Thursday, August 27, 2009

Marvelous Music in Madison

It's not easy being awake when everything is lost . . . but it's easier than dying before I have my estate in order. This darkness got to give . . . but if it never does then at least there's the Grateful Dead to dig in the meantime.

How about a show...

Bertha Skull and Roses designGrateful Dead -- October 25, 1973

Dane County Memorial Coliseum
Madison, Wisconsin


1st Set: Bertha, Big River, Here Comes Sunshine, Black-Throated Wind,
They Love Each Other, Mexicali Blues, El Paso, Row Jimmy,
Playing In The Band


Set 2: China Cat Sunflower I Know You Rider, Me and My Uncle,
Dark Star
Mind Left Body Jam Dark Star Jam Eyes Of The World
Stella Blue, Weather Report Suite Prelude
Weather Report Suite Part 1
Let It Grow, Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad
One More Saturday Night

Encore: Uncle John's Band

(Three songs from first set are not in circulation, maybe not known to exist.)

Someone requested this show in the past few weeks and said about it "the tapes may be a bit chopped." Okay. The setlist on the .txt file is chock full of %'s and //'s which made me go "Ugh, this ain't gonna be pretty." In reality it's not bad! Three songs don't exist and portions are chopped out between songs and there's a minor cut here and there... but really it's decent. The 3½ stars that I give it could even be someone's 4 or even 4½.

For me this show doesn't really get going until the start of the second set. Don't get me wrong, the first set is just fine but I can't get enough of this China->Rider, the Rider specifically. At about a minute in, Phil's bass really starts coming through in the mix and as the band mellowly strolls down the lane toward Jerry wishing he was a headlight on a northbound train, HOLY CRAP, Phil ex-fucking-splodes like he's just dropped the biggest, PHattest Phil bomb into The Other One. That makes the whole show!

But of course it would be foolish to turn it off at that point. Dark Star-> Mind Left Body Jam-> Dark Star-> Eyes is an amazing slice of GD musical history. There's an active thread over at Lost Sailor's Pub about Weir's greatness on rhythm guitar and the Mind Left Body Jam totally demonstrates how he can play and play and play right alongside Jerry.

Phil's genius shines in the gorgeousness of Eyes. His solo in there is just mesmerizing and then the Stella Blue is so wonderful, like my favorite Sugarmag, it radiates with so much blinding beauty to simply melt me to my knees. Mmm. And then the Let It Grow... more wow. Fantastic stuff! GDTRFB picks up so much steam to really rock, complete with smokin' Keith on piano and Donna's excellent vocal accompaniment... okay, maybe a little screamage in there but after all of that amazing music we get such a fun time dancin' number to help close out the set.

One thing to learn with this show -- never let a questionable source keep you from listening to something!

one dude's comments from the Internet Archive:

Subject: Be Patient. This Is A Great One -- Like Ali.

Was told by Fishman that this show was a Dick Latvala favorite and one that he frothed at the mouth over.

The entire concert is well-played. First set has numerous glitches, etc. You need to ignore the flaws and listen to the music -- it's mostly very satisfying, curiously exciting -- something for everyone in this one.

All first set songs are energized and enthusiastic versions but they are somewhat marred in playback, but by the time it's wound it's way into PITB the sound problems have melted and we're left with a torchingly hot pure torture. Miraculously, the sound retains its integrity, though there exists some clipping on the bass.

China>Rider is long and lagubriously inticing all at once and backing off. The Dark Star>Mind Left Body Jam>Dark Star is totally polarizing from hot to cold, dark to light, sour to sweet, yes, and gliding generously into a grandly auspicious Eyes.

No matter what you are doing, this music draws you in, and you just momentarily drop whatever you're doing and assume the listening.

This Eyes is one of their best kept secrets. It's an honor to uncover a show on the Archives like this show. It was not recommended by buddies, or other sources, but it came about from searching. I felt compelled to make a big deal out of sharing this show. Then, that said, I received from various sources the confirmation that there was an obvious reason why Latvala held this show in such esteem.

From Eyes they fall back into the Mind Left Jam and casually (SUPERCHARGED) wend their way into a very sweet, yet very powerful Stella. It knocked my socks off -- literally! Stella, being two songs in one, features two of those seven chord progressions, one to end the first half and one to end the second and the latter comes up so subtle it will blow your shoes and socks off. Just hoist them up to your speakers. Why, in latter Stella performances, did they drop the seven chord codas? Too cliche'?

The WPS Prelude>WPS Part I>LIG>GDTRFB is a knockout! -- Right Left Muhammad Ali Combinations 'til your jaw hurts and your chest pounds out of synch! Jerry's Wolf hunts you down and snaps your windpipe.

It takes a mean and savage Saturday Night to bring us down to the gritty earth and a softly magnificent UJB to give us wings back to the nest.

