bush+St,+San+Francisco,+CA+94109&gl=us&ei=f2SUTsn3I-zEsQLXpNDvAQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CB0Q8gEwAA
! venue: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2011/09/boarding-house-960-bush-st-san.html
! db: shnid 18422 (runs slow, deprecated); shnid 100404 (this source).
! "Source: SBD > ? > WBAI-FM Broadcast > SAE-2 Receiver > Sony DTC-670."
! "Transfer: MFD > Sony D10P > Coax SPDIF > Audiophile 2496 > Wavelab > R8Brain > CD-Wave > TLH > FLAC 1644. Transfer by Andrew F. 08/2009"
! R: seeder Note: "The DAT was recorded from the WBAI Morning Dew radio program on 07/31/1999 during their JG birthday special. Pitch is correct on this recording (ID-18422 is approx 90 cents slow). There's some low end fuzziness, and other minor FM artifacts in the recording."
! R: I suspect that Rex recorded this, not Betty.
! Personnel: This is the earliest OAITW tape with Richard Greene. The Santa Barbara show on 4/12/73 was probably his debut. Otherwise, this is, since he is not present on 4/15/73.
! R: I love that you can hear the band talking things over between tunes, though wish we could hear just a little bit better!
! a-t01 (1) DG: "We're gonna go to the races, folks."
! a-t05 DG sings a few verses of Til the End of the World Rolls Around
! a-t06 (2) Richard Greene: "Thank you very much." Grisman: "I'm gonna introduce the members of the band." [cross-talk] Unknown speaker: "Jerry gets to do that." Grisman: "Uh, all right." RG: "Why don't you do it?" Grisman: "Why don't you do it?" Unknown speaker: "I don't know, man." Garcia: "Fuck you, man." Grisman: "Well, neither does he." [cross-talk] DG: "This here is Peter Rowan on the gi-tar. Over on the big fiddle, John Kahn. Fiddlin' Richard Greene. And on the five-string banjo, Jerry Garcia." Band cross-talk: "Jerry Garcia ... Jerry Garcia!" [NB JGMF] RG: "Who's on the mandolin there?" Garcia: "That's Dave Grisman playin' the mandolin."
! a-t08 JG is singing echo refrain of "Panama Red" during chorus ... I don't remember hearing this.
! a-t08 (3) DG: "That was one of Peter's songs, and here's another one." Crowd gives a cheer. DG: "You folks sound like you're havin' a good time tonight."
! a-t08 During this tuning after Panama Red there's a lot of stage talk, but it's inaudible to me. Note also the room size here: it doesn't sound tiny.
! a-t09 JG's solo @ 2:15 of Lonesome LA Cowboy is just not very good.
! a-t10 (4) DG: "Here's a tune that may be familiar to most of you."
! a-t11 P: This is a pretty nice workup of Wild Horses.
! a-t12 (5) stage stalk, JG: "Maybe we should just play a long set." RG: "Or take a break."
! a-t13 (6) DG: "We're gonna have a big gospel portion on our second set. That's what we're deciding right now. So stick around and get your r'l'gion. ... We're gonna take a short leave of absence ... right after this next song."
! a-t13 Blue Mule false start is funny. They are off-key. Lady in the crowd says "Do it again!" and they do.
! a-t14 (7) PR: "Thank you." RG: "Thank you, we'll be back."
Saturday, October 01, 2011
Venues
Oh my goodness. Check out this masterpiece of a blog!
Jerry's Brokendown Palaces
Wow.
Between this and Rock Archaeology, I think I know where to go to learn about venues.
Thanks to all of my colleagues doing hard work in and around this area of scholarship. It's a pleasure.
Jerry's Brokendown Palaces
Wow.
Between this and Rock Archaeology, I think I know where to go to learn about venues.
Thanks to all of my colleagues doing hard work in and around this area of scholarship. It's a pleasure.
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Recently added to TJS, Saunders images
I am sure everyone who reads here knows one can follow changes at The Jerry Site
(there's also an RSS feed).
TJS admin slip_not has been adding some nice data from poster and
handbill images shared at the Merl
Saunders Facebook page.
Since these photos are shared intentionally downloadable from Facebook, and acting on the We Are All The Vault principle of crowdsource redundant storage, I'll repost here. Thanks to Merl Saunders, Jr. for sharing the pics and to slip_not for gathering 'em up and adding them to The List. I may have renamed them according to my own organizational schema. This post will just summarize some of this great stuff and elaborate as I can.
What a find!
“Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders & Tom Fogerty” are billed at the Boarding
House on a “special engagement: 3 nights: tue-wed-thu”, following the Herbie
Hancock Septet (maybe working on some of the extremely heavy Sextant material?)
and preceding Harry Chapin, every night’s menu featuring some kind of meat.
Mmmm, yeah.
There are a few other bits and pieces in the evidentiary record around these gigs.
There are also Betty Cantor-Jackson tapes known to exist and/or in
circulation from this January 23-25 run at the Boarding House. All three dates
were transferred by Rob Eaton from the “third batch” of Betty tapes which came
to light in late 1995. Update: I think 1/23/73 actually came to RE from the Garcia Vault, via Dick L. The other two shows were definitely Betty tapes. At least one track from 1/23/73 has been officially released (“It Takes A Lot To
Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry,” track 1 of Jerry Garcia—Garcia
Plays Dylan [Rhino R2 73263, 2005]). Material from the 24th
(shnid 4492, “early show” | shnid 9783, “late show” | shnid 100216, early and late) and 25th
(shnid 7670, “early” and “late”
shows) circulated very early among collectors. They appear to have traveled
several paths to the lossless era. Some of them are from DAT copies given by
Eaton to Ryan Shriver, many of which were converted to CD and thence to .shn by
D. Metz (e.g., shnid 4492). Others alleged to have PCM gens or cassette gens or
whatever. A little hard to piece together all of it. The tapes are special
because they are among the few that capture the mysterious Sarah Fulcher,
singing her heart out.
The Jerry Site notes that Tom Fogerty was not present for the shows on the 24th and 25th, and he is not credited on the one released track from 1/23/73. I need to revisit the tapes, but I am pretty sure they’ll show that there’s no rhythm guitarist. SteveSw has written nice reviews of the 1/24/73 and 1/25/73 tapes at Workingman's Tracker.
Anyway, this wonderful new-to-me handbill leads me to make a few points about the associated and related Listings.
First, unless it was understood that there were two shows nightly at the Boarding House, I don’t see any evidence in advertisements and such for early and late show designations. My assumption is that this makes it less likely that there were actually two (separately-ticketed) shows, but I am prepared to be set straight. Betty’s tapes said early and late, but maybe those temporal terms modified “set” rather than “show”? I don’t know. Anyway, I have been contemplating whether the early-late show listings should be merged on my lists … thoughts?
