Grateful Dead: Fillmore West 1969 - Disc 3 of 3 CD Track Listing

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Grateful Dead Fillmore West 1969 - Disc 3 of 3 (1969)
Fillmore West 1969 - Disc 3 of 3\n2005 Rhino Entertainment Company\n\nOriginally Released November 1, 2005\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: This is a triple-disc distillation of the limited-edition ten-CD Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings box set. The material was taken from the Grateful Dead's run of eight shows over four nights (February 27 through March 2, 1969) at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. These were the same concerts that yielded most of the definitive Live/Dead (1969). By the spring of 1969, the ever-evolving personnel had grown to include Mickey Hart (percussion) -- whose contributions began in September of 1967 -- and six months later, Tom Constanten (keyboards). They joined co-founders Jerry Garcia (guitar/vocals), Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (vocals/organ/harmonica), Bill Kreutzmann (percussion), Phil Lesh (bass/vocals), and Bob Weir (guitar/vocals). Collectively they created an incendiary ensemble embracing R&B with the same passion and sense of intrepid experimentation as they did their own unique imprint of sonic psychedelia. And nowhere is that seemingly odd amalgam as evident as it is here. According to Dennis McNally's liner essay, Live/Dead was "the first live 16-track album ever made." Three and a half decades later those tapes were revisited and revitalized by longtime Grateful Dead producer Jeffrey Norman. He has done a yeoman's effort, drawing out the warmth and subtle interplay occurring deep within not only the lengthy acidic "That's It for the Other One" suite, but the exhaustively jammed covers of "Good Morning Little School Girl," "Turn on Your Lovelight," and "Morning Dew" as well. Somewhat darker yet no less intense is the edgy update of blues staple "King Bee" and the sanctified "Death Don't Have No Mercy." The latter was one of several Rev. Gary Davis compositions that the Dead worked into their repertoire over the years. Although it hadn't even been released at the time, Aoxomoxoa (1969) produced a sizable number of selections here. Notable among them are "Doin' That Rag," "Cosmic Charlie," "Saint Stephen," and "Dupree's Diamond Blues" -- a tune twisted out of the traditional ballad "Betty & Dupree." Another title that surfaced on Aoxomoxoa was the stylish, acoustic-based "Mountains of the Moon." The combo took full advantage of the song's meditative ending to segue into the lysergic-influenced exploratory anthem "Dark Star." As alluded to above, the audio remastering is virtually perfect. One major caveat can be heard during the nearly half-hour instrumental "Jam" on disc three. According to Norman, the master tape ran out and "the only thing we had as a patch was a cassette...mix from the show. So when I edit in the cassette piece...the end result is like a big ol' audio band-aid." While that isn't the sole place that similar problems had to be addressed, it is the most noticeable. That said, the drastic change in sound quality is a small price to pay in order to hear the performance in its entirety. -- Lindsay Planer\n\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: (''The Complete Recordings'' 10 CD Box) Few concert runs (read: several shows in the same venue) are as highly lauded by Grateful Dead enthusiasts as February 27 through March 2, 1969, at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. Although the title Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings is misleading -- as they played there upward of two dozen times during the year -- practically every second of their eight-set, four-night stand is captured on this ten-CD box. The concurrent lineup included founders Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (vocals/organ/harmonica), Jerry Garcia (guitar/vocals), Bob Weir (guitar/vocals), Phil Lesh (bass/vocals), and Bill Kreutzmann (percussion). In September of 1967 that quintet was augmented by Mickey Hart (percussion) and the following March Tom Constanten (keyboards) joined to complete the incarnation heard here. As group historian Dennis McNally notes in his liner essay, the music was being documented on "Prototype #2" -- the second 16-track machine made by the Ampex company. The recordings ultimately produced the lion's share of Live/Dead (1969), which McNally points out was "the first live 16-track album ever made." Indeed the two-LP collection redefined the Dead's role as sonic rangers who roamed the great wide psychedelic open. For the growing global audience of Deadheads, it offered a sampling of the Grateful Dead's practically indescribable and ever-evolving brand of aural alchemy. While no specific set list is adhered to, the songs can be loosely categorized with representations from the Grateful Dead's ever-expanding songbook with McKernan's R&B standards "Turn on Your Lovelight" and "King Bee." There are also a handful of selections from their previous three LPs, such as "Morning Dew" and "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," off of their 1967 self-titled debut. Anthem of the Sun (1968) yields the extended "That's It for the Other One" suite -- which glides gently into a sublime reading of "New Potato Caboose" on March 1 -- or the fiery McKernan-led medley of "Alligator" linked to the acidic blues-fuelled "Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)." The final batch comes from the then-yet-to-be-issued Aoxomoxoa (1969) and is highlighted by the more compact numbers "Doin' That Rag," "Cosmic Charlie," the folk-based "Dupree's Diamond Blues," "Saint Stephen," and the haunting, baroque "Mountains of the Moon." The latter is featured in an acoustic setting, and on February 27 and March 1 it also serves up the ideal disposition for the centerpiece