EVAN S. HUNT

Grateful Dead ticket for 10/25/73 Dane County Memorial Coliseum, Madison, Wisconsin

ARCHIVE HEADPHONES10/25/73 @ the Internet Archive:
the Soundboard for Listening Only
ARCHIVE HEADPHONES
TINY STEAL YOUR FACE download it here if you'd like TINY STEAL YOUR FACE

Source: shnid=14451Audio Quality:
Lineage: SBD > Master Reel > ? > DAT > CD-R >
EAC (secure) > Cool Edit(minor cleanup) > CDWAV > mkwact(seekable) > SHN

10/25/73 - Part 1 Part 2 - 10/25/73
Madison, WI - 10/25/73 - Part Three
10-25-73 a.k.a. 10/25/73 a.k.a. 73-10-25 mp3 download 320 kbps
Grateful Dead poster for 10/25/73 Dane County Memorial Coliseum, Madison, Wisconsin

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks Zooma,
What's not to love about the Dead in '73? I'm downloading this one before work, I'll unstuff it when I get home tonight and enjoy it after dinner (I'll be sure to offer a toast to your health.) Overall, not a bad way to spend a late-summer evening.
Swahanfan

Anonymous said...

Thank you. How did you know I've been wanting this one?

alecriddle@charter.net

The Tattoo Blog Guy said...

Well now, I'm going to have to check that one out. That second set looks amazing from your description.

Also - I had to comment on the flier for the show. It's downright spooky. It reminds me of the rhythm Devils Apocalypse Now sessions for some reason.

~otb

Anonymous said...

Zooma,
Thanks bundles--I was the one who requested this despite its wounds and warts. It's such a fine show if you're a Phil fan like me. I was at this concert at The Dane; but I was stuffed in next to a guy who babbled fast and VERY LOUD the entire show, no doubt having overdone Casey Jones' drug of choice. It's great to hear the parts I missed the first time around (i.e., most of it). - Marcia

Anonymous said...

Zooma
I feel like you're desperate to let people know...We don't know you from Adam, nor you us, but what has happened that has wrecked your life so? Many of us follow your blog and look forward to what you write, from the sublime of the GD and music insights, to the inane of your daily runs, but the bottom line is, I for one can't help but care - So, what's troubling you?

Anonymous said...

okee
come on
Embrace the life, because once it's gone, there is no more - none - there will never be another you.
As long as you can read this you can think, you can live, and that's the main ingredient to life - so start - get up at 2am and smoke a cigarette - hell, smoke two - eat a whole package of oreo's and whole milk - because you can.
Savor every second of life you can because man, it's precious, even at it's most dismal. Some have been through so much, but that's what makes life so evident - when my son was 18 months old, his EP (heart doctor) told us he would soon die and no one could do anything. We went home and suffered and died inside, but I am still alive and only recently discovered the GD in LARGE part due to your blog.
Rambling, I know, but every SECOND you have left is precious - list every GD album you know, figure out the shortest, the longest, find a song from each letter of the alphabet (you can with Pink Floyd), list your favorite shows from each year, then get crazy and categorize them by early, late, etc (Sep 72 anyone), memorize the lyrics of all of Bob's cowboy songs - maybe they will come in handy.

Anyway - sorry - But life is a cruel gift - don't squander it

Sugarmag said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Zoooma said...

Even while I loved you and cared about you so very much, I had flaws to fix. I admit it. Those flaws were detrimental to our relationship but they got fixed. I'm actually grateful that that happened. It needed to.

Now, I have no ill feelings, Sugarmag. I've never hated you or been mad at you. There's no need for me to grow up because I'm already grown up. All I have shown to you since, for so many weeks, is the human decency that's within me. I've shown friendship and I've been nothing but nice and when I say nothing but nice I mean 100% -- not a single bad word uttered. Like I said -- no ill feelings, no grudge. And when you strip away those negatives that needed to be fixed, what were YOU left with? A whole lot of good.

Unfortunately, what there should be there hasn't been. I don't know why because I still care about you and I know deep down you're still a good person. I know that's still within you.

You simply don't understand, Sugarmag, that when you find that one person you're supposed to be with, and then one day you suddenly choose to ignore all that is wonderful and beautiful and meant to be, there's almost no way for that person to find joy in living.

I don't expect you to know what that's like since it has never happened to you. But you should know that it's not good and it really makes a person understand the benefits of suicide. That's not how you should want someone to feel... especially the person who you were "Home" with.

Sugarmag said...

If you truly feel that way then change your flickr account. What you are doing is harassment.

Zoooma said...

Using your name isn't harassment. Look, I'm willing to discuss this so give me a call :) So far you have not. We won't get anywhere positive that way.

Anonymous said...

Well, alright then..............

Zoooma said...

I had flaws to fix that Sugarmag didn't want in her life. Fine. Done. I accept that. She made me become a better man and I'm grateful for that. What happened after isn't pretty which makes no sense 'cause like I said, I haven't said a bad word about her; I've been nothing but kind to her. Would you be pissed off at someone who is being nothing but kind to you? Yeah, doesn't make sense, does it?

btsacto said...

Oh [eases on out of this blog, backward and silently]

btsacto said...

So is the blog going to die over this, or what?

brian said...

Aack! This one's not on Rapidshare anymore either...
Looking forward to a re-up. I need it baaad, maaan!!

Zoooma said...

Same message as with 2-15-73.

one says one number and the other another
but they were set at the same time. Hmmm...

i love you amy uzarski.  always!
 
Calvin and Hobbes in the snow -- animated