Description: Grateful Dead Live 4-5-71 Manhattan Center w/bonus tracks 4-4-71 Captain Tapes guarantees first-quality recordings of the Grateful Dead. Each show is selected for sound quality and performance. You can be sure that each volume holds a truly worthwhile performance, presenting solid evidence of a band totally unique in the rock idiom, a true musical phenomenon that reached its apex in its early years. Bonus tracks are carefully curated, often previously overlooked gems such as in this volume selected from the previous night: probably the best “Morning Dew” you’ve never heard, as well as a “Me and Bobbie McGee” with one of those magical musical moments in the solo. The bonus tracks on Captain Tapes’ Choices will always add great value to the volume—in some cases being of the ‘tail that wags the dog’ variety. Each show includes liner notes written by Tapes, a Dead Freak of 1970 vintage. This first volume, April 5, 1971, is from the Manhattan Center 3-night run, all of which Tapes attended; hence the liner notes have that unique and faithful perspective that only first-person observation can provide.Disc 11. Cold Rain and Snow2. Me and Bobbie McGee3. The Rub (“Ain’t it Crazy”)4. Loser5. Playing in the Band6. Big Railroad Blues7. Me and My Uncle8. Big Boss Man9. China Cat Sunflower >10. I Know You Rider11. Casey JonesDisc 2 / Set 21. Truckin’2. Drums >3. The Other One >4. Wharf Rat5. Sugar Magnolia6. King Bee7. Bertha8. Deal9. Sing Me Back HomeDisc 31. Not Fade Away >2. Goin’ Down the Road FeelingBad >3. Love LightBonus Tracks 4 – 4 – 714. Morning Dew5. Me and Bobbie McGee6. Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad >7. St. Stephen >8. Not Fade Away 9. Uncle John’s Band From the liner notes:Once the band began playing, the good vibes took over. But between songs—that’s when it got really scary, and panic ensued. Depending on where your state of consciousness was that night, it was a gyration between heaven and hell.My recollection of the performances, before ever hearing the tapes years later, was that the middle night was superb. It’s hard to be objective about the first night, for reasons mentioned above as well as… other considerations. I do remember being blown away by the “Morning Dew,” a magical moment in “Bobbie McGee,” and the excitement when “Goin’ Down the Road” transitioned into “St. Stephen,” as well as the famous "St. Stephen" ‘bomb’ (all included as bonus tracks).The third night, when I decided to brave the floor again—but thankfully didn’t have the same experience as on night one—I thought at the time was the weaker of the three. The 6th is the night from which “Playing in the Band” on Skull & Roses was selected.The quality of the recoding of this night, April 5, is exceptional. The band’s next album, a live album, was to be culled from the shows on this tour. Supposedly the band wanted to name it “Skull Fuck,” but Warner Brothers shot it down, and they settled on simply Grateful Dead (the first album was The Grateful Dead—so, no conflict). The album ever since has been referred to as Skull and Roses owing to the cover artwork. Perhaps this accounts for the superb mix and sound quality? It is one of the legendary Betty Boards, recorded by Betty Cantor and discovered in a storage locker of hers after she had fallen on hard times (so it’s said), and not modified or ‘enhanced’ in any way.On the night of this recording, the band really hits its stride on the third tune, Pigpen’s “The Rub” (aka “Ain’tit Crazy”). The show opens with “Cold Rain and Snow” followed by “Me and Bobbie McGee.” The latter features a surprise visit to the mic by John (Marmaduke) Dawson from the New Riders of the Purple Sage, who opened the shows. He contributes some delightful down-home yodeling during the la la lay ha, la la la sequence. Generally speaking, the success ofa Dead performance rested on Jerry’s playing. After all, despite the Dead’s totally unique improvisational style, lead guitar is still the voice ‘on top.’ When he was on, really feeling it, you typically got a great show. The converse is not necessarily true. Of course the significance of contributions from the rest of the boys can’t be overstated—as the Dead were an ensemble unlike any other in the rock idiom. No need to preach to the choir here. We all know what made the Dead a musical phenomenon: the unique improvisational interplay between the instruments (including drums), during songs as well as jams.I digress. Jerry really kicks things into high gear on his second solo in “The Rub,” and there’s no turning back from that point. Fast-forward to the “China > Rider“ duo. I’m of the opinion that many of the Dead’s songs have canonical versions, or at least canonical time periods of ideal interpretation, style-wise. “I Know You Rider” is one such tune. It’s a country-folk ditty, and should be respected as such—not a hard-rock anthem, and frankly sounds ridiculous as such. Its canonical period is late-70 through mid-71 when it was performed as a bouncy mid-tempo country-western tour-de-force. During this period Garcia perfected a muscular, but passionate, country-western style from which the climactic second solo often marked the high point of the first set, if not the show. 4-5-71’s “Rider” is such a one. It is the clear highlight of the set. For what it’s worth, it rivals other greats such as 10-4-70, 11-6-70, 11-16-70 and 4-27-71.The second set begins with no warm-ups. …
Price: 30 USD
Location: Gardner, Massachusetts
End Time: 2024-12-10T00:49:58.000Z
Shipping Cost: 4.63 USD
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Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Artist: Grateful Dead
CD Grading: Mint (M)
Release Title: Grateful Dead Live 4-5-71
Case Type: Jewel Case: Standard
Case Condition: Mint (M)
Inlay Condition: Mint (M)
Edition: Live
Format: CD
Language: English
Era: 1970s
Instrument: Bass Guitar, Drums, Electric Guitar, Harmonica
Style: 1960s, 1970s, Blues Rock, Country Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Features: Live Recording
Genre: Country, Psychedelic, Rock
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
MPN: 4471