1208 Lincoln, NE 25:18 (24:48 actual)
Main theme at :37 and 17:16.
Elastic Ping Pong Jam at 10:19.
First verse at 17:31.
Goes into Eyes of the World.
After some preliminaries, another out of tune Dark Star intro issues forth into the Nebraska night. Even in the early going where the strategy is familiar, each one is a bit different, and this one seems to have a unique character from the outset, thoughtful and well-articulated. After a run through the main theme, the instruments wind around each other in familiar fashion, in a thoughtful manner and at a deliberate pace.
At 2:24 Garcia adopts a brassy tone, playing the bass strings close to the bridge and emoting almost hammily. He winds his way upward, drawing out his lines and exaggeratedly emphasizing his figures. Something’s going on at 4:30, with Jerry spitting out high descending runs and the band momentum coming in fits and starts. They end up in a whirlpool at 5:43, and the centrifugal force sends them upward into a rousing peak at 6:24; all the energy is discharged by 6:39, but before they settle all the way down Phil proposes an ostinato lick that is taken up by Garcia…but then they shift into something more laid back at 6:39, quickly moving on as the music resists settling into a groove.
Garcia starts a three-note pattern at 8:05 that provides the focus for the next groove, but this also plays out quickly. Ideas are flowing to quickly for the music to fully coalesce. By 9:15 they are swirling down the drain in to spacier territory, with Lesh’s tentative riffing doing nothing to halt the general trend to oblivion. However, he again starts up a riff at 10:11 and this time Garcia jumps aboard, followed in short order by Weir and Godchaux, and pretty soon we are in the midst of a lovely Elastic Ping Pong Jam (and this for the first time, although there was a precursor on 1972-08-24).
This winds up being a rather lengthy excursion, and much of the interest comes from Lesh’s variations of his line. At 16:24, Garcia rather suddenly signals a pivot to the main theme; they bring the tempo down as they swing into a Dark Star section, getting around to the theme about a minute later, then quickly going to the verse.
There’s some stormy throat-clearing directly after the post-verse lick, and then they let it get spacier, with Garcia making haunting theremin-like sounds as Phil prophesies doom with big bends and chords. Here we find pleasing disarray as they explore the busier side of space. A bit after the 22 minute mark it seems like they’re ready to go into another song for a moment, but Garcia’s popping and clicking guitar almost does sound like a tortured clavinet as he steers them toward a meltdown. This takes an unexpected turn at 23:59 as an increasingly assertive Lesh starts some chordal riffing sort of in the vein of Philo Stomp. It’s not clear anyone has much idea what’s happening at this point; there’s a brief attempt to build a jam around Phil, and then Garcia starts up Eyes of the World.
Front-loaded Dark Stars are seemingly becoming more of a thing, and this one qualifies; although there is some rather nice chaos on the back end, the overall scene never quite comes together there. The first Elastic Ping Pong Jam is a thing of beauty, even if it begins a bit tentatively, and in general there’s nothing to complain about here. A very nice Dark Star, if a bit limited.
What was said:
JSegel:
Upbeat intro again, they strut into the Dark Star groove, the whole vibe of this jam is driven by Bill K… especially that ride cymbal. Jerry goes on some little excursions and gets into some little melodic eddies, getting into a low-string riff for a bit, then going up again into plaintive territory before settling down and letting himself and everybody move forward in the more noodley space with the fast jazzy licks. By 4 minutes they’re all straining at the edges of the mode, with Keith and Bob doing responsive chordal riffs to Jerry and Phil’s melodic riffs.
Onwards with more full band forward-momentum improv ups and downs, an eddy forming late in the 5th minute that goes slightly chromatic and falls out back into more riff-driven lead playing back to the thematic area. After that, though, it dives down to little notes, a delicate section that holds latent Dark Star material waiting to grow out of it. Some plaintive stretches bring it out and hocket-playing between Jerry and Phil get it back up and over a crest into a new lowland area, everybody getting small again in the 9th minute.
