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Festival Express 1970 Train tour


jamminOnThe1

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I don't know anything beyond what I remember from the contemporaneous article in Rolling Stone, and have gleaned from the movie. They evidently drank their way across Canada. Viewing the movie now through the lense of time and events they look like children. Phenomenally talented children.

"Happy times, heavy times."

- Fritz the Cat

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In the book of lyrics, "Box of Rain", by Robert Hunter, on the page dedicated to Might as Well, Hunter has notes on the bottom that state the following about that trip: "on board were Delaney and Bonny, The Band, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Charlebois, the New Riders, and various other acts that boarded from time to time. Everyone agreed we had just about the best time of our collective lives in that week of nonstop music and partying. Nearing her last days, Janis, for one, wished aloud that the ride would never have to stop". Since I couldn't figure out how to cut and paste it, and it's one of my faves and I have the lyrics right in front of me, I'm gonna bust 'em out real quick!

Great North Special, were you on board?

You can't find a ride like that no more

Night the chariot swung down low

Ninety-nine children had a chance to go

One long party from front to end

Tune to the whistle going 'round the bend

No big hurry, what do you say?

Might as well travel the elegant way

Might as well, might as well...

Ragtime solid for twenty-five miles

then slip over to the Cajun style

Bar car loaded with rhythm and blues

Rock and roll wailing in the old caboose

Long train running from coast to coast

bringing 'long the party where they needed it the most

Whup up on the boxcar, beat on the bell,

Nothing else shaking so you might as well

Might as well, might as well...

Never had such a good time in my life before

I'd ike to have it one more time

One good ride from start to end

I'd like to take that ride again

Again

Run out of track and I caught the plane

Back in the country with blues again

Great North Special been on my mind

Might like to ride it just one more time

Might as well, might well...

Janis died almost 3 1/2 months later. Hunter says that they wrote Birdsong for her.

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In the book of lyrics, "Box of Rain", by Robert Hunter, on the page dedicated to Might as Well, Hunter has notes on the bottom that state the following about that trip: "on board were Delaney and Bonny, The Band, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Charlebois, the New Riders, and various other acts that boarded from time to time. Everyone agreed we had just about the best time of our collective lives in that week of nonstop music and partying. Nearing her last days, Janis, for one, wished aloud that the ride would never have to stop". Since I couldn't figure out how to cut and paste it, and it's one of my faves and I have the lyrics right in front of me, I'm gonna bust 'em out real quick!

Janis died almost 3 1/2 months later. Hunter says that they wrote Birdsong for her.

Thats awesome....thanks for the knowledge

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jenl,

There is an error in your lyrics that while pedantic (just one character) is nonetheless quite significant:

It's back in the "county", not "country" with the blues again....i.e. Marin rather than the USA. Great songs are shaped by their subtleties...

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The scene in the movie where Jerry proclaimed his love for Janis is one for the hippie ages. The drunken jam session is pretty classic too.

festival-express-0.jpg

A hundred years from now this clip will be in the electronic books used in American litature class in high school.
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Ya know, I know that's how it's sung, and I think it's a better choice, but in the book it says country, which I took to mean referring to the US. I figured those were original lyrics and they just changed it up as they went along. Unless I can ask Hunter himself, I won't know if the book made a typo, too. Thanks for the heads up, though. It is amazing what one letter can do!

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Interesting those lyrics came right out of Hunter's book (missed that in the original post). So that does indeed raise the question of whether Jerry changed that word or the book has a typo. I would bet on the latter. But it highlights the importance of being exacting if one is the editor of an anthology.

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Nope, nope, nope -I just double checked, and it turns out that I'm a bonehead. You are correct. SEE! one letter does make all the difference, and I had a whole different back story written in my own head because of my own error! Thanks:)

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"And Jerry takes it"....Love it....Jerry and Bobby holdin it down

What's even better is that someone from the crowd tells Jerry to check his intonation--in other words, that the frets on Jerry's guitar were not properly set up and even when it's in-tune certain notes will be out of tune.

Quick humidity changes while on a train may be the cause.

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