tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post6167492114134657098..comments2024-03-25T06:33:12.809-07:00Comments on Lost Live Dead: "Reflections" Reflections (Round Records RX-107)Corry342http://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-66250447118684301702014-01-27T19:57:57.422-08:002014-01-27T19:57:57.422-08:00Relix vol. 7 no. 5, October 1980, Jerry Garcia Int...Relix vol. 7 no. 5, October 1980, Jerry Garcia Interview pt. II. <br /><br />A good, interesting interview overall; for instance Garcia talks about why the Dead were not doing any Vault releases. This is also the interview where he says outright that he played on Bobby Freeman's "Do You Want To Dance"...a Garcia fib!Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-37380957527676550162014-01-25T07:27:26.490-08:002014-01-25T07:27:26.490-08:00LIA, what Relix is that? Thanks.LIA, what Relix is that? Thanks.Fate Musichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05648291938690043423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-51865654391034227822013-10-07T22:15:31.064-07:002013-10-07T22:15:31.064-07:00Garcia was once asked by Relix why the record comp...Garcia was once asked by Relix why the record company didn't work out: <br />"For a variety of reasons. We didn't have the time or the output. For a record company to work, you have to have accounts going with distributors. In other words, they won't pay you for the records that are coming in. When you send them the new batch of records, they pay you for the ones you already sold. So there's this long credit overlap. And a lot of times they don't pay. A lot of times, they burn you. And we got involved with records with uncannily perfect timing, just the year when polyvinyl chloride went up 7 million percent and oil shortages started to break in heavy. And that same year was the year we got involved. So all of a sudden here we were having to dicker for virgin vinyl, which there was no more."Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-51649415691861125252013-10-06T17:02:28.971-07:002013-10-06T17:02:28.971-07:00The problem in the record industry back in the day...The problem in the record industry back in the day wasn't selling records, it was getting paid. Records were sent to distributors on credit, who gave them to record stores on credit. When the record stores sold the records, they paid the distributors (unless they went out of business), who in turn paid the record companies. If the distributor was feeling a squeeze, which they usually were, they would slow-pay clients. Its a common business practice, even for non-crooks (which apparently couldn't be said about everyone in the record distribution business).<br /><br />However, if you tried to slow-pay Columbia on a Bob Dylan album, they'd make sure that you got your Paul Simon albums would come really, really late and all your clients would scream bloody murder and switch.<br /><br />So they'd slow play an indie like Round/Grateful Dead--how were they going to be punished, by late delivery of the Keith And Donna album? This was the aspect of the business that Ron Rakow underestimated, which ultimately did the company in.Corry342https://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-19689610481759048462013-10-06T13:32:55.667-07:002013-10-06T13:32:55.667-07:00I don't understand why the Old & In The Wa...I don't understand why the Old & In The Way album, released in early 1975 and a huge hit, wouldn't have cured the financial problems Round Records was having.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10000408775807057170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-90005879198348010502013-09-04T17:18:20.113-07:002013-09-04T17:18:20.113-07:00paul, you were a lucky man. It sounds like you saw...paul, you were a lucky man. It sounds like you saw the Atlanta May 10 '70 show. For a great assessment of that show, see here:<br /><br />http://jgmf.blogspot.com/2011/03/gd19700510-sunday-may-10-1970-atlanta.htmlCorry342https://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-80023743630747511032013-09-04T16:38:40.241-07:002013-09-04T16:38:40.241-07:00Sitting in a Holiday Inn, hitting random blogs, fo...Sitting in a Holiday Inn, hitting random blogs, found this one. <br /><br />I saw the Dead in the Sports Arena in Atlanta, a wrestling venue before wrestling was cool (about the size of a smallish high school gym), sometime in what must have the early 70's. Apparently their equipment plane got grounded so they borrowed some equipment from a local group. After a set they invited that group to join them on stage; the Allman Brothers. Tres cool.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11832857876163978125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-76181798639092815332013-09-04T16:36:14.954-07:002013-09-04T16:36:14.954-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11832857876163978125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-57029858586311373312013-08-05T14:25:08.211-07:002013-08-05T14:25:08.211-07:00The box set lists all "Reflections" trac...The box set lists all "Reflections" tracks as "Recorded at Ace's, 8/75-9/75."Jessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08985467102325218695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-68882092304643336332013-08-04T23:25:52.486-07:002013-08-04T23:25:52.486-07:00It's a good point that the Dead seem not to ha...It's a good point that the Dead seem not to have played together at all for over half a year. (We have some rehearsals dated late April 1976, but still, that's their longest time apart.)