original "Dark Star." At the very heart of what made the Grateful Dead an anomaly in rock & roll was their ability to improvise and interact in order to make each and every experience different from the last, or the next. Over the course of the Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings are nine and a half hours of proof. As a sidebar, those interested in obtaining one of the 10,000 strictly limited editions should be prepared to scour online auction sites and other similar outlets, as the anthology sold out within weeks. Curious parties might find the Fillmore West 1969 three-disc distillation an adequate substitute. However, earnest Deadheads should take whatever measures necessary to obtain this package. -- Lindsay Planer\n\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nThe 1969 double album Live/Dead holds a special place in the Deadhead universe; indeed, many band members and their inner circle consider it to be the band's best overall collection as well. This expanded, three-CD edition is culled from the same February/March '69 shows at the Dead's de facto live home, San Francisco's Fillmore West. What's documented here are not only some of the greatest performances of the band's early era, but the still-evolving template for much of the band's later flights of improvisation. The first, blues-dominated disc pays tribute to a band that a couple years earlier had been but an ambitious bar covers ban! d, while the second chronicles the Dead's expansive "Dark Star/St. Stephen/The Eleven" triptych wed to a cover of the Rev. Gary Davis' "Death Don't Have No Mercy," 2/28/69 performances that turn on the freeform interplay that would become their trademark for decades to follow. The set's final disc is highlighted by a vigorous, nearly hour-long workout that jams its way through the band's early "Alligator," "Caution" and the obligatory drum break to the traditional closer, "We Bid You Goodnight." Said to be the first 16-track live recording, the epochal performances here are burnished to near sonic perfection via HDCD mastering, a heady, if ironic wedding of technology and the band's rootsy, musical humanity. --Jerry McCulley \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nFillmore West 1969, October 13, 2006\nReviewer: Dark Star-The Other One "gdcds"\nPretty good performances. I don't like the fact that since 2001, the idea seems to be to erasing Bob's voice from the last 4 to 5 minutes of Lovelight on all the multitrack releases. Disc 2 starts with a cool pairing of Dupree's into Mountains Of The Moon. The Dark Star that follows is very good and it was recorded the night after the Live Dead version as is the following Saint Stephen. The Eleven is always nice to hear and this is no exception. Death Don't Have No Mercy is strong also. The That's It For The Other One that starts off the third disc is powerful. The Alligator/Caution jam is one of the best\n\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nSnapshot from their peak years, September 20, 2006\nReviewer: Timothy G. Niland (New Jersey, USA)\n\nThis three-disc set tracks the Grateful Dead's performances during the height of their early power. The material collected here had been previously bootlegged by the Dead's legion of collecting fans, but this official release cherry picks the finest performances and adds lengthy liner notes and many color photographs to create a nice package. While the music contained herein demonstrates the breadth of the bands music, certain things do stand out. For me it was Ron "Pigpen" McKernan lending the band some bluesy credibility that they may have otherwise lacked. Pigpen plays swirling organ and some strong harmonica throughout the music, but is heard to best effect on the blues songs he took lead vocals on. \n\nHe leads the band through an absolutely charging version of Bobby Bland's "Turn on Your Lovelight" and sings with great authority on Muddy Waters' "King Bee" and John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson's "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl." The rest of the band is certainly not to be undone, as the music alternates between spacey on "Mountains on the Moon," "Dark Star" and blasting rock and roll on tracks like "Cosmic Charlie" and the go-for-broke final concert ending medley jam. In a sense this music would be the high water mark of the band's early period, with a shift to acoustic instruments and the first of many personnel additions and subtractions on the way. Still, this is a great snapshot of one of the finest live-performance bands in rock and roll history.\n\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nFor die hard fans only, August 14, 2006\nReviewer: Nathaniel T. Parsons "ntucker@earthlink.net" (Los Angeles, CA United States)\n\nOther reviewers have said it. This is very good stuff, but it shows that whoever put together Live/Dead really got it right. Die hard fans and dead collectors will love this. But since I don't quite rise to that level, I was a bit disappointed. Sure there are places were the band is off, but what this album really shows is what a mismatch Tom Constanten (on keyboards) was with this band. The five core members are starting to soar into new realms and Constanten's soul-less keyboard is often front and center in these recordings, keeping the group's left foot firmly nailed to the ground. In Live/Dead his damage was minimized in the mix somehow. \n\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nNot Definitive, July 9, 2006\nReviewer: Scott McFarland (Manassas, VA United States)\nI think this is for committed fans mostly. Anyone not into the Dead yet is probably better off sticking with "Live/Dead", which, I think successfully took the cream off the top of this material. \n\nNothing here's definitive. Not "Dark Star". Not the mind-bending "Alligator-Drums-Caution" sequence, which is better on the "Anthem of the