tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post4351509184823204435..comments2024-03-17T11:10:04.872-07:00Comments on Grateful Dead Guide: The Dead's Acoustic Sets 1969-1970Light Into Asheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-72793865225447013612024-02-09T00:05:35.878-08:002024-02-09T00:05:35.878-08:00Attics debuted on 5/14, not 5/24. Sometimes I thin...Attics debuted on 5/14, not 5/24. Sometimes I think they shouldn't put numbers in a row on keyboards. Jim Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07775659356285581409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-51485621125438366852022-05-19T04:49:19.833-07:002022-05-19T04:49:19.833-07:00Interesting observations. I went back & forth ...Interesting observations. I went back & forth on that myself, but his playing in the 4/26 Silver Threads & the 5/31 Green Grass doesn't sound quite like his actual pedal-steel playing from June '69 either. They're a lot closer to his style in He Was A Friend of Mine at the time, which no one has suggested was done on pedal steel. Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-28649399125390357922022-05-19T04:10:30.939-07:002022-05-19T04:10:30.939-07:00Thanks for the observation. I wasn't sure myse...Thanks for the observation. I wasn't sure myself....his playing in the June '69 pedal-steel numbers is a lot more bendy & pedal-steely. And I had doubts about him pulling out a pedal-steel solo for one single song in the April '69 tour, just two weeks after getting the pedal steel in the first place.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-41145178096076836792022-05-18T12:36:20.835-07:002022-05-18T12:36:20.835-07:004/26 Threads and also 5/31 Green Grass are definit...4/26 Threads and also 5/31 Green Grass are definitely pedal steel (and obviously Garcia playing it). On 4/26 the concentration of playing PSG evidently forces him to bail on singing his tenor part on Threads, and Phil steps in. There are some steel licks you can imitate on guitar (especially a B-bender equipped Tele) but you just can't make some of those sounds on a standard-tuned electric Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-18802140377492746062022-05-18T12:28:07.848-07:002022-05-18T12:28:07.848-07:004/26 Threads and also 5/31 Green Grass are definit...4/26 Threads and also 5/31 Green Grass are definitely pedal steel. You just can't make some of those sounds on a standard-tuned electric guitar. Hard To Handle and Hurts Me Too are contemporaneous examples of his bottleneck electric guitar, but on 7/11 he actually plays Hard To Handle on the pedal steel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-64548305726746987992022-05-18T12:00:23.107-07:002022-05-18T12:00:23.107-07:00Disagree: that is unmistakably pedal steel on the ...Disagree: that is unmistakably pedal steel on the 4/26/69 Silver Threads. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-53766272820683624962021-06-17T21:52:08.215-07:002021-06-17T21:52:08.215-07:00I don't think I mentioned it earlier, but ther...I don't think I mentioned it earlier, but there are a couple other bands that probably influenced the Dead in doing acoustic sets. <br />One, of course, would be their friends Crosby Stills Nash & Young, who were regularly dividing their shows between acoustic & electric sets from summer '69 onwards. <br />But also, the Rolling Stones in their '69 tour had a little acoustic Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-18769540520257499842021-06-17T21:32:49.832-07:002021-06-17T21:32:49.832-07:00Not so, he's still on electric guitar in Silve...Not so, he's still on electric guitar in Silver Threads - see the 6/25/19 comment below. He does a great pedal-steel impression on guitar - something he did on a few songs in spring '69, including Green Grass & Friend of Mine. Clearly he had pedal-steel on the brain even before he brought it onstage with the Dead. Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-46952084606500199412020-12-23T22:45:16.853-08:002020-12-23T22:45:16.853-08:00September '70: It appears to be Bill on drums ...September '70: It appears to be Bill on drums on the 9/18 & 9/20 Fillmore East acoustic sets, which suggests that it's Mickey on the (less audible) 9/17 & 9/19 audience tapes. <br />In the Nov '70 Capitol run, Jesse Jarnow's show notes suggest possibly Mickey on 11/6 & Bill on 11/7, but not certain. Bill is the acoustic drummer in a photo dated 11/6/70, so if they Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-80369635754438734812020-07-31T13:44:26.618-07:002020-07-31T13:44:26.618-07:00- and, whoops, a Fillmore east labeling mistake - ...- and, whoops, a Fillmore east labeling mistake - 7/11/70 was the acoustic set with the Pigpen songs, 7/12 had So Sad. <br />On 7/11 they tell the audience, "Mickey's tom-tom broke." Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-64981387607394669842020-07-31T12:16:02.672-07:002020-07-31T12:16:02.672-07:00A couple corrections!