<br /><br />Garcia didn't need to write any songs for his own album - the original intent could have been to make it an all-cover album, like Compliments had been. (The available outtakes seem to be all jams & covers.) So he could easily have done that almost concurrently with doing a Dead album, like he had in 1974.<br /><br />If Garcia was planning more recording with the Dead, though, we have to ask what specifically happened in Sept '75 to derail those plans & turn it into a JGB project instead... <br />My best guess is, Nicky Hopkins' arrival.<br /><br />At any rate, even in mid-1976 the Dead decided not to return to recording (perhaps they felt too rusty after those months off) - instead Phil set to work on the live album. It must have seemed the quickest way to get an album out fast, rather than doing more studio sessions. (UA deadlines were also a factor.)Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-20489455968857367672013-08-04T22:52:15.996-07:002013-08-04T22:52:15.996-07:00I don't have the Reflections disc around, but ...I don't have the Reflections disc around, but is the "Orpheus" jam actually dated from the Aug/Sep '75 Reflections session in the CD? <br /><br />Because that exact same track is here, on a reel said to be from March '75 (tracks 20-23) - near the start of the Allah sessions: <br />http://archive.org/details/gd1975-06-07.bluesruffs.sbd.smith.94427.sbeok.flac16 <br /><br />I would believe the earlier dating myself, unless the CD notes actually give a specific date for it.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-32907108243841088972013-08-04T14:15:54.613-07:002013-08-04T14:15:54.613-07:00LIA, you present an excellent counter-hypothesis, ...LIA, you present an excellent counter-hypothesis, and it very well maybe so. Given the passage of time, any analyst has to choose which theory they find more likely. For myself, I choose to think that the Dead had quit touring and financed Ace's so that they could become a recording band. Thus when they started recording in August, they were planning on a studio album for 1976.<br /><br />With the 4 songs they recorded, plus Mission In The Rain, that would be half an album. If the Dead thought they had six months to come up with the other half, it was reasonable to expect a song or two from Weir, a song or two from Garcia/Hunter, and perhaps another song (from Lesh, or Keith, or Hunter, or a cover).<br /><br />None of it worked out that way, and I think subsequent comments were just to color over their disappointment. If Garcia had really thought a 1976 studio album was imminent, he would have gritted his teeth and written a few songs with Hunter. Without an album coming, he didn't do so.<br /><br />I'm sure Garcia and Weir planned solo albums as well, and Garcia's was going to be with is own band. Whenever Garcia was willing to write songs--which wasn't often--Hunter always delivered, so the key was Jerry's motivations, not anyone else's.<br /><br />I believe the Grateful Dead did not play together from September 28, 1975 and May 28, 1976. Whatever the reasons, any nascent album went down the rabbit hole. Clearly with the Movie expenses, Hopkins' problems, and the collapse of Round, all of the Dead's plans for the future were scuttled. Like anyone in that situation, Garcia reconfigured the past to make it seem more like Reflections had been planned all along, but I don't think that was originally the case.Corry342https://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-79312413895210910042013-08-04T10:44:20.183-07:002013-08-04T10:44:20.183-07:00I love the idea of "Blues For Allah II,"...I love the idea of "Blues For Allah II," or whatever, and want to throw the amazing outtake jam "Orpheus" into the discussion, from the "All Good Things" box. Of course, one studio jam doesn't mean they were mining for new ideas ala the spring "Allah" sessions, but it also suggests that the post-"Allah" get-togethers weren't ONLY for Garcia's solo album. Probably just more for the argument that they really were having fun. <br /><br />Also, I can imagine Weir wanting some of his own time in his sparkling new home studio. I've always found it interesting, though, that the Dead never really returned to Ace's. Jessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08985467102325218695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-34363977181503111752013-08-02T04:08:23.452-07:002013-08-02T04:08:23.452-07:00Why wouldn't the Dead record a second album in...Why wouldn't the Dead record a second album in 1975... <br /><br />I also wish they'd continued with the Allah experiment. But a few things make me think it less plausible -<br /><br />1) The lack of songs. After coming up with all-new material for Allah, Garcia was now digging into his bag of unrecorded early-'70s songs, and Weir was almost dry when it came to new songs. I don't think they'd consider that a good starting-point for a new album, unless they wanted to spend a while working up new material in the studio again. <br /><br />2) The amount of time in the studio. Allah took 4-5 months (even though they rushed at the end to meet the UA deadline), and I doubt all of the Dead were looking forward to repeating that process right away. <br /><br />3) The songs recorded. If we had a Dead studio-session logbook, we'd know what