Explore “Eyes of the World” inside & out with the studio multi-tracks, lost lyrics, archival audio of Robert Hunter, a meditation by Erik Davis, & a tour of the song’s evolution (yes, including that cool 7/8 ending).
by Jesse Jarnow
One of the most beloved and durable songs in Grateful Dead repertoire, “Eyes of the World” is both a jam launchpoint and a vehicle for some of Robert Hunter’s most wide-open lyrics.
Erik Davis writes the Burning Shore newsletter, where his thoughts on “Eyes of the World” will soon be an essay. His forthcoming volume Blotter assembles work from Mark McCloud’s Institute of Illegal Images. (I worked as an assistant editor on the project.)
David Gans provided us with amazing archival audio of Robert Hunter, which can be found in Conversations With the Dead, and his new book, Improvised Lives, available from his site.
This week’s episode also features a chronological supercut of “Eyes of the World” using a few seconds from a number of versions over the years.
demo version, San Souci home studio, Stinson Beach, CA
February 26, 1973 Pershing Municipal Auditorium, Lincoln, NE
August 8, 1973 Record Plant, Sausalito, CA
June 18, 1974 Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY
August 13, 1975 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
June 11, 1976 Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA
May 7, 1977 Boston Garden, Boston, MA
May 14, 1978 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
November 5, 1979 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
September 4, 1980 Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI
May 15, 1981 Rutgers Athletic Center, Piscataway, NJ
April 18, 1982 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
October 14, 1983 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
March 29, 1984 Marin County Veterans Auditorium, San Rafael, CA
April 8, 1985 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
December 30, 1986 Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, Oakland, CA
March 27, 1987 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
July 3, 1988 Oxford Plains Motor Speedway, Oxford Plains, ME
October 8, 1989 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
March 29, 1990 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
June 17, 1991 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
December 11, 1992 Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA
March 27, 1993 Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY
June 26, 1994 Silver Bowl, Las Vegas, NV
July 6, 1995 Riverport Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights, MO
Comment
That pre hiatus jam
I was really looking forward to some discussion as to why they stopped the syncopated jam that makes pre hiatus EOTWs so great. The choice to drop that is more than the slow evolution of a song over time. There had to have been a discussion. In talking to other heads I've heard people muse that it was too similar to Slipknot or that it was too hard to play... I don't think those theories holds water. Can you please shed some light on that? Why would the band drop such a great movement?!?!?!
I was really looking forward to some discussion as to why they stopped the syncopated jam that makes pre hiatus EOTWs so great. The choice to drop that is more than the slow evolution of a song over time. There had to have been a discussion. In talking to other heads I've heard people muse that it was too similar to Slipknot or that it was too hard to play... I don't think those theories holds water. Can you please shed some light on that? Why would the band drop such a great movement?!?!?!