14: 1968-08-21

13:45

Intro cut. Main theme at 1:13, and again at 2:40. First verse at 3:03. Verse melody at 6:55. Second verse at 12:19. Goes into St. Stephen.


Garcia with some of his most horn-like lines, and he has become very adept at changing voices so that sometimes it’s almost as if another soloist comes in. (Garcia on John Coltrane: "I've been impressed with that thing of flow, and of making statements that to my ears sound like paragraphs - he'll play along stylistically with a certain kind of tone...for X amount of time - then he'll change the subject, then play along with this other personality coming out, which really impresses me. It's like...his attitude's changing, but it changes in a holistic way, where the tone of his axe and everything changes.").

Phil’s counterpoint seems to be becoming freer and more elaborate now, where he and Garcia wind around each other like two soloists, and the bass now claims more of the listener’s ear than ever before—note how much range Lesh covers, for instance, between 8:55 and 9:16!—such that the contrast with the ROR becomes more stark and jarring in this context, where it seems like the latter is justly heading for obsolescence (or at least the reduced role it will play during TC’s tenure). Weir on the other hand plays it pretty close to the vest, which is probably wise given what else is happening; the freedom he (and, eventually, the keys) will soon come to share is not easily arrived at in a context like this!

The song has become more stately, less jittery, and it has opened up into a venue for freer and more varied playing, particularly for Garcia and Lesh. It seems right on the cusp of something like the Dream Bowl in early 1969, but it stays around this level for a while; as for length, there are several 9-11 minute versions in our future. So it's probably more accurate to think that it has reached a new plateau, rather than begun a linear progression to the kind of thing that will happen in 1969. But that's getting ahead of myself a bit, and my view on this may change, or become more nuanced, as I revisit the rest of 1968 with you.



What was said: 

8/21/68 is going to be released on a limited-edition LP soon, so there will be a fresh new mix of this Dark Star with the complete intro.

Phil and Jerry have gotten a lot looser in Dark Star....the structure has opened up to give them an excuse to wander around for a while without sticking to any theme. In this particular version Jerry doesn't make much of the old familiar themes -- even when he touches on the 'bright star' at 10:25, it's just a hint, soon passed up for new pastures. (A little later after 11:00 he and Weir do an interesting little synchronized riff which seems like it might have been planned, but it doesn't come to much.) But one result, for now, of the song opening up and stretching out is that there's no longer much sense of structure. Jerry just solos for a while and eventually stops, there isn't the feeling of a buildup before the second verse....this Dark Star just kind of pleasantly flows along without any dynamic peaks. Like the last version, I get a very subdued impression, it doesn't really hold my attention.
As for the other players, Phil's widened his range considerably, he no longer holds down the basic pattern as much but goes off chasing Jerry. Weir acquits himself well. Mickey goes wild on that gong during the verses. Pigpen, well, still does exactly what he did in the first Dark Stars....but since the other guys' playing has changed, he sticks out more. Instead of being one element in a rhythmic unity, he sounds like he's holding them back. It would help if he were quieter! And oh yeah, second verse: "Mirror crashes." Jerry's vocal warble in the verses is just about gone by now.


I hear what you guys are pointing out with regards to Phil; that’s cool. I’ve always liked the ROR - done judiciously it adds to the majesty but it does start to seem a bit limiting. I guess it’s not coincidental that there were concerns about Pigpen’s chops around this time. But even still the ROR is a part of the fabric of Dark Star so I like when it’s there to an appropriate degree (and as noted its prominence in the mix on this particular version isn’t helping). It’s a very minor thing, but I like how Mickey does a little tapping “intro” on the guiro starting at 3:43 before shifting to rhythmic scratching.

Tempo and mood stay mostly the same throughout these interesting 13 minutes. Jerry's in a bluesy mood and Phil gets really adventurous after the first verse. The rest of the band is still pretty much playing it safe, although percussion gets a bit more interesting towards verse 2 at the end. Harmonies in verse 2 are way off, but the way it gets very quiet for the transition to St. Stephen is very beautiful.


The riff is fairly cool, made me curious if it was something Jerry and Bob worked on like the "China Cat" riff or if Bob was able to pick up on Jerry's idea spontaneously.