Second, there have long been tapes in circulation as “Boarding House, 1/26/73”, but all copies I have seen turn out to be the same as 1/24/73, which of course has more credible provenance. Anyway, again, I am preparing to consider 1/26/73 a spurious listing, but I’d like some feedback. (I am also thinking that 1/16/73 is spurious.)
We knew about these shows from inter
alia amazing tapes, but this handbill is a great artifact. Nice little
sketch of Jerry and Merl, representing a “moment” that only one who had watched
them having one could capture.
Just a few small notes. First, probably doesn’t matter, but I am always interested when I see Merl’s name first-billed. A nice project would be to go back and measure the frequency with which one or the other was listed first. I’d bet it was at least 80-20 Jerry, for the obvious reasons. Second, the address given on the handbill, 79 Homer Avenue, is incorrect: according to Corry, it’s 79 Homer Lane. Note to Corry: Google Earth returns a search on “79 Homer Lane, Palo Alto, CA” with “79 Homer Lane, Menlo Park, CA, 94025”). Is that the same place on earth as where Homer’s Warehouse stood?
Note that these shows have been discussed a fair amount at Workingman's Tracker (that was 5/4; see also 5/5/73, and that it appears George Tickner is the second guitarist present.
What the fuck?
Wow.
OK. Here’s a poster that bills “Merl Saunders, Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann”, plus Mike Bloomfield and Band and Stoneground, at the University of Iowa Fieldhouse on October 20, 1973. The Grateful Dead had played Oklahoma City on 10/19 and would be in Omaha on 10/21, so Iowa City is only 250 miles out of the way. But, wow.
I notice the sketches of Jerry and especially Merl are nearly identical to the Homer’s Warehouse handbill sketches. Anyone know who drew these? Otherwise, is there any chance this is a forgery?
If not, we have here a real revelation. This would be only the third JGMS show outside of the state of California, after the September 5-6, 1973 gigs out east. And it’s pretty darn random, I have to say, though of course stranger things could certainly have happened. An off-night in a just-starting GD tour, you head out to Iowa City, Iowa for a gig in the college fieldhouse? Looks a little like the structure of the 11/18/73 San Diego show, I guess … could there possibly be others like this? Again: thoughts?
Ain't life grand? We were just discussing Paul Humphrey at Hooterollin' Around, and up pops the only known-to-me live image of the Garcia-Saunders-Humphrey-Kahn-Fierro quintet. (update: here's another, showing Paul Humphrey!!) This is a known show Sunday, October 13, 1974 at the beautiful Santa Barbara County Bowl in Santa Barbara, CA. I can't tell if it's overcast, but I am imagining a sunny fall day. And if you ever spent a sunny fall day in Santa Barbara in roughly that that spot in roughly the frame of mind that might have been generated by this particular concert, you know what I mean to say: A glimpse of life's deepest beauties for five bucks.
This gig has been known back to the time of the McNally-Arnold JG List, the oldest continuous piece of The JG List in the manuscript tradition (Yeah, lots of grandiosity there, I know. But I have to say it and I'll get to it.) That list's entry was dated 10/13/74 and had the personnel correctly listed, but the venue was given as Santa Barbara County Fairgrounds. I see that this misstatement continued through to Deadbase IX (not surprising, since it was based on Corry's copy of the McNally-Arnold JG List). This continued into The Jerry Site's entry, which was corrected in 2008 by the great Ryan Shriver.
I am presuming this long entry derived from the following backstage pass, which is generously hosted at psilo.net:
There has never been a tape of the show, billed as “Their First Southern
California Solo Appearance, Direct From San Francisco and the Grateful Dead”. I
don’t actually think that’s true. They (JGMS) had played the Ash
Grove in LA on May 29-30, 1973. (A planned show at San Diego State University on November 18, 1973 was rained out.) But, I queeble. They weren’t getting out on the road much in
those days, and it orta’h’ve been a fun old time. And, what a great picture!
Summary
Thanks to the proprietors of the Merl Saunders Facebook page, and to slip_not of The Jerry Site, for bringing these wonderful historical materials forward. Here’s hoping there’s lots more where that came from!
REFERENCE:
Since these photos are shared intentionally downloadable from Facebook, and acting on the We Are All The Vault principle of crowdsource redundant storage, I'll repost here. Thanks to Merl Saunders, Jr. for sharing the pics and to slip_not for gathering 'em up and adding them to The List. I may have renamed them according to my own organizational schema. This post will just summarize some of this great stuff and elaborate as I can.
1.
JGMS:
January 23-24-25 (Tuesday-Thursday), Boarding House, 960
Bush Street, San Francisco, CA, 94109
What a find!
 |
| Handbill for the Boarding House, January 16-28, 1973. Scan courtesy of Merl Saunders Facebook page. |
There are a few other bits and pieces in the evidentiary record around these gigs.
First, at least 1/23 and 1/24 were listed in the
Berkeley Barb’s “Scenedrome” calendar
(January 19-25, 1973, p. 28). Also, and I think somewhat unusually, there was a line ad in the San Francisco Chronicle/Examiner Datebook
(January 21, 1973, p. 25).
I don’t think it was that common for such ads to appear, but maybe I am wrong
about that. I suspect that this “special engagement” was expected to generate
some big nights (at least for midweek) for the Boarding House. I’ll ask again: does anyone know anyone who was involved
with running the Boarding House during this time period? Or even know who it
was?
 |
| Ad for Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders at the Boarding House, 960 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA, 94109, Tues-Thurs January 23-25, 1973. Source: San Francisco Chronicle/Examiner Datebook, January 21, 1973, p. 25. |
The Jerry Site notes that Tom Fogerty was not present for the shows on the 24th and 25th, and he is not credited on the one released track from 1/23/73. I need to revisit the tapes, but I am pretty sure they’ll show that there’s no rhythm guitarist. SteveSw has written nice reviews of the 1/24/73 and 1/25/73 tapes at Workingman's Tracker.
Anyway, this wonderful new-to-me handbill leads me to make a few points about the associated and related Listings.
First, unless it was understood that there were two shows nightly at the Boarding House, I don’t see any evidence in advertisements and such for early and late show designations. My assumption is that this makes it less likely that there were actually two (separately-ticketed) shows, but I am prepared to be set straight. Betty’s tapes said early and late, but maybe those temporal terms modified “set” rather than “show”? I don’t know. Anyway, I have been contemplating whether the early-late show listings should be merged on my lists … thoughts?
Second, there have long been tapes in circulation as “Boarding House, 1/26/73”, but all copies I have seen turn out to be the same as 1/24/73, which of course has more credible provenance. Anyway, again, I am preparing to consider 1/26/73 a spurious listing, but I’d like some feedback. (I am also thinking that 1/16/73 is spurious.)
