Jerry and Nicky Let It Rock at Keystone Berkeley!
The latest release to come from the Garcia vault is Let It Rock: Jerry Garcia Band 1975 a 2-CD
set recorded November 17 and 18, 1975 at the Keystone Berkeley, featuring the very first
version of the Jerry Garcia Band, with the magnificent British pianist Nicky Hopkins, drummer Ron Tutt and ol’
reliable—bassist John Kahn. This marks the first-ever full release of material from the brief but fruitful
Garcia-Hopkins union (August through December ’75), and it shows the group at its best, rolling though a broad
range of styles, from the churning opener, “Let It Rock,” to Dead favorites like “Sugaree,” “They Love Each
Other” and a lively “Friend of the Devil,” to boppin’ R&B—“Tore Up Over You,” “Roadrunner”—a 19-minute workout
(!) on the Stones’ “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” and Nicky’s exceptional instrumental track “Edward.”
The sound on these discs is impeccable: They were mixed from 16-track master tapes by Jeffrey Norman, who has
mixed and mastered countless Dead-related projects through the years. The clarity of the vocals and instruments
is absolutely stunning—it’s practically like being at the legendary Keystone Berkeley, except without
that distinctive smell of beer and popcorn, and the clacking of the foosball table in the back room. The icing on
this particular slice of psychedelic cake is a fine essay by David Gans which probes the Jerry-Nicky dynamic and
offers some needed historical context. In short, this one is a must for Jerry freaks (and doesn’t that include
all of us?)! To order your copy today, click here.
—Blair Jackson
Track List
CD 1
1. LET IT ROCK
2. TORE UP OVER YOU
3. FRIEND OF THE DEVIL*
4. THEY LOVE EACH OTHER
5. IT’S TOO LATE
6. PIG’S BOOGIE>
7. BAND INTRODUCTIONS>
8. SITTING IN LIMBO
9. (I’M A) ROAD RUNNER
CD 2
1. SUGAREE
2. I’LL TAKE A MELODY
3. THAT’S WHAT LOVE WILL MAKE YOU DO*
4. LADY SLEEPS*
5. AIN’T NO USE
6. LET’S SPEND THE NIGHT TOGETHER*
7. EDWARD, THE MAD SHIRT GRINDER
Recorded live at KEYSTONE BERKELEY, 11/18/75 and *11/17/75
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John Kahnistry
I never ceased to be amazed by synchronous chemistry that Garcia established for decades AT THE VERY SAME TIME with John Kahn and Phil Lesh, two very different stylist with a bass guitar.
The Khan chemistry is sublime supreme. I am so pleased that more of the earlier Garcia performances are being released.
The faster we go the rounder we get!
Limbo
Agreed about the Nicky/Jerry interplay on Limbo. I was listening to it the other night in that sort of "twilight" mode... y'know.... and it occured to me that their instruments were getting so intimate with each other it was nearly scandalous! Like, do their wives know they're making this music?! In, y'know, the non-dirtiest way possible....
No Jerry CD!!!!
Ordered both RT and Let it Rock. The package came yesterday, and it was never sealed!! The RT trips was still in there, but no Jerry! Bummer! I called and some nice man in India said it would be sent in 2 business days. Man I sure hope so, because I'm really wanting to hear this.
Michael
This is one of the finest
This is one of the finest things I've heard in awhile. Just lovely. Thanks to all who coaxed it into the light of day, including DGans and Blair.
Amazing!
I love this CD, I was listening intently all day yesterday as I was cooking and watching football. It's great, and the sound is amazing. Too bad "It's No Use" skips on my CD player. I took them out of that lousy packaging, upon receipt, and placed them into jewel cases. Oh well.
If this is what it sounds like in limbo than I'm ready to go NOW
I just wanted to write to say thanks to Annabelle Garcia, Theresa Garcia, Tiff Garcia, Heather Garcia Katz and Sunshine Kesey. Without you I wouldn't have this gem of a recording in my collection. I am very much looking forward to any future Jerry Garcia Band and/or solo recordings. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy holiday season. Mine just got a lot brighter.
let it rock
this album is so sweet jerrys guitar is beautiful as allways and hopkins keys are so sweet i love this disc buy it for sure! boonez
at last
arrived today (together with Road Trips)
I have been eagerly waiting for this and at last it is blasting out across the house and the woods and fields (I hope the birds and deer are enjoying it as much as I am).
What a treat. Great band, great shows, lovely production (clearly a tricky restoration job). Interesting and informative sleeve notes from David Gans too (thankfully without a single use of the words "stellar" or "legendary" ;-0).
Sad to think that Ron Tutt is the only survivor of this band, but so good to be able to hear it. Thanks very much to all concerned and especially to Jerry's family for making this happen.
So what's next? Is there a soundboard of JGB 11/19/93 with THAT 'Shining Star'? Oops, getting greedy ;-)
Re: Sound Quality
I just heard the version of Edward the Mad Shirt Grinder on the radio and was appalled by the sound quality of this release. I found the high end to be very harsh and the guitar to be very mid rangey. I suspected the guy responsible for making many Dick's Picks sound harsh was at the helm and I was correct. If this is a multi track mix, it makes this even more appalling. I figured it was important for me to warn others who have a problem with the harshness of many Dick's Pick's to be forewarned that this is more of the same from the same guy responsible. Buyer beware. I'm glad that I will be saving my money. I encourage those interested in the Nicky Hopkins years to find the 75 JGB shows from Wolfgang's Vault. They are far warmer and not harsh at all for those that are interested in hearing what the band sounded like without having to put up with atrocious sound quality.