- although someone talks to...A couple corrections! <br />- although someone talks to Mickey in the 7/30/70 set, it appears he was offstage and not playing - Bill's on drums. Mickey's playing drums in the "8/5/70" set. <br />- I thought Mickey was the sole drummer in the 4/3/70 acoustic set since there's a photo of him that date, but Garcia says after Friend of the Devil, "The drummers are having a Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-32300746026615993052020-07-16T03:57:05.935-07:002020-07-16T03:57:05.935-07:00Re-posting this comment from elsewhere so it'l...Re-posting this comment from elsewhere so it'll be easier to find:<br /><br />The instrumentation of the two unique To Lay Me Downs on 9/19 and 9/20/70 is intriguing and mysterious - it sounds to me like the Dead with an extremely rare three-keyboard setup. <br />There's Garcia on piano, Weir on tremolo'd guitar, Pigpen on organ (he's actually more audible on the 9/19 AUD), and Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-28660856447140549542020-07-16T03:34:02.675-07:002020-07-16T03:34:02.675-07:00A bit more on the July '70 acoustic-set drumme...A bit more on the July '70 acoustic-set drummers: <br />7/4/70 - Bill, confirmed by video <br />7/8/70 - unknown<br />The first two Fillmore East sets unknown.<br />7/11/70 (the "So Sad" set) - one listener reports that Mickey is called by name (this may also be the set with Mickey mentioned in a newspaper review) <br />7/12/70 (the Pigpen-medley set) - presumably Bill <br />7/14/70Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-58553431549347119952020-07-11T04:36:30.324-07:002020-07-11T04:36:30.324-07:00Yes, I suspect he used the Strat for the acoustic ...Yes, I suspect he used the Strat for the acoustic sets through the year.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-56689636371228736962020-07-10T13:57:17.268-07:002020-07-10T13:57:17.268-07:00Thank you so much for this blog! Just wanted to s...Thank you so much for this blog! Just wanted to say, Garcia was definitely playing his strat during the last few tunes of the 5/2 Harpur College acoustic set. The tone of the guitar is very clearly a single coil guitar and distinctly different from his tone in the electric set.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03157088309554543754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-6004719423984926182020-06-18T19:50:33.565-07:002020-06-18T19:50:33.565-07:00The Rolling Stone article on 8/17/70 reports that ...The Rolling Stone article on 8/17/70 reports that midway through the acoustic set, "Jerry switched to his Fender." So I think it's likely that Garcia did bring a Strat onstage just for the acoustic sets that year, rather than using his Gibson. Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-20062742026098775982020-06-18T19:45:47.909-07:002020-06-18T19:45:47.909-07:00I've gathered some more info on the acoustic d...I've gathered some more info on the acoustic drummers in early 1970: <br /><br />3/21/70 - Mickey (mentioned as percussionist on UJB) <br />4/3/70 - Mickey<br />4/10/70 - Mickey (rest of run unknown) <br />4/18/70 - Mickey<br />4/24/70 - ? <br />5/1/70 - Mickey <br />5/2/70 - Bill<br />5/7/70 - Bill <br />5/14/70 - Bill <br />5/15/70 (early) - Mickey<br />6/4/70 - Mickey <br />6/5/70 - Bill<Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-25544228126453626712020-03-08T22:19:32.378-07:002020-03-08T22:19:32.378-07:00I am jealous and sad they never played High Time l...I am jealous and sad they never played High Time live acoustic...unless someone can point me..I think that would have been marvelous. ecce homohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15076038539701314747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-56608315579187583092019-11-27T06:35:20.492-08:002019-11-27T06:35:20.492-08:00I don't think I really noticed before, but it&...I don't think I really noticed before, but it's quite likely that Weir sang all the songs on 6/11/69 (including Dire Wolf) - after all, it was billed as a "Bobby Ace" show. John Dawson would probably have done most the harmony singing, as in later New Riders shows. Garcia was most likely on pedal steel throughout. <br /><br />Dave Nelson is always said to have been among the Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-6390836423903030992019-11-12T21:40:02.894-08:002019-11-12T21:40:02.894-08:00One audience member on 9/17/70 (Gary Lambert, I th...One audience member on 9/17/70 (Gary Lambert, I think) recalled: "During the acoustic set that night, they performed "Box of Rain." First time I ever heard it...I know it was the only time I ever saw them perform it THIS way - in the same configuration as on "American Beauty," which they'd started recording just weeks before: Phil on acoustic guitar and lead vocal; Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-75297278598713384972019-09-06T15:19:20.397-07:002019-09-06T15:19:20.397-07:00As mentioned above, in 1970 Mickey and Bill altern...As mentioned above, in 1970 Mickey and Bill alternated as the solo drummer in the acoustic sets. The dates I've figured out so far: <br /><br />4/3/70 - Mickey<br />4/10/70 - Mickey<br />4/18/70 - Mickey<br />5/2/70 - Bill<br />5/15/70 - Mickey<br />6/5/70 - Bill<br />7/4/70 - Bill <br />7/9?/70 - Mickey<br />7/14/70 - Mickey<br />8/17/70 - Bill<br />8/19/70 - Bill<br />11/6/70 - Bill<br /><Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-9145494846509126002019-06-25T22:12:16.032-07:002019-06-25T22:12:16.032-07:00I originally wrote that Garcia played pedal steel ...I originally wrote that Garcia played pedal steel on the 4/26/69 Silver Threads & Golden Needles. <br />I've changed my mind - now I think he's on electric guitar, but doing a remarkable imitation of the pedal steel. (A trick he'd do again on the 5/31/69 Green Grass of Home.) <br /><br />I added a note to the post from Lost Live Dead, adding details about Garcia's 1969 Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-7505115328828699422018-05-10T11:11:00.153-07:002018-05-10T11:11:00.153-07:00I did find my one on that first link you sent me, ...I did find my one on that first link you sent me, a buyer has it listed as wanted to buy. I don't see anywhere on here that I can send you the pictures of the cover. barb Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17922015908854302641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-68033091276172385522018-05-10T11:06:41.504-07:002018-05-10T11:06:41.504-07:00Thanks again. My cover isn't nearly as 'f...Thanks again. My cover isn't nearly as 'fancy' as the one shown. It's literally that red picture, Grateful Dead, lower case acoustic dead - that's it!<br />barb Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17922015908854302641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-508596483308849125.post-61982093061570978312018-05-10T11:03:04.756-07:002018-05-10T11:03:04.756-07:00Well, the Dead show has been released (Dick's ...Well, the Dead show has been released (Dick's Picks 8), and the New Riders set is also available online, so the record is just a curio now. Possibly some old vinyl bootleg collector might want it...or future yard-sale browsers! Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.com