else they tried in Aug/Sep '75 - but recording three older Garcia songs seems like a huge jump away from the whole Allah "create-it-in-the-studio" idea. <br /><br />4) The amount they could release. While I'm sure the Dead albums sold better than Round efforts, nonetheless they all would have been aware that the time spent NOT working on a Dead album was time where Garcia, Weir, Hart etc. could all work on their own side-projects & come up with 2 or 3 albums, which they did. Weir was recording with Kingfish at roughly the same time Garcia was recording with the JGB. <br /><br />5) Their stated plans. Both Garcia and Weir had been planning "solo" albums for some time - as far back as November '74, Rakow was pressuring Garcia to record his next solo album soon. The February '75 Deadhead newsletter had said that Garcia was "preparing material for a solo album which will be recorded in the Spring and released in the Summer," and said the same of Weir. Hype, perhaps (especially in Weir's case) - but, after getting the year's Dead album out of the way, they both did proceed straight to their new projects, per plan. <br /><br />6) The movie. Garcia announced in September 1975 that the movie would be ready for release in spring 1976. He was off by a year - but editing the film required continual work on his part, and a lot of that work was done in 1975, requiring some time off from the Dead. The Dead didn't start another studio album until winter 1977, skipping 1976 altogether with a hastily patched-together live album (with no Garcia involvement!), so I think trying to finish the film took priority over starting a new Dead album.<br /><br />Just a counter-hypothesis!Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-38391644045946250412013-08-01T16:08:30.151-07:002013-08-01T16:08:30.151-07:00Great comments, LIA, as always. I do wonder about ...Great comments, LIA, as always. I do wonder about Mission In The Rain, too. I updated the post with most of this Comment, as it adds so much.<br /><br />The one comment on your Comment would be to ask why wouldn't the Dead record two albums in a year. They weren't doing anything else in 1975. Yes, Kingfish and Keith and Donna were touring around a little bit, but nothing like the Dead--they slept at home almost every night. <br /><br />Of course it didn't work out that way, but recording Blues For Allah 2 (oh I wish) seems like a perfectly plausible plan to have had in mid-75.Corry342https://www.blogger.com/profile/08049035074121231425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493557313410969282.post-26868698827666442862013-08-01T13:15:45.155-07:002013-08-01T13:15:45.155-07:00A couple other things to consider:
Garcia had a ...A couple other things to consider: <br /><br />Garcia had a bit more to say about the Dead sessions that ended up on Reflections. "It was a continuation of what we were doing with Blues for Allah. We were having fun in the studio is what it boils down to, and that's pretty rare for us. The energy was there, and I thought, 'I've got a solo album coming up. Let's cut these tracks with the Grateful Dead. I've already taught them the tunes.'" (Jackson p.271)<br /><br />So by Garcia's account, the Dead-recorded tunes were meant for his next solo album all along.<br />What Garcia doesn't mention is that he didn't have his own band when they started recording in August/September. So using the Dead would have been a necessary step, if he wanted to start recording right away.<br />But the Nicky Hopkins JGB formed in mid-September - it seems no coincidence that the Dead stopped recording then, and the JGB sessions picked up where they left off almost immediately, in October.<br /><br />I am not certain why the JGB had to head to His Master's Wheels when the much cheaper Ace's was available - except, perhaps it wasn't. Weir & Kingfish rehearsed & recorded their album at Ace's, probably around the same time (this should be checked), so the JGB would have had to find another studio.<br /><br />There's also the unspoken issue that the Dead had already spent half the year in the studio recording Blues for Allah. As "fun" as Garcia says the sessions were - this was a guy who habitually spent months in the studio working on albums - I suspect that some of the other Dead members were probably getting burned-out by September and were happy to relinquish the sessions to the new JGB.<br /><br />I would take Garcia's word that he was planning another solo album in mid-'75, right after finishing Allah. Weir would probably have been able to scrape up enough songs for half a Dead album, but I doubt anyone expected the Dead to record two albums in a row. Rather, Rakow would likely have been nudging Garcia for another solo album for Round, since a Garcia album would do well.<br /><br />I am not sure how much to read into Knechtel's involvement. If Hopkins was collapsing drunk in the studio a mere month or two after joining the band, that would have been a pretty big warning sign for Garcia! There could have been other reasons for him to bring in a second keyboard player, or for Hopkins to be unavailable. <br />In any case, with half an album already in the can, the JGB didn't even have to record that much to finish it, so I don't think an absent Hopkins would have caused too many problems.<br /><br />One wonders if there's a Dead studio version of Mission in the Rain hiding in the vaults...Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.com