Bob Weir and Ratdog

[BobFV1]

http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/62274770-M.jpg

Not sure if I've written about it, per se, here in the Café, but I am a Dead Head. Have been for years and years. I wasn't when I started as an undergrad at the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1975, but within a few months I had tagged along with a group from my dorm up to a Dead concert at Winterland in San Francisco - and that was all she wrote.

My college years were filled with Bob and Jerry singing to me before class, after class. It was before the iPod, or even the Walkman, but if I would have had one I would have listened to them in class as well. If they would play at Winterland for five nights, I would go to at least three shows in the series. When they came back from playing under the Pyramids in Egypt, I went to SF and saw them play beneath a slide show of those nights under the Egyptian stars, performing with a group of native performers they brought back with them. When they double-billed with The Who at the Oakland Coliseum I organized a "Magic Bus" full of students from my dorm and we spent the whole day in a concert which is now "Dick's Picks 33" - a classic.

So I have been following them for all these years since college. Catching shows in LA, DC, and various other places as I could. Also have been following and seeing the solo bands and the revivals groups. One of my favorite shows of all time was the June, 2004 performance by 'The Dead" at Cricket Pavilion - great stuff.

I used to follow Bob Weir's group "Kingfish" - saw them a few times but it was long ago. But last Monday night - the stars aligned again and Bob Weir and Ratdog played the Warner Theater here in DC and I was able to make the show.

It was kind of wild seeing the normal bunch of loadies in the seat of American power. The venue seemed too refined for the type of music being played, but the sound system was great and everyone was really in to the music. Ratdog was good technically, but it seemed like Bob Weir, looking haggard in his mid-50's, was playing with a bunch of his kids' friends or something - everyone else was half his age and he seemed to be straining to make his vocals stand up to their hard driving, rockin music.

The setlist kind of sucked, too. It had some bright spots, but some of it was a little tedious. I have never felt that way at any type of a Dead concert before. Part of the feeling probably stemmed from the fact that I don't know some of Ratdog's solo work.

Well, it was good to see Bob Weir again - who knows how many more times our paths will cross. I am going to try to hook up to the GD's former Bass Player - Phil Lesh - when he plays with his band Phil Lesh and Friends this Summer.

Just one more time I want to hear at least one of the original members of the band play my favorite Dead song of all time - Lazy Lightning. Maybe Phil will come through for me.....

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[Bones]

Bob,
I have liked the Dead for a number of years,but never went crazy about it. I play bass in a rock band (we actually play out at clubs and get paid) and our lead guitarist and vocalist is a died in the wool dead head. He insisted that we cover a few old Dead songs, which we will do once in a while.

Two summers ago, just post Phil Lesh and Friends album release, the Dead (original members minus Jerry) were coming to do a show not far from here. He talked us into going. Joan Osborne sang with them.

I FINALLY "get it" regarding the Dead and the live shows. It was truly amazing. All those cliches about how what you hear on the album not being the same as them live really are true. It was one of the most amazing shows I have seen.

There is nobody who can really emulate Lesh's bass playing, either. You just can't copy it for feel or note choice....and I have tried.

You will be much more impressed with the Phil Lesh and Friends show, I am sure.

Jeff

[BobFV1]

Bones -

That's super cool! The "iteration" of The Dead you saw on tour in 2004 is the absolute best post-Jerry, IMO. When they played in Phoenix Joan Osborne was not with them, but Warren Haynes was amazing - bringing his Allman Brothers riffs and mixing them with the GD's melodies.

Which songs do you cover? That's really cool too - now I have to get up there to see you guys!

Regarding Phil's bass playing, I heard that in the old days he was a student of acoustics and had studied at Berkeley and worked at Alembic designing instruments and amps which could produce sounds that other basses could not produce. The bass has definitely always been a dominant part of their music. I thought the bass player for Ratdog was actually quite good. He tried to mimic Phil by being a bit overbearing, as opposed to just dominant like Phil is.

It's all good - thanks for sharing your comments. We have a little place called the "Grateful Thread" over on the BMWMOA site in the "Campfire" section. There are a couple of BMW-riding Dead Heads that regularly post there, including me.

Ride safe.

[JCsman]

:020: :020: :020: :020: :020: :020:
Lazy Lightning
Lyrics: John Barlow
Music: Bob Weir

First played by Bob Weir with Kingfish but then played regularly with the Grateful Dead between 1976 and 1984. Always followed by Supplication.

