OK, so this show isn't exactly "lesser-known," but I couldn't resist. I was a few shows into 1968 and this one just jumps at you, begging to be added to your collection if it isn't already. Simply put, it's one of the best instances of primal Dead I've ever heard.
What is primal Dead? It's a term used pretty commonly by Heads to denote the period of time prior to Keith and Donna Godchaux' arrival in the band, and even more specifically, the sixties. The Dead had been fashioning their sound since 1965, and by '68 they had come up with something very fast, very loud, and very harsh. It's not the Grateful Dead as we normally think of them, happy feel-nice music to listen to in the summer outdoors, dancing around the grass and feeling nice. While there is certainly some feel-good music to be found in this period, the music the band was creating was more about making sure every member of their audience heard them, and knew that they were good. They were still making a name for themselves, after all, and most shows from this period are great, for that very reason.
The band isn't that far removed from Ken Kesey's acid tests either at this time. They were the house band for "tests," which was just a nice euphemism for a bunch of people getting together, dropping LSD, and going nuts. You can hear what they learned from these tests in the frenetic energy present in the jams from these shows.
There is some debate about the start of this show. The first track is "Morning Dew", but some setlists leave this out, claiming that the song wasn't played there, and that the show really started with "Schoolgirl". I'd recommend downloading it anyway, taking date accuracy with a grain of salt, and just enjoy the very nice upbeat version of Dew that it is.
A very nice "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" follows, with Pig at his most lascivious. The interplay between him and Jerry toward the end, just as Pig starts the "I don't care" rap is great, a top-notch version for sure. The "Dark Star" that follows is short, to be sure, but contains some beautiful rapid jazzy soloing from Jerry that wouldn't appear in this song later on, as the tune became more and more experimental. An early "China Cat Sunflower" with no "I Know You Rider" comes next, and segues beautifully into "The Eleven."
The second set opens with a dedication. Neal Cassady, an important member of the Beat Generation, friend of the band and of Ken Kesey, had died 10 days prior to this show. The band dedicates the set "and especially this next song" to Neal's memory. The "next song" is, of course, Cryptical Development --> The Other One, in which Cassady makes an appearance in the lyrics:
The bus came by and I got on, that's when it all began...(There's a decent discussion of this song here.)
There was Cowboy Neal, at the wheel of a bus to never-ever land
The entire second set is great, with a nice excursion through "New Potato", "Born Crosseyed" and a wonderful "Spanish Jam," but it's the Alligator --> Jam that makes things really cook. "Alligator" is a great little tune where Pig can strut his stuff as well as the band, but the Jam that comes out of it is gorgeous. Imagine some typically gorgeous Jerry jamming, add a little Allman Brothers to it, and then turn it to eleven. There's an unfortunate cut in it around the 6-minute mark, but I'm going to be playing this one a lot, I'm sure.
The set ends with a pretty good Caution, Feedback, and then a great "Midnight Hour" encore. There is some FM radio chatter afterwards, as the show had been broadcast live in San Fransisco, to celebrate the Carousel's opening.
Next time: well, I haven't really decided yet. Seeing as I haven't done any Keith and Donna shows yet, maybe that's where I'll head. It's difficult to find a period of time in the seventies though that doesn't get enough attention already. Heck, maybe I'll do another Pig show.
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