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B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 02:00
by BARON CORNY DOG
As performed by the Grateful Dead on May 8, 1977, at Cornell University.

Do listen as long as you can, mindful that you can vote for both options . . .


Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 02:22
by BARON CORNY DOG
Two or three times a year, I feel like hearing some (live) Grateful Dead. I have a long, fraught history with them, detailed elsewhere on this site. Suffice it to say, I've listened with "friends" through hours of terrible quality tapes, in fevered anticipation of a "Phil Joke" or some other perceived lagniappe. But on the rare occasion that I want to hear them, err . . . I can dig it.

This particular number has jumped out as I've been listening to this apparently legendary show over the past days. It really is the perfect storm for hatred. And if it turns your stomach and makes you nauseous, that's probably not unhealthy.

First, Bob Weir and Donna Godchaux are singing. Do we really need to hear them sing . . . "Calling out around the world . . ." Dreadful. And It's always Bob Fucking Weir doing these terrible covers. From this show? There was also "El Paso," "Mama Tried," "Not Fade Away," and (of course) "One More Saturday Night." Who the fuck does he think he is?

Second, and most obviously, "Dancing In The Streets" is a legendary record that the Dead should be hunted and murdered for attempting and, even worse, including as a regular part of their show.

Third, being 1977, it's remade as an embarrassingly ham-fisted concession to disco or funk or something they have no business approaching. The leaden, lumpen, shuffling, lumbering funky drums disgust me.

Fourth, Jerry is employing that ludicrous wah-wah tone thing.* HOW HIGH WAS HE!?

Fifth, Deadheads fucking love all of these things. They are wrong about everything that matters.

Sixth, as Jerry winds down his extensive wah-off, they get even wankier and do this appalling dance of the fancy jazz chords (at about 12:50) while Phil and the drummers get extra funky and everyone almost "goes off" as they must apparently somehow get the song back to, you know . . . the song.

Seventh, to remake the song in their image, they've come up with this very self-satisfied lead lick that Jerry plays throughout the song. They're acting nonchalant about it (oh, this little thing?) but you know they think they're fucking Sly Stone.

Eighth, this show is supposedly legendary. It's true that it sounds good and the band DOES sound awake and there ARE some good transitions between songs. But when you read the Deadhead praise (google the show and look at a "show guide" or some such, it's like really bad tasting notes) you realize that these people have no fucking idea what's good in the world. It shows you how bad they really were that the actual shows where they mostly play together obtain top ten of all time status or whatever. Out of thousands and thousands of shows.

I've listened to it about 15 times this week. All of it. Every time. What the fuck? I think I like it.


*It's a wah wah right?

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 03:04
by Matt Wilson
It's Jerry's solo, Michael. It goes on forever!

No, but seriously, that version of "Dancing in the Street" is all right - they did it better on numerous occasions - including for years when they didn't give it that disco vibe. They had been doing that song since 1966 - it predated their first LP. When they brought it back in '77 with the new arrangement, they put it on the Terrapin Station album, so they were promoting it at that 5/8/77 show that you're listening to.

The 5/8/77 concert is indeed, legendary. Is it as good as punters indicate? I dunno, it's certainly a high energy (for the Dead) show, and there's plenty of people who swear by it - but it's not one that I reach for normally. I was playing it in my car when I drove Paul the Fish back to my place on Saturday. I bought the box set, and he bought the single show. He says he was there if you want to ask him about it.

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 14:06
by Moleskin
It's not for every day, but when you're in the mood for it, it fits. (Which is how I feel about the Dead generally.)

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 14:16
by BARON CORNY DOG
Matt Wilson wrote:I was playing it in my car when I drove Paul the Fish back to my place on Saturday. I bought the box set, and he bought the single show. He says he was there if you want to ask him about it.


:lol:

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 14:18
by Bent Fabric
Beautiful writing, Baron.

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 14:22
by Matt Wilson
Still Baron wrote:
Matt Wilson wrote:I was playing it in my car when I drove Paul the Fish back to my place on Saturday. I bought the box set, and he bought the single show. He says he was there if you want to ask him about it.


:lol:


You know what I mean though - he says he was actually at that show.

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 14:25
by BARON CORNY DOG
Matt Wilson wrote:
Still Baron wrote:
Matt Wilson wrote:I was playing it in my car when I drove Paul the Fish back to my place on Saturday. I bought the box set, and he bought the single show. He says he was there if you want to ask him about it.


:lol:


You know what I mean though - he says he was actually at that show.


Absolutely!
Paul's been everywhere!

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 14:27
by BARON CORNY DOG
Bent Fabric wrote:Beautiful writing, Baron.


I owe you.
Anyway, fish in a barrel.
Still, I'm trying to find time to post more.

