The Grateful Dead, KQED Studios, 1970-08-30

I'm a big fan of The Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia. Had I been born 20 years earlier (or 40 years earlier for that matter), I probably would have been one of the roving mass of deadheads, following the band on its long, strang trip through time and space. Fewer shows than Bill Walton, probably, but maybe as many as Al Franken--or Anne Coulter.

However the amount of archival material available makes it possible for 'heads of any generation to enjoy the best of the Dead's music. The scene, for good and bad, exists only in fading memories. But much of the best music sounds just as fresh and exciting today as it did in 1969, 1974, or 1990 (my favorite vintages) or any of the years in between.

Almost all of the Dead recordings I have don't fit into the parameters of this blog, but I do have a couple of tasty selections. Part one is a studio gig from 1970 to promote the Dead's new studio album Workingman's Dead. The record remains, to my mind, the Dead's best studio effort and a uniquely powerful, dark, and eloquent statement.

For what it's worth (not much), Rolling Stone gave it #262 on it's 500 greatest albums list. Interesting after the Rolling Stone readers voted it the best album of 1970 over Van Morrison's Moondance (ranked #65 on the top 500). Workingman's Dead was a conscious departure from the more exploratory and ecstatic material of their earlier albums. Nothing wrong with Aoxomoxoa and Anthem of the Sun, but Workingman's Dead is a document of mature songwriting and polished studio skills, especially the vocal harmonizing the boys learned from David Crosby. It shows us the dark side of the sunny, acid-drenched American experience typically associated with (but let's look at their name) the Dead. Filled with women in red dresses, murder, pimps, hard labor, fear of death and fear of life, this is a hell of a dark album. But the tracks are performed and arranged beautifully. A great album for a rainy day.

Most of the songs on Workingman's Dead remained in the live repertoire for years. Some, like Uncle John's Band, Dire Wolf and Casey Jones became absolute staples. But I think all of them really stand alone as studio tracks, rare in my experience with the Dead. Check out the link below to download Workingman's Dead. Or buy yourself the sparkling remaster with 8 bonus tracks on an old fashioned CD.

Recorded in KQED's San Francisco studio on August 30, 1970 for a TV program called Calebrations (heady puns abound), we get five tracks from the album: starting with one of my favorite Pigpen tunes, Easy Wind. Pig still has his pipes here and steady drives us through this syncopated romp. This short set shows the transitional state some of the songs, especially Candyman, which is more fast-paced and folk-y on the album. I think the slower tempo really cuts deep with the lyrics of womanizing and murderous revenge. Then a straightforward Casey Jones, not yet the barn-burning encore staple of later years.

We close out with a Brokedown Palace, truly one of the finest songs the Garcia/Hunter duo cooked up. Amazingly, the lyrics to Brokedown Palace, Ripple, and To Lay Me Down were all written in one especially fruitful day by Hunter in London over a half-bottle of wine. The Brokedown Palace drops nicely in Uncle John's Band, which is the opening track on the album. You know it's new material because they actually remember the words. Beleive me, it proved to be an issue in future live performances. I'm not too happy about the audio quality on this mini-set, to be honest. The Brokedown Palace especially is a little static-y, and sounds like the audio was ripped from an old VHS source. But the instrumental channels and, especially, the vocal channels are nice and clear.

Footage from the TV broadcast still exists, and the Easy Wind and Candyman have been posted on YouTube. Links provided for your enjoyment. Some really cheesy psychedelic stuff, truly a period document and rare footage of the band in their younger days. Good camera angles actually, but pretty poor video quality. Worth 15 minutes, anyway. Good energy helped by an excited studio audience.

Filling out this week's package, even though it doesn't quite fit the criteria, is my favorite long-format version of Dark Star, from San Fran's Family Dog Ballroom November 2, 1969. This sprawling version has it all, a powerful intro to the first verse, sparkling, patient exploratory jams, great swirling percussion "space" and a smooth vamp of a second jam that puts a big smile on my face. All of what I'm looking for in a big stand-alone Dark Star. Even though it's the end of the tape, it's 30 minutes of all killer with no "filler."

Enjoy.

Download The Grateful Dead live at KQED Studios 1970-8-30 + 11/2/69 Dark Star

Watch "Easy Wind"

Watch "Candyman"

Download Workingman's Dead

Purchase Workingman's Dead CD

Jerry is gone but never forgotten. Phil and Bobby are keeping the dream alive with their respective solo outfits, both are touring this summer.

Go on Phil Lesh and Friends Tour

Go on Ratdog Tour

Steely Dan at the Record Plant, LA 03-20-74

I’ve always thought Steely Dan was a pretty boss outfit with an amazing song catalog. So I’m only a little surprised at how smokin’ this in-studio performance from March 20, 1974 is. Before they set out on their legendary Spring/Summer ’74 tour in support of the Pretzel Logic album, Steely Dan stopped by at the Record Plant in LA to record this brief set. Bootlegs from numerous stops on the Pretzel Logic tour are very similar, but the Pre-FM sound quality here is exceptional.

The core of Steely Dan is keyboardist/songwriter Donald Fagan and guitarist/bassist/songwriter Walter Becker. For this tour they filled it out with two guitarists, Danny Dias and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, drummer Jim Hodder, percussionist/vocalist Royce Jones and keyboardist/vocalist Michael McDonald. It’s a hot lineup, and seems especially dialed-in for this performance. (Near the end you can hear someone in the band say “doin’ great guys, let’s keep it up.”)

The two-guitar sound didn’t originate with Steely Dan, but the 80s bands that really pushed it as a sound clearly are echoing the open interval duets and trade-off shredfests of Davis and Baxter. However, good things often don’t last long. This was the last touring lineup for the band for over 20 years. Basically, Fagan didn’t want to be a “greatest hits” band and he didn’t think the audience was up for the more intellectually challenging jazz-fusion tunes he wanted to play. File this lineup under good while it lasted.

To get the blood flowing, the band launches into a speedy and intricate Bodhisattva. Great guitar work and some tight drumming on this live standard. Next up is a great performance of the lesser known “Boston Rag.” A rousing performance, especially as the slow mid-section blues breakdown with great guitar distortion melds in to a final chorus urging “Bring back the Boston rag.” I wish somebody would. This song’s hot. The familiar “Do It Again” gets the speed treatment, but is still rock solid. Priceless hook obviously.

One of my favorite tracks here is “Any Major Dude will Tell You” from the Pretzel Logic album. The bittersweet delivery of Royce Jones is perfect for the lyrics, basically a cheer-up job that isn’t quite convincing. (Any major dude with half a heart surely will tell you my friend/ any minor world that breaks apart falls together again). Great rhythmic contrast. This one always puts a smile on my face. King of the World features great synth work, I believe from McDonald, and awesome guitar crunch and wah-wah effects.

Some of the coolest stuff in the set comes next, with an excellent rendition of the tune “Pretzel Logic.” Great piano-driven jams and a neat McDonald vocal bust out in the “where did you get those shoes” chorus. The instrumental “My Gold Teeth (II)” Jam indicates somewhat the direction that Fagan thought the band was heading in. Interesting stuff. We close out with a solid rendition of the standard “Reelin’ in the Years” followed by “This All Too Mobile Home” with more great dueling guitar work.

Top to bottom, this set is phenomenal. I’d love to have a “My Old School,” but the track selection is solid, the performance is on point and enthusiastic, and the sound quality is superb. Enjoy!

Download Steely Dan Live at the Record Plant, LA 3-20-74

Purchase Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic

Steely Dan is touring, check dates near you

Next Week: Grateful Dead/Jerry Garcia Band compilation