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Thread: Jerry Garcia Revisited

  1. #1
    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Jerry Garcia Revisited

    For some unknown reason I put the Grateful Dead station in my favorites on Sirius - maybe I'm just trying to drown out the politics - and have spent a fair amount of time listening to the Dead and even better, the Jerry Garcia Band.

    Yes, the Dead have some terrible sounding shows, but remember that drugs and 70's era strobe tuners didn't play well together.

    What did come through especially with the JGB stuff, is that when he was focused Jerry was jut a monster, monster player. I grew up playing blues and rock so if there wasn't a lot of string bending and double stops going on I didn't take stuff seriously. Time and experience however, with perhaps some musical maturity; has put me in a place where I appreciate more things musical.

    And with that new framework I have to admit - Jerry was just a super guitar player. His versions of "After Midnight" and "Tangled Up In Blue" for example, show how good he could play. And he could take a 5 minute solo and keep the listener - almost 50 years later - engaged.

    I guess what I'm saying is if you can put the aura of the Dead off to the side and go find some Jerry Garcia Band recordings, and you like guitar music, it's well worth the time.


    Chuck
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    He definitely had a different talent.

    Most went one way and he went another for sure.

    Super enjoyable stuff.

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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    The JGB's version of Simple Twist of Fate is one for the ages. I like it better than Dylan's own

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    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    You guys got me to rush to Spotify.

    I'm listening to the album Cats Under the Stars. I don't know a lot about The Dead, so I don't know whether folks find this album a good one or a commercial sell-out. It sounds very LA to me, but I'm really enjoying it. Nothing wrong with LA.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

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    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    Truly a matter of taste.

    I never liked any of Garcia's solo work. Yes, it's pleasant in the ears and his soloing is what it is, great in every aspect, but the music he made outside the Dead just doesn't have "it" for me.

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    Forum Member DanTheBluesMan's Avatar
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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    I've enjoyed Jerry's work outside of the Dead. I may have seen him as often as I did the Dead. There are a number of bands whose specialty is covering JGB. One of them is playing next Friday night at my favorite Seacoast venue and I'm trying to get some people interested in a table. There's still a few left.
    "Live and learn and flip the burns"

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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    Jerry is/was one of my favorite players. I think he was a true music lover. not only did he play Bluegrass with David Grisman (and Jazz too)
    he even managed to do Irving Berlin in "dixieland" style. Check out "Russian Lullaby" from his solo "compliments" album.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VM2OgA5BlA

    My favorite versions of "After Midnight" and "Roadrunner" were done by him and Merl Saunders.

    When I lived in the DC area from 1969 to 1976 I saw a lot of great music there. Grateful Dead, New Riders free at American University. Roy Buchanan, The original Seldom Scene played weekly at the Red Fox Inn in Bethesda. Afterwards, an early breakfast at the Tastee Diner about a half block away. One time, Emmy Lou Harris was in the booth next to ours.

    Not really sure what my point is, but in some ways that time was magical. Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers and Wet Willie at RFK stadium. (albeit chemically induced)

    The dead could be awful, but they could be great too, you just never knew how it would turn out.

    There was even "folk" music. This record was recorded in my living room back then:



    I played no part in it. It was done during the day when I was off to work as a motorcycle mechanic.

    Now I've fallen in to reminiscing. Apologies. Potomac, Md. has changed a lot since then.

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    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    Quote Originally Posted by vinyl View Post

    The dead could be awful, but they could be great too, you just never knew how it would turn out.


    They are one of the bands with the bigger bulk of recorded shows throughout an entire career and sure there were less than great performances, but I think most all bands are like that. Led Zeppelin. Clapton. The Rolling Stones. Bob Dylan. I dare to say that the band that doesn't have bad stuff recorded is a band that didn't really record much and picked too much what they did.

    I am a Dead fan and though I agree that many gigs were lousy, I feel compelled to say that even those made me like them... That's how live jams work.
    Last edited by S. Cane; 09-18-2020 at 12:03 PM.

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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    Quote Originally Posted by vinyl View Post
    Now I've fallen in to reminiscing. Apologies. Potomac, Md. has changed a lot since then.
    Do you still live in Potomac? I lived in and around the area for quite a while (between trips overseas). Graduated from U of Md. I now live in VA, near Leesburg.
    Striving to be ordinary

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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    OS,

    No, I moved from there in 1976 to Atlanta, where I have lived since then to this day.

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    Forum Member JDUB's Avatar
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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    Jerry was a hoot. I was lucky enough to be in the right place and time to see him countless times by accident and design. From bluegrass to acid rock, Jerry had an astounding feel for music. He and Frank Zappa were major influences in my early development as a player.

