Grateful Dead - Fare Thee Well

[ladytexan]

As we come to the final performance of the Grateful Dead in Chicago at Soldier Field this weekend, many of us, with a nostalgic smile, will be sad....and, will warmly remember the music that defined and 'spoke' to our generation. Yes, fare thee well......thanks for the music and the memories.

In 1965, Jerry Garcia started playing a red Starfire (?....was it a III or V) when he was with the Warlocks (which became the Grateful Dead), and was used on their first album released in 1967.

 

[Default]

He had a couple of different Starfire lll's. One had the single coil DeArmond and the later one had minibuckers. He described it as having a bright sound that he liked " before he developed musical taste".

 

[JohnW63]

Bruce Hornsby ? Seems like an odd combination. I like Bruce's stuff. His was my first CD I ever purchased, but I wouldn't have expected him to be with the Dead.

 

[Neal]

He recorded Morning Dew on that Starfire, if I am not mistaken.

Neal

 

[crank]

Hornsby played with the dead quite often. There is a great recording somewhere with Hornsby and Branford Marsalis sitting in with the band. Hornsby also used to play the Dead tune, Jack Straw, in his own shows and his recorded version is on a compilation album called Deadicated.

Bob Weir also had a Guild in the early days. I used to be a bit of a Deadhead and am sorry to say I have never seen a guild at any Dead shows.

I still love the Dead's music and play it often, though I have no interest whatsoever in attending these final shows.

The guy they have on lead guitar, Trey Anastasio from Phish is a fantastic player. I saw him at a festival last summer. I saw them a couple of years ago with Warren Haynes only they were calling themselves Further (same band though). They also toured as "The Dead" several times since Jerry Garcia passed away. This is the first time since he was alive that they have called the band the Grateful Dead.

 

[killdeer43]

For some reason, I missed out becoming a Dead Head or even being mildly interested in their music. I wonder what I was doing/into/out of during that time. Might have to ponder that one a bit.
:mellow:

Always curious Joe

 

[walrus]

I'm with you, Joe. What happened to us? I actually saw them once, I went because it was somewhat of an "event" in those days, and was promised the sharing of some illicit substances if I went. But it's not the kind of music I care for, although I can appreciate the lure of being a Deadhead.

walrus

 

[Neal]

Love the Dead, love their music, loved the Dead Show "scene" before it got dysfunctional and weird in the late '80's and early '90's. It was all part of my coming of age.

Mourned Jerry's death. Have been to a number of shows since, with a rotating cast of characters, but it's just not the same.

I thing Jerry would have nothing but disdain for the big money surrounding the Chicago shows, the pay-per-view, etc.

Still, at the age of 57, whenever I am down, or need to find a place of solace, all I have to do is find the Grateful Dead channel on Pandora, and everything is a little bit more OK.

Neal

Neal

 

[twocorgis]

Love the Dead, love their music, loved the Dead Show "scene" before it got dysfunctional and weird in the late '80's and early '90's. It was all part of my coming of age.

Mourned Jerry's death. Have been to a number of shows since, with a rotating cast of characters, but it's just not the same.

I thing Jerry would have nothing but disdain for the big money surrounding the Chicago shows, the pay-per-view, etc.

Still, at the age of 57, whenever I am down, or need to find a place of solace, all I have to do is find the Grateful Dead channel on Pandora, and everything is a little bit more OK.

Neal

I'm with you Neal. I've been a Dead fan since my early teens, and have been to more shows than I can count, although I never considered myself a true 'Deadhead". Never really been the same with them since Jerry died (nor for a few years before as his heroin use ruined his live performances), as in my opinion he and Pigpen were the heart and soul of the band. I was very lucky to be the right age when the Dead were at the height of their powers in the mid to late "70s and early '80s. Saw some truly epic shows back then, and still have recordings of them all.

We're going to the simulcast of the final show this Sunday night. I found some well seeded hi def torrents of the first weekend's Santa Clara shows, and the band with Trey and Bruce is great. Still not quite the same, but looking forward to Sunday. Have quite a few friends going to Chicago this weekend too.

 

[Westerly Wood]

For some reason, I missed out becoming a Dead Head or even being mildly interested in their music. I wonder what I was doing/into/out of during that time. Might have to ponder that one a bit.
:mellow:

Always curious Joe

me as well Joe. the music was just too long and swimmy...i like their story however and they were all part of that great recording period in san fran that crosby talks about in his book. crosby lived with them for a while while recording if only i could remember my name, and they were there when his girlfriend died in that car accident. i actually preferred garcia's side projects, especially with that mandolin player.

and jerry's slide work on crosby's song, Laughing, still the coolest slide solo i ever heard:

https://youtu.be/N9G1qIOY_6Q

 

[walrus]

Nice link, WW! Here's another, Crosby and Garcia (and also supposedly Lesh on bass) doing a song that ended up on the first Crosby/Nash solo album. This is from a a bootleg that has several Crosby/Dead songs, including a cool version of "Wayfaring Stranger".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNiF6IHsJ4U

walrus

 

[twocorgis]

Here's my favorite collaboration between David Crosby and the Dead. Garcia is obvious here, but also Phil Lesh on Bass, and I believe Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann as well.



Complete with a Guild sighting!

 

[Westerly Wood]

Ah yes Sandy. I remember that tune.

 

[Westerly Wood]

Nice link, WW! Here's another, Crosby and Garcia (and also supposedly Lesh on bass) doing a song that ended up on the first Crosby/Nash solo album. This is from a a bootleg that has several Crosby/Dead songs, including a cool version of "Wayfaring Stranger".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNiF6IHsJ4U

walrus

Nice Walrus. Crosby his voice is just so distinctive.

 

[walrus]

Sandy, you and I are thinking alike!

walrus

 

[walrus]

Here's one more: Crosby and Garcia, "Kids and Dogs". Classic guitar playing and Crosby harmonies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-stEE0WM0ds

walrus

 

[Westerly Wood]

Then there is this guy, one of my favorite guitarists ever. Who played with Jerry and Grishman on the infamous Pizza tapes. Tony Rice.

http://youtu.be/0SQlldP9esA

 

[Neal]

Garcia also played on the classic CSNY Deja Vu album, specifically the iconic pedal steel guitar part on Teach Your Children. There is a photof of him on the inside cover of the album, sitting in a rocking chair, holding a Bowie knife.

Neal

 

[twocorgis]

Garcia also played on the classic CSNY Deja Vu album, specifically the iconic pedal steel guitar part on Teach Your Children. There is a photof of him on the inside cover of the album, sitting in a rocking chair, holding a Bowie knife.

Neal

I knew that too Neal, but I can't stand that song! Garcia playing the steel on it is about the only good thing I can say.

 

[parker_knoll]

Really enjoyed that Crosby and Nash.

I end up reading lots of stuff about the Dead as I'm also a Guild and a JBL fan but have never been amazed by the music, although there is stuff i like, especially the tune Fire On The Mountain. Playing a SFIII (as I was) though JBL E120s I was happy to see someone else had chosen the same.

In terms of bizarre hookups, what about Jerry with Ornette Coleman?



EDIT: here's a nice piece about Jerry's relationship with Ornette, who died just a little while ago, and another collab of theirs:

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/ornette-coleman-grateful-dead/#photogallery-1=39