Jerry Garcia – GarciaLive Vol. 21: February 13th, 1976 - Keystone (2-CD)
Review
In a gratefully welcomed return to the GarciaLive archival series, Volume 21 brings us back to February of 1976, when on a Friday night one could stand amongst 500 or so paying customers and watch Jerry Garcia and his band peacefully, pleasingly, and proficiently take over Berkeley's Keystone club. The Jerry Garcia Band was a vital component of Garcia's life away from the circus, and a grounding space to work-out solo material, nod to songs he was digging at the time, and just play. In the end, a JGB show would require an arena to accommodate the demand, but in '76, a modest club date in the Bay was all he and his friends needed.
It's a mostly mellow show, with a particularly slow take on Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," that may be among the more transfixed and affecting Garcia has performed. It's in keeping with a set that darts between eventual staples of a JGB show- "Catfish John," "After Midnight," and "The Harder They Come,"- and contemporaneous homages, such as a beautifully Jerry-esque reading of the Rolling Stones' "Moonlight Mile." The mix tilts toward Jerry's guitar, and fittingly, as there is plenty of his engaging fretwork, yet Garcia is quick to share the moments with his mates- especially with on-loan Dead keyboardist, Keith Godchaux, on a glistening "Mission in the Rain."
Two songs pulled from a Palo Alto date two nights later serve as an "encore," filling out the winning two-disc set. All in all, this edition reignites a GarciaLive series that's been so adept at detailing the arc of Garcia's solo excursions. Hopefully, this marks the first of another run of many releases to follow.
— Larson Sutton, jambands.com
Product Details
By early 1976, the Jerry Garcia Band was operating in a genuinely unusual space, with Garcia essentially running two overlapping musical families. Having Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux in the room meant the chemistry from the Dead's own mid-70s peak was bleeding directly into these intimate club nights at the Keystone, a Berkeley venue that Garcia returned to again and again throughout the decade as a kind of low-pressure laboratory for exactly this kind of musical exploration.
GarciaLive Vol. 21 brings the Jerry Garcia Band back to their Bay Area stomping grounds with a then-new lineup — Grateful Dead members Donna Jean and Keith Godchaux joining mainstays John Kahn and Ron Tutt. Recorded live at the Keystone in Berkeley in February 1976, the set is a fascinating snapshot of the JGB in transition.
The setlist is loaded with highlights: rarities like the Rolling Stones' "Moonlight Mile" and Ray Charles' "Talkin' 'Bout You," deep cuts like "Catfish John," "Who Was John?" and "After Midnight," alongside scintillating takes on favorites like "The Harder They Come," "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," and "They Love Each Other."
Tracklist
Disc 1
1-1. Catfish John (14:13)
1-2. After Midnight (13:37)
1-3. Mission In The Rain (6:57)
1-4. Who Was John? (12:28)
1-5. They Love Each Other (7:31)
1-6. Moonlight Mile (10:27)
Disc 2
2-1. The Harder They Come (18:41)
2-2. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (19:17)
2-3. Talkin' 'Bout You (10:33)
2-4. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (9:29)
2-5. My Sisters And Brothers (6:42)
UPC: 880882624620
Label: Round Records
Release Date: 6.14.24
Format: CD