2.
JGMS: May
4-5, 1973
(Friday-Saturday), Homer’s Warehouse, 79 Homer Lane, Palo Alto, CA
 |
| Handbill for Homer's Warehouse, early May 1973. Photo courtesy of Merl Saunders Facebook page. |
Just a few small notes. First, probably doesn’t matter, but I am always interested when I see Merl’s name first-billed. A nice project would be to go back and measure the frequency with which one or the other was listed first. I’d bet it was at least 80-20 Jerry, for the obvious reasons. Second, the address given on the handbill, 79 Homer Avenue, is incorrect: according to Corry, it’s 79 Homer Lane. Note to Corry: Google Earth returns a search on “79 Homer Lane, Palo Alto, CA” with “79 Homer Lane, Menlo Park, CA, 94025”). Is that the same place on earth as where Homer’s Warehouse stood?
Note that these shows have been discussed a fair amount at Workingman's Tracker (that was 5/4; see also 5/5/73, and that it appears George Tickner is the second guitarist present.
3.
JGMS: October
20, 1973,
Fieldhouse, University of Iowa, Iowa
City, IA (UPDATE: DID NOT HAPPEN)
 |
| Poster for Merl Saunders, Bill Kreutzmann, Jerry Garcia gig at University of Iowa Fieldhouse, Iowa City, IA, October 20, 1973. Photo courtesy of Merl Saunders Facebook page. |
Wow.
OK. Here’s a poster that bills “Merl Saunders, Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann”, plus Mike Bloomfield and Band and Stoneground, at the University of Iowa Fieldhouse on October 20, 1973. The Grateful Dead had played Oklahoma City on 10/19 and would be in Omaha on 10/21, so Iowa City is only 250 miles out of the way. But, wow.
I notice the sketches of Jerry and especially Merl are nearly identical to the Homer’s Warehouse handbill sketches. Anyone know who drew these? Otherwise, is there any chance this is a forgery?
If not, we have here a real revelation. This would be only the third JGMS show outside of the state of California, after the September 5-6, 1973 gigs out east. And it’s pretty darn random, I have to say, though of course stranger things could certainly have happened. An off-night in a just-starting GD tour, you head out to Iowa City, Iowa for a gig in the college fieldhouse? Looks a little like the structure of the 11/18/73 San Diego show, I guess … could there possibly be others like this? Again: thoughts?
Update 20111119: thanks to intrepid research by Corry, we now know the story behind the poster: Liza Minelli left U of I out to dry three weeks before homecoming, Roberta Flack and Van Morrison couldn't be arranged to sub, and it sounds like the effort to get JGMS was extremely last minute. Most interesting is the argument in the relevant article from the student paper (Hawkins, Chuck, and George Shirk. 1973. Problems
plague major concert bids. Daily Iowan,
October 30, 1973, p. 3) that it was the Grateful Dead who nixed this particular Garcia side trip.
4.
JGMS: October
13, 1974, Santa Barbara County Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA
|
Ain't life grand? We were just discussing Paul Humphrey at Hooterollin' Around, and up pops the only known-to-me live image of the Garcia-Saunders-Humphrey-Kahn-Fierro quintet. (update: here's another, showing Paul Humphrey!!) This is a known show Sunday, October 13, 1974 at the beautiful Santa Barbara County Bowl in Santa Barbara, CA. I can't tell if it's overcast, but I am imagining a sunny fall day. And if you ever spent a sunny fall day in Santa Barbara in roughly that that spot in roughly the frame of mind that might have been generated by this particular concert, you know what I mean to say: A glimpse of life's deepest beauties for five bucks.
This gig has been known back to the time of the McNally-Arnold JG List, the oldest continuous piece of The JG List in the manuscript tradition (Yeah, lots of grandiosity there, I know. But I have to say it and I'll get to it.) That list's entry was dated 10/13/74 and had the personnel correctly listed, but the venue was given as Santa Barbara County Fairgrounds. I see that this misstatement continued through to Deadbase IX (not surprising, since it was based on Corry's copy of the McNally-Arnold JG List). This continued into The Jerry Site's entry, which was corrected in 2008 by the great Ryan Shriver.
I am presuming this long entry derived from the following backstage pass, which is generously hosted at psilo.net:
 |
| Backstage pass for “Jerry Garcia/Merl Saunders and friends” with the Sons of Champlin and Etta James, Sunday, October 13, 1974, Santa Barbara Count Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA. Image courtesy of psilo.net. |
Summary
Thanks to the proprietors of the Merl Saunders Facebook page, and to slip_not of The Jerry Site, for bringing these wonderful historical materials forward. Here’s hoping there’s lots more where that came from!
REFERENCE:
(1) Scott, John
W., Mike Dolgushkin, and Stu Nixon. 1995. Deadbase IX: The Complete Guide to
Grateful Dead Songlists.
GSCBF12: Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys: Sunday, April 28, 1974, ca. 21:15
Part of a series of back-of-the-napkin thoughts about the Golden State Country Bluegrass Festival (GSCBF), held in San Rafael, CA from Friday, April 26th through Sunday, April 28, 1974. Click the link to see the posts in this series.
Now I see why I only had a draft of this post for a long time. I didn't ever finish my notes. I guess I'll update this at some point. Consider these some raw notes for now.
Golden State Country Bluegrass Festival
Marin County Veterans' Auditorium Building and Grounds
San Rafael, CA
<--John Hartford precedes-->
Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys
Sunday, April 28, 1974 ca. 21:15
Source: "Debbie reel 4/27/74" CD 4 of 4
Provenance: unknown sbd recording (?maybe MSC > C?) > reel
Transfer: AKAI GX 636 playback > Apogee mini ME @ 24/96 > Apogee Mini DAC (monitoring/mastering) > lynx one soundcard > wavelab 5.0 > CD, by Matt Smith.
Lossless encoding: EAC > CDWave > TLH (FLAC level 8).
Tagging: Foobar 2000.
(8 tracks, 16:40)
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t01. % Cacklin' Hen -1:38
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t02. Maple on the Hill -4:18 -4:23
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t03. talk (1), band intros [2:27]
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t04. Hemlocks and Primroses -5:21 -5:24
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t05. Stone Walls and Steel Bars 1:50 -2:04 w/ mandolin
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t06. Bill Cheetham -2:07 -2:19
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t07. Nobody's Love is Like Mine 2:31 -2:40
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t08. unknown_Stanley_19740428// [fragment] [0:05] %
Lineup:
Ricky Lee - guitar, bass vocals;
Cheryl White - bass;
Ralph Stanley - banjo, tenor vocals;
Curly Ray Cline - fiddle;
Roy Lee Centers - vocals.
