Jump to content

China Rider


PoetryGirl

Recommended Posts

  • Forum MVP

Good times are always in store when the opening riff gets rollin - such a wonderfully danceable groove.

 

Love the extended intro on this one - will always be one of my absolute faves ⚡️

 

http://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1974/6/26/20-china-cat-sunflower

 

Nice to revisit its etiology again

 http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2009/08/chinarider-early-years.html?m=1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice blog post. It's safe to say the China>Rider combo is universally accepted as one of the most exciting pieces of music in the catalog.

 

When I first heard Europe '72 I was totally speechless and that C>R was my favorite cut. I learned to play guitar by listening to that album and, probably like others, had a frustrating learning experience as I figured out that I had learned the tunes a half step sharp.

 

For what it's worth, my favorite version (currently) is 11/17/73, although the '74 version mentioned by Tea is magnificent. It's crazy to listen to the evolution of the song from year to year thru the early 70s.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Forum MVP

China/Rider is so profound to me that in order to consider it differently, I have thought about what life would be like without it.  Dead serious.  Not being cute, just candidly offering a way to place it into perspective beyond listening and reading about those that do exist.

 

Thinking about if it did not.  

 

Understatement of 2017:  it is some incredible music, the whole thing and all of its parts.  I’m flashing back just getting into chatting about it lol.

 

Happy New Year all!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, DesertDead said:

Understatement of 2017:  it is some incredible music, the whole thing and all of its parts.

Consider what Rider was before the Dead got to it... It's a testament to their ability to take a traditional tune and make it a freight train barely staying  on the rails. Lots of examples of that in their repertoire.

 

Who doesn't wish they were a headlight on a northbound train? The lyrics are both optimistic and poignant; a paradox also characteristic of Hunter's writing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Forum MVP

Of the modern anomalies, Laguna Seca (the only split of China>Rider where both were played but not directly together) is by far the most interesting.  You could really feel the boys working through those transitions. The fact that the only post '76 complete Playin' came next shows the degree to which they were pushing the envelop that day.

 

The China Cat>Cumberland from '85 BCT is a curiosity is that not only is Rider omitted but that may be the shortest 2nd set in modern times. I think without the encore set 2 that night clocks in at just under an hour! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Forum MVP
5 hours ago, ducats said:

Modern times? U mean all times.

 

Yeah I guess that's funny to throw around "modern times" randomly like that.

 

We could all throw our definitions.  For a dark definition, how about once Jerry 's addictions became a problem?   For a more basic chronological defintion, maybe post Keith/Donna is more appealing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love how DSO does the transition riff out of China Cat (la-la-la-la-la da da la-la) four times (at least every time I've seen them play it) versus the Grateful Dead doing it twice. Gives them more time to build the intensity before settling into Rider. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Forum MVP
On ‎1‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 8:45 PM, BillK522 said:

I went home after the Greeks and

always kicked myself for not

catching that Laguna Seca show.

Doubly painful as a lover of Crazy Fingers.

 

Praise DSO.

We all have kicked ourselves for not being at the shows before and after the shows we attended. Duprees Diamond News reminded us of that each time we hit the lot. As a tape collector, I ended up not wanting to see DDN, it just added to my wish list and made me want to make more copies to get more shows. My ears were blown after three days in the concrete bowl of the Greek in 86. Laguna Seca was nice in 87 when we all got to help make the Touch of Grey video . We were told there would be a special set after the filming; however, it didn't happen

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Forum MVP
1 hour ago, Ammagamalin Crew said:

We all have kicked ourselves for not being at the shows before and after the shows we attended.

 

This got me thinking - what's the most abusive "I saw run x and missed the next run"?

 

Off the top of my head, a good nomination is Fall '90.  If you were at Philly, but missed MSG, well that just plains sucks!

 

I got a taste of said phenomena in the reverse on Spring Tour '88, missing Hampton and joining the tour at Brendan Bryne.  Not nearly as wide a gap as Philly vs. MSG Fall '90 however.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Forum MVP

I remember regretting not being at Saratoga,  summer 85, showing up at Hershey and hearing I missed the High Time. However, my first Dew was in that rainstorm at Hershey and that first set Comes A Time had me quickly in the grateful camp. Also, spring 85, we drove to the Spectrum (10 hours) for the first Philly show, we drove home after, and missed the next two and you all know how creative that series was. I learned fairly quickly to snatch up the whole tour by the time they returned after the coma. With DSO, I would have rather had the Columbus show to the Cincy; however, at the time Cincy DSO was the best thing in town.  Got the Comes A Time and the crowd is the best at DSO shows, no matter who you're next too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...