Sun" bonus tracks as well as the fantastic lengthy "Caution" on DP16. Not "The Other One" which sounds fantastic in numerous places. Not "Lovelight" which has less energy here than the version used on "Live/Dead". This is nice to hear but less so than a lot of other available Grateful Dead in the remastered albums and the Dick's Picks series. This mainly tells us all "whoever compiled Live/Dead, they did it just right and maximized the use of 2 LP sides". \n\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe Rest of "Live/Dead", November 12, 2005\nReviewer: Thomas D. Ryan "American Hit Network" (New York)\n\nIf you're not already a fan of the Grateful Dead, then move on; there's nothing here for you to see (or hear). This 3-CD set will drive you just as crazy as any of the other 3,687 or so 'Live Dead' collections. If, on the other hand, you are a 'Deadhead' and buy into their marketing concept of eventually releasing virtually every recorded performance, then you have just stumbled upon the Rosetta Stone of 'Live Dead' recordings. \nThe first 'officially' released live recording of the Grateful Dead appeared in 1969, entitled "Live/Dead". To this day, a large percentage of fans consider this to be the band's best album, their shining moment. 'Fillmore West 1969' is compiled from the same set of shows that were excerpted for "Live/Dead". It is special for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it captures the band just as they are discovering their own ability to explore the outer regions of their spontaneous compositional abilities. During a four-night run from February 27- March 2, 1969, in San Francisco, the Grateful Dead were the perfect band in the perfect place at the perfect time. \nThe 'Live/Dead" album was a two disk set, approximately eighty minutes in length. At the time, this was fairly lavish, but by necessity, it represented only a fraction of the music from this historic stand. "Fillmore West" is compiled from the best parts of those shows that did not 'make the cut' for "Live Dead". The 3-CD package generously triples the playing time of the original album, and structures itself as if it were one incredibly long, exhaustive set. A 20-minute version of "Dark Star" is the centerpiece, and segues beautifully into "St. Stephen," followed by "The Eleven," all of which capture the rich, exploratory nature of a band that was at the nascent crest of its powers. A near-perfect 23-minute version of "That's It For the Other One" precedes a 25-minute track simply entitled "Jam". The packaging is a lavish, hard-covered booklet that includes a lengthy, informative essay, and a multitude of excellent photographs. If you don't get the Dead by now, then it's safe to assume that it's never going to happen. If you're a fan, though, then this is one live collection that you simply must own. A Tom Ryan\n\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nhow much are leftovers worth to you?, November 6, 2005\nReviewer: grew up in the 1960s (usa)\nleftovers of the greatest live album in the history of rock that is, "LIVE/DEAD" the grateful dead's masterpiece. these recordings are the best of the remaining (source) tapes used in making "live/dead". they are not the same versions of the songs as on "live/dead". they are alternate, almost as good versions (except dark star which is much worse) recorded the next night. morning dew, mountains of the moon, that's it for the other one, alligator, jam and caution woulda made a great 3rd (and 4th) record for the original 2 record album. naturally, buy "live/dead" before you buy this. it's better and cheaper, but this is still VERY, VERY GOOD. 4 and 1/2 stars. \n\n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer: David Lemieux, Jeff Norman \n\nAlbum Notes\nGrateful Dead: Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir (vocals, guitar); Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (vocals, harmonica, organ, percussion); Phil Lesh (vocals, bass guitar); Tom Constanten (organ); Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann (drums).\nRecording information: Fillmore West, San Francisco, California (02/27/1969 - 03/02/1969); Club Front, Novato, California.\nAlthough many would argue that the Grateful Dead's groundbreaking LIVE DEAD album, the first-ever 16-track concert recording, couldn't be improved upon, the Rhino label boldly challenges that notion with FILLMORE WEST 1969. This three-disc set expands on the beloved original collection, presenting those legendary performances alongside a slew of additional tunes from the Dead's famous stint at San Francisco's Fillmore West in February and March of '69.\nThe first disc is the most blues-heavy of the three, with the Dead offering up a surprisingly straightforward version of "I'm a King Bee" and a spacious rendition of "Turn on Your Lovelight." Much of LIVE DEAD is drawn from what appears on the second disc here. It's the main event of FILLMORE WEST 1969, and features the glorious psych workouts of "Dark Star," "St. Stephen," and "The Eleven," which stand as a favorite musical triptych in the Dead canon and showcase Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, and company in thrillingly adventurous form. Rounding out this formidable live outing, the third disc finds the ensemble launching into the fierce "That's It for the Other One," and getting definitively heady on the proto "space" jams "Drums," "Jam," and "Feedback." For any true Deadhead, this remarkable set is essential.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n...[I]t's really, really awesome....[G]ritty, hard-edged psychedelic rock. - Grade: A-\n\n\n4 stars out of 5 -- [T[he Dead were never more cosmically armed and, yes, dangerous, than at this pivotal juncture of their career.
This rock cd contains 7 tracks and runs 79min 4sec.
Freedb: 5a128607
Buy: from Amazon.com

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