Review by Ramble
On Joe
Asked to name which Europe
'72 shows should be canonized by commercial release, it's all too
easy to give up and ask for them all. In reality, before ROCKIN' THE
RHEIN, we had only one release drawn entirely from a single date
(and that not a complete concert). No doubt the more popular English
shows from this tour were passed over for precisely that popularity;
why try to sell what your intended purchasers most likely already
have? Even STEPPIN' OUT was a nod to this -- stepping over the
widely-circulated Lyceum shows in favor of the less-heard Bickershaw
date, and scoring a genuine coup with the first quality presentation
from 4/07.
Therein lies the rub: the
most obvious E72 candidates already being leaked, what hidden gems
might remain?
4/24/72 starts with the
kind of "Truckin" that promises a good show: the harmonies
are good, and (not surprisingly) the jam reminds us of its more
famous brother on the E72 album. The difference here is that the
band still has three hours ahead of it; having touched the muse,
they exploit it for a few minutes and retreat to the coda.
Surprising to the ears of
those accustomed to the circulated E72 shows, there's a bit of echo
on Jerry's voice -- "Tennessee Jed" shows it on some of
the band stops -- and Bill's drum intros can sound startlingly
crisp. I venture to say that the band sound was probably *not* quite
so good as it is here :-)
"Tennessee Jed"
seems good enough to me to have been the album version; the band
gets some real energy going behind Jerry's solo (notice Keith's
down-the-piano backhand on the solo's conclusion). Unusually, Jerry
throws a jovial "baby" into the lyric -- a minor joy, to
be sure, but one for the conneisseurs. "China Cat" and
"Mr. Charlie" similarly sound like album material to these
ears; the "China>Rider" jam has that same marvelously
amorphous quality of everything happening though nothing specific
could be described. Poor "Black-Throated Wind" never made
it onto a Grateful Dead album in its own lifetime; STEAL YOUR FACE
was an embalmed memory of a former time. This show's rendition (and,
for that matter, "Beat it on Down the Line") would have
been fine live album fodder, had they so chosen.
"Loser" lacks the
pinched harmonics we might expect in Jerry's solo, and the band
seems to be coasting, but the audience is warming up all the same;
appreciative applause has Jerry thanking them in their own tongue.
The band responds to this encouragement by diving into "Playing
in the Band" as if it were their latest hit; the jam starts in
a rather uncertain, furtive mood, but soon generates the heat we
expect as Phil and Keith push Jerry to higher, more desperate notes.
Europe's Spring '72 tour was PITB's first real stepping out, as they
learned to confidently stretch and pull its fabric. Having ventured
as far as they dared, Jerry turns things back to the Reprise,
complete with Donna siren. A very good showing, worthy to sit beside
the greater adventures yet to come for this song.
"Next Time" is
fine, though no rosette; "Bobby McGee" is sweetly sung and
performed, but seems out of place after a song of bad love and
bluesy dismissal. Especially nice are Keith's piano and Pigpen's
supportive Hammond organ -- and please, let's give it up for Jerry's
soulful harmonies -- a fine example of how well Jerry and Bobby
blended.
The audience claps their
desire for something more up tempo during the tune-up, and Keith
plays along. Phil addresses the audience in German, then English, to
remove themselves away from the PA, and the band launches into a
seventeen-minute "Good Lovin" that must have had those
German feet moving. Pigpen may no longer have been quite the
audience wrangler he once was, but the band had learned to
compensate: the double-percussive Keith-and-Bill propelling Phil and
Jerry up and over the musical sand dunes of rhythm and tone. But
don't count Pig out -- soon enough, he's out front and unreeling his
tropes: motion, metaphor and desire stirred into the swirling
musical soup, verbalizing what the band's music implied. Swagger and
suggestion soon give away to something darker: we were already
getting primal, but the band develops a more mysterious tone as it
detours into the dense forest of the subconscious. Pig has no
trouble with this, and we soon find the band taking one of its
darkest guises without leaving Pig behind, or abandoning his
bluesman persona. Band and front man equally feed off each other,
and the strange turn soon comes out to the light: it was only a
shortcut through the woods, and now the band can really gallop. Like
a locomotive on the last long straightaway, they dash back to town
(slowing down on the last turn so as not to scare the locals). Soon
we're back to civilization, and familiar ground; Pigpen having been
the engineer the whole time, we never had to worry how far or how
fast this train went. Back at the station, the audience applauds
with real enthusiasm; thanks for a real good time!
