Grateful Dead - "Alabama Getaway"/"Greatest Story Ever Told" - 4/30/81 REACTION

From the Greensboro, NC show on April 30, 1981.

[@daveseidnergd]

Greatest Story Ever Told writing evolution went something like this: Mickey made a recording of a pump on his ranch. Then he added some log drums and gave the tape to Bob asking him to make a song out of it. Bobby came up with a Rhythm and Hunter added Lyrics. Bobby altered the lyrics. The first recording of this was on Mickey Hart's album "Rolling Thunder", listed as "The Pump Song". When Hunter wrote the lyrics, he called it "Moses". Bobby changed the title to "Greatest Story Ever Told".

[@Stephen-nd1sx]

Ive been watching most if not all if your video's. Really enjoy your format and input. Thank you! Only a couple hundred more dead songs to go!! ;)

[@mirrormusic99]

Yes - it's going to take awhile haha -- especially because I am starting to go back to some of the songs & listening to how they change over the years/on different nights. But that's okay! I'm having fun learning new things.

[@jrb6960]

And Brent started with them in 1979 and Go To Heaven was his first album with them, and he’s a big part of the mix going forward.

[@bobschenkel7921]

Both originals. These were the first two songs at my first Dead concert, 9/6/80, but this version is at a slightly faster tempo. The Grateful Dead played "Alabama Getaway" on an appearance on Saturday Night Live. The first line of "Greatest Story Ever Told", "Moses came riding up on a quasar", kind of stunned me. I hadn't heard this song before seeing The Dead, so it seemed unusual and overly religious. Also, the segue at my first show was much smoother. jrb has it, "Alabama" is Hunter/Garcia and "Greatest" was Hunter/Weir.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Was that the Lewiston Maine outdoor show. I was there. A stand out show for many reasons. That entire first set was over two hours long and was just perfect.

[@bobschenkel7921]

9/6/80. With Roy Buchanan and then The Cate Brothers with Levon Helm as openers. An amazingly beautiful September day in Southern Maine. A great experience.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

@@bobschenkel7921 I was there too. Beautiful day Amzingshow. First set was really really long, last show of the tour perfect weather outdoors in Maine. The band and everyone was into it. Probably my personal favorite.

[@jrb6960]

Both are dead songs. Alabama Getaway is Hunter/Garcia - released on Go To Heaven in 1980 and Greatest Story was a rare Hunter/Weir composition released on Bob’s 1972 solo album Ace. And Meyer sings Alabama at the Sphere - was just there and heard him do it live this weekend!

[@michaelbettonville5085]

Great way to start a show. Alabama got heavy rotation in the early eighties. I believe it's about someone named Alabama, not specific to the geographic state. Greatest Story is Hunter having fun with the biblical opus. Might be the last song he wrote with Weir. His quote was something like "Weir uses lyricists like prostitutes." You ought to check out an early 70's Greatest Story (maybe 8-27-72 Veneta, Or.) They really could really rock it out. The last several minutes is jamming with Jerry shredding up a storm.

[@mirrormusic99]

Makes sense that Alabama is a person in the context of the song. Thanks.

[@tomratcliff3755]

I loved to hear Alabama get away, here in Birmingham, although it was obvious that the crowd didn't know what the song was about. You are spot on about the base of the song, and how important it is im setting up an unimpeachable groove. Got the folk dancing even while calling them out. Can you name 3 bands that can play with the Roots of the music and maintain the integrity of the groove?

[@JackCerro]

Greatest Story Ever Told is the reason Robert Hunter doesn't write songs for Bob Weir. Hunter wrote GSET and Weir started changing lyrics which annoyed Hunter. The famous example is the first line. "Moses comes riding up on a guitar" became "Moses comes riding up on a quasar"

[@mirrormusic99]

Love this kind of stuff. Thanks.

[@boffo766]

Re: The keyboard solo on Alabama Getaway, I believe Brent was plying a Moog synth with a pitch bending wheel. I think he's also playing a Fender Rhodes for his electric piano sound. Don't hold me to either of those.

[@Farts_McCool]

Alabama is Jerry on lead vocals, GSET Bobby

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

About the mix, these soundboard recordings were not necessarily what came out of the pa depending on what the deck was patched into. The actual soundboard is mixed for the room and not for a recording. “Soundboard” tapes can sound unbalanced and thin. Audience tapes have more accurate sound but generally lower fidelity. Nothing sounds like it sounded live unfortunately. It’s better through good speakers than headphones, it needs a room, a 3D space to bounce around in to sound more true to its intent

[@edhorton2766]

Good observations.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

@@edhorton2766 thanks

[@mirrormusic99]

Yeah - I'm trying to mix up the soundboard and audience recordings in this series. I get some complaints either way lol, so I just try to go with what I think sounds good in the moment.

[@edhorton2766]

@@mirrormusic99 Hartlor is right. Phones or buds are nice, but listening to a sound system with quality speakers and a decent room is lost to a lot of listeners. You do good work.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

@@mirrormusic99 yeah its always something. It’s all flawed and it’s all wonderful too.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Alabama sounds like rockabilly mostly with good lyrics. Hunters lyrics are always worth a good