Serendipity. In my experience serendipity is one of the greatest gifts that the Grateful Dead ever gave me. The beautiful aspect of this is that even though I’ve been listening to the band for more than half of my life (thirty years upon my head…) I constantly get turned on, my mind blown, and a range of other emotions and sentiments when I listen to their music. There is something for every occasion, whether in the Dead’s oeuvre, or the Garcia or Weir catalogs, and all the rest. This continued sense of serendipity, adventure, and wonder is what inspired me to take on this project.
I’m actually writing this on Saturday night for my Sunday post because I know that I will have precious little time to work on anything of my own tomorrow. Not to sound too pedantic, but that’s life with kids. You know who I give a TON of credit? Moms and single parents. I have no idea how they do it. I love my boys, but having to occupy the interest of my 2 year old son for an entire weekend is a draining process. Those who have gone before will always say that it gets better. Our second kid arrived just last week so we’ve been here before, we know it gets better, but knowing that doesn’t make the here and now any easier. That’s something that most parents have to find out the hard way, I think.
So I just happened to click on this version of The Other One and as I listened to it I realized that it mimicked the pace and frenzy of the day I had just experienced, the peaks and valleys. Of course your mileage may vary, but no matter how you break it down there are some interesting things going on in this song.
The Other One comes rolling out of drums with Phil leading the way. Jerry immediately takes the lead and feels his way into the space of the song. Keith floats effortlessly around what everyone else is playing and Bobby’s signature “jangly” guitar tone cuts through at all the right times. Jerry works himself into a frenzy and Phil follows suit, even hitting some notes in the upper register before settling back into the sweet spot further down the neck. The band continues at this pace, slightly shifting dynamics only to return to where they started, for several minutes. Around 3:20 things start to calm down and the band finds the groove that sets the foundation for the lyrical section of the song. Donna and Jerry add their “comin’ around”s, although they lack a bit of conviction. Jerry starts to meander a bit in the succeeding solo, and his tone seems to change a bit. There’s a bit more echo (reverb maybe) to my ear. Around 5:40 they start to build again. Clearly the what preceded was the eye of the hurricane as the band returns to the aesthetic they started the song with. Jerry goes really high with a flurry of trebly notes that signals the return to the second verse. This verse is not like the first one and has a lot more oomph! to it (although the “comin’ around”s could still be better). Once everyone finishes singing the bottom drops out of the groove and eventually everyone but Jerry stops playing. Clearly Mr. Garcia is looking for the thread that connects the bombastic Other One to the plaintive and mellow Wharf Rat that would follow.
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Phil does his best rumbling run into this and the rest of the band is directly on top of the groove immediately. Keith rocks a few interesting figures here, but then is mostly obscured by Jerry’s whirlwind of notes. The action is furious and fun, as Garcia just eats up the fretboard. A drummer shifts to cowbell, signaling that the first verse is imminent, and Weir steps up and delivers. Donna and Jerry nail the backups before the groove softens into a devolving cascade of notes. Before this can hit bottom, Jer lifts it to new, insane (and I mean really crazy) heights and the band follows with deserving loyalty. This one is not to be missed. The second verse hits right after the storm subsides and it is just right. The following segment finds Weir picking up a slide and goofing around with it to good effect before Garcia points the way to Wharf Rat.