Such is enough for a good
set, and "Casey Jones" finishes it in both music and
metaphor; benefiting from the twin keyboard sound and the band's
enthusiasm, it's a fine finish.
Set two begins with a joke
[?!], which the band then admits is a test of the audience's English
[!!!!]. Thankfully, they give up on comedy and let "He's
Gone" resume the music which the audience actually wanted to
hear. This goes very well for a song that had debuted only the week
before; Jerry sings with snarling passion, Bobby inserts numerous
guitar comments, and the band in general plays strongly. Noteworthy
on the end jam is Jerry's gently soaring solo, punctuated by Bobby
and Pigpen, with commentary from Keith. Gently, gently, they come in
for a landing; I guess Bill is the landing gear ;-) Another
album-worthy performance.
A Souza march* emerges from
Jerry's guitar during tuning, and most of the band jumps on the, er,
bandwagon (Phil seems especially keen on it). The audience gives no
sign of recognition; seemingly with a shrug, the band puts up
"It Hurts Me Too" on center stage. This seems the perfect
next step, as Pig sings gently and soulfully with full sympathetic
support from the band. Look for a solo that makes you want to stand
up and howl your own bluesy support. "El Paso" is lively
enough, but somehow not as satisfying as the blues song it followed;
the highlight may well be Bobby's post-song explanation to the
audience: "The hero died."
Filling out the disc is a
two-partner from a month later (5/24) in England --
"Lovelight" segueing into one of Pigpen's original
compositions. This is a rather shorter "Lovelight" than we
had come to expect in 1969 - 71, but there's no denying the band's
energy and commitment to the performance; Pigpen himself still seems
firmly in command. I'm guessing this is essentially a outtake from
the STEPPIN' OUT project which ended up here simply because there
was space. In any case, I surely don't object to hearing it. As for
the original song (alternately called "Two Souls in
Communion" or "The Stranger"): this must be the
slowest version ever, which fits the song well. Pigpen is still
trying out different phrasing, searching out the song's strengths,
though he hits a lot of flat notes as well. Jerry plays a sweet
solo. IMHO, 5/26 is still the gold performance of this song --
perhaps partly thanks to the practice on end-harmonies heard here,
which are surprisingly strong. Pigpen really shines on his soulful
end shouts.
After this, we go back to
4/24 for the deep jams which (for many) constitute the main reason
for hearing this show. "Dark Star" begins with no
discernible audience reaction -- understandably enough, given the
circumstances, but a little odd to ears so accustomed to those
fateful opening notes. Switching to headphones, I find Jerry a
little left, Keith way off to the right, and Bobby just right of
Phil's dead center. Bill is panned across both channels, naturally.
Things get murky after a
few minutes, and then get crazier from there; the nice spatial
separation makes everyone perfectly clear. Phil switches on some
fuzz; Keith goes through some stereo tremolo; it sounds like he has
the electric piano in stereo while the grand stays off to one side.
Hmm, a double threat :-) Nobody takes the lead, but everyone is in
the flow. Turbulence, distance, change ... and the return:
"Daaaaaaaaark Star
crashes ..."
Whoa -- did you hear that?
Someone put a delay on during one word in "Searchlight
casting" -- Jerry's voice echoes a ghostly "casting"
afterward. If that was in fact done live, big kudos are due;
otherwise, we hear some judicious 21st-century help. No matter,
really -- it's effective, haunting, and not obtrusive.
The song being dispatched,
the band goes for some heavy freaking: feedback is permissible. but
this is only a side thought -- soon the band is headlong into a real
jam, ideas thrown and juggled like flaming pins to dazzle our ears.
Running comes to mind, as if they were dashing from room to room in
some creaking mansion, unlit and supposedly uninhabited. Well, at
least by solid people: the spirit world is quite busy here, and
desperately trying to tell us something -- for good or ill, we can't
tell. "Listen, dammit!" demands one. Uh-oh; we'd better
try another room -- how 'bout this one? Woops, that room's even
worse! Jerry lets in a massive tiger growl of terror and dismay
while Billy battles the rear guard, not noticing that Phil seems to
have found a safe haven. Bobby's caught in the middle, undecided,
and indecision is always your worst enemy in these cases. Phil calls
again, but the insect menace has been unleashed. Quick, this way!
Things seem safer in the
basement -- or at least quieter. Except for those damn insects; you
can't see them down here, but you sure can hear them. Can anyone
find a window? Bobby does, but it doesn't seem large enough. Nope;
gotta keep moving.