Notes:
! % = tape discontinuity; # = truncated timing; // = cut song
! Recording is overloaded for the first few minutes
! Roy Lee Centers would pass away a week or so later, on May 5, 1974. The usual bass player, Jack Cooke, was unable to attend.
! not sure who plays mandolin
! GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t03 (1) last appearance on the festival this weekend
! GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t08 fragmentary start of song
! It is not known how long this set lasted - the tape here runs out, and no Ralph Stanley material appears on any of the other sources for the Festival that I know of. This set was scheduled at a half-hour, so barring any other information let's assume that that's right, and that this is missing about 15 minutes of music.
<--Nitty Gritty Dirt Band follows-->
Jerry Garcia's Middle Finger
http://jgmf.blogspot.com/search/label/GSCBF
Now I see why I only had a draft of this post for a long time. I didn't ever finish my notes. I guess I'll update this at some point. Consider these some raw notes for now.
Golden State Country Bluegrass Festival
Marin County Veterans' Auditorium Building and Grounds
San Rafael, CA
<--John Hartford precedes-->
Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys
Sunday, April 28, 1974 ca. 21:15
Source: "Debbie reel 4/27/74" CD 4 of 4
Provenance: unknown sbd recording (?maybe MSC > C?) > reel
Transfer: AKAI GX 636 playback > Apogee mini ME @ 24/96 > Apogee Mini DAC (monitoring/mastering) > lynx one soundcard > wavelab 5.0 > CD, by Matt Smith.
Lossless encoding: EAC > CDWave > TLH (FLAC level 8).
Tagging: Foobar 2000.
(8 tracks, 16:40)
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t01. % Cacklin' Hen -1:38
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t02. Maple on the Hill -4:18 -4:23
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t03. talk (1), band intros [2:27]
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t04. Hemlocks and Primroses -5:21 -5:24
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t05. Stone Walls and Steel Bars 1:50 -2:04 w/ mandolin
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t06. Bill Cheetham -2:07 -2:19
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t07. Nobody's Love is Like Mine 2:31 -2:40
GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t08. unknown_Stanley_19740428// [fragment] [0:05] %
Lineup:
Ricky Lee - guitar, bass vocals;
Cheryl White - bass;
Ralph Stanley - banjo, tenor vocals;
Curly Ray Cline - fiddle;
Roy Lee Centers - vocals.
Notes:
! % = tape discontinuity; # = truncated timing; // = cut song
! Recording is overloaded for the first few minutes
! Roy Lee Centers would pass away a week or so later, on May 5, 1974. The usual bass player, Jack Cooke, was unable to attend.
! not sure who plays mandolin
! GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t03 (1) last appearance on the festival this weekend
! GSCBF-1974-04-28-2115-Stanley-t08 fragmentary start of song
! It is not known how long this set lasted - the tape here runs out, and no Ralph Stanley material appears on any of the other sources for the Festival that I know of. This set was scheduled at a half-hour, so barring any other information let's assume that that's right, and that this is missing about 15 minutes of music.
<--Nitty Gritty Dirt Band follows-->
Jerry Garcia's Middle Finger
http://jgmf.blogspot.com/search/label/GSCBF
Monday, September 05, 2011
August 9, 1974 is probably August 10, 1974: a fine show either way
LN jg1974-08-09.jgms.s1s2p.aud-falanga.8073.shnf
More listening around August 1974, as with 8/11/74 and a mention of 8/15/74.
More listening around August 1974, as with 8/11/74 and a mention of 8/15/74.
I have some doubts about the date. The always-excellent "Rock Talk by KG" column (by Kathie Staska and George Mangrum) in the Hayward Daily Review (August 9, 1974, p. 40), says "Clifton Chenier does Keystone Berkeley tonight and Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders with Paul Pena play the same place Aug. 10-11".
update 20110906: Man oh man, I am dumb as a bag of rocks. The setlist for this show is identical, with one exception, to the setlist for August 10, 1974, Keystone, Berkeley. That setlist comes from Rob Eaton, who transferred the master reels of this show from the "third batch" of Betty Cantor-Jackson tapes. Rob was forensic in his listening and in his tapebox notations. (Parenthetically, if those tapes reveal a three-song second set, we can of course eliminate the speculation that what's represented on the Falanga-Menke tape is incomplete.)
The only difference in the setlists of "8/9/74" and 8/10/74 is the placement of Think. Yet since it's surrounded by tape discontinuities on the Falanga tapes, it's just as plausible to think it was the first song, but somehow ended up out of place. (This would, in turn raise some lineage questions ... how could a master tape have the second song first? Sigh.)
Anyway, I am arguing here that the Staska-Mangrum mention, on the very day of the show, in addition to the (correlated) calendar listing in the Hayward Daily Review, and the identical setlists attributed to "8/9" and 8/10, the latter of which has a full setlist of impeccable provenance, all outweigh a tape label. We should eliminate the spurious Listing for August 9, 1974, and merge our data from that show with the show from August 10, 1974.
Listening notes follow.
Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
Keystone
2119 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
August 9 [sic: 10], 1974 (Friday [sic: Saturday])
Falanga MAC shnid-8073
--set I (7 tracks, 86:41)
s1t01. tuning [1:14]
s1t02. Expressway (To Your Heart) [22:42] [0:08] % [1:06]
s1t03. [0:05] //Think [#7:54] [0:19]
s1t04. % [0:03] Are You Lonely for Me [25:06] [0:11] %
s1t05. tuning [1:49]
s1t06. Soul Roach [9:13] [0:34]
s1t07. I Second That Emotion [15:55] (1) [0:25]
--set II (3 tracks, 53:55, ?incomplete?)--
s2t01. [0:18] Mystery Train [17:54] [0:15]
s2t02. Lonely / Avenue [27:#08] ->
s2t03. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [8:12] (2) [0:07]
! ACT1: Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals.
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-bass;
! lineup: Martin Fierro - horns;
! lineup: Bill Kreutzmann - 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/19740809-01 [presumed spurious]; https://jerrybase.com/events/19740810-01
! R: s1t03 beginning of Think is mangled.
! s1t07 (1) @ 16:06 JG: "We're gonna take a break for a little while, be back in a little bit."
! s2t02 Lonely Avenue @ 5:57 Martin almost hits an "Ain't No Sunshine" riff.
! R: s2t02 Lonely Avenue gap @ 11:14-11:18
! P: the transition from Lonely Avenue to HSII is pretty smooth. Nice job!
! P: s2t03 this HSII reminds us of what a great bass player John Kahn was, when he was. Listen to him in the first 5 minutes of this. He is locked in.
! s2t03 (2) JG: "Thanks a lot. We'll see you all later."
