Stella Blue

[VincentPuleo]

I enjoyed reading the Comes A Time thread, and I thought it be nice to have more discussions on songs for archive reasons..

I heard a Stella Blue from June 18th, 1974 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky... It was absolutely beautiful. Phil's playing is especially amazing.

[sonomajon]

I enjoyed reading the Comes A Time thread, and I thought it be nice to have more discussions on songs for archive reasons..

I heard a Stella Blue from June 18th, 1974 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky... It was absolutely beautiful. Phil's playing is especially amazing.

I'm always partial to ones I've seen...so I'll throw out 11-4-77 and 10-21-78....but there are many stunning versions...5-18-77 comes to mind...

[FunkyBass13]

I may have to think about this one for a little bit as I can't think of a version that I DON'T like. However, I can't wait for Torin and Stone to chime in. They always seem to have rediculous amounts of knowlegde about every version ever played.

[chuckvegas]

"5-18-77 comes to mind... "

Yes sir!

[topher44]

I have a soft spot for 10/14/83 in Hartford, as I was there and remember how emotionally charged this version was. Jerry's voice was pretty strong, his solos were sublime, and the Civic Center got very quiet in reverance and respect for the band. There were plenty of wet faces after this one, and it was a highlight of the night for me.

Topher

[Michael Doc Watson]

Above all the best "Stella Blue" was at the memorial wake for Scott in that small club in Chicago. John sang with so much emotion that the walls melted away in tears. I don't think there were any tape rolling that night...It doesn't matter anyway.....Chuck, got any comments about that evening's Stella ?

Peace and Love,

Doc

[VincentPuleo]

oh man, that sounds amazing..

[VincentPuleo]

oh man, that sounds amazing..

[BigDad]

I've always been partial to the version from March, 1990 that's on "Dozin' At The Knock" - super sweeeeeet.

EDIT: Wiki says the Stella was performed on 3/24/1990

[just a dream]

11/4/77 is the one I would play for someone else, for them to hear it for the first time.

[found]

11/4/77 is the one I would play for someone else, for them to hear it for the first time.

Mmmm, That is a tasty one indeed. Love that whole show!

[VincentPuleo]

11/4/77 is the one I would play for someone else, for them to hear it for the first time.

I believe I saw DSO play that show at the Mighty High last summer... what an amazing festival. Donna>Keller>DSO... Population was all amazing people and zero carnival drunk talker peoples.

[topher44]

I believe I saw DSO play that show at the Mighty High last summer... what an amazing festival. Donna>Keller>DSO... Population was all amazing people and zero carnival drunk talker peoples.

You are correct... DSO covered the 11/4/77 GD show at the Mighty High festival last year. Such a great vibe, perfect weather, shady surroundings, cool security... I could go on forever about that incredible day !!! Keller helped keep things loose and playful, and DSO was on top of their game (as they almost always are). The Stella Blue was extra sweet, and John had everyone in raptured bliss as he, consciously or not, emoted Jerry's spirit of playing and singing very closely. If you have not yet downloaded this show from Archive.org, I suggest you do so right away.

Topher

[Guest jazz-man]

I believe Hunter said that Stella Blue was his perfect song (in collaboration with Jerry). He said nothing could be added and nothing should be subtracted. Amen! A real tearjerker and perma-grinner for me.

[BigDad]

11/4/77 is the one I would play for someone else, for them to hear it for the first time.

Just gave it a listen - very nice!!!

[John A]

Greek 5/15/83. What I find amazing is that no one seems to talk about this version.

For perfect precision though the popular favorite is often Rupp Arena 4/21/78, and for good reason.

[sonomajon]

Just gave it a listen - very nice!!!

For me the outro of the 11/4 is just so triumphant with everyone following Garcia...like some battle had just been won..it's starts at about 10:25 into this song when jerry starts working that octave magic...

btw...this chris chappelle sick bits matrix recording is the best to my ears

http://www.archive.org/details/gd1977-11-04.mtx.chappell.SB5.29091.flac16

ps...thx david for this recording...I listen to it a lot!