Jerry offers an Other
route, but nobody bites; they seem preoccupied with a side corridor
that looks interesting. Sure enough, it's almost wide enough to
dance -- enough to spin, at least. Do Germans do that? Didn't think
so. But what was that noise? Nobody really wants to see; better to
just keep going. After all, motion = life, and we're all still
alive, that's for certain.
Man, it's quiet down here,
and we're all getting tired; it's just about time for a story ....
"Well, me and my uncle
went riding down ..."
Quick as taxes, Pig Pen
sneaks up to throw in some Hammond stabs. Good one, Pig! As for the
song choice: well, only Bobby would want to do that. But there's
something about a tale of theft, murder and betrayal in the wake of
the previous 25 minutes. The conclusion finds the audience heartily
applauding, though the band doesn't really stop; they can't just
leave it at that. There are still thoughts to think, notes to spin,
forces to enact; Bill drops out and lets the other instruments dance
and interwine. Grace, delicacy, movement; sounds are busily cast
forth, suggesting rather than defining. Seasons, then eons pass;
cosmic time, not human time.
Just as a small breeze can
be the harbinger of a storm, small sounds change to larger, and Bill
gets back in the mix. Yes, we're moving again, like hoboes in a
boxcar: everyone on this planet is right now hurtling through empty
space with no certainty of the future. But it's the motion which
counts: the doing, the being, the growing. "Let it grow"
indeed -- this is the definition of life; bring it on.
Looking out the open
doorway, we see our motion relative to all that we pass; we aren't
in control of either speed or direction, but we can sure enjoy the
journey. Faster now, but we have no fear: it's one thing to be out
of control, but it's another to consciously let go of that control
and accept what may come. That ain't the road to a big bank account,
but what is? Poverty is another kind of richness: freedom from the
fear of being poor, and from the fear of losing all you've worked
for. Obviously, we've segued, and "Wharf Rat" is naturally
where we've arrived. Jerry's passionate singing comes across as
deeply felt; the band really knows how to bring out the song's
delicate angst, and the audience seems especially appreciative of
this kind of mood. Keith's piano is busy making subtle commentary
between the verses; Bobby works around him, almost invisibly busy
until Jerry goes for a solo. A very nice performance!
The segue to "Sugar
Magnolia" is just as effective as it is predictable. Pigpen
adds some percussion here, as he occasionally did earlier in the
show; one could be excused for thinking Mickey was still in the
band! By now, the band could motor through this song like a Harley
going downhill; the break finds the audience almost taken by
surprise, and the band unconsciously launches "Sunshine
Daydream" a few ticks faster than "Sugar" had been.
We get a hint why as Bobby shouts "Get up!" in between
verses; I guess the audience needed a little encouragement after
that hour-long trip!
All the same, the band
takes a break, telling the audience they'll be back to play some.
Technically, this is a three-set show, but all that's left is a
"Not Fade Away > Going Down the Road > NFA reprise"
jam and the "Saturday Night" finale. "Not Fade
Away" turns into "Going Down the Road" rather sooner
than usual (NFA is just over three minutes long), and benefits from
some earthy Hammond from Pigpen. A chirpy tempo makes this a fairly
enjoyable jaunt, even while Donna throws down wails that evokes
nothing so much as some hillbilly housewife on the rampage, a frying
pan in one hand and the hair of a husband caught red-handed in the
other.
This doesn't trouble the
band, who bring "Going Down the Road" to a high boil
before removing to simmer over a cool "Goodnight" melody.
This is like a moment caught out of time, and we are almost caught
up in its delicate rapture when Billy heralds the NFA reprise with a
solid thunk. Once again, Bobby feels the need to instruct the
audience while singing ("Get up and dance!"), and the band
takes it up to the judge for a long drawn-out final chord, leaving
nobody in doubt as to whether the song was over. Losing no time,
"Saturday Night" starts up before the applause can die
down; it's almost as fine as the performance on the album and just a
little more dangerous.
"Auf
wiedersehen!" shouts Phil on its conclusion, rather more
appropriately than Bobby's sedate "Good night" which
follows, and nobody could feel cheated; in the course of three
hours, they covered just about everything they had to offer and did
a great job: blues, rock and roll, country, soul, freakout -- you
name it, it's here. Now let's just hope this isn't the last release
from the E72 tour :-)
* I just can't recall the
name [is it "The Stars and Stripes Forever"?], though I
performed it myself back in high school band!