The only difference in the setlists of "8/9/74" and 8/10/74 is the placement of Think. Yet since it's surrounded by tape discontinuities on the Falanga tapes, it's just as plausible to think it was the first song, but somehow ended up out of place. (This would, in turn raise some lineage questions ... how could a master tape have the second song first? Sigh.)
Anyway, I am arguing here that the Staska-Mangrum mention, on the very day of the show, in addition to the (correlated) calendar listing in the Hayward Daily Review, and the identical setlists attributed to "8/9" and 8/10, the latter of which has a full setlist of impeccable provenance, all outweigh a tape label. We should eliminate the spurious Listing for August 9, 1974, and merge our data from that show with the show from August 10, 1974.
Listening notes follow.
Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
Keystone
2119 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
August 9 [sic: 10], 1974 (Friday [sic: Saturday])
Falanga MAC shnid-8073
--set I (7 tracks, 86:41)
s1t01. tuning [1:14]
s1t02. Expressway (To Your Heart) [22:42] [0:08] % [1:06]
s1t03. [0:05] //Think [#7:54] [0:19]
s1t04. % [0:03] Are You Lonely for Me [25:06] [0:11] %
s1t05. tuning [1:49]
s1t06. Soul Roach [9:13] [0:34]
s1t07. I Second That Emotion [15:55] (1) [0:25]
--set II (3 tracks, 53:55, ?incomplete?)--
s2t01. [0:18] Mystery Train [17:54] [0:15]
s2t02. Lonely / Avenue [27:#08] ->
s2t03. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [8:12] (2) [0:07]
! ACT1: Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals.
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-bass;
! lineup: Martin Fierro - horns;
! lineup: Bill Kreutzmann - 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.
! db: http://etreedb.org/shn/8073 (this source).
! map: https://goo.gl/maps/LDc43
! JGBP: https://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/02/keystone-2119-university-avenue.html
! metadata: First, as my title here indicates, the circulating tape puts this as August 9th (*shiver*), but there is no other evidence for that data and loads of evidence that it's actually 8/10. I am well into the p < .05 range on dating this as 8/10. Second, I used to have question marks around BK just out of an abundance of caution, but I am not at least as certain that this is him as I am about the dating. Third, I used to wonder if the second set was incomplete. I now think they were probably just running up against closing time, though I reserve the right to update on that question.
! metadata: First, as my title here indicates, the circulating tape puts this as August 9th (*shiver*), but there is no other evidence for that data and loads of evidence that it's actually 8/10. I am well into the p < .05 range on dating this as 8/10. Second, I used to have question marks around BK just out of an abundance of caution, but I am not at least as certain that this is him as I am about the dating. Third, I used to wonder if the second set was incomplete. I now think they were probably just running up against closing time, though I reserve the right to update on that question.
! P: This show is excellent. There's more deliberateness than fire here, to my ears. So we have three exceptionally long (22-27 minute) numbers which actually stay pretty close to their constitutive themes for a very long time if not throughout. There's lots of elaboration and less exploration, maybe. Interesting. Jerry was in a mood to play and sing some old R&B this night, and that's what we have. "A Mission Street R & B guy," as I think he once described himself. Nice.
! R: field recordist: Louis Falanga;
! R: field Recording equipment: 1x Sony ECM-270 + 1x Sony ECM-250 > Sony TC-152 cassette deck
! R: lineage: unknown MAC transfer to DAT by Bob Menke; DAT > CD transfer ?ca. 2001? ?by Menke?; CD copy made for Jim Powell ca. 2001; CD copy made for Jack Warner ca. 2001; CD copy made for jjoops ca. 2001; extraction [EAC], re-joining [WavMerge], re-tracking [CDWave] and shn encoding [mkwACT] by jjoops, 8/14/2001. Subsequent circulation via vines and tol.etree.org; shnid 8073. JGMF shn2flac conversion, file renaming (by sets), tagging (foobar2000) 7/20/2011.
! R: What an amazing recording. Everything is right where you want it. Thank you Louis Falanga, Bob Menke and everyone else.
! s1t02 ETMH Martin quoting "Red Clay" from 7:40 for quite awhile, even still in the 16:30 range.
! R: field Recording equipment: 1x Sony ECM-270 + 1x Sony ECM-250 > Sony TC-152 cassette deck
! R: field recording location: microphones on-stage at Garcia's feet (stage ?right xxx left?), one directed toward Garcia's monitor and the other pointed to center stage.
! R: lineage: unknown MAC transfer to DAT by Bob Menke; DAT > CD transfer ?ca. 2001? ?by Menke?; CD copy made for Jim Powell ca. 2001; CD copy made for Jack Warner ca. 2001; CD copy made for jjoops ca. 2001; extraction [EAC], re-joining [WavMerge], re-tracking [CDWave] and shn encoding [mkwACT] by jjoops, 8/14/2001. Subsequent circulation via vines and tol.etree.org; shnid 8073. JGMF shn2flac conversion, file renaming (by sets), tagging (foobar2000) 7/20/2011.
! R: What an amazing recording. Everything is right where you want it. Thank you Louis Falanga, Bob Menke and everyone else.
! s1t02 ETMH Martin quoting "Red Clay" from 7:40 for quite awhile, even still in the 16:30 range.
! R: s1t03 beginning of Think is mangled.
! s1t07 (1) @ 16:06 JG: "We're gonna take a break for a little while, be back in a little bit."
! s2t02 Lonely Avenue @ 5:57 Martin almost hits an "Ain't No Sunshine" riff.
! R: s2t02 Lonely Avenue gap @ 11:14-11:18
! P: the transition from Lonely Avenue to HSII is pretty smooth. Nice job!
! P: s2t03 this HSII reminds us of what a great bass player John Kahn was, when he was. Listen to him in the first 5 minutes of this. He is locked in.
! s2t03 (2) JG: "Thanks a lot. We'll see you all later."
Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)
LN jg1974-08-11.jgms.all.aud-falanga.6382.shnf
I wanted to listen around August 1974 a bit more, to see if there was anything else like the mystery trumpet player on "8/15/74". So I checked out 8/11. This strikes me as one of the weaker shows of this great month, though it's been so long since I listened to most of them that I can't be sure. "Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)" is the very interesting setlist rarity here.
Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
Keystone
2119 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA, 94109
August 11, 1974 (Sunday)
Falanga-Menke shnid-6382 shn2flac
--set I (5 tracks, 58:18-0:18)--
s1t01. ambience [0:11]
s1t02. That's What Love Will Make You Do [12:52] (1) [1:49]
s1t03. La-La [16:49] [1:29]
s1t04. It Ain't No Use [10:36] [0:17] % [0:20]
s1t05. Mystery Train [13:24] (2) [0:11] % pre-set II tuning [0:18]
--set II (5 tracks, 0:18+64:41)--
s2t01. The Harder They Come [18:59] [2:58]
s2t02. Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got) [16:38] [0:10] % [0:33]
s2t03. It's Too Late [8:48] [0:13] %
s2t04. (I'm A) Road Runner [9:53] [0:02] % [0:25]
s2t05. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down [6:00]
! ACT1: Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
! personnel: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! personnel: Merl Saunders - keyboards;
! personnel: John Kahn - el-bass;
! personnel: Martin Fierro - saxophone, flute;
! personnel: Bill Kreutzmann - 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.