More delicacy, Phil is making some statements (somebody is yelling in the audience but they don’t sound super happy? Not sure what’s going on there.) It comes to a very quiet place and Phil starts a riff, very gradually others come in. Jerry tremoloing notes and then going for the volume swells on a melodic riff and by 11:30 the Phil riff has developed to something that sort of sounds like that bit that they all do together late in Eyes of the World, (the em riff that moves into dm sections, is this the Elastic Ping Pong?) same rhythmic stuff, but here it’s more stretched out harmonically and establishing a new jam rhythm, which ensues.
Lots of little takes on this rhythmic idea with various melodic riffs, similar but different. Finally before minute 15 they break off and start heading somewhere else, though Phil is pretty into this riff. It holds on until the Dark Star theme slowly emerges at 16: 20, Jerry starts the second half of the melody, then breaks it up as he starts the melody and everybody preemptively slows down knowing that that is the thing to do. A minute later they’re all on the groove and melody and the verse starts.
First line is consistent, it really drops for the second line, Phil stays with the groove for half of it and then even he drops. Line three is mellow, but back in rhythm with some trilling toward the end. The refrain has some punctuation and is beautifully played (an audient thinks so too apparently.)
It goes into some chaos that cedes to rolling toms and bass notes, volume swells into feedback. This goes on for some time, feedback continues, rolling continues. Bill starts up on the snare, continuing a forward moving beat for a bit, but the guitars are on isolated notes and sounds. Feedback and atonal notes still happening,
At 22 minutes Phil makes some big bass chords, but he’s not going into a solo. Some small melodic bits happening from Bob while Jerry seems to be playing with clicking the strings while wah-wah pedaling up and down. These turn into scratches, Bill is still rolling forward on the drums throughout. Phil gets going on more chords and riffs a little later moving with the drums, and they have a brief minute of bass and drums before Jerry comes in with some licks and Bob starts the chord and it heads off into Eyes of the World.
_______
Another really nice version. Upbeat playing, lots of great jamming and a space section that is propelled by constant forward motion from the drums. Also I love how the verse is being treated, it’s gone through so many changes over 5 years, lately the band sort of plows right into the first line from the melodic groove before it and then makes a huge break in the rhythm for line two. Where previously Phil had been accenting the off-the-beat rhythm pattern in line two and then they built it into a wandering upwards on line three, over the past year or so they’ve been heading to a fermata on the beginning of line two, occasionally punctuated by the 3+3+2 of the original rhythm—here, nobody is even there except Phil on one of those offbeats—and then moving into a Pink Floyd-like groove for line three. Sometimes players will do some wandering around on line three as the searchlights casting about, this time only Bob entered toward the end with some trilling. The refrain area is always an interesting set of counterpoint, some in triplets some in straight time. Really nicely played in this version.
adamos:
They take their time getting ready and then launch in. They dance briefly with the theme and then Jerry drifts out into the clouds while Phil works it underneath. Billy's cymbal action adds sparkle along with good color from Keith and subtle textures from Bob. The vibe is energetically dreamy with ample collective interweaving.
Jerry goes deep and stronger, winding about before pivoting higher again. After four minutes or so they shift into more staggered ruminations. Jerry gets into some high, repeating runs that Keith mimics. There's some ebb and flow and then they spring into a more energetic push again, building momentum and then getting into a swirl around 6 minutes in before charging to a brief peak.
From there they collect themselves and Phil steps forward more. They play off him for a spell in relatively mellow fashion and then start building up and out again. Jerry gets into a repeating thing starting around 8:05 that Bob plays off of; Phil brings in some strong notes and they swirl about, easing up after 9 minutes or so. Things get quieter and Phil steps forward again, subtlety at first but slowly building.
By 10:10 or so the Elastic Ping Pong jam starts to emerge. Phil leads the way with Jerry adding some quick strumming and then stretchy notes and Billy working the cymbals. It picks up in momentum and they take it for a ride. The resulting jam lasts for a good while. Then at 16:24 Jerry slips back into the theme and everyone quickly latches on, triumphantly working the melody and then moving on to the verse.
After the verse they briefly reset and with some big hits from Billy and other revving they shift into space. Jerry plays some spooky figures while Phil adds thick notes and Billy works his kit. A stretchy, rolling, thumping trip into weirdness and feedback ensues.