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 14:37
by NMB
Dammit, I don't need yet another Dead live album do I? But I'm sorely tempted.

Taken from a review of the show on Amazon: An interesting footnote: there is a conspiracy theory, perhaps perpetuated as a joke but doubtless believed by some, that this show never actually took place, but that it was instead part of a mind-control experiment by the CIA.

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 15:28
by harvey k-tel
Still Baron wrote:

*It's a wah wah right?


It's an envelope filter.

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 15:32
by Minnie the Minx
Is this what I was dancing to the other day?

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 15:41
by Goat Boy
Is this some kind of joke?

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 16:01
by zoomboogity
You're a braver soul than I. I couldn't make it to the 2:00 mark before that sense of impending doom set in. I needed an antidote, stat:



And I like The Grateful Dead when they get around to playing something good. Usually when Jerry's singing/writing, or when they're improvising (as opposed to just "jammin'"). I saw them one night in Monterey '88, they played this truly incredible instrumental section between Terrapin Station and Eyes Of The World. The best way to describe it was that they were using lots of suspended chords on top of other suspended chords. It reminded me of McCoy Tyner, believe it or not. I'm almost afraid to hear a recording of it for fear that it wasn't as great as I remember it to be.

But great writeup, it made me laugh, especially the idea of a band becoming mega-successful through a fanbase that loves everything that's wrong with them.

Still Baron wrote:Two or three times a year, I feel like hearing some (live) Grateful Dead. I have a long, fraught history with them, detailed elsewhere on this site. Suffice it to say, I've listened with "friends" through hours of terrible quality tapes, in fevered anticipation of a "Phil Joke" or some other perceived lagniappe. But on the rare occasion that I want to hear them, err . . . I can dig it.


"Lagniappe" - well, that's about the most awesome new word I've learned in ages. I can't imagine ever using it, but I don't need to, you already did!

Still Baron wrote:First, Bob Weir and Donna Godchaux are singing. Do we really need to hear them sing . . . "Calling out around the world . . ." Dreadful. And It's always Bob Fucking Weir doing these terrible covers. From this show? There was also "El Paso," "Mama Tried," "Not Fade Away," and (of course) "One More Saturday Night." Who the fuck does he think he is?


Simply the luckiest guy in rock'n'roll. At least Ringo brought something to the table. Did you ever read that book by The Dead's manager? The band approached him back in 1969 or so and told him that they wanted Weir and Pigpen out of the band, so it was his job to tell them. He replied that it was THEIR job, he had other things to do. So they just never bothered. Imagine being in a band that you know wanted to fire you but were too lazy to do it, so you stick around and reap the benefits. "I don't talk much about Bohemian Grove..."

And yeah, what was with the tenth-generation cassettes? They think that's supposed to impress anyone? I used to envision some Deadhead tape trader with a special dubbing machine that could take a high-quality soundboard recording and add the requisite hiss and muck and wobble - "Nah, man, it's gotta have that tenth-generation cassette sound, otherwise, it's not THE DEAD, maaaan!" For the ultimate effect, they'd have special headsets made so they could go to concerts and get that 10th-gen sound live and in the moment. I could have made some bucks if I'd thought of it back then!

Still Baron wrote:Fourth, Jerry is employing that ludicrous wah-wah tone thing.* HOW HIGH WAS HE!?


Harv is right, that's an envelope filter. Boss used to make an effects pedal called the T-Wah. Those were grim times.

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 16:44
by nathan
I felt transported to my local VFW for Thursday night 3 for 1's!

I got about 10 minutes in before wanting to inflict bodily harm. Nothing about that sounds above the quality of a shitty local cover band.

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 17:01
by sloopjohnc
Having grown up in the home of the Dead (Bob Weir grew up very close to where I did) and their fans, I can't stand them with few exceptions.

This is not one of them. This sucks. They are kinda pleasingly funky, but almost every other aspect of the song, sucks.

Bob Weir and Lindsey Buckingham went to the same high school, years apart. Weir and Lindsey's brother, Greg, would have attended at the same time.

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 17:13
by Modesty Forbids
I was born on Bob Weir's first birthday.

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 17:14
by sloopjohnc
Ragye wrote:I was born on Bob Weir's first birthday.


Explains a lot.

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 18:39
by BARON CORNY DOG
Minnie the Minx wrote:Is this what I was dancing to the other day?


YES!

Re: B's Shit or Hit Ep. 1 "Dancin' In The Streets"

Posted: 19 May 2017, 18:50
by Minnie the Minx
Still Baron wrote:
Minnie the Minx wrote:Is this what I was dancing to the other day?


YES!


Ah!

It's terrible.