Disc One: The Album
Workingman’s Dead opens with “Uncle John’s Band.” The first line
sung on this album is “Well, the first
days are the hardest days, don’t you worry anymore,” a line I often find
myself singing, as a reminder, you know. And the harmonies are so damn good,
really unlike the vocal performances on the earlier albums. And we all still
want to heed the call to go hear and even join the band. “Ain’t no time to hate, barely time to wait” is another line from
this song that my brain reminds me of regularly in these dark days. What a great
start to the album. “Uncle John’s Band” is followed by a fantastic, kind of
bluesy country song, “High Time.” The opening lines of this one are so good: “You told me goodbye/How was I to know/You
didn’t mean goodbye/You meant please don’t let me go.” This song features
an excellent vocal performance by Jerry Garcia. And listen to his work on pedal
steel. Like a lot of Dead fans, I do wish he had played that instrument more. “Nothing’s for certain/It could always go
wrong/Come in when it’s raining/Go on out when it’s gone.” Then “Dire Wolf”
is so fun, so catchy, with lyrics that are easy to remember and sing along to,
like any great folk song. In the strange days toward the end, when Jerry was
getting death threats (yes, seriously), the band would – somewhat playfully –
perform this song. “I beg of you, don’t
murder me/Please don’t murder me.” But of course there were dark days early
on too, and “New Speedway Boogie” deals with one of those times, the show at
Altamont, where the Hell’s Angels were hired as security, one of the stupidest
decisions made by anyone anywhere at any time. Yet, this song gives us a ray of
hope, one I’ve been holding onto a lot lately, in the line, “One way or another, this darkness got to
give.”
The most fun song on the album
is “Cumberland Blues,” a fast-paced song with some heavy country and folk
influences and more great blending of the voices. It’s a song about a guy who
works in a mine, and is worried that the time he is spending with his woman
might cause him to lose his job. So much of the Grateful Dead’s music deals, in
one way or another, with death. “Black Peter” quite directly addresses the
subject, depicting a man on what could be the last day of his life, and giving
a sense of what that means, or doesn’t mean. This is one of those great slow
songs that Jerry was so adept at delivering, moving everyone with ears to
listen. Jerry sang this at the very first Grateful Dead show I attended. “See here how everything/Lead up to this
day/And it’s just like any other day/That’s ever been/Sun going up and then/The
sun, it going down.” Jerry Garcia’s voice is the one that dominates the
album (there’s not a single Bob Weir song on it), but Pigpen gets a chance to
shine on “Easy Wind,” a great song about a working man and his troubles. Pigpen
delivers some delicious work on harmonica here too. The album concludes with
“Casey Jones,” with that playful snort at the beginning. This song combines the
folk topics of trains and cocaine. It’s a fun song, one of the first Dead tunes
I ever heard on the radio, but one I never got the chance to see them perform
in concert.
Disc 2: 2-21-71 Set I
The second and third discs
contain the complete show the Grateful Dead performed on February 21, 1971 at
the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. This was part of a six-night run
at the venue. The first disc contains the complete first set. “We thank you for your patience,” Bob
says as the band tunes. The crowd gets loud with anticipation, and the band
begins the show with “Cold Rain And Snow,” always a good choice of openers. It
might be a mellower version than some, but listen to the way Jerry delivers the
line “And I’m going where those chilly
winds don’t blow.” And as the song is reaching its climax, the energy is
there, and the crowd is into it. They follow that with “Me And Bobby McGee,”
Bobby’s vocals at first soft and gentle. And the line “Feeling good was good enough for me” stands out now, doesn’t it?
Someone in the crowd then calls out, asking where Mickey Hart is, and Bobby
responds that Mickey has been feeling under the weather. In fact, Mickey had
left the band, though maybe not officially at that point. His father had acted
as the band’s financial manager, and had made off with their money. The Dead
wrote “He’s Gone” about it. Mickey was understandably torn up about it, and
feeling guilty, I imagine. He would return toward the end of 1974. Anyway, the
band then plays “Loser,” an interesting choice at that moment, with the lines “Last fair deal in the country/Last fair deal
in the town.”
Then we get a song from Workingman’s Dead, “Easy Wind,” and as
soon as it begins, the audience reacts. Oh, it must have been something to see
Pigpen perform. The crowd was always excited to hear him sing. It’s not clear
whether he forgets his place, or is just riffing, but it makes for an
interesting version, and it’s the first song of the show to really get me
dancing, the first real jamming of the show. That’s followed by “Playing In The
Band,” which was new at the time, having been introduced at the first of the
six shows at the Capitol Theatre. This is just the main structure of the song,
no jamming. At less than five minutes, this must be one of the shortest
versions they ever did. Things pick up with a fast-paced “Bertha,” and Bobby
follows that with “Me And My Uncle.”
