![]() Instrumental experimentation went back all the way to the acid tests, of course, this was more like a statement of purpose. Luckily Tom Constanten, Ned Lagin, and, later, Bruce Hornsby toured with the Dead on something of a “freelance” basis.Īnother thing that really crystallized by the early 1980s was the inclusion of “Drums>Space” deep in the second set of each show. ![]() This is Spinal Tap’s bit about the dying drummers just had the instrument wrong. With Pigpen that makes four Grateful Dead keyboardists that didn’t make it. Brent’s replacement, Vince Welnick, will eventually die by suicide after his stint with the Dead. He was replaced by a new keyboardist, Brent Mydland, and, sigh, we’ve got more bad news – he’ll end up dead from an overdose before this story is over. Tragically, Keith was killed soon thereafter in an automobile accident. In mid-1979 the Godchauxes decided to split the group and do their own thing. Some of it good – like them achieving some bonafide breakout success and touching the lives of millions – but it took its toll, ultimately leading to the end of the band. The 1980s brought major changes for the Grateful Dead. Check out our first and second and third parts here. This “Drums/Space” clocks in at about 20 minutes, exceptionally long for the era-but you can tell the band was just having fun with it.This week on Cracked, we're taking a look at the history of The Grateful Dead. As the sound of feedback whirs, crowd members could only assume aliens were landing on top of the Field House, ready to invade. Weir begins toying around on his guitar with a slide, creating head-spinning, otherworldly noises. ![]() As the rest of the band walks back on stage, Hart bangs away on a steel pan while Jerry picks up his guitar and noodles around on the octave-divider setting, entering “Space”. Garcia can be heard yucking it up with someone on stage, probably joking about the audience’s shocked faces in reaction to this strangeness occurring in a town they call Normal. The band then starts chanting “Hey!” along to a beat being played by a vibra-slap. Sound effects reminiscent of howler monkeys begin to “Ooh ooh!”, and then some band members can be heard laughing along and making monkey noises of their own. Its energetic, its upbeat, and.then it gets weird. With a 13-minute drum sequence featuring Mickey and Bill banging away on all sorts of percussion instruments, they keep the beat and find a groove. “Drums/Space” is commonly the part of the show where fans will rest their feet, go get a beer, or go to the bathroom-but this “Drums/Space” will keep you locked in. Another example of the band having a hell of a time: As they go into the final chorus, singing “Fire, fire on the mountain”, Jerry begins shouting in between lines things like “No, not the fire!” and “Let it burn! Let it burn! Let it burn!” It may not be the most pristine “Scarlet/Fire”, but this one has force, emotion, and it rips! Full steam ahead! Bob makes this one sound pretty unique as he breaks out a slide on multiple occasions throughout the song, contrasting Jerry’s strong, full, octave-divider tone. Once Jerry switches on his Mu-Tron “auto-wah” effect, “Fire on the Mountain” is born. As the transition comes together, Donna begins her blissful wooing, as it floats above and around the rest of the music, and Jerry and crew continue the journey into “Fire”. This upbeat tune designed to make you smile will do exactly that, as Jerry’s lead sparkles while the band plays on, tearing through this one with a vengeance as the crowd claps along. As the opening riff of “Scarlet” begins, the drums come in at double-time in perfect synchronization, cymbals crashing left and right, a sign that this one will be a real heater. Opening up the second set is the beloved dynamic duo of “Scarlet Begonias/Fire on the Mountain”.
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