! JGC: jerrygarcia.com/show/1974-08-11.
! JB: https://jerrybase.com/events/19740811-01
! db: shnid 6382 (this fileset).
I wanted to listen around August 1974 a bit more, to see if there was anything else like the mystery trumpet player on "8/15/74". So I checked out 8/11. This strikes me as one of the weaker shows of this great month, though it's been so long since I listened to most of them that I can't be sure. "Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)" is the very interesting setlist rarity here.
Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
Keystone
2119 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA, 94109
August 11, 1974 (Sunday)
Falanga-Menke shnid-6382 shn2flac
--set I (5 tracks, 58:18-0:18)--
s1t01. ambience [0:11]
s1t02. That's What Love Will Make You Do [12:52] (1) [1:49]
s1t03. La-La [16:49] [1:29]
s1t04. It Ain't No Use [10:36] [0:17] % [0:20]
s1t05. Mystery Train [13:24] (2) [0:11] % pre-set II tuning [0:18]
--set II (5 tracks, 0:18+64:41)--
s2t01. The Harder They Come [18:59] [2:58]
s2t02. Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got) [16:38] [0:10] % [0:33]
s2t03. It's Too Late [8:48] [0:13] %
s2t04. (I'm A) Road Runner [9:53] [0:02] % [0:25]
s2t05. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down [6:00]
! ACT1: Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
! personnel: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! personnel: Merl Saunders - keyboards;
! personnel: John Kahn - el-bass;
! personnel: Martin Fierro - saxophone, flute;
! personnel: Bill Kreutzmann - 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.
! JGC: jerrygarcia.com/show/1974-08-11.
! JB: https://jerrybase.com/events/19740811-01
! db: shnid 6382 (this fileset).
! official: Garcia Live volume 9
! map: https://goo.gl/maps/LDc43
! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/02/keystone-2119-university-avenue.html.
! venue: http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2010/12/2119-university-avenue-berkeley-ca.html.
! venue: http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2011/01/jerry-garcia-and-keystone-shows.html.
! historical: A Sunday night in Berkeley in August 1974, two days after Nixon resigned. Paul Pena opened. The "It's Too Late" and TNTDODD from this gig were released on "9/1/74". Old Kingbee list showed reels dated 8/10/74, 2x 10" Scotch 207 @ 7.5ips to a Revox master. In Kingbee-speak, "4.8, 119min, Sbd, A0D1, Reel M->Dat 1, 44k". I presume that that was a copy of vault reels transcribed by Latvala, but I don't know that. To be officially released, I presume from vault reels, 7/28/2017.
! ad: Oakland Tribune, August 4, 1974, p. 3-RAP.
! JGMF: "The real dates of the 'September 1, 1974' material," http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-real-dates-of-september-1-1974.html.
! mention: Kathie Staska and George Mangrum, "Topnotch Stanford show by Loggins and Messina," Hayward Daily Review, August 9, 1974, p. 40.
! mention: "Happenings for South County Teens," Hayward Daily Review, August 10, 1974, p. 5.
! listing: Hayward Daily Review, August 9, 1974, p. 40;
! listing: "Scaggs, Smothers and Sete, Too," San Francisco Chronicle, August 9, 1974, p. 47.
! mention: "Docker Hill Boys Set Stand at Lion's Share"" [image Merl Saunders caption 'Merle [sic] Saunders With Jerry Garcia'], Independent-Journal [San Rafael, CA], August 9, 1974, p. 20.
! R: Given lineage: "AUDMC (Bob Menke and Louis Falanga's Sony ECM-270 + Sony ECM-250 [onstage, one mic directly in front of Jerry's amp, the other pointed stage center to catch the rest of the band] > Sony TC-152) > DATx1 > CD > EAC > CD > EAC > SHN; via Jack Warner. Extraction and compression via EAC and mkwACT by jupillej@mediaone.net." It's not clear whether both Menke and Falanga were there, nor whether this is the correct gear.
! setlist: Disc/set one and the first three songs of disc/set two derive from a cassette master that was labeled 8/10/74. However, the music is identical to that found on an alternate source of 8/11/74, and the vault research as reported at the Jerry Site would seem to confirm 8/11/74 as the true date. The alternate source (AUDMC [unknown gear] > 1R > 1D > 2CD > EAC > SHN) supplies the last two songs of disc/set two. It is inferior sounding and may need speed-correction.
! R: seeder note: No flaws noted.
! R: A pretty stunning audience recording. Puts you there, for sure.
! R: set II sounds nicer?
! P: s1t02 TWLWMYD messed up start, but settles in.
! s1t02 (1) @ 13:00, Jerry: "Thank you."
! s1t03 La-La, song proper, ends around 15:52, then drops off into some real drippy, creepy space.
! setlist: until ca. mid-2011, s1t04 was known in Garcia/GD circles as "It's No Use". But the title used here appears to be correct, based on research by Eric Levy. See Alex Allan's entry for more information.
! s1t05 (2) JG: "We're gonna take a break for a little while. We'll be back a little bit later. Thank you."
! s2t01 @ 20:15 JG strums Ain't No Woman. @ 20:23 he asks something like "Wanna do that one?" and mentions "Ain't No Woman".
! s2 guess I don't have much more to say about this set. Ain't No Woman is a special setlist rarity, and I like it a lot.
! map: https://goo.gl/maps/LDc43
! JGBP: http://jerrygarciasbrokendownpalaces.blogspot.com/2012/02/keystone-2119-university-avenue.html.
! venue: http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2010/12/2119-university-avenue-berkeley-ca.html.
! venue: http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2011/01/jerry-garcia-and-keystone-shows.html.
! historical: A Sunday night in Berkeley in August 1974, two days after Nixon resigned. Paul Pena opened. The "It's Too Late" and TNTDODD from this gig were released on "9/1/74". Old Kingbee list showed reels dated 8/10/74, 2x 10" Scotch 207 @ 7.5ips to a Revox master. In Kingbee-speak, "4.8, 119min, Sbd, A0D1, Reel M->Dat 1, 44k". I presume that that was a copy of vault reels transcribed by Latvala, but I don't know that. To be officially released, I presume from vault reels, 7/28/2017.
! ad: Oakland Tribune, August 4, 1974, p. 3-RAP.
! JGMF: "The real dates of the 'September 1, 1974' material," http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-real-dates-of-september-1-1974.html.