My all-time favorite song is
“Ripple,” a song from American Beauty, and the band starts to play it, but has
to stop after a moment to tune. “Nothing
but the best for you folks,” Bobby says. And then they start it again. It
is such a beautiful song, and one I never got to see them perform. They stopped
playing soon after this show, revisiting it in the early 1980s and then once
again in 1988 (my friend Matt was at that 1988 show). I have been able to see
Dead & Company perform it a few times, for which I am thankful. Anyway,
it’s a good rendition. I love the way Jerry sings the line “Nor wind to blow.” Pigpen then sings
“Next Time You See Me,” also delivering some good work on harmonica. Bob
follows that with “Sugar Magnolia.” Yes, a first set “Sugar Magnolia.” Well, it
was less than a year old at that point. But all the energy is there, and it’s a
good version. Oddly, what follows is “Greatest Story Ever Told.” Yup, two Bob
songs in a row. Weird. And it leads straight into “Johnny B. Goode.” Three Bob
songs in a row to wrap up the first set. Very strange. It’s like Jerry figured
he gave the crowd “Ripple,” so didn’t have to do anything else until the next
set. Sounds right to me.
Disc 3: 2-21-71 Set II
Before the band starts the
second set, someone shouts out a request for “I Know You Rider.” Bob responds
by asking the crowd to give its best coyote howl. Anyway, that guy, whoever he
might be – and could he also be the best coyote howler? – gets his wish. The
band opens with “China Cat Sunflower,” which promises “I Know You Rider” to
follow. This is a really good and hopping “China Cat,” a great start to the
set, and the transition to “I Know You Rider” is flawless. And the line “Lay down last night, lord, I could not take
my rest” speaks to many of us suffering from insomnia during the pandemic.
That’s followed by “Bird Song,” which has an unusual beginning. This was
another song that was new, having been introduced just a couple of nights
before this show. It seems like it was still being developed, feeling just a
bit awkward, but Jerry’s vocal performance is magnificent, making it a moving
rendition. The band then goes into a song from Workingman’s Dead, an energetic and totally enjoyable version of “Cumberland
Blues.” Pigpen follows that with a blues number, a seriously cool version of “I’m
A King Bee,” making his harmonica heard even before singing the first lines.
And when he does deliver those first lines, it is clear he completely owns the
audience. And Jerry gives us some excellent stuff on guitar. The blues are
pumping and flowing. “So pull your car up
in my driveway/And cut your bright lights way down low.” This track is one
of the highlights of this disc.
There is an unusual moment
after that when Bob asks the crowd to pick a number. The next song is “Beat It On
Down The Line,” and they always start that with a number of beats, varying from
performance to performance. I can’t think of another show offhand where Bob
left it up to the audience to pick the number. Clearly, they were having a good
time at this show. And this is an excellent rendition of “Beat It On Down The
Line,” with a ton of energy and more great stuff from Jerry on guitar. Oh, by
the way, the number that was chosen was five. That’s followed by one of my
favorites, “Wharf Rat.” I love those slow, glorious numbers that Jerry could
really sink his teeth into, and “Wharf Rat” is one of the best of that group.
This is an excellent version, getting into some interesting territory toward
the end. “But I’ll get back on my feet
someday/The good lord willing, if he says I may.”
After a brief pause, the band
launches into “Truckin’,” a song that is always appreciated. “Sometimes the lights all shining on me/Other
times I can barely see/Lately it occurs to me/What a long strange trip it’s
been.” Those words always ring true. Jerry then leads the band into a
phenomenal version of “Casey Jones,” the energy crackling. Seriously, you’ve
got to hear this version. It must be one of the best they ever performed. How
do you even follow that? Well, you let Pigpen take over, that’s how. He
delivers a great rendition of “Good Lovin’” that features an excellent drum
solo and some wonderful vocal riffing the way that only Pigpen could do. That
leads straight into a sweet rendition of “Uncle John’s Band” to wrap up the
show, bringing things full circle, I suppose, since that is also the song that
began this three-disc set.
CD Track List
Disc 1
- Uncle John’s Band
- High Time
- Dire Wolf
- New Speedway Boogie
- Cumberland Blues
- Black Peter
- Easy Wind
- Casey Jones
Disc 2
- Cold Rain And Snow
- Me And Bobby McGee
- Loser
- Easy Wind
- Playing In The Band
- Bertha
- Me And My Uncle
- Ripple (False Start)
- Ripple
- Next Time You See Me
- Sugar Magnolia
- Greatest Story Ever Told >
- Johnny B. Goode
Disc 3
- China Cat Sunflower >
- I Know You Rider
- Bird Song
- Cumberland Blues
- I’m A King Bee
- Beat It On Down The Line
- Wharf Rat
- Truckin’
- Casey Jones
- Good Lovin’ >
- Uncle John’s Band
Workingman’s Dead (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) was released on
July 10, 2020.
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