61. 1969-04-27

Dick 26 Minneapolis 25:46

Main theme at 3:23.
Bright Star at 4:32.
Main theme at 7:53.
First verse at 9:15.
Sputnik at 15:33.
Bright Star at 21:13.
Main theme at 24:05.
Second verse at 24:55.
Goes into St. Stephen.


This sounds a little busy at the outset, with Garcia playing leads almost immediately, during the part where TC has the ROR going, as Lesh plays very melodically. They seem to realize this, and take steps to adjust a little (although it is by no means an unpleasant beginning); from around :43, everyone has pulled up, and all four non-drummers start playing sustained notes, and then at :53 things pull back together with a little more of a measured feel. Garcia lays back for a few seconds here, and then reëmerges at :56 with a rather horn-like line.


Garcia lays down his horn at 1:17, and he comes back a couple of seconds later with the verse melody, altered a bit so no one is tempted to crash into the E minor. The band seems to be casting about a little bit (not in the sense that they are lost, I should add, since that happens sometimes, too!). At 2:07 Lesh starts a descending two-note figure, and Garcia adds an ascending counterpoint that starts to gesture toward the main theme. Things come to a halt at about 2:37, and Garcia returns with strong hints of the main theme that are taken up by Lesh, who will not be caught flat-footed.


As Weir joins Lesh and begins bouncing on the familiar two chords, Garcia at 2:50 starts to spin out some piercing A mixolydian melodies that repeatedly descend to an E. These obliquely invoke Bright Star, but one feels as though an imminent big A hit will take us to the main theme. Sure enough, Jerry goes into a big wind-up, taking us up to a suitably dramatic A at the 17th fret at 3:17; again, however, this one trickles back down to E, this time alluding to the verse melody. Then Garcia slyly omits the initial A as he begins the main theme. He then plays it a few times with the A tagged on the end, rather than at the head of the figure. This allows him to pull it out of shape a little more each time through, by degrees, until he’s not recognizably playing the main theme anymore, and neither is the band.


Here we can see how the fundamental musical figures underpinning Dark Star are now as likely to appear not as foundational structures, or even as simple way stations, but rather as objects of innuendo. Maybe it is a bit less fanciful to say that these figures (the main theme, Bright Star, the verse melody, and the two-chord pattern A, Em/G) serve as building materials that are continually shaped and reshaped, keeping just enough of their texture to be recognizable within the new structures that are formed from them (although the metaphor of construction I am using is perhaps a bit too inert for its purpose here).


This turns into a jam that sounds rather bluesy, as Weir and Lesh emphasize E while Garcia plays some licks from E Dorian, hanging around the middle and lower range, until beginning at 4:28 he climbs and erupts into Bright Star (although with a swung cadence that perhaps makes this a borderline case). At 4:44, Bright Star culminates in a repeated peel-off on E D C# that, in replacing Falling Star, evokes a feeling of hanging rather than one of falling. Following this, Garcia keeps coming back to E with a secondary emphasis on G, building suspense. At 5:05, he ascends to the stratosphere, but gently; there are brief allusions to Falling Star, most markedly at 5:14, and then he starts fluttering down. When he touches down at 5:30, it is again on an E…after a breath, he at last reaches A at 5:33, which arrives in the guise of the bell toll missing from the post-verse section of the last Dark Star (04-23)!


Lesh also begins to heavily emphasize A (the tonic), but Weir seems to be playing A minor, making for a dark interlude rather than a push for the theme, at least for now. At 6:23 Garcia seems to want to slide in the theme, but they seem unsure how to get out of this minor bag; Lesh is all over the place, and in the 6:30s he starts emphasizing F# and pushing everyone into what I think is a jam in D major, although it has a minor feel. Garcia begins to play a lovely melody that descends from F# to A, until at 7:27 Lesh maneuvers him into winding this section up in a C natural (the minor third of A, thus not part of the mode they most commonly play in Dark Star, A mixolydian)…at 7:32, as Lesh and Weir start playing C minor, Garcia starts signaling for the main theme! At 7:52 Lesh comes along, and the theme has arrived at last.


By 8:40, Garcia is taking off again, but after throwing in some ascending runs he reigns it back in at 9:03, and we head to the verse. This arrives at 9:15, as this edges past 1969-04-22 for the longest intro section to date. Garcia mangles the lyrics a bit here, and we head to the middle jam.


