Everyone and their uncle, it seems, has played Long Black Veil, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. Oddly enough the group I tend to associate with this song is The Band, as this appeared on Music From Big Pink.
It seems that it’s uncertain when exactly this was recorded, but sometime during the session with David Grisman and Tony Rice on February 4 or 5 1993. It’s ok to give a range here, right? Well I make the rules so I say it is.
Sometimes I wonder if Jerry had the same love of story songs that I have. A raconteur with great taste, in passing he’s become the line from Terrapin Station:
The story teller makes no choice, soon you will not hear his voice
His job is to shed light, and not to master
Nevertheless, this tale of adultery is an interesting one and really makes one wonder about it’s origins. Is it based on actual events? Being a piece of Americana that wouldn’t surprise me at all.
Jerry’s playing is front and center in the mix during the first instrumental section. He plays around the melody, leaving the accents and colors to Grisman and Rice. During the next verse Grisman’s mandolin almost sounds reedy at times. It’s really a neat sound. Jerry tags the last line at the end and Tony adds a lickety-split quick guitar run at the end of the song to wrap it up. Nice.
Lunchbox,
Congrats on making the 1/2 pole. Been away for a while and am just catching up with your posts. Guessing w/ Jerry’s Bday this past weekend your posts have been mostly about the man. Caught gathering of the vibes over the weekend and many a band played a tribute tune in his honor.
Do like this release and your take on this version. Great to hear the banter between songs. You can really fell how much he enjoyed this style of music, especially hanging out w/ a couple of buddies.
Just got my new Dave’s pick and enjoyed this for the last couple of days. He’s gone is always a fav and this version is a sweet one.
All the Best