The jam on this Sugar Mag is nice and cohesive, you can hear the hints of what would later become the big Phil-bomb/Bobby-power-chord/Jerry-fanning ending.
The slow-burn groove isn't too slow, the solos are interesting and Garcia gets into a bit of a growly roar with the vocals by the end (and the vocal interplay with Donna is nicely done) but without getting ridiculous and grating like you'll hear in a few versions. This Iko is a good one for the era, maybe my favorite. The short post-drums section maintains the energy of rest of the show and doesn't hit the overblown, out of control level that some do.
That being said, fourteen and a half minutes is a pretty long fucking time for drums (the last four minutes plus of the "Drumz" track is actually guitar Space, with Garcia getting his MuTron freak on). Certainly the drummers and the band in general were never as engaged as they were for this run, and the incredible tape really captures the fun they were having. Much has been said about the Drums segments on this tour. Eyes is blazing and fast, it's a fine example of a style I don't really like. We're right in the middle of the golden era of Estimated Prophet, with a nice peak on the main/first solo/jam and a lovely extended outro jam with Garcia going on a long, twisted tone quest. Ship of Fools is one of those versions played with great energy and intent and wasn't a throwaway tune at all on this night. The Samson is cut, as noted in the source info, and hopefully will at some point be patched from the Miller fileset. Fans of that song will want to check this one out for sure. The Peggy-O is remarkable even among the barrage of standout versions of the mid-'77 to mid-'78 era with a uniquely sharp peak to the solo. Early '78 Scarlet Fires are justly famous whether you think this is among the very best or is merely "average great" is up to you, but it sure ain't bad. The first set blazes from the moment they remember what key Jack Straw is played in right through to the last note of Fire. If you like it you will love this show, which keeps up the momentum through drums without going off the rails into sloppiness as many '78s do. There might be other tapes this good, but there are none better.Īs for the show, it depends on how you like the supercharged '78 style. A clear improvement on the already superb C.
excellent recording and neat story about how it was recovered.įive star recording, one of the finest on the Archive quite easily. Just my two cents also this was recorded by another great sister in Grateful Dead land. Sometimes for extended periods of the show.Īnyway Donna Jean should have got an invite to the 95 reunionĪnd I will say it again she deserves to be in the Country Music Hall of Fame. The back-up singer is going to be looking at much down time. With Garcia, that is the jazz foundation of the Grateful Dead.Īlso imagine being the back-up singer for The Grateful Dead.īy their very nature with open ended jams It is kinda a no brainer that it is his instrumental give and take Hey is that Donna or Brent singing backing vocals?Īlso I feel like Donna's singing freed up Phil to concentrate on the bass.Īs much as I like Phil in the mix vocally. Yes, he could sing and as I have said before He mainly was the keys man taking over for Keith. Singing on just about everything in the repertoire.ĭonna gave both Jerry & Bob the opportunity to sing their tunes with a female singer in the mix.īrent singing on Lazy Lightning NOT the same. That she came on and off stage in between the PITB jam She is basically doing a modified duet with Garcia.Īnyway, I want to say that the strides that Donna Jean made during her time with the band is mindblowing. Perhaps nowhere greater than on the Aiko. The sister's influence is all over this show.
If you take Donna Jean's singing on this night she is such a bigger factor in the band then she was when she joined six years earlier and I love that entire area around the Monongahela Not that I wasn't the guy dancing thru the entire Drumz anyway.Ī show like this would be legendary to a community like Huntington.
Only downside is 15 minutes of drums probably cut into the post I think I gave it a 4 last time I reviewed it but it has grown on me. Observations about the 1st set jams they are tight but in no way winded (Cassidy 6 minutes and twenty two seconds)īoth Scarlet & Fire are right around 10 minutes but cover a lot of ground.