After the restatement of the intro theme, Garcia lays out for a few seconds, then enters with some volume knob activity and then feedback as the band again makes this tension-building segment a strange one (although not as strange as 4-23). Garcia begins tolling a bit at 11:31, but in a higher register than usual, and Lesh lopes around; Garcia’s piercing lead seems to enter out of nowhere at 11:58.


The jam begins darkly but with a strong burst of energy. Kreutzmann is very active here. An early little peak is reached at 13:21 with Garcia playing a variant of Bright Star. The descent leads him to a repeating riff beginning at 13:41, as Weir chimes along, and Phil briefly joins them, until at 13:59 Garcia starts to climb out; at 14:12 and he is telegraphing Sputnik, but then he starts spiraling up again, with Lesh playing a counterpoint, and they dance around each other for a while. This begins to skirt the edge of madness beginning at 14:48. Garcia keeps finding little pockets of repetition, and then taking off again.


At 15:25 it becomes clear that Sputnik is inevitable, and at 15:33 they finally succumb. This is played in a quite variant manner this time, however; the Sputnik pattern emerges, recedes, mutates, and resolves itself into a series of soft jabs that see the band coalescing on a syncopated groove. Note Lesh from about 17:13, playing a bouncy rock and roll riff as Garcia stabs and pokes. This section extends itself further, alternating between repetitive jabs and a percussive Sputnik pattern, with the familiar series improbably reëmerging at 17:50.


Sputnik goes into a tense and frenetic little jam beginning at about 18:15. This jam winds up and then down again a few times from here to the 20 minute mark. At 20:03, Garcia starts playing an ascending pattern of the kind that often precedes a peak or a resolution. At 20:39 it starts to sound like Bright Star, but it winds down again until at 21:13, with the band at a low ebb, Garcia quietly starts to play Bright Star. Rather than bringing it back up, however, the band stays down as Garcia wanders away from the Bright Star theme. Weir drops out by about 21:24; Lesh starts to lay out at 21:38. Things seem to be hanging in the wind here, as everyone hangs back, with Garcia fiddling away over the drums, as TC pipes along. Finally, at 23:10, Lesh comes back in, and Weir joins at 23:21. They seem to be in a holding pattern, repeating two chords, and then they build a little until Garcia drops into the main theme at 24:05.


Remarkably, then, this Dark Star culminates in a kind of reverse peak; rather than coming together in a burst of energy, the post-Sputnik section climbs down into a meandering stretch where the band is oddly becalmed. Like everything else about this rendition, it is rather surprising.


This is a really amazing piece of music that sees the band reaching beyond the comfort of tried and true strategies perhaps more than any other to date. Without offering any of the truly outré space jams or quasi-meltdowns we have sometimes encountered, this manages to be perhaps the weirdest Dark Star yet. The introductory jam and the Sputnik are the obvious highlights, but there is not a dull moment to be found—even the anti-peak preceding the return of the verse section is riveting.


What was said:

Mr. Rain:


I've loved this Dark Star ever since the Dick's Pick came out, so my review may be a little biased.
The recording is just about the same mix as the Boston shows. Bob's a little quieter; TC's a little louder. Quiet guiro in the opening...Pigpen's not on congas tonight, so it's way less percussive than 4-23 was.

The long opening jam is of such captivating beauty it can hardly be described. Just the first minute is dense rapture...Jerry can't even wait five seconds before he starts his gentle lead and they all wrap around each other in bliss. (Just as one tiny example, at :45 TC is coming out of his ROR and he lands on an extended note that harmonizes with Jerry's delicate sigh of feedback, while Phil, completing his long melodic line, pauses to give them just the right backing finale. Amazing synchrony -- and that's just ten seconds!)
The jam just flows from one majestic high point to another. The most majestic peak comes from 6:30-7:30, a spectacular spontaneous creation that's almost a song in itself. Mickey's been adding some quiet gong, and Bill comes in just as this finishes and Jerry nudges the band back to the main theme. You can tell the band's in the zone by how long they linger on the theme...Jerry lovingly caresses it for over a minute, throwing in a fast little digressive run just for fun. TC has been very present all through this, easier to hear than usual, and he's been adding some nice stuff.
Time for the verse, nine minutes in! "Searchlight crasting...."