! mention: Kathie Staska and George Mangrum, "Topnotch Stanford show by Loggins and Messina," Hayward Daily Review, August 9, 1974, p. 40.
! mention: "Happenings for South County Teens," Hayward Daily Review, August 10, 1974, p. 5.
! listing: Hayward Daily Review, August 9, 1974, p. 40;
! listing: "Scaggs, Smothers and Sete, Too," San Francisco Chronicle, August 9, 1974, p. 47.
! mention: "Docker Hill Boys Set Stand at Lion's Share"" [image Merl Saunders caption 'Merle [sic] Saunders With Jerry Garcia'], Independent-Journal [San Rafael, CA], August 9, 1974, p. 20.
! R: Given lineage: "AUDMC (Bob Menke and Louis Falanga's Sony ECM-270 + Sony ECM-250 [onstage, one mic directly in front of Jerry's amp, the other pointed stage center to catch the rest of the band] > Sony TC-152) > DATx1 > CD > EAC > CD > EAC > SHN; via Jack Warner. Extraction and compression via EAC and mkwACT by jupillej@mediaone.net." It's not clear whether both Menke and Falanga were there, nor whether this is the correct gear.
! setlist: Disc/set one and the first three songs of disc/set two derive from a cassette master that was labeled 8/10/74. However, the music is identical to that found on an alternate source of 8/11/74, and the vault research as reported at the Jerry Site would seem to confirm 8/11/74 as the true date. The alternate source (AUDMC [unknown gear] > 1R > 1D > 2CD > EAC > SHN) supplies the last two songs of disc/set two. It is inferior sounding and may need speed-correction.
! R: seeder note: No flaws noted.
! R: A pretty stunning audience recording. Puts you there, for sure.
! R: set II sounds nicer?
! P: s1t02 TWLWMYD messed up start, but settles in.
! s1t02 (1) @ 13:00, Jerry: "Thank you."
! s1t03 La-La, song proper, ends around 15:52, then drops off into some real drippy, creepy space.
! setlist: until ca. mid-2011, s1t04 was known in Garcia/GD circles as "It's No Use". But the title used here appears to be correct, based on research by Eric Levy. See Alex Allan's entry for more information.
! s1t05 (2) JG: "We're gonna take a break for a little while. We'll be back a little bit later. Thank you."
! s2t01 @ 20:15 JG strums Ain't No Woman. @ 20:23 he asks something like "Wanna do that one?" and mentions "Ain't No Woman".
! s2 guess I don't have much more to say about this set. Ain't No Woman is a special setlist rarity, and I like it a lot.
The Group with George Tickner: Keystone, March 7, 1973
LN jg1973-03-07.jgms.s2p-48mins.sbd-alligator.31501.flac1644
Update 4/22/2012: The second guitarist is George Tickner.
Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
Keystone
2119 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA
March 7, 1973 (Wednesday)
--Set II (3 tracks, 48:42, partial set)--
t01. untitled 19730307 [19:59] [0:08] % [0:06]
t02. Merl's Tune [14:18] ->
t03. Georgia On My Mind [13:44] (1) [0:27]
! ACT1: Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-bass;
! lineup: George Tickner - el-g;
! lineup: Bill Vitt - drums;
! lineup: Sarah Fulcher - vocals.
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/19730307-01
! db: shnid 31501 (this source). This is one of the mostly-uncirculated "third batch" of Betty Cantor-Jackson's tapes, which came to light around late 1995. Rob Eaton professionally preserved the tapes, many of which were seemingly-irredeemably water-damaged and filth-encrusted. Thank goodness he did. Tapes like this show us stuff that otherwise would be completely unknown. Eaton supplied DATs of these tapes to Latvala and/or the Garcia vault. It would seem that Lossless Legs user 'alligator', who shared these with the world, was indeed very well-connected.
! Given lineage: "MSR > DAT3x > Delta Dio 2496 > Soundforge > WAV > FLAC1644"; seeded to Lossless Legs by alligator.
! Seeder note: "There are some low volume digital pops that can heard during the quieter parts of the performance. They did not detract from me thoroughly enjoying this show."
! personnel: Garcia, Saunders and Fulcher are easy, and the little bass solo in Georgia On My Mind is almost certainly (p <. 05) by John Kahn. We can assume it's Vitt drumming, I guess. The historcal assumption was that the second guitarist was Tom Fogerty, but it turns out to be George Ticker. GT has better lead guitar chops than Tom, who actually is never known to have played with JGMS in 1973 despite having been billed in the early part of the year.
! setlist: t01 is almost certainly a song with a name. This is the one with Jerry and Sarah singing, duet-style, as if to each other, "ba ba, ba ba, da dah". It's really nice. The vocals start up around 3:20 in.
! P: t02 Tickner makes himself heard at @ 1:02, then plays a hot solo from 1:15-2:35. He is good, and it strikes me unusual for someone other than Jerry or Merl to take the first solo. This guy is tearing it up.
! P: t02 Merl's Tune is in a really nice jam space in the 4-min mark, with Merl moaning, groaning, howling, burning. Very nice. Garcia tries to double-time it around 5:09, Merl swirling around, Jerry's saying at 5:20 that he has an idea and runs with it for a bit. There's a deep, screaming space in the 11-minute mark. Tickner is also then wailing around 11:20 for awhile.
! P: t02 I think this version of Merl's Tune is fantastic.
! P: t03 Garcia is the one who drops them into Georgia On My Mind. Subtle, delicate, beautiful. John Kahn plays a beautiful bass solo in the 10-minute mark of GOMM. Right on, man! Great American Songbook, baby.
! t03 (1) @ 13:55 JG "Well the light is on, as you all know. So ... we have to call a close to the evening's festivities." The crowd calls for more, or one more, and Garcia says "I know they're not gonna dig it" as he appears to call for "How Sweet It Is" with his guitar. I'd bet dollars to donuts they closed the show with HSII.
Update 4/22/2012: The second guitarist is George Tickner.
Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
Keystone
2119 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA
March 7, 1973 (Wednesday)
--Set II (3 tracks, 48:42, partial set)--
t01. untitled 19730307 [19:59] [0:08] % [0:06]
t02. Merl's Tune [14:18] ->
t03. Georgia On My Mind [13:44] (1) [0:27]
! ACT1: Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders
! lineup: Jerry Garcia - el-g, vocals;
! lineup: Merl Saunders - keyboards;
! lineup: John Kahn - el-bass;
! lineup: George Tickner - el-g;
! lineup: Bill Vitt - drums;
! lineup: Sarah Fulcher - vocals.