Reader Beware
And I will respectfully submit that Mighty Slim is completely wrong about the sound quality. I think it sounds AWESOME! (But each to his or her own.)
Deadbeat
Agree with Blair. Note that the poster said he heard this release, make that one song, on the radio. That eliminates any semblance of credibility for his opinion. Although I agree some releases can sound on the bright side, that more than likely is a function of the playback equipment one uses or more particularly the acoustics of the room in which one is listening, and those are variables over which the listener has some control. There is no basis for a sound quality rant such as this.
sound advice
well it sounds pretty damn fine to me too. If you want to be fussy, it is perhaps not quite as crisp as you would imagine from a multitrack source, but it is still outstanding. And if you read the accompanying notes you will see that quite a lot of work needed to be done to make this fantastic offering ready for us at all. So throw away your radio Slim and go buy this one!
More on sound quality
When I think about the fact that these concerts were recorded so many years ago (and then I realize that I attended many of them, yikes!), it is nothing short of astounding that the master tapes are in as good condition as they are. The digitally re-mastered releases we get now would not sound as good as they do without the high quality of the original recordings. It is simply amazing how well they have survived, and it is a testament to the quality of the technology of that era. That technology is something we are still striving to improve upon today, some 40 years later.
We all know the masters are not perfect (duh!). The sound board people were working in many different concert venues and imagine all of the distractions they had to deal with (hey, pass that joint around; drink this kool-aid; can I plug my cassette into the sound board? Sure!). Yes, sometimes they missed seeing the tape reel end and there are gaps in the recordings. There are sonic irregularities due to problems with the PA system, and on and on. But what we have today is an almost complete record of all the Grateful Dead concerts. Who could ask for anything more??? I, for one, can hardly believe it and our good fortune to finally have access to them after all these years.
Sound Quality
Hey if all of you loved it and love many Dick's Picks mixed/mastered by the same guy, great.All I was saying is that if you find many Dick's Picks to be harsh like I do MOST of them, you will find this to be more of the same. A good engineer can during the process of mastering to things to eliminate any harshness of the recording. It happens all the time. If you're dealing with a multi-track then you have less of an excuse as to the sonic blend you create and its accompanying equalization. It has nothing to do with the fact that the tape in 35 years old. Some people are not sensitive to a "crisp" high end. Some are. If you are, stay away, save your money. If not, knock yourself out. Those who truly understand what I am talking about may find this information useful. Those who don't, well just don't get it. Thats ok.
it's on my Christmas list
Looking forward to enjoying this recording. I went to the 11/23/75 JGB show at Macky Auditoriumwith a similar setlist performed. I've got a color photo that I'll put up here, someday....
When released to Public?
Watched the Dead and related groups since1970
sound quality
I couldn't disagree more with Mighty Slim. This is a great mix of very well-recorded multitracks. I don't know if Mighty Slim's harsh opinion is based entirely on having heard one track on the radio, but if so, I'd suggest giving it a try in a more suitable environment on playback equipment of superior quality.
Gans/GD Hour blog
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Review
The sound on these discs is impeccable: They were mixed from 16-track master tapes by Jeffrey Norman, who has mixed and mastered countless Dead-related projects through the years. The clarity of the vocals and instruments is absolutely stunning—it’s practically like being at the legendary Keystone Berkeley, except without that distinctive smell of beer and popcorn, and the clacking of the foosball table in the back room. The icing on online casino this particular slice of psychedelic cake is a fine essay by David Gans which probes the Jerry-Nicky dynamic and offers some needed historical context.Move over, top bloggers - there’s a new kid in town! Great post, keep up the good work. Greetings, Samuel.
online casino spam
why is there a link to an online casino buried in the previous post? It looks like the type of automated spam messages you find on blogs. Clever but annoying.
Let it Rock - song problems
Am I the only one that's been having problems with 'Edward the Mad Shirt Grinder'? My copy has all kinds of glitches and is unlistenable. I bought this CD because this song was a real favorite of mine from Quicksilver. I have called and emailed Dead.net 3 times to get this resolved and so far they have done NOTHING! What has happened to them, and their customer service?? I get some Indian trouble ticket type of person, who's english you can hardly understand. Do they 'outsource' their customer service in India now??!! Let's hear it for the good old USA and its degradation down the tubes! I can't even get a lousy bad recording replaced and I paid full price for it the first day it was available. Oh well, guess I'll be taking my business elsewhere...
Let it Rock - song problems
dief..I guess you have tried it already, but have you tried giving the disc a careful clean. Edward is the last track on the outside of the disc and on my copy had some ugly finger marks on it and also skipped. Looked like whoever was packing the discs was eating his/her lunch at the same time. Actually its hard to get the discs out without grabbing them between finger and thub. Anyway a careful clean fixed it up good. Hope it might work for you. If not good luck with getting a replacement.
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