How successful they'd have been if they kept their original name "Instant Hornets"?



4 stars for Neil.

I love these old recordings, thank you for making them available for all to hear! What I wanted to ask is- Does anyone hear a little "punk rock" in these early recordings? I realize punk wasn't mainstream at that time but I hear it quite a bit in early Grateful Dead (Warlocks, Emergency Crew whatever).

I always thought that the recordings called Speed Limit was culled from recordings of Neal at the Wheel of Furthur. In one of the tapes I got from Kesey, Neal was driving around the property doing a rap. In the other tape I got he was on the road because he is talking about the make and model of passing cars, listening to jazz and discussing other things at pretty much the same time. I don't recall actual dates but I do know they recorded audio and video for many of those early adventures. Some of the Pranksters would know the specifics regarding Speed Limit..btw tnat was the title of that particular tape from Kesey. The other is the Straight Theatre stuff from later. Cheers, Wy@

I suppose we can say that this purports to be the oldest Grateful Dead live recording, though there is no evidence that the first track actually comes from a 1965 Grateful Dead show. In fact, if you listen closely with headphones on, you can hear that it's a mosaic of various prerecorded tracks, including spoken word and instrumental pieces. It's sad to say, but this clearly is not an early recording from an acid session.

As another reviewer mentioned, this is not the Grateful Dead. It sounds like an unfinished project, something that Kesey started while under the influence at some point in time.

I suppose it's one place to start the Grateful Dead journey. However, don't get your hopes up.

I love it that this happened and that it’s available to listen to, what a time they were having!

@Boobounder mentions a trumpet at 4:00. This is not Phil, it is actually a recording of the tune “Tijuana Gift Shop” from the Charles Mingus’ album “Tijuana Moods” (the trumpet player on the album is Clarence Shaw). I first hear the Mingus track at around the 2:15 mark during “Speed Limit” and it comes in and out sporadically up until around the 5:00 mark. Prior to that, around 1:50 or so you can hear a saxophone, which is John Coltrane, which is from the tune “Aisha” on his album “Olé”.

I'll start my Grateful Dead year right now, right here! This is just... GREAT, HUGE, WONDERFUL!!!

1 4/5

At about the 1:50 mark in the second track - a little Lovelight, perhaps?

what a neat little piece of history! Very interesting to hear Cassady. Wish there was more to it than just these snippets.

I hope this was recorded from one of the open microphones they'd have had scattered around at an acid test. That might explain some of the unexplainable parts of the first few minutes.

There are parts, like after the 6:00 mark where the playing is hot.

There's also a trumpet played around the 4:00 mark. Phil, was that you?

I spoke with Lawrence Schiller, who made the original record that sampled this tape. The group was called Fire and Ice, from LA.

Originally I thought someone misread 'sounds of the "Acid Test"' from the sleeve and inferred the band snippets were the Dead; but that refers to a recording of Kesey and his weird music from (I think) January 29, 1966.

But, this appears to have been released from a studio session that was not itself released. They put out an LP - The Happening - just after Schiller's (and Dr. Sidney Cohen's) record, but this track - Speed Limit - is not on it.

There is an extended version of Cassady & The Dead from the Straight Theater opening here: http://www.thestraight.com/sounds.html ENJOY! Historic to say the least...glad it survived.

2011. This is the second time I've heard this, and it was the first recording I listened to on the archive, 1 year ago! It's definitely a must-have for collectors. You kind of have to be in the right mood for it.

Is there another fuller version circulating? muzikmeplz24@gmail.com thanks =)

Cassidy !

Uh, it made me flashback to the....

Now we know where Cap'n Beefheart got his technique ("it's recorded through a fly's ear, you gotta have a fly's eye to see it...") and I can see it, even if nobody else can....

What great stuff! If only Jerry could cut loose and get past the sluggish guitar riff's.... hahahahahahahahaaa! Now we know where Frank Zappa got his obsession with "fast", yet made subtle cuts about Jerry over the years...

Even so, it is clear that the seeds were sown and I could hear the roots of at least three later songs in all the "art".

Worth repeated listens!

I don't know that one, Neal, could you hum a few bars?