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/19730307-01
! db: shnid 31501 (this source). This is one of the mostly-uncirculated "third batch" of Betty Cantor-Jackson's tapes, which came to light around late 1995. Rob Eaton professionally preserved the tapes, many of which were seemingly-irredeemably water-damaged and filth-encrusted. Thank goodness he did. Tapes like this show us stuff that otherwise would be completely unknown. Eaton supplied DATs of these tapes to Latvala and/or the Garcia vault. It would seem that Lossless Legs user 'alligator', who shared these with the world, was indeed very well-connected.
! Given lineage: "MSR > DAT3x > Delta Dio 2496 > Soundforge > WAV > FLAC1644"; seeded to Lossless Legs by alligator.
! Seeder note: "There are some low volume digital pops that can heard during the quieter parts of the performance. They did not detract from me thoroughly enjoying this show."
! personnel: Garcia, Saunders and Fulcher are easy, and the little bass solo in Georgia On My Mind is almost certainly (p <. 05) by John Kahn. We can assume it's Vitt drumming, I guess. The historcal assumption was that the second guitarist was Tom Fogerty, but it turns out to be George Ticker. GT has better lead guitar chops than Tom, who actually is never known to have played with JGMS in 1973 despite having been billed in the early part of the year.
! setlist: t01 is almost certainly a song with a name. This is the one with Jerry and Sarah singing, duet-style, as if to each other, "ba ba, ba ba, da dah". It's really nice. The vocals start up around 3:20 in.
! P: t02 Tickner makes himself heard at @ 1:02, then plays a hot solo from 1:15-2:35. He is good, and it strikes me unusual for someone other than Jerry or Merl to take the first solo. This guy is tearing it up.
! P: t02 Merl's Tune is in a really nice jam space in the 4-min mark, with Merl moaning, groaning, howling, burning. Very nice. Garcia tries to double-time it around 5:09, Merl swirling around, Jerry's saying at 5:20 that he has an idea and runs with it for a bit. There's a deep, screaming space in the 11-minute mark. Tickner is also then wailing around 11:20 for awhile.
! P: t02 I think this version of Merl's Tune is fantastic.
! P: t03 Garcia is the one who drops them into Georgia On My Mind. Subtle, delicate, beautiful. John Kahn plays a beautiful bass solo in the 10-minute mark of GOMM. Right on, man! Great American Songbook, baby.
! t03 (1) @ 13:55 JG "Well the light is on, as you all know. So ... we have to call a close to the evening's festivities." The crowd calls for more, or one more, and Garcia says "I know they're not gonna dig it" as he appears to call for "How Sweet It Is" with his guitar. I'd bet dollars to donuts they closed the show with HSII.
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Reading Notes: Tolces, Todd. 1973. Jerry’s Bluegrass Boys. Melody Maker 48 (April 28): 35.
Tolces, Todd. 1973. Jerry’s Bluegrass Boys. Melody Maker 48 (April
28): 35.
A FEW POINTS TO EXTRACT:
First, I believe the interview material and show observations are from March 13, 1973 at the Keystone in Berkeley. He only mentions it as a quartet, so I doubt there was a fiddle player there. Here are setlist bits we get for this date:
Second, we learn from Peter Rowan that the OAITW studio album was already in the can by ca. March 13, 1973. The idea that it was recorded by mid-March just blows my mind. Jackson (1999, p. 241) says OAITW "even cut an album at Mickey Hart's studio, though it was never released. 'We weren't too happy with it,' Grisman said. 'It was kind of rushed. It didn't seem to equal what we were doing live.'" (We then get the "one of the best-selling bluegrass albums of all time" quote about the eventual live OAITW record.) Not much to say except that these two observations (album cut by March, and "kind of rushed") would seem to fit well together. Let me here just reiterate my plea for any and all information/thoughts about the OAITW studio album. Let me also just note how contemporaneous this is with the whole Muleskinner project. Not sure what to make of that, just putting it out there.
Third, they were planning on doing "a few bluegrass festivals", but I have just reconsulted McNally (pp. 548-550, 554), and it looks like they just played the one (6/8/73 Whippoorwill festival in Warrenton, VA), according to him. That's where I am on the issue of OAITW at the summer 1973 bluegrass festivals, too. My question is, why didn't they play more than one, as Pete seems to have expected and as ads imply they were planning to some degree?
Fourth, tiny I know, we learn that Garcia was carrying his banjo around on the GD tour. Maybe we already knew that, but it's fun for me to think on.
Fifth, here their "theme song" is said to be a Monroe tune, "How Mountain Girls Can Love". Maybe this is some inside joke about Garcia's S.O. Mountain Girl (Carolyn Adams). No idea.
Anyway, reading notes after the jump.
A FEW POINTS TO EXTRACT:
First, I believe the interview material and show observations are from March 13, 1973 at the Keystone in Berkeley. He only mentions it as a quartet, so I doubt there was a fiddle player there. Here are setlist bits we get for this date:
- Orange Blossom Special
- Jambalaya
- Panama Red ("halfway through set"; with Chris Rowan and Lorin Rowan on harmony vocals)
- How Mountain Girls Can Love
Second, we learn from Peter Rowan that the OAITW studio album was already in the can by ca. March 13, 1973. The idea that it was recorded by mid-March just blows my mind. Jackson (1999, p. 241) says OAITW "even cut an album at Mickey Hart's studio, though it was never released. 'We weren't too happy with it,' Grisman said. 'It was kind of rushed. It didn't seem to equal what we were doing live.'" (We then get the "one of the best-selling bluegrass albums of all time" quote about the eventual live OAITW record.) Not much to say except that these two observations (album cut by March, and "kind of rushed") would seem to fit well together. Let me here just reiterate my plea for any and all information/thoughts about the OAITW studio album. Let me also just note how contemporaneous this is with the whole Muleskinner project. Not sure what to make of that, just putting it out there.
Third, they were planning on doing "a few bluegrass festivals", but I have just reconsulted McNally (pp. 548-550, 554), and it looks like they just played the one (6/8/73 Whippoorwill festival in Warrenton, VA), according to him. That's where I am on the issue of OAITW at the summer 1973 bluegrass festivals, too. My question is, why didn't they play more than one, as Pete seems to have expected and as ads imply they were planning to some degree?
Fourth, tiny I know, we learn that Garcia was carrying his banjo around on the GD tour. Maybe we already knew that, but it's fun for me to think on.
Fifth, here their "theme song" is said to be a Monroe tune, "How Mountain Girls Can Love". Maybe this is some inside joke about Garcia's S.O. Mountain Girl (Carolyn Adams). No idea.
Anyway, reading notes after the jump.
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Another Mystery Trumpeter: JGMS, August 14, 1974
There's a trumpeter playing on "Roadrunner", the last song of set I of the show previously known as "August 15, 1974, Great American Music Hall", now corrected as 8/14/74. Listen to the first five minutes of the Falanga-Menke tape. Guy (presumably) is pretty good.
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