Lazy lightning
That sleepy fire in your eyes
Is that desire in disguise
I keep on trying but I
I can't get through

Lazy lightning
I'd like to find the proper potion
To try to capture your emotion
[Alternative: To kind of capture your emotion]
You're right beside me but I
I can't get through

You're a loop of lazy lightning
Just a loop of lazy lighting
Must admit you're kind of frightening
But you really get me high

So exciting
When I hear your velvet thunder
You seem so near I start to wonder
Would you come closer if I
If I asked you to

So exciting
[Alternative: So inviting]
The way you're messing with my reason
It's an obsession but it's pleasing
Tell me a lie and I will swear
I will swear it's true

You're a loop of lazy lightning
Liquid loop of lazy lightning
Must admit you're kind of frightening
You're a loop of lazy lightning

Rope of fire round my heart (lightning)
Rope of fire ever tightening
Rope of fire round my heart (tightening)
[Alternative: It's either lunacy or lightning]
Come on come on lazy lightning

You're a loop of lazy lightning

Lazy lightning
You say you never start the same place
I want a double dose in any case
I'd fly a kite if I thought
Thought that would do

Here's to lightning
Well you always electrify me
Someday I know you'll satisfy me
And all that lightning will be
My lightning too

Loop of lazy lightning
(My lightning too)
[etc]

[geechie]

Nice to see old farts still diggin' rock and roll. My R & R past includes opening for the Allman Brothers half a dozen times or so... back when Dwayne and BO were still around. Damn, we had some fun back then.

George

[1MPH]

My daughter and son-in-law bought the house Jerry Garcia lived in located in Mill Valley, Calif. Planting flowers in yard they found a bong. Now it could have belonged to anybody, but they put in on their mantle and tell people
it belonged to Jerry Garcia. Their neighbor told them there used to be some pretty wild parties there.

[DarthRider]

Jack -

You might explain the term "bong" for benefit of George who, with his sheltered life & background, I'm sure never heard of those before.
Me niether...

[1MPH]

Jack -

You might explain the term "bong" for benefit of George who, with his sheltered life & background, I'm sure never heard of those before.
Me niether...

Dave
__________________



My R & R past includes opening for the Allman Brothers half a dozen times or so... back when Dwayne and BO were still around. Damn, we had some fun back then.

George
__________________




I don’t think any explanation is needed by me, for you or George. More than likely it’s the other way around. :)

[geechie]

I didn't do it.
Nobody saw me.
You can't prove a thing. — Bart Simpson

[Wild Will]

One of the fire breathing, aging hound dogs I ride with used to be Jerry Garcia's driver for many years. He lives in Marin, near to where Jerry had a house. He's heavily into restoring vintage race cars now, and works in Berkeley. He knows what a bong is. He's cleaned up his act recently, except when he hangs with his cohorts in the shop late at night, playing Dead tunes and keeping an eye on the 5 gallons of ethanol he uses in his vintage dual-engine 2 stroke race kart which sits right next to the "party table" (as opposed to normal folks' coffee tables) in his warehouse shop.

Anyway, he has unlimited Dead stories, but one of the best is Jerry's Rule:
"Two, Two and Two". Apparently, through much mystical searching and self experimentation, Jerry discovered that the ultimate high that the band could achieve and STILL play the night's gig, was 2 pulls from a Heineken kept at exactly 33 degrees F. (the Dead had a full time guy whose job was keeping these brews at Jerry's required temp. Hell, they could afford him!), 2 lines of that white powder processed from the coca leaf, and 2 hits from The Bong (using only the finest herbal female flowers available from dedicated Mendocino County herbalists).

Now I've never tried this at home, and I don't recommend you do either, but my pal is the real article, and his stories of Dead music, Dead women by the dozens and Jerry's idiosyncrasies are the stuff of legend. Living in the Bay Area is a trip, let me tell you.

Who started this thread anyway? I didn't, Dangerous Dave!

[Deans BMW]

Man oh Man.................I loved living in the Bay area during those years, Lived in Boulder Creek and owned San Jose BMW. I never got into drugs, but 24/7 BMW motorcycling, groupie women and constant playing Go Fast up and down Skyline, up and down 9, Wild Wills roads north of San Francisco, racing, a 24 Hr 7 Day/week hi, max to the wall.

Bob, did you ever know Fran Crane, a campus cop at UC Santa Cruz and a full tilt BMW and motorcycling nut, a room mate........... for a while.

God I miss those days.

[Deano]

I used to catch the Dead whenever they came through town (Hampton, VA), during high school and college. Last time I saw a show was in grad school. Drove up from Chapel Hill and saw a couple of shows at the old Cap Center in Landover. Seeing this thread brought back some memories, and a startling realization that was the better part of twenty years ago. Christ, where did the time go? :confused:

[Bones]

Bob,
You are correct about Phil and his musical background. He pursued a fair amount of formal training and alot of it was with brass instruments before switching to bass.

Our set lists rotate. We play largely original music and mix in a modicum of 60's and 70's semi "classic" rock which I love, but frankly, am tired of playing. BUT, people who frequent the places we play seem to love that stuff, so we still do it, especially after audience members have been imbibing.