As on 4-23, the post-verse space is different again: more feedback & crashing & madness, yes! They're finally moving away from the typical bell-tolling routine -- the howling chaos gapes for over a minute. Jerry brings it to a head with a more high-pitched tolling variant, then spins out a crazy energized lead. They're off in a strong start to the jam, Bill pounding away, Mickey on guiro. Jerry gets into some repetitive figures and they climb to an intense climax at 15 minutes. Jerry backs off from this with high pinging notes that turn easily into a Sputnik.
This Sputnik comes out different than usual, more melodic, it sounds more like a group creation as everyone shoves in. (Phil & TC & guiro are prominent, Bob not so much -- check out Phil adding a fast little Feelin' Groovy line at 16:45....then he throws in a Cosmic Charlie tease!) Jerry doesn't want to let this Sputnik go, he stretches it out for two & a half minutes until it's just quiet scrapes. After 18:10 the insect weirdness descends, accompanied by howling feedback with TC blending in. But Jerry doesn't keep the insect tone for long, he breaks out in a Twilight Zone-type riff. A remarkable mad moment, but after 18:50 they retreat to more normal jamming.
The mood of demented frantic energy lingers -- the gentleness of the opening has long dissipated, Jerry's tone is biting. But after 20 minutes Jerry turns back toward melody in repeating lines that are obviously building up to a Bright Star, and the band builds up with him. But in a surprise turn, Jerry quiets down in a little wash of feedback & TC, and at 21:10 we get what must be the quietest Bright Star yet played. The band sustains the fragile moment to the extent that Phil & Bob drop out altogether, and it's just Jerry & TC noodling over the light tapping & cymbals of Bill & Mickey. This is a bit like one of the Jerry & drums passages in Alligator, but in a different mode.
At 23:10 Phil & Bob gingerly step back in, and over TC's drone they start a two-chord pattern which gets louder & heavier, Jerry building on it until at 24:05 they pounce back onto the main theme. This isn't like any of the climaxes they've done before, but very satisfying. TC gives a few final flourishes before the second verse at 24:55.
I didn't hear any applause....the Minneapolis crowd must not be as clued-in as Boston.

So, this was easily one of the best versions yet (and one of the longest). Inspired, endlessly listenable, and always something new to find. Full of great moments and striking mood changes. My only complaint would be that Bob's a little too low in the mix to stand out like he has been. On the other hand, now that TC can be heard, he fits in quite well, blending in with Jerry. (And I must mention Mickey's continued restraint in barely touching his drum set....the guy loved his guiro!) A couple interesting developments continue here -- more crazy spaces after the verse, and also they're starting to try out different ways to finish the jam without relying on the usual flash-bang bright-star.


bzfgt:


I couldn't agree more, this is at least my favorite since 2-27, so for me one of the top two so far (I think, I may be forgetting something else I liked as much). Like I said, I'm no good at predicting others' reactions....I thought you'd be unimpressed with the "reverse peak" toward the end, although that probably loomed larger in my mind than it should have since it is so shockingly different. And, I kind of felt like there is no way this was as good as I thought it was, I was so enthralled it was excessive...as I said, I spent 4 hours with this thing.


JSegel:


Lots of nasal tone, a mellow jam, ROR and all, going off the rails a bit, TC doubles up on his notes and settles to a chord. JG still with the nasal tone. Full on hand percussion accompaniment, but Phil is being mellow and chordal, then he starts a descent within the line, he’s heading off somewhere. Everybody is heading somewhere. It’s like a multi-armed anemone of melodies. Settles down again at 2:45 or so, but JG has a lot more to say, he’s trying some new bends and riffs, TC providing a bed. A thematic-*ish statement, but tonight nothing is going to be exact, everything is a representation of those old tried-and-true themes and riffs! More exploring than ever. This is incredible. Developing the sound in a more band-like together way now after spending some time each exploring on their own, they are going in and out of being individuals in the sound mass and being a single unit.

At 5 minutes we enter new territory as people go on their own developments, Phil still trying his descending line, Jerry on his riffy bends. But we hit and island at 6:30, Phil has some chords to play, atemporally, he even plays around with the intro chords.

Sounds like Bill is is in there on sidestick on the drum set, but it takes a bit to convince everybody that we’re gonna play the theme. Let’s do it! But we’re gonna make it weird. Is it gonna go to the verse? Not just yet. We need another building up jam. The weedeloes upwards while TC goes downward…

9 minutes before the verse. Funny Cali accent from Mr G on the first line, then the second line with feeling! Search light crashing? What?

Intro to the transitive nightfall as usual, but it’s like waves instead of bells coming in. Waves of cymbals, feedback, organ swells, all overlapping! Wow.