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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    Quote Originally Posted by Sérgio View Post
    They are one of the bands with the bigger bulk of recorded shows throughout an entire career and sure there were less than great performances, but I think most all bands are like that. Led Zeppelin. Clapton. The Rolling Stones. Bob Dylan. I dare to say that the band that doesn't have bad stuff recorded is a band that didn't really record much and picked too much what they did.

    I am a Dead fan and though I agree that many gigs were lousy, I feel compelled to say that even those made me like them... That's how live jams work.
    Quote Originally Posted by Sérgio View Post
    They are one of the bands with the bigger bulk of recorded shows throughout an entire career and sure there were less than great performances, but I think most all bands are like that. Led Zeppelin. Clapton. The Rolling Stones. Bob Dylan. I dare to say that the band that doesn't have bad stuff recorded is a band that didn't really record much and picked too much what they did.

    I am a Dead fan and though I agree that many gigs were lousy, I feel compelled to say that even those made me like them... That's how live jams work.
    Sergio, I think I've given you the wrong impression. The reason they are one of the bands with the bigger bulk of recorded shows is because they didn't give a rat's ass who recorded them, in fact they encouraged their fans to do it.

    I think that is admirable.

    So, I think we are the sum of our experiences. I went to Baltimore to see a Dead concert, and for the most part it wasn't great, but they did the most amazing version of "Scarlet Begonias" that I've ever heard.

    Sorry if I offended you, I'm just trying to recognize Jerry for his playing regardless of if he did it with the "Dead" or not.

    I don't think a player should only be recognized for work he or she did with certain other players.

    I think he was a great player, much like many others, like Keef, or Mark Knopfler.

    How old were you in 1976? 1969?

    There are many players that I admire because I lived during that time.

    The heritage of music spans decades, even generations. Should I ignore Woody Guthrie, Peter Paul and Mary or Jerry because he didn't do it with the "Dead"?

    How about Billie Holiday?

    I'm sorry, but I disagree that Jerry's only valid work was with the "dead".

  13. #13
    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    Quote Originally Posted by vinyl View Post
    Sergio, I think I've given you the wrong impression. The reason they are one of the bands with the bigger bulk of recorded shows is because they didn't give a rat's ass who recorded them, in fact they encouraged their fans to do it.

    I think that is admirable.

    So, I think we are the sum of our experiences. I went to Baltimore to see a Dead concert, and for the most part it wasn't great, but they did the most amazing version of "Scarlet Begonias" that I've ever heard.

    Sorry if I offended you, I'm just trying to recognize Jerry for his playing regardless of if he did it with the "Dead" or not.

    I don't think a player should only be recognized for work he or she did with certain other players.

    I think he was a great player, much like many others, like Keef, or Mark Knopfler.

    How old were you in 1976? 1969?

    There are many players that I admire because I lived during that time.

    The heritage of music spans decades, even generations. Should I ignore Woody Guthrie, Peter Paul and Mary or Jerry because he didn't do it with the "Dead"?

    How about Billie Holiday?

    I'm sorry, but I disagree that Jerry's only valid work was with the "dead".


    I never said that Jerry's only valid work was with the Dead! Quite the opposite, I like ALL of his work. I only happen to prefer the Dead material, which is pretty much a manter of personal taste.

    You didn't offend me in any way, you just misunderstood my point up there

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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    Quote Originally Posted by Sérgio View Post
    Truly a matter of taste.

    I never liked any of Garcia's solo work. Yes, it's pleasant in the ears and his soloing is what it is, great in every aspect, but the music he made outside the Dead just doesn't have "it" for me.
    It should be mentioned that many of the songs that were released on Jerry's solo efforts made it into regular rotation at Dead shows. Six out of ten tracks on Garcia, for instance:
    Deal
    Birdsong
    Sugaree
    Loser
    To Lay Me Down
    The Wheel
    These tunes were expanded & refined by the band to the point where they are all considered "Dead tunes". And that's just the tip of the iceberg

  15. #15
    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Jerry Garcia Revisited

    Quote Originally Posted by Cogs View Post
    It should be mentioned that many of the songs that were released on Jerry's solo efforts made it into regular rotation at Dead shows. Six out of ten tracks on Garcia, for instance:
    Deal
    Birdsong
    Sugaree
    Loser
    To Lay Me Down
    The Wheel
    These tunes were expanded & refined by the band to the point where they are all considered "Dead tunes". And that's just the tip of the iceberg

    Of course, Jerry was always the soul of the Dead. Which doesn't mean that the Dead sound was only about Jerry...

    Anyway, like I said: I never liked Jerry's albums as much as I liked the Dead albums and live recordings. But it doesn't mean I'm saying that solo Jerry is "bad" in any way.

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