Please indulge me as I get a little personal as I start my blog post for the 4/8 show...
The original Europe '72 album made me a Dead Head - plain and simple. I remember the day I found my dad's three-record LP like it was yesterday. I took it upstairs to my bedroom, somewhat bewildered by the cover art (Dude, what's with the ice cream cone to the head?), slid the first record out of its sleeve and dropped the needle from my Sansui all-in-one stereo system into the groove - what came out of my speakers would change me on a subconscious level and help shape my life from that moment forward...
The first song on Side A of the first record from the original Europe '72 release is Cumberland Blues. By the time that first track finished playing in my tiny bedroom in Setauket, NY (sometime in the fall of 1985 I believe) I was cooked...done...reborn...a "Head."
That very same Cumberland Blues was plucked from the 4/8 show at Wembley Empire Pool, London, England. I distinctly remember freaking out in my bedroom - dancing up a storm - jumping on and off of my bed (picture the church scene from The Blues Brothers if you need context) - so much so that I was making the needle skip on the record. Forget the fact that I didn't want to scratch my dad's LP, I wanted to be able to hear the entire song without interruption... I had to teach myself how to dance with reckless abandon (i.e. get my freak on) while still allowing the needle to remain in constant contact with the vinyl.
Fast forward to September, 2011 with the release of the Europe '72: The Complete Recordings release. It's Sunday morning and I've got Disc 1 of the 4/8 CD in my stereo system. My 5 year old son and I are grooving to the music, whoopin' and hollerin' while we boogie together in our den. Track 7, Cumberland Blues kicks on and he starts flailing around the room like a boy possessed. So much so that the CD starts to skip!
I quickly turned down the music and explained to my son that he had to learn how to dance in such a way that he could enjoy the fullness of his freak-out, while still letting the CD play without skipping. Then it hit me, like a ton of bricks. My world had come full circle - the proverbial snake eating its own tail. I must admit that my eyes teared-up later that evening, reliving the moment when I taught my son how to do what I had taught myself 26 years prior. A new head had been born and an old head had been reborn.
This music truly transcends time, generations and dimensions. Simply stated - there is nothing like The Grateful Dead - and there has never been anything quite like this box set.
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And now for some "hard hitting analysis" of 4/8/72...
In all honesty, the show starts out with some solid but forgettable renditions of some classic tunes (Bertha, Me & My Uncle, Mr. Charlie, Deal, Black Throated Wind, and Next Time You See Me). As I discussed in my 4/7 blog, the acoustics of the Wembley Arena (pool) were brutal and it's clear that the band was struggling to find its footing during this opening song sequence. I also think that the adrenaline from night one of a 22-show tour had worn off and the boys were feeling a bit jet-lagged.
And then, as if someone had flipped a switch back stage, the band is shot out of a canon with a signature version of Cumberland Blues - truly one for the ages. Perhaps the best ever. Check out the way Jerry brings the jam section home with his melodic lead-in just before the "A lot of poor men got the Cumberland Blues" verse. I still get chills just thinking about it.
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The Tennessee Jed is solid (as is the case throughout this entire tour). In particular, check out the pinched-harmonics during Jerry's solo at the 5:15 mark.
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Playin' In The Band
Kudos again to Wiz and the crew who recorded these shows, as well as Jeffrey Norman and everyone responsible for remixing and mastering the music for release. The mix, soundstage, presence and separation are insane! You can hear the individual instruments and voices so clearly - Pigpen's scratch percussion in Playin' is as clear as Jerry's guitar.
Jerry's intro into the Playin' jam section is my favorite of the tour...the old, timeless, sustaining wail of a banshee - tasteful and haunting.
Check out the arpeggio interplay between Keith and Jerry in the 8th minute.
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Good Lovin'
Some of my friends have been complaining that listening to the Good Lovin's from this tour is analogous to suffering through that story that your grandfather has told you a million times. But he's old and he's dying and you have to pay him the respect and let him tell his story again, even though you don't want to hear it. To a certain extent I don't blame them for this opinion...but at the same time the 4/8 Good Lovin' has some really tasty jams in it...
Take for example the 5:00 mark where Bobby offers up his counter-lead riff from the China > Rider transition section; with Keith and Jerry trading off rhythmic figures.
It's pretty cool...take what you can get. AND, it's Pigpen's last tour, so I don't want to hear you complaining. Shut up and listen. And definitely don't let me catch you skipping ahead on your CD player (yes, I'm talking to you Mike!)
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Looks Like Rain
I must admit that I've never been a huge fan of this song - excepting for those heart-wrenching breaks up when I was 15, this song has had little meaning for me. I must say, the few times it popped up on this tour with Jerry on pedal steel have really brought me around. Beyond the novelty of the pedal steel - the interplay of the piano, B-3 organ and the pedal steel is very alluring. The pedal steel acts like a second organ, blending with the other keyboard instruments melodically, chordally and tonally. Check out Jerry's inter-verse counter-melodies.
On a side note, the casual observer may not be able to appreciate just how difficult it is to play the pedal steel - and how different it is from playing the guitar. The fact that Jerry was masterful at both is quite impressive.
Also, take note of Phil high harmonies. If you hear him sing these days with Further (give him a break - he's 71) you might not think he has a clue. In 1972, he had a fantastic voice and this rendition of Looks Like Rain is a testament to his abilities.
