Welcome to the new site for the Dead For A Year project. I’m really excited to launch the new site today. Hopefully some of you have the day off for President’s Day and can take a few minutes to poke around and check out all the features. I’m working with a great developer to get everything just exactly perfect, as it were, so we may be tweaking things as the need arises. Please feel free to leave comments or email me with feedback, etc.
I wanted to mark this occasion with something unique and the first thing that jumped into my head was this The Music Never Stops > Sugaree > The Music Never Stops sequence from Alpine Valley 1982. This was the first time the band tried this sequence, and today is the first time I’m getting my feet wet with a serious website so the choice seems apt to me.
This starts off with drums and Brent plucking out the main melody on keys. Jerry finally joins in after a few measures. Phil is really low in this recording unfortunately so his lines come in and out at times. Brent’s backing vocals sound really good on this one and he’s right in sync with Bobby. Jerry is a bit low in the mix as well, but he dances across the fretboard right after Weir sings the line “everybody’s dancing.” The solo on this one is very laid back and I can finally really hear what Bobby is playing. Jerry lopes along and then all of a sudden there a quick change in feel and they’re kicking off Sugaree.
The sound is much fuller in Sugaree, perhaps related to Brent switching over to the Hammond B3. Everything moves along nicely, and Jerry starts his solo around the 1:30 mark. He matches the pace and energy of the rest of the band, and it’s clear he’s not pushing the tempo or trying to lead. He must tweak a dial or something as he gets a thicker sound from his guitar before going back into the verse. Bobby is sliding into his chord figures a lot, which gives a cool dynamic to his playing. By the second solo you can tell that everyone is pretty much warmed up. Jerry is definitely more lively in his pace and note selection, and Bobby plays some intricate figures underneath. Weir might actually be using a slide in some places here, honestly I’m not sure, but it sounds pretty cool. Phil remains low in the mix. It seems there is only so much that technology can do with these tapes. Toward the end of Sugaree everyone brings the dynamics way down. As Jerry starts the final verse the band slowly starts to subtly build and by the chorus they’re rollicking again. Brent’s vocals are still on point when he joins Jerry for the “shake it” section. The outro slides almost perfectly back into the middle section of The Music Never Stopped.
The boys pick the Weir number up right where they left off and Jerry leads the way, excuse the pun. Once they return to the main chord progression the big man starts cooking with oil, as notes bubble quickly to the surface, and Brent has moved back to keys, accompanying Jerry in such a way that it sounds like he’s popping Jerry’s bubbles. It’s difficult to describe the interaction here, but it’s really cool. As the song ends you can hear the appreciative Wisconsin crowd go nuts. Clearly no one was expecting this sandwich to kick off the show. Nevertheless, it’s a really cool combination and the band executed it very well, leaving one to wonder why they didn’t try it more often (The band played this sequence once more almost 12 years later on 7/2/94). Fortunately, in the very least, we have this version to enjoy.
Complete Setlist 8/7/82
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A cool summer opener for a hot day. The drummers are already warming the skins as this fades up. It sounds immediately as though Mr. Norman has boosted the low end considerably in an attempt to compensate for the weak bass guitar signal. This adds a certain boom and is better than no bass at all. The groove is not particularly strong as the song develops. Our ears are deep within the soundboard here, and I’m sure the vibe was much better as the music sailed out into the summer air. Besides the bass mix issue, the keys are significantly louder than Garcia’s guitar for a good while, which is distracting. As the song reaches its first jammy area this is partially rectified, yet Jerry does not really dig in and play. This turns out to be because he is working out a stealth entrance to Sugaree.
Coming out of the middle of the last song, this is startling and surprisingly smooth. The tempo is understandably a tad hot but this does not harm the groove. A quick verse and chorus get us to a nice, loud lead guitar workout. Garcia comes back to the next verse soon and sings it beautifully. He is on, no denying that. The next solo is full of the best Sugaree figures, including a fine scrub before it settles down for another go at a verse. There seems to be a faint cheer from the crowd as Jerry sings about standing out in the pouring rain. Was it raining? Or did I imagine that cheer? The following solo is forfeited to Brent, who works the Hammond for just a few seconds before the song coasts deliciously into the final verse and chorus. Of course we are all wondering how this thing will get back to from whence it came. The song actually completely peters out then a very slow build simmers up, starting with the drummers. Before a minute passes, it is pretty clear we will return to our regularly scheduled program of The Music Never Stopped.
The jammy tension breaks about 1:40 into this track and we find ourselves on a lukewarm burner on the back of the stove. Garcia takes it upon himself to heat the main course to serving temperature but not beyond that before the inevitable ending arrives. Overall, a strange experiment that almost worked.