Bob has some great statements building under this area before JG steps in with the strong bright tone playing “lead guitar” like he’s got a lot to cover this evening. And he does. He gets caught in a few eddies in the current, alongside Phil, drums kicking out the jams. They start a multi-headed hydra jam with Dark Star intentions, all parts moving forward, up one side of the wave and then back down the back of it. TC switches tones for some more high end, hand percussion wailing on everything he’s got.

Everybody hitting on a swinging rhythm that JG is deftly stating Dark Star hints, but Phil keeps going modally sideways with his descending riffs and then weird arpeggios. Some spacey exploration, everybody going their own way. Wide sweeps on sputnik, you can really hear TC on this recording and he’s going for it, super wide swept arpeggios, no exact rhythm for this Sputnik, people seem to be in their own worlds orbiting each other. But Phil wants to state his descending riff in a choppy rhythm, JG tries to sync with the guiro. It’s settling into it’s own new rhythmic statements, but then holding onto tremolos as it quiets down.

Wait what happened at 18m? A tape flip on my version, I missed a few seconds here. -->into lead guitar that settles into a riff type bit, new low string stuff. Some throwing the riff around, JG doing a building statement getting higher each time, then with little pull offs at the top making a new melodic statement. This quiets into a soft thematic area, with a bed from TC, PL and BW drop out and leave JG to say some things in that rolled off tone. TC eventually stops “playing around” and gets on some chords, while JG makes some solo statements and noodles around playing with a brighter tone. When Phil comes in he’s on a half-step riff of some sort, an interesting new “progression” that TC joins in on (around 22”) this is going to build into a new way of stating the theme, coming in at 23”. Then we’re back for Verse 2. Nice vocals, very matter of fact from Jerry after the very “feeling” verse 1. No warbling on his held notes, just strong vocal statement.

Lots of vocal filigree on the madrigal outro, the counterpoints perfectly stated going out into St Stephen, with bell tree and other weird percussion.

Fantastic version, two nights in one, making up for the lack of Dark Star in Chicago! New areas explored, new riffs and styles. New forms of the band playing as a unit, both as a multi-armed being and as several simultaneous individual lines. Really great version.


Adamos:


(using DiP 26 via the YT video that Mr. Rain posted). Plenty of TC and guiro/maracas at the outset. Phil is nicely present too. Jerry’s tone has a bit of bite but his playing is gentle and beautiful; it’s really captivating. He snarls at 1:48 and the intensity and fuzz picks up but there’s still a dreamy vibe. Man he sounds really good. They work into the main theme then around 4:00 there’s a nice repetitive thing that launches them into a Bright Star-esque peak. Around 5:00 they ease off but keep the flow going; by 5:25 they’re into a lower groove, nice accents from TC and Bobby, things start to build again, gong washes, Phil and Bob come forward more. Then at 6:42 Jerry starts this sharp but beautiful line, Phil is weaving underneath it, they’re all swelling up around it, just wonderful. By 7:28 or so the wave has crested and they pivot back to the main theme and head towards the first verse. Best opening segment yet?

After the verse things start to swell again, strong gong washes, Bob’s playing nice rhythm while Jerry does something a bit weirder that builds into feedback, a bit of bell tolling and then at 11:58 they’re off again. Quick and sharp playing from Jerry, more percussion comes in, then he downshifts just a little and they’re collectively cruising along. It’s building again; a little guitar peak at 13:22, the groove is good. Starting around 14:10 Jerry does a repetitive, ascending thing; they’re winding and weaving, another peak, they keep rolling, Jerry and Phil playing off each other, oh man. Around 15:20 they ease up and start heading to Sputnik.

Sputnik is more melodic but still gets pretty intense, lots of TC, and then at 17:10 they collect themselves and slowly transition into insect weirdness which also builds into something interesting and intense. Rumbling bass, more drums, Jerry repeating some variations and they’re off on another jam.

Things build and then around 19:20 they reach a plateau where they linger briefly then it’s further upwards seemingly heading to Bright Star. But at 19:58 they ease off and switch things up, working in this space for a bit before starting another ascent. By 20:50 they’ve downshifted again and then starting at 21:10 we get a lovely, subtle Bright Star that continues into a gentler passage that’s mostly Jerry and cymbals. Around 23:10 the others start coming back in, the vibe is kind of brooding now, doun, doun, doun, doun, nice TC, Jerry’s doing this repetitive thing with different accents, his guitar is crying out and then they seamlessly shift back into the main theme.

Wonderful, glorious version!


johnnypaddock:


I listened to this version a few times this morning and all of your posts really add to the experience. It’s crazy how you can listen to the same thing repeatedly and still pick up on new things. Thanks!