By the way...when's the last time you heard a band stretch out for an 11-minute mind-bending psychedelic fest and the slip effortlessly into a lilting country love song?
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The almost obligatory Casey Jones closes the first set. Much to my dismay, Bobby’s secondary guitar lead in this song is often overlooked. The clarity and separation of the recordings in this release highlights how strong Bobby was in a supporting role to jerry’s solos.
Also worthy of note, Keith’s rhythmic compliment in songs like Casey Jones and straight rock songs like One More Saturday Night can’t be overstated. His playing is simply fantastic.
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As set break commences an announcement from the stage references the free programs scattered on the seats throughout the arena. The Book Of The Dead - a reproduction of which is included in the limited edition box set. A sweet, bonus treat for those of us fortunate enough to score one of the 7200 steamer trunks.
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Truckin'
On the whole, the Truckin' jams on this tour are fantastic – 4/8 is no exception. The way they’re able to maintain an almost climactic energy for several minutes is remarkable.
There is some really cool rhythmic interplay around the 10:30 mark...dig it.
The 4/8 Truckin' represents yet another very cool thing about this tour - the presence of the stand-alone Truckin' - as a complete entity. Much like Playin' – you get the song, the jam and the reprise all in one complete package. Although The Dead use it as a transitional piece here and there during the spring of 1972, in the first half of the tour there are a handful examples of stand-alone Truckin's that are simply phenomenal.
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Big Railroad Blues experienced its peak in 1971. I hesitate to write it but by the spring of 1972 it’s pretty much stuffing in the pillow...a throw away tune. There are tasty moments (cool Jerry licks and solid drumming from Billy) but for the most part…eh
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Disc 2 has some excellent moments but on the whole...I give it a solid B. Now, Disc 3 is a totally different matter all together. Hold onto your butts - this ride's about to get bumpy!
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Dark Star (32:09 of beautifully scary perfection)
Check out the 6:00 minute mark and beyond - Jerry introduces a 5/4 "Morse code" figure and turns over the entire jam…Billy grabs hold of the idea and BOOM we’re cruisin’ – and hard! The jam continues with Phil referencing the 5/4 Morse code figure well into the 10th minute - the main Dark Star theme returns just before the start of minute 11:00.
The jam that evolves in minutes 17:00-19:00 comes out of nowhere. Classic Grateful Dead – someone develops an idea...someone else grabs that idea...transmogrifies that idea...pushes it forward...hands it back and now we’re approaching minute 20:00 and we’re in full-on chaos!
Check out bobby’s chord-melodies in the 23 and 24th minutes – hints of Sage and Spirit percolate throughout this section. Bobby's overall chord representations are timeless – vintage Bob Weir. His chord forms, rhythms and movements are recognizable throughout his tenure with the band. I'm confident you will hear fragments thereof if you go and see Furthur play today.
The 28:00 minute mark is spectacular for its demonstration of thematic improvisation within the Grateful Dead's paradigm. Jerry introduces a very simple, melodic major groove, the band latches hold and develops it into a complete musical movement unto itself. This A-major groove is where Sugar Magnolia is born…
The closing minutes of Dark Star are sprinkled with hints and flavors of the Mind Left Body jam, accented by Bobby’s chromatic walk-down to a solidly grounded A-major chord. Essentially, the band is firmly rooted in Sugar Magnolia 3 minutes before the song actually starts. I find it incredible how they managed to turn over the groove from a full-on arhythmical melt-down into a country-swing-psychedelic jam – the essence of the Grateful Dead personified within a 4:00 span.
31:30 - Jerry introduces a little of the pedal steel from Looks Like Rain, as they refrain the Dark Star theme into Sugar Magnolia. Sweet!
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The Sugar Magnolia is solid and by all means rocking. I love how Phil grabs the end of the Sunshine Daydream section by the throat and tells his band mates...Yeah. Here’s my walking bass line. Take this Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) and shove it up your ass!
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Bear with me here...
The second set of 4/8/72 is a primer on transportation and its relationship to the Grateful Dead lore, mythology and libretto writ large. Not withstanding the train song Casey Jones that closes set 1 - the second set opens up with us (the passengers) in a truck, which then turns into a big railroad, chugging along down the line. After being slowed down through the pedestrian Hurts Me Too, we are immediately launched headfirst into a vortex - hurled across space, time and inter-dimensional areas in the cosmic, hypersonic, warp-drive-enabled spaceship that is Dark Star...
Our Dark Star galactic transport reenters Earth's atmosphere, slowing to a supersonic-then subsonic airplane, eventually morphing into the multicolored, rainbow-bus of Sugar Magnolia. The bus came by and I got on the out-of-control freight train of Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)...hurtling down the mountain, struggling to maintain its tentative grip with the rails. Our second set encores with One More Saturday Night, which I've always imagined as a big block, V8 Pontiac GTO convertible screaming down the highway with the stereo blaring at full blast.
To take my transportation analogy one step further, the Grateful Dead show from 4/8/72 also has the subterranean Cumberland Blues, as well as the road songs Black Throated Wind and Beat It On Down The Line. Trains, trucks, men digging holes in the ground and walking the highway – real life incarnate. Throw in some mind-bending, time-travelling spaceships and you've got yourself one hell of a concert event my friend.
Thank you for reading. Stay cool, stay focused and by all means stay tuned...I'll see you in Newcastle!
© Aaron Miller – 2011