After 22:00 Phil starts laying down some heavy chords and they hover briefly perhaps deciding where to go next. Jerry introduces some clicking sounds that add to the freakiness. The intensity rises and it feels like a meltdown is imminent. Phil is still laying it down strongly and by 24:00 it seems like a bass solo is emerging. Bob joins him and Bill keeps the beat going and they work this groove for a short spell. And then before long Jerry pivots into Eyes Of The World.
A good version overall. The opening segment is active and engaging and the Elastic Ping Ping jam is a noteworthy highlight. The spacey section doesn’t fully unravel but there’s a good amount of collective weirdness there. Lots of Bill throughout.
Mr. Rain:
The Dick's Pick is also on youtube. (Dark Star's 25:06 on there, maybe a tiny tape speed difference.) Interesting mix on this tape, with loud drums in wide stereo, Jerry Phil & Keith all in the center, and Bob way off on the side sounding kind of left-out.
Bill does some cymbal-tinkling before it starts (maybe to quiet down some impatient slow-clappers?). Enthusiastic crowd. Dark Star opens with upbeat, spirited jamming, the band weaving their magic carpet in flight. Gradually they drift farther away from the theme-based improv in various jazzy digressions, Keith closely bolstering Jerry. Phil teases his Marbles line after 6:08, but soon drops it. The music gets quiet and tinkly and swells up again. Keith takes the lead at times, at home in the jazzy setting, in general tagging along with Jerry, while Phil offers his oblique commentary. They play off Jerry in different ways: Keith tends to mirror him, while Phil will either play a counterpoint or pull in a different direction.
After 9 minutes they get more open and spacey. You can hear calls from the audience as space opens up. Phil drops more little Marbles teases -- then at 10:10 he starts the Marbles riff for real. Keith & Bob uncertainly join him, and Jerry does some tremolo warbling on top. It doesn't sound like a jam they've worked out at all, but Phil presses on with it while Jerry does volume swells. After 11:15 Bob & Keith basically repeat Phil's riff; Jerry works off it with staccato notes; then at 11:55 Bill dramatically swerves in with a drum part. Maybe due to Phil's persistence, they keep on this theme for quite a while, everyone finding their own variations. But it doesn't really get hotter as it goes, it sounds more like they're beating it into the ground. Finally Jerry gets tired of it and starts the main theme at 16:20, and the others work their way around to the theme with a big tempo shift (applause!). Some nice stately Dark Star theme jamming before the verse at 17:30.
The verse is well-done (bringing more applause after "you and I while we can"). Then the usual Phil bombs and band flurries leading to space. After 19:30, nice soaring Jerry feedback; Bill rumbles on the toms and Phil strikes ominous notes that give way to his own feedback. This would be an elegant Jerry/Phil duet except that Bill keeps up an active drum patter. (More audience applause around 22:20 after a wave of distorted bass.) Now they seem to be steering somewhere new, Jerry doing his pre-Tiger cackling. They're heading to meltdown territory with wild chaotic notes, Phil doing kind of a short bass solo while Jerry does wacky wah string slides. (Keith, meanwhile, has been totally absent since the verse. Where'd he go?) Then Jerry bows out and by 24m it's just a loud & aggressive Phil & Bill (Bob pitching in with a few notes), sounding like a feedbacky Philo Stomp is in the works. But then the mood gets lighter, more like a standard loose '72 bass/drum duet. Jerry comes back with some happy notes at the end, only to steer them right into Eyes.
This Dark Star packs in most of the jamming before the verse. Dark Stars lately have been lacking in big jams after the verse, and this continues the trend; they don't even bother with a proper Tiger meltdown which is usually guaranteed. I get the feeling that Eyes of the World has grabbed a lot of the Dead's attention and they're eager to start that, so these '73 Dark Stars so far have ended abruptly. But still, a 25-minute Dark Star is nothing to quibble with -- nice feedback space and opening jam, and an extended practice session on Phil's new favorite riff. It's also nice to hear that the audience is really into it throughout.
bzfgt:
Yeah, I think there has been enough of this lately to vindicate my earlier comments. However, there are some major counters to this trend coming up late in the year, and in 1974...as I remember it now, anyway, we'll see.
No comments:
Post a Comment