We have played Dark Star in the past, but I refuse to play it anymore. We currently do a kind of a wandering extended jam combining Neil Young's Down by the River which evolves into the Dead's Fire on the Mountain. They are two very different songs, but they are in the same key and are not hard to fade from one to the other. One of our guitarists who is a total dead head has a Q-tron/Mutron and he sounds amazingly Jerry like when he uses it. Did you know a guitarist on a self indulgent bend can make that song last 30 minutes? Of course you do.....you are a Dead Head!

We currently put together a medley of sorts, all in the same key (E), so it is one 30-40 minute non stop song of 70's rock: Josie (Steely Dan) into Born on the Bayou (CCR) into Road House Blues (Doors) into Wanna Make Love to You into How Many More Years (Zep) into Voodoo Chile (Hendrix or SRV). There are a few others in there too. We cover some ZZ top which is very easy to play but folks just seem to love that stuff. Santana's Hope Your Feeling Better. Allman Bros. Elizabeth Reed and Don't Want You No More. SRV Texas Flood. A bunch of old Clapton stuff like Badge, Have You Ever Loved a Woman, Why's Love Gotta Be So Sad, White Room. We do some Black Crowes, some Little Feat and some Blind Faith. We were on a huge Steely Dan kick a while back. Nobody attempts to play that stuff and it is very difficult to pull it off. But we did. We played the whole Aja album in order among other SD songs. I still love it but got burned out on playing it.

Make some suggestions about Dead songs you think it would be worth working on and I will look into it.

We hired a producer and are supposed to be going into the studio sometime soon. Our goal is to not lose that much money with the studio endeavor. It is all a recreational outlet, but when we play well, it is not bad. Other times it is total shit...like most bands I am sure.

Suggest some Dead songs....we are always looking for new suggestions.

Jeff

[Ed K]

Hey George... Can remember seeing the Allman Bros... just a week after Duane was killed... in a motorcycle accident... Dickie Betts did his best to compensate for the unexpected tragedy... but it was never the same again.

Remember Sweet Melissa?

But I'm really more of hard rock kinda guy...

Any of you guys remember "Mountain" ... guitarist Leslie West and bassist and former Cream producer Felix Pappalardi...

:note: (bass and guitar strum) da da da da da ... (voice) "Mississippi Queen"

:note: da da da da da ... "You know what I mean?"

:note: da da da da da ... "Mississippi Queen, she taught me everything"

[Ed K]

Wow Bones...

This is great stuff!


We currently put together a medley of sorts, all in the same key (E), so it is one 30-40 minute non stop song of 70's rock: Josie (Steely Dan) into Born on the Bayou (CCR) into Road House Blues (Doors) into Wanna Make Love to You into How Many More Years (Zep) into Voodoo Chile (Hendrix or SRV). There are a few others in there too. We cover some ZZ top which is very easy to play but folks just seem to love that stuff. Santana's Hope Your Feeling Better. Allman Bros. Elizabeth Reed and Don't Want You No More. SRV Texas Flood. A bunch of old Clapton stuff like Badge, Have You Ever Loved a Woman, Why's Love Gotta Be So Sad, White Room. We do some Black Crowes, some Little Feat and some Blind Faith. We were on a huge Steely Dan kick a while back. Nobody attempts to play that stuff and it is very difficult to pull it off. But we did. We played the whole Aja album in order among other SD songs. I still love it but got burned out on playing it.

[socalrob]

I to enjoyed the Dead, maybe got to 10 or so shows over the years. One of the last ones was Bob Dylan & the Dead, which actually worked out ok, but somehow Dylan's songs sounded pretty "Dead". His vocals worked well with Dead tunes.

I never saw a Dead show that wasn't worth the effort to get to.

One of my college room mates made flight school in the Navy, & ended up stationed near San Francisco. He spent alot of time at Dead shows. This was in the looser military days of the 80's. He was also the drug enforcer officer for his unit. Somehow I think that worked to his advantage. He finally had to go cold turkey with the band to save his marriage & his career.

My Ipod still has 50 or so Dead tunes, & on a long ride I alwas play em. Its great road music.

My favorites are Not Fade Away, Sugar Magonolia & Tennessee Jed.

[BobFV1]

Hey - I had no idea there were so many music lovers and Dead Heads in our merry band! That's so cool!

Bones - you are a man of many talents! Any man who can surgically implant chemical bags into womens' breasts as well as play some grrat old 70's jams is a trus role model for the rest of us!

Bones - as regards some Dead Tunes to play, I really am partial to the following:

Black Throated Wind
Scarlet Begonias
Estimated Prophet
and of course: Lazy Lightning/Supplication

Dean-O - I never was a druggie either, but that didn't stop me from being a Dead Head. Those were great old days - the music was fine and the girls didn't wear underwear!

Rock on, guys!