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Did Jerry Have Soul?

NYHead12

By NYHead12
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NYHead12 Newbie

NYHead12

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I was talking to my friend the other day who has no idea what the Grateful Dead was/is, his loss, and he asked me why i was always humming a tune or singing lyrics to myself. I told him because there is nothing that sooths me like the sound of that high note on a Franklin's or a crazy Dew. He asked me why i liked Jerry so much and if he had any soul? I laughed and told him he would never understand. So i asked myself what was my favorite tune i have heard where Jerry just lets loose and gives that soulful versoin that everyone HAS to hear. After seeing posts about favorite versons of songs i thought i would start a thread about this topic. Being that i am young and never got the chance to see Jerry. But i am old enough to have experienced the special moment at a show where Jerry, or in my case John, just overwhelms your heart with joy. What is your favorite versoin of a song where Jerry just brings you to tears?

"Ain't that a shame?"

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Dstone5553 Newbie

Dstone5553

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I don't think there is a specific song. He was an 'in the moment' kind of musician and had a genuine ability of communicating the emotion through his instrument and voice that he was feeling in THAT moment. He could get inside a song and get inside the characters of that song and those moments would just occur naturally, like the way you and I drink water--it wasn't forced or faked, not even once.

So, what you are talking about could have come just as easily on a Morning Dew as it could have come on a Ship of Fools or a High Time or a FOTD or a Peggy~O or a Touch of Grey or a T Stones or any song. For me at least, there isn't one but thousands--and for him, there were many, many, many more than that.

Just depended on the moment...at least to my way of thinking.

But...if I had a gun to my head and was asked to state the most emotional moment in the history of the Grateful Dead...after going through the above spiel until the pressure of that gun on my temple became too great, I would have to say the Sing Me Back Home from Veneta, Oregon on August 27th, 1972. :)

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jfolks Newbie

jfolks

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gosh there's lots... this isnt the best one, but "beautiful jam" from 71 comes to mind..

vocally, this one so many roads comes to mind.. dstone- you included it on that 88 show you sent me a while back..know which SMR that was??

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New York Steve Newbie

New York Steve

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Basically on his death bed.

He had this ability, that you either get or don't, to literally grab your heart/ soul and just hold it. In my era, those moments happened rarely, but every show I went to, I had at least one of those them; nothing I mean nothing, has ever compared to it....

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FunkyBass13 Newbie

FunkyBass13

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I'm going to have to agree with DStone again on this. Its definitely NOT one version or one song, it is the moment and the feeling at that moment that gets thrown out there and grabs everyone and won't let go. If your friend isn't a fan of the GD, it may be a little tougher to help him understand by playing one song. If he's having trouble "getting it", I would definitely refer to some early '90s JGB shows. Realistically, most of the later JGB shows were chocked full of emotional, slower, very soulful and powerful songs. If he doesn't get it after that, he's going to have to go to a show, no way around it.

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Octal Newbie

Octal

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I think I remember hearing/reading somewhere that Jerry once said that however hard he tries to convey what he is feeling into the instrument, he can never quite do it. He used to work very hard early on in the career to do this, but since it never quite worked and he'd end up getting very mad--even to the point where he said he pushed Phil, but felt terrible after doing it--he stopped bothering and just tried to play good music (standard forms of building and releasing tension at the right climax--music theory: intervals, chord tones, passing/leading tones).

A lot of musicians can attest to this. Sometimes you have to let the "music play the band": that is, you need to let theory, patterns, and formulas do the emotions for you.

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Michael Doc Watson Enthusiast

Michael Doc Watson

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SOUL ? now that can encoumpass many different feelings...

I must submit my hearing of "Soul" in his music. The series of recordings..."Merl Saunders, Jerry Garcia, John Kahn, Bill Vitt " the ones that has various pourtates of Jerry and Merl on the cover...recorded at the Keystone July 1973 by Betty Cantor and Rex Jackson...now on four CDs including the "best of" one that David Gans gathered together, "Well Matched'.

I've been listening to these recently and they seem to take me back to old times...sitting in Moe and Joe's bar in Virginia Highlands with Betsy and other friends...cold PBRs...Hourace wandering around the tables keeping everyone's glass full...relacked room...occasionally someone would snick outside for a smoke. The music playing in the background.

I want to learn more of this music...how long did Jerry and Merl play together putting together music of this nature ? Did they tour any together ? Was it only on the west coast ? Why did other groups pick up this sound ? Influence from J&M or by other bands? Was there soom deeper previous sound that they all were following ?

Peace and Love,

Doc

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John A Collaborator

John A

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just play this:

He knew it was ending and this was it, his last gift....

Wow. I'd never seen that on video before. Notice how Jerry gives verbal instruction to the band when he's decided to go back through the "ice blue roses" section for a 2nd pass.

"Lord, I found that road. I been walkin' down that road."

Did Jerry have soul? He had more soul on his deathbed than we'll ever know...

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NYHead12 Newbie

NYHead12

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Great video!! After reading over the responces i guess i was asking the wrong question. I guess i was looking to hear about YOUR moments or stories when Jerry, or John in my case, brought you to that point in time where everything stood still. Always nice to know someone else knows how you feel in a given point and time.

"It doesn't matter who you are, or where you are"

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Guest dukegnarly

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gosh there's lots... this isnt the best one, but "beautiful jam" from 71 comes to mind..

vocally, this one so many roads comes to mind.. dstone- you included it on that 88 show you sent me a while back..know which SMR that was??

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Guest dukegnarly

Guest dukegnarly

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gosh there's lots... this isnt the best one, but "beautiful jam" from 71 comes to mind..

vocally, this one so many roads comes to mind.. dstone- you included it on that 88 show you sent me a while back..know which SMR that was??

I think the beautiful jam 2-18-71 is spot on as far as soul grabbing guitar work. good call!!! sandwiched between the first wharf rat played and dark star!!! the guitar work always makes me shiver.

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Herdygerdy Newbie

Herdygerdy

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Having only seen Jerry 3 times, I never experienced that "moment" with him... JK has brought be to tears a few times with Brokedown Palace, as well as Standing on the Moon...

As previous members have stated, it's not the song, it the moment where the stars align, the angels sing, and your mind and body is in perfect tune with what the musician is playing... for your friend, he will have to experience it for himself, as its something one song can not just do...

I have listened to Brokedown a million times, and most of the time, it makes me smile and sing along, but every once and a blue moon, it chokes me up so bad that if I'm driving, I have to pull over so I don't run off the road sobbing like a little girl...

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sonomajon Newbie

sonomajon

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13_1.preview.jpg

Any time, any place, nothing better...

I must admit I laughed when I read the title of this thread...of course jerry had soul!..he had a soul with wings a mile long...in his vocals and his playing...this comes a time highlights both quite fantastically...and it also is an example of where IMO Donna sounds lovely...

http://www.archive.org/details/gd77-05-09.sbd.connor.8304.sbeok.shnf

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New York Steve Newbie

New York Steve

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I must admit I laughed when I read the title of this thread...of course jerry had soul!..he had a soul with wings a mile long...in his vocals and his playing...this comes a time highlights both quite fantastically...and it also is an example of where IMO Donna sounds lovely...

http://www.archive.org/details/gd77-05-09.sbd.connor.8304.sbeok.shnf

comes a time from this show is orgasmic.

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