22. Weather Report Suite -} Let It Grow -} Spanish Jam - Grateful Dead - 7/19/74 - U31DoD 2012 Ed

The Unofficial 31 Days of Dead - 2012 Edition - Day Twenty-Two
www.glidemagazine.com/hiddentr...
-----
7/19/74 Selland Arena, Fresno, CA
I first heard this version of Weather Report Suite on the Grateful Dead Hour radio program sometime in the late 1980′s. It was not a show that circulated at the time so it was very exciting to hear a pristine soundboard of something "new" from the great year of 1974. I recorded it on a Maxell XL-IIS cassette and it quickly became the go-to tape that I played for everybody.
The composed portion of the song is performed superbly. It's not at the same level as 6/18/74 which is the high water mark in my opinion (See Road Trips, Vol. 2, No. 3; Wall of Sound) but it is still exceptional. The sprightly Let It Grow that follows feels like warm sunshine. However, towards the end of the jam the tone of the music quickly takes a wicked left turn becoming more dark and menacing.
The tempo slows and things get very heavy as the impending doom approaches. On the descent to hell, Phil's bass is nothing short of cataclysmic. His bass must have set off seismographs in other counties, it's so bombastic. Playing like that is simply not of this world. Keith adds a watery tone on his keyboard as Jerry trills the final notes creating a whirlpool of chaos that sucks everything down into a massive dark abyss. Suddenly it becomes clear that this is the end of the universe as we know it.
Following this meltdown there is an eerie silence leaving us in a spooky realm of uncertainty. A three-way duel of musical weirdness emerges between Phil, Jerry and Keith that sounds as if aliens have landed. Finally, Phil begins to pluck away at the Spanish Jam. Apparently aliens speak Spanish. Needless to say, this Spanish Jam is one of the absolute finest ever played (2/11/70, 3/24/73, 6/23/74 and 6/26/74 round out the top five for me). Phil lays out for a moment to allow Jerry a chance to crank up both the volume and the distortion. Bobby enters with the trademark Spanish chords, Phil re-enters with a bubbly intro and Billy lays down a precise, crisp military drum roll on his snare drum. After a while Jerry switches to a wah-wah effect and the music becomes dreamy and surreal before dropping into the opening chords of Eyes of the World.
This is a fine example of the kind of amazing musical journey the band was capable of taking every night during their peak years.
Download Link: www.mediafire.com/?klp4dvvgy0p...
LMA Link: archive.org/details/gd1974-07-...
Ed Martin
Ed Martin is an amateur musician, an amateur mixtape creator and an amateur coach of his 9-year-old daughter's basketball team.
/ bearschoice
www.glidemagazine.com/hiddentr...

[@nataliezementbeisser1492]

Grateful Dead is like a gigantic flower that grows bigger and bigger and bigger. And at the same time it opens up like on a bride sunny day

[@davidr1676]

the petals keep unfolding as they did in my mind once. I think it started as a disco ball then turned into a crystal and the a crystal flower with endless strands of blotter rolling out of it and skeletons and bears walking up and down these strands that went in ever direction like from all the facets of an amazing Gemstone. then my friend blurted out Morning Dew was too slow.

[@williamcoleman1153]

There hasn't been - there isn't & there will never be another Garcia

[@ronhulka8654]

Almost every minute of 73-74 is fantastic; this chunk of Dead goes up one higher... So good.

[@Tony-pepperoni]

This is a phenomenal, truly out of this world jam. Thank you Ed!

[@kingdomrhye1180]

I’ve never tripped so damn hard, props to the visuals and grateful for the Dead

[@briano.1503]

Thank you!!! ✌💀👍🎸🎼🎵🎶🧠🌌♾❤

[@_grateful_zen_4515]

This set right here is amazing!!!

[@mattjones1783]

The Generals in La Trang exercise skepticism about "fishing accidents R and R

[@michaeliscoool]

phil coming through loud and clear on this end

[@TJB1510]

Thanks Ed.....STELLAR!!!!!

[@mattjones1783]

Good Bass especially on this jam

[@psychedeliablues]

awesome just awesome

[@mattproer]

Bob saget approved™

[@seansklenar3509]

at around 18:00 you will enter a new plane of reality

[@justsayknow7632]

GARCIA at his very finest on the Spanish Jam! As for 1974, the year I 1st heard them at Winterland in San Francisco got me hooked straight off! Best band ever! There will never be another Jerry Garcia, never!

[@bluesriot2]

well said mr serling

[@staggerleee1053]

Utterly beautiful

[@jeffriley2218]

This has been an all time favorite since my cassette trading days. Soo stoked it got the Daves pick treatment.

[@staggerleee1053]

nice graphics too… I think I had a t shirt that looked just like that back in 82.. ~{{€

[@jrc7660]

Thank you much and very interesting picture you paint of hearing this set⚡️✌🏻

[@BIIZZxGaming]

Well said nutty, very, very well done

[@jeanbrailsford]

Man! What a treat! I want to hear the whole thing. Hearing eyes come out at the end........everything!

[@justsayknow7632]

Enjoy the entire show here: archive.org/details/gd74-07-19.sbd.symons.12381.sbeok.shnf

[@novakaya]

Here we have ‘Grateful Dead ~ Exhibit A’ - cleanly illustrating the essential, foundational, elemental, imperative, indispensable and necessitous musicianship of one, Philip Chapman Lesh. Behold in all its sonic glory....the Holy Cosmic Trifecta of the Grateful Dead - Garcia/Weir/Lesh.

[@MrMushrooms420]

Always come back for that bass (~);3

[@TheVermont420]

love WRS

[@lifesoboring1]

these visuals are a cut above

[@deaniaconelli6342]

great sj!!

[@georgeanderson7657]

Damn dude. Just damn

[@h92o]

Broken ground is where it grows,. Inside rain I am always going on to the new point where you are,...making work for man I know I am always on.... point in this time of mine,.

[@grandmabear2840]

💜

[@at8504]

Was that milkdrop visualizer ? Pretty damn sure it was.

[@mattjones1783]

Eugenians exercise healthy skepticism about phone messages "never heard "

[@harischaudhry2037]

21:50

[@nataliezementbeisser1492]

12:26 ❤

[@shaemusnevin554]

Can you please come back and make more!!

[@davidr1676]

I yell that to the sky often just in case Bear can hear me. I never thought that I'd ever run out. I wish Jerry had never left also.

[@tonguetiedification]

🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♂️❤ 10:10

[@joefalcone1600]

ridiculous spanish jam

[@justsayknow7632]

Hey Deadheads out there -- question. Which guitar was GARCIA playing at this show in Fresno CA on 7/19/1974?

[@justinj1zalientoxic]

Was it the baige strat?

[@justsayknow7632]

I think so -- aka Wolf guitar. Amazing the way GARCIA could make it cry as he answers back on Weather Report Suite. The Spanish Jam on this particular track is beyond words. The work of a true perfectionist! RIP Jerry Garcia! (~);}

[@BIIZZxGaming]

@@justsayknow7632 the beige strat was alligator, but his custom made wolf was also beige, he could make both of them unfold gooey love!!

[@johnjones8779]

The wolf

[@drlarcey]

Man, it sounds great except for those stupid little voice mics they used I mean I don’t know why they just didn’t use 57s and canceled after the other thing because these things have no dynamic range. Sounds like crap but the rest of it sounds great.