[Dstone5553]

I may have to think about this one for a little bit as I can't think of a version that I DON'T like. However, I can't wait for Torin and Stone to chime in. They always seem to have rediculous amounts of knowlegde about every version ever played.

Stella Blue is, in my opinion, the most important of all songs. If Garcia somehow was in a situation in which he was forced to choose a single song from his and Hunter's catalog, one song that was most important to him, I believe he would say it was the song Stella Blue. My reasoning has more to do with the versions I've heard in person than with anything else, but Garcia has given clues in interviews as well. He talks about random songs an interviewer brings up all the time (from Casey Jones to Ain't No Lie to Death Don't Have No Mercy) but he's singled out the song Stella Blue, unsolicited, several times. Once he was asked about the crowd favorite 'Morning Dew' and why he thought it was such a beloved tune by heads everywhere and while he admitted as much, he also said he didn't really understand why, and that he finds a song like Stella Blue vastly more interesting. Another time he talked of the genius of Hunter's work and said he would sometimes think he had a song's meaning all figured out and then years later begin to begin to understand what the song was really talking about, and he mentioned Stella Blue as the example, to name just two instances.

I know if I had to pick one song that was the biggest of all songs having to do with Jerry Garcia, it would be Stella Blue. I have this feeling that many people who saw tons of shows might agree too. Obviously, Dark Star would get votes from many--but I agree with Garcia when he once talked about that song and it's absence in the rotation. He said they play it in other songs and that just because they didn't play that song anymore doesn't mean they don't play that song anymore. I don't really look at D Star as a song as much as a vehicle or an experience or a dimension--it's just a different something.

It's kind of embarrassing to admit such things on message boards but I couldn't listen to Stella Blue for years after Garcia moved on. It took me about six months to be able to listen to anything whatsoever, but once I did, I was quite relieved that it was not a painful experience (after those first listens)--quite the opposite. However, anytime that song would come on, my girlfriend or I would quickly turn down the music (we actually almost NEVER let those opening notes get out into the universe in the first place). We never talked about it because it was obvious why both of us didn't want to hear it. I also think it was the last big Garcia/Hunter song that Weir and Lesh covered with their respective bands and I think the fist ones for Lesh (who I believe did it first) were instrumentals.

We've had this thread on here before (and I'm sure before I arrived too), and I hope this board doesn't go more than a few years without it coming back. I've already talked about these things and about 1994 being the year of the vocal Stella Blue so this is probably like listening to a broken record from some, but I just assume only those interested will read this. There were versions in '94 where Garcia's vocals were at their most vulnerable and their most beautiful. The three big ones that everyone has probably already heard are from Richfield (3/21), Detroit (8/1) and Boston (10/1). Those are the ones that will be remembered but, to me, this one from Phoenix (3/15) more greatly deserves a listen from anyone who cares, because it not only has that supernatural '94 vocal bit that many of us can hum in our sleep but it has an ending jam where he gets lost in this lick and it's just insane. In fact, it may just be the last great lick he ever loses himself in.

http://www.archive.org/details/gd1994-03-05.sbd.sailor_saint.33585.flac16

I love how Jon says he loves most the versions he's heard and then throws out 11/4/77 and 10/21/78. I'm quite certain that I would not be able to get out of bed after seeing some of the monster shows he's seen (same with Eaton), and it's one of the wonderful things that make this board such a cool place for me--meeting people like Jon and getting to know them. Jon, you are a lucky bastard!

There are so many pinnacle Stella Blues, it's impossible for me to make a top ten like list because it's just not fair. Garcia played it with so much heart and gave so much blood, it's just not right to pick the best one. Eaton would disagree and my guess is that he may be one of the reasons the Lexington 78 version (4/21/78) is included in the So Many Roads compilation. In my opinion, there is certainly no version that is better than that one, both vocally AND instrumentally. I cherish the versions that Jon mentioned as well...and these also hold a special place for me: 1/11/79, 6/21/80, 12/9/81, 8/10/82, 5/15/83, 7/13/84, 6/28/88, and one from the GD Movie (10/17?/74) and SO many more that I can't pull out of my brain right now. Just so many fucking more!

