Grateful Dead at unknown; xx/xx/66

Grateful Dead, 1966 by Herb Greene

Grateful Dead
??/??/66
venue unknown

Track List:
1. She's On The Road Again
2. Next Time You See Me
3. I Know You Rider
4. Hey Little One
5. Cold Rain & Snow
6. King Bee >
7. Caution
8. Stealin'//


This show comes courtesy of Grateful Dead Hour #557. As David Gans states at the end of the recording, the location and date of the show are unknown, though certainly from 1966. Because of the uncertainty, I decided to put it smack in the middle of my '66 playlist. Because of a lack of information, I cannot report on any importance on the songs captured here.
Like many of the '66 IK-Riders so far in '66, the Dead are singing a lyric not present in versions as early as 1970. Instead of Jerry's "Headlight" verse, the band here sings,

"I drink muddy water, sleep in a hollow log,
I drink muddy water, sleep in a hollow log,
Than stay here in 'frisco, be treated like a dog."

Another thing I've really started to get into is the song "Caution." When listening to these early shows, I find myself looking for that slice of extra energy that is often associated with shows of this era. To me that means loud, fast, jammed rock. "Caution" definitely fits that conception. In this recording it is nestled kindly with King Bee. The slow Blues riffs of King Bee juxtapose perfectly with the exploding quick beat of Caution. I know there are more jammed out versions of the song out there. Trying to put myself in this unknown hall back in '66, I can hear the energy that would have flown while listening to this tune.

For a copy of the show, feel free to send me a message.

Grateful Dead at the Avalon Ballroom - 5/19/66

Concert Poster from 5/19/66

Grateful Dead
Avalon Ballroom
San Francisco, CA
5/19/66

Set 1:
1. Beat It On Down The Line
2. Standing On The Corner
3. Mindbender
4. It Hurts Me Too
5. Viola Lee Blues
6. I Know You Rider
7. It's A Sin
8. Sick And Tired
9. Cream Puff War

Set 2:
10. Sittin' On Top Of The World
11. Minglewood Blues
12. Cold Rain And Snow
13. Come Back Baby
14. Silver Threads And Golden Needles
15. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
16. Good Lovin'
17. You Don't Have To Ask


Sorry I've been away a while. Life got kind of busy. I'm finally ready to post about the Dead's return to San Francisco after their time in Los Angeles. Four shows from Longshoreman's Hall, and a couple shows from Berkeley are currently missing from circulation. The 5/19 show is the next in the existing chronological order.

By the time the band returned from Los Angeles, the scene in the San Francisco area had blossomed into a handful of dance halls putting on shows each weekend. People (and bands) had the Fillmore West, Winterland, the Avalon Ballroom, and the Carousel Ballroom to choose from. This performance constitutes the Dead's first appearance at the Avalon.

The appearance is mentioned in McNally's history of the band:

"The gigs began to come, first a couple in Berkeley in early May, and then one at the Family Dog's new location, the Avalon Ballroom, upstairs at Sutter and Van Ness Avenue, in San Francisco. The Avalon was an old swing ballroom once called the Puckett Academy of Dance, with good acoustics, a wonderful sprung wooden dance floor, mirrors, columns, red flocked wallpaper, and lots of gilt. The Dead's first show there was to raise money for the Straight Theater, a dance hall on Haight Street that some local young people were trying to open" (McNally 148).

Jerry described the Avalon as, "A good old party" (148).

The recording of this show constitutes the first 2-set show I've heard so far. This is the first known version of "Cream Puff War," Jerry's first tune. I was lucky enough to witness the Dead breaking Cream Puff War out in 2009, for their first performance of the song since 1967. The 5/19 show is also the first time I've heard the late 60's standard "Sitting On Top of the World." The arrangement in '66 is the same as the later versions I've heard.

One tune that interested me in particular is "Good Lovin." It is arranged into a very quick tempo - much different than the band will later play it. Before starting up, you can hear band members making sure that Jerry remembers the "new arrangement."


Listen to this excellent show on archive!
http://www.archive.org/details/gd1966-05-19.sbd.miller.106828.flac16

Grateful Dead at Troupers Hall, Los Angeles - 3/25/66

Grateful Dead performing at Trouper's Hall 3/25/66

Troupers Hall
Los Angeles, CA
03/25/66

1. Stealin' [#1:37]
2. Jam [7:41]
3. Hey Little One [4:46]
4. Hog For You Baby [2:49]
5. You Don't Have To Ask [5:56]
6. Cold Rain And Snow [3:24]
7. Next Time You See Me [2:30#]

The last recording I have of the Dead's sojourn to Los Angeles is of the show they played at Trouper's Hall in Los Angeles on 3/25/66. Trouper's Hall was the meeting room for a retired actors club in Hollywood, and was possibly the location of the Sunset Acid Test, which also occurred on 3/25.

McNally relates an interesting story from this show:

"At their last show at Trouper's hall, Weir managed to rip out the seat of his pants. Lacking underwear or a replacement for his trousers, he spent the night facing the audience, sidestepping over to Tim Scully to tell him how to adjust his sound. It turned out not to be so bad. That night he also met a Playboy Playmate, a cordial redhead, and she didn't seem to mind the state of his wardrobe. Finally Rock lined up a booking back home at the Longshoreman's Hall that would pay them the respectable sum of $375. It required no persuasion for everyone to pack up and flee Los Angeles" (McNally 138).

Soon after this show, the Dead headed back to San Francisco.

The show seems typical of the '66 stuff I've listened to so far. It's interesting and inconsistent at the same time. One song that stood out in particular was, "You Don't Have To Ask," sung with Weir as lead. It was chock-full of young, inspired energy. It sounds as though Jerry and Co. are trying to physically blast the walls of Trouper's Hall right out. Jerry is quick on his riffs, and takes the time to just play! The lyrics themselves evoke the image and events of the Acid Tests:

"If you wanna leave just close your eyes, you don't have to ask
If you wanna go and lose your mind, you don't have to ask
If it's peace that you're looking for
You got the key to every door, you already know"

I've always been particularly interested in songs and lyrics in which the Dead tell their own tale. A biography within a song adds something interesting and unique to the music. This song, which I had never heard before, will certainly be a "replay" on my IPOD. I highly suggest that you give that song, if not the whole show, a listen!!

Stream the show here:
http://www.archive.org/details/gd66-03-25.sbd.unknown.38.sbeok.shnf