I had inquired of the Twittersphere for recommendations for a smoking version of U.S. Blues. One follower responded with this version and I gave it a listen. It approached the vibe I was looking for so I figured why not?!
The cast of characters in this song is one of the components that makes it fun to me, Uncle Sam, Charlie Chan, P.T. Barnum, etc. On some level it makes me think of a children’s book with some of its imagery (“skin the goat” and “back to back/chicken shack” seem Seussian to me for some reason), and I think this is the type of song that my 2 year old would shake his bones to, at least until he got distracted by a button, or a crayon, or anything else within 3 feet of his being. Maybe I’ll test that hypothesis soon, assuming I can get his attention long enough.
Any other barn-burning versions of U.S. Blues I need to check out? Leave your suggestions in the comments.
Keith is a bit buried in the mix here, however. Nevertheless this version cooks as far as I’m concerned. Weir adds some type of distortion as Jerry launches into his guitar solo. While the whole band is rocking pretty hard by the end of this one, do pay close attention to Phil as he is the beast driving the truck here. The crowd roars their approval at the end of this set closer and with good reason.
Jerry sounds happy to deliver this whimsical so-called blues. That is, until Bob decides to trot out the slide again. Is it just me, or do I actually hear Garcia wilt at this point? Well, the second verse sounds engaged, so let’s forget that. Except Weir colors the end of this with loud slide that kinda works right here. He backs way off to allow Garcia to shine on the solo. But he pollutes the last verse with stray intonation, so eff him. The ending chorus is raucous fun anyway.