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Poster: robthewordsmith Date: Mar 5, 2009 8:04am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

There have been a couple of mentions of 71 recently (Brother Tell for one was saying how much he was enjoying it lately) and it prompted me to get out my copy of this so-nearly great show.

For the first two-thirds the band are pumped up and jumping and making a glorious noise. A storming Truckin' makes their intentions clear in no uncertain fashion. Pigpen is on top form - the renditions of Next Time You See Me and Hard to Handle are among the finest you'll hear anywhere; China-Rider blazes; and with Casey, Sugar Mags, Deal and a fair old smattering of cowboy tunes - you just cannot sit still for this one.

And then... the Beach Boys.

Who thought that this was a good idea? The whole thing comes to a shuddering, grinding halt. It's like seeing a big truck that one second was rolling smoothly down the highway go sliding into the ditch. The Dead leave the stage and we're left with several minutes of Beach Boys piffle that changes the mood completely. And someone should really have taken a hammer to that fucking Moog they brought with them.

When they Dead return the momentum has been lost and they just can't get the show back on the road again. Sing Me Back Home is lacklustre, Uncle John nothing special, and Pigpen's unstructured extended Lovelight rapping never did that much for me anyway. And that's it. Thank you and goodnight.

I can't help but feel that, minus the Beach Boys, they'd have powered on into something really good, like The Other One, or maybe a St Stephen. Who knows? It could have been great.

Damn Beach Boys.

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Poster: dead-head_Monte Date: Mar 5, 2009 9:04am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

NRPS w/Jer at Fillmore East - April 25 - 29, 197119710425_0522.jpg

"Ladies and Gentlemen... The Grateful Dead"

Not to mention, NRPS opens for GD on this run - w/ Jer playing pedal steel all 5 nights. A clever NJ-dude has a bud workin' at the Fillmore East. They manage to drill a hole in the wall at the SBD location there. The hole goes into a broom-closet. The next 4 nights were taped, with a stealth reel-to-reel going in the closet. Thanks Bill Gadsden and Buddy Miller for contributing to this amazing piece of history.

19710425_0523.jpg

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Poster: SkyDawg Date: Mar 5, 2009 11:39am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

I like the set with The Beach Boys, and think it was a pretty amusing prank to pull, teaming the Beach Boys up with The Grateful Dead. Certainly hipper than when the band fronted let's say.. Hall & Oates. I really like the versions the BB and the GD did of Searchin' and Riot In Cell Block #9 on that show. Who could deny the utter weirdness of Pigpen singing lead on Searchin' w/ the BB and the Dead doing back-up vocals. I mean it's not like they did a whole tour together or anything. I think it's way cool.

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Poster: robthewordsmith Date: Mar 5, 2009 12:16pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

Well, as you probably already gathered from what I said earlier, I completely disagree. It was a total mismatch, very far from cool (the Beach Boys just sound so full of their own self-importance in their crowd interactions) and it utterly ruined a potentially 5 star show.

Still, it these disagreements that keep the wheels spinning in this place!

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Poster: johnnyonthespot Date: Mar 5, 2009 12:47pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

I like Pet sounds and a few other Beach Boys albums but I agree that it's a mismatch. And what's the deal with the band surrendering the stage to someone else during THEIR show? Goes to show how generous they were I guess. Either that or desperate for a break.

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Poster: bluedevil Date: Mar 5, 2009 12:52pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

i like blue eyed soul....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FldePHd1abA

or early alternative?

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Poster: johnnyonthespot Date: Mar 5, 2009 2:00pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

I can't you tube at work anymore. Blue Eyed soul? The Wilco song?

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Poster: bluedevil Date: Mar 5, 2009 2:04pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

No, Daryl Hall singing on Robert Fripp's Exposure album - "Burn Me Up, I'm A Cigarette". Fripp produced a solo album of his that is quite good. I wished the GD/Hall & Oates thing had been He's Gone into She's Gone, but they missed that train...

I like random pairings, like Donny Osmond with Peter Gabriel.

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Poster: elbow1126 Date: Mar 5, 2009 7:04pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

Hall's people would not allow the release of that album. It scared the crap out of them, but eventually it was released. I still think the version of Here Comes The Flood on Exposure is far superior to the one on PG's first album.

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Poster: Cliff Hucker Date: Mar 5, 2009 8:11am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

It might not have been due to the Beach Boys? The 27th was the fouth straight night performing without a break, and they were in Durham on the 24th, and Duane sat in the night before!

It was a five night stand, considering the magic on the next two nights there had to be lull in the action, turns out it was the calm before the storm...

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Poster: light into ashes Date: Mar 5, 2009 11:59am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

Actually I think Duane's guest appearance was wasted as well. They start off with a couple good tunes, you think maybe they'll get into some great jam with Duane like in Feb '70....but no, let's do Beat It On Down The Line! Then it's goodbye, Duane! They'd already done Dark Star in the first set, but just think what he could have done with Good Lovin' or Not Fade Away!

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Poster: elbow1126 Date: Mar 5, 2009 7:06pm
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

Yeah but that Sugar Mags is one of my favorites. Jerry seems inspired and guts nuts on the wah-wah pedal.

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Poster: robthewordsmith Date: Mar 5, 2009 8:28am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

I hear what you're saying Cliff - but I really think the Dead and the Beach Boys playing together was just a very bad idea. Playing with Duane was a different thing altogether. He was a brother (and not just an Allman Brother) whereas the Beach Boys were a cotton candy pop group - it's just a huge mood breaker for me when they come on. Still, on the whole a damn strong run of shows, with much to be grateful for.

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Poster: William Tell Date: Mar 5, 2009 9:45am
Forum: GratefulDead Subject: Re: 04-27-71 - so nearly one of the greats

Not sure what it is--I do have the shows, and have listened to them, but some how the summer shows (Jul/Aug) figure much more prominently in my rotation. Even Feb and then Nov get more love.

Will have to get these Apr (and Dec given the other thread) shows out and give them a whirl.

Man cannot live by 68 alone, right? Well, actually, just like the nut (pun intended?) that lived on peanuts and sweet potatoes for two yrs to prove they provied adequate nutrition (ahem, only if you eat roughly five lbs of pot's with the skins covered in dirt for minerals, etc.), I have established that it is possible if you allow for lapses of +/- 2 yrs for a little variety...