It seems as though as the year rolls on, the music just keeps getting better, and this week, like last, is filled with a good variety of some deep, big jams. We’ll visit Europe 72, some 1974, and some later 1970s material this week.
About midway through the Europe 72 tour, the band played the biggest show on the tour, in terms of both crowd size and breadth of music, at the Bickershaw Festival on 5/7/72, and from that show, we’re pleased to bring you this introspective Dark Star. And, because we know you, like us, can’t get enough of the Europe 72 material, we also have the second set jam from the free outdoor make-up show in Lille on 5/13/72, featuring Truckin’>Drums>The Other One>He’s Gone.
Moving ahead two years, to 5/12/74, we have some another big second set jam, this one from Reno, Nevada, the first “road show” for the Wall of Sound after it’s debut on 3/23/74 at the Palais de Vache (as the French Canadian hockey announcers used to call the Cow Palace when the San Jose Sharks played there). At this Reno show, the band famously blew all of the tweeters in the sound system during the first song, but you wouldn’t know there were any sound issues at the show based on this tremendous Truckin’>Nobody’s Jam>The Other One>Mind Left Body Jam>Row Jimmy, with a particularly unique placement of Row Jimmy in the midst of the jam.
From three consecutive nights in May of 1977, we have some great music this week. First up, from 5/11/77 in St. Paul, MN, is the second-set closing jam of Uncle John’s Band>Space>Wharf Rat>Around and Around, with an interesting use of Uncle John’s Band as the jumping off point for the jam. From the next night, 5/12/77 in Chicago, is this second set jam of Playing In The Band Jam>Drums>Not Fade Away>Comes A Time>Playing In The Band. We promised we’d have another stunning Comes A Time this week, and we hope you like it. We’ll have another great Comes A Times next week, too. The Playing jam cuts in midway, as the previous portion, on the previous reel, is marred with technical problems. Lastly from this week in 1977, we have this terrific Samson and Delilah>Bertha by special request from 5/13/77.
Jumping ahead a year, we are pleased to bring you some great material from 1978. Starting out is this nice Scarlet Begonias>Fire On The Mountain from the RPI Fieldhouse in Troy, NY (former home of the Capital District Islanders) on 5/7/78. Next is this very rare, stand-alone Franklin’s Tower show opener from 5/9/78 in Syracuse, NY. Finally from 1978, we have a very good first-set combination of Minglewood Blues, Candyman, from the Philadelphia Spectrum on 5/13/78.
Our last selection this week is drawn from the cassette master, and has a bit of hiss on it, but the music certainly comes through. It’s from the Boston Garden on 5/12/80, and features Ship Of Fools>Estimated Prophet>He’s Gone>Caution Jam>Drums. I’ve always found this Caution-inspired jam to be one of the better post-1979 jams the band ever performed, and is always pleasing to hear.
Be sure to check back in next week, when we’ll play the above-promised Comes A Time, plus some great material from 1970, 1974, 1977 and 1978. Feel free to write with questions, comments, suggestions or requests. Your input is always welcome.
David Lemieux
vault [at] dead.net