The second one I would want heads to listen to is this one from Hampton (3/21/86), just because I don't think it gets that much press these days and it's a perfect example of how this song can have that single moment which encompasses everything. A moment which makes us feel fragile and bare. A moment that is so achingly painful and mournful, and a moment so startling, so triumphant and so massive---all in a single instance! (which is obviously different for all of us). Here is that one for those who ever get a few minutes in their day:

http://www.archive.org/details/gd1986-03-21.nak300.damico.87638.flac16

And that's the thing about Garcia and those ballads and maybe this one in particular--there are so many out there, under appreciated and overly neglected, just waiting to be discovered by us, the lucky ones. I haven't heard every one yet and hope that remains true to almost the very, very end.

[VincentPuleo]

was waiting for this epic DStone post..

[gr8fulpair]

Great post Dstone, and could not agree more. This song, I think and as you alluded, was one of the few that was deeply personal for Garcia. I'm so glad you mentioned the 3/21/86 show as it was my third GD show - the three night run in Hampton that year were my first three shows. That was a song I did not know going in, but came away absolutely in love with. What made this one so poignant was that it was sandwiched between Miracle and Sugar Mag which only served to exaggerate the the tenderness of the moment. They did it the next year also, and while not quite at the level of the 86'er, similarly emotional. It is one of the few Stella's on YouTube

<< check it out. Jerry did not move much in the mid - late 80's during some peak heroin years, but you can clearly see a perk in his step during this song. Now this is only my opinion - but this song is one that no one since has gotten exactly right in terms of the feeling. DSO with JK has come the closest for me, but there always remains something missing and I think you described it well "achingly painful and mournful" is just not there. I think without the connection with Hunter in the creation of the song and the realization that years of hard livin' have made you extremely vulnerable, you cannot expect anyone to translate that into six strings the way Garcia did. I've heard DSO do many songs BETTER than I ever heard GD do them, but this one is an exception. Reflecting back and listening makes me wonder if when he sang "a broken angel sings from my guitar" if he wasn't thinking "that broken angel is me". It is one of the very few songs that resonate all the way to my gizzard... I love this song. My dog's name is Stella.

PS: All of the epic versions have been listed so I'll just agree on that point.

[John A]

Stella Blue is, in my opinion, the most important of all songs.

In that case, next time you're over we need to make a b-line to my Schoeps spaced omni recording of Cal Expo '91 (I think it's 5/3). A beautiful rendition, with dead quiet audience in rapt attention. So real you can feel the first cool breeze of the evening blowing through the Sacramento night!

[New York Steve]

Stella Blue is, in my opinion, the most important of all songs. If Garcia somehow was in a situation in which he was forced to choose a single song from his and Hunter's catalog, one song that was most important to him, I believe he would say it was the song Stella Blue. My reasoning has more to do with the versions I've heard in person than with anything else, but Garcia has given clues in interviews as well. He talks about random songs an interviewer brings up all the time (from Casey Jones to Ain't No Lie to Death Don't Have No Mercy) but he's singled out the song Stella Blue, unsolicited, several times. Once he was asked about the crowd favorite 'Morning Dew' and why he thought it was such a beloved tune by heads everywhere and while he admitted as much, he also said he didn't really understand why, and that he finds a song like Stella Blue vastly more interesting. Another time he talked of the genius of Hunter's work and said he would sometimes think he had a song's meaning all figured out and then years later begin to begin to understand what the song was really talking about, and he mentioned Stella Blue as the example, to name just two instances.

I know if I had to pick one song that was the biggest of all songs having to do with Jerry Garcia, it would be Stella Blue. I have this feeling that many people who saw tons of shows might agree too. Obviously, Dark Star would get votes from many--but I agree with Garcia when he once talked about that song and it's absence in the rotation. He said they play it in other songs and that just because they didn't play that song anymore doesn't mean they don't play that song anymore. I don't really look at D Star as a song as much as a vehicle or an experience or a dimension--it's just a different something.

It's kind of embarrassing to admit such things on message boards but I couldn't listen to Stella Blue for years after Garcia moved on. It took me about six months to be able to listen to anything whatsoever, but once I did, I was quite relieved that it was not a painful experience (after those first listens)--quite the opposite. However, anytime that song would come on, my girlfriend or I would quickly turn down the music (we actually almost NEVER let those opening notes get out into the universe in the first place). We never talked about it because it was obvious why both of us didn't want to hear it. I also think it was the last big Garcia/Hunter song that Weir and Lesh covered with their respective bands and I think the fist ones for Lesh (who I believe did it first) were instrumentals.

We've had this thread on here before (and I'm sure before I arrived too), and I hope this board doesn't go more than a few years without it coming back. I've already talked about these things and about 1994 being the year of the vocal Stella Blue so this is probably like listening to a broken record from some, but I just assume only those interested will read this. There were versions in '94 where Garcia's vocals were at their most vulnerable and their most beautiful. The three big ones that everyone has probably already heard are from Richfield (3/21), Detroit (8/1) and Boston (10/1). Those are the ones that will be remembered but, to me, this one from Phoenix (3/15) more greatly deserves a listen from anyone who cares, because it not only has that supernatural '94 vocal bit that many of us can hum in our sleep but it has an ending jam where he gets lost in this lick and it's just insane. In fact, it may just be the last great lick he ever loses himself in.

http://www.archive.org/details/gd1994-03-05.sbd.sailor_saint.33585.flac16

I love how Jon says he loves most the versions he's heard and then throws out 11/4/77 and 10/21/78. I'm quite certain that I would not be able to get out of bed after seeing some of the monster shows he's seen (same with Eaton), and it's one of the wonderful things that make this board such a cool place for me--meeting people like Jon and getting to know them. Jon, you are a lucky bastard!

There are so many pinnacle Stella Blues, it's impossible for me to make a top ten like list because it's just not fair. Garcia played it with so much heart and gave so much blood, it's just not right to pick the best one. Eaton would disagree and my guess is that he may be one of the reasons the Lexington 78 version (4/21/78) is included in the So Many Roads compilation. In my opinion, there is certainly no version that is better than that one, both vocally AND instrumentally. I cherish the versions that Jon mentioned as well...and these also hold a special place for me: 1/11/79, 6/21/80, 12/9/81, 8/10/82, 5/15/83, 7/13/84, 6/28/88, and one from the GD Movie (10/17?/74) and SO many more that I can't pull out of my brain right now. Just so many fucking more!

The second one I would want heads to listen to is this one from Hampton (3/21/86), just because I don't think it gets that much press these days and it's a perfect example of how this song can have that single moment which encompasses everything. A moment which makes us feel fragile and bare. A moment that is so achingly painful and mournful, and a moment so startling, so triumphant and so massive---all in a single instance! (which is obviously different for all of us). Here is that one for those who ever get a few minutes in their day:

http://www.archive.org/details/gd1986-03-21.nak300.damico.87638.flac16

And that's the thing about Garcia and those ballads and maybe this one in particular--there are so many out there, under appreciated and overly neglected, just waiting to be discovered by us, the lucky ones. I haven't heard every one yet and hope that remains true to almost the very, very end.

Just beautiful stuff. I can just feel the love. This is the essence of the gd and Garcia to me. The people who get Stone's statement, and still get choked up 15 years later, still get goosebumps, still would give anything for one more night with Garcia, get it, and those who don't, probably never will....

Thanks Stone.

[Dstone5553]

The last question to a recent interview with Billy...

Interviewer--When you're reunited someday with Jerry and the rest of the boys at the Great Gig in the Sky

[cm_hayden]

I haven't been able to listen to Stella Blue since Jerry's death, without some sort of tearing up.

[Tom Banjo]

I just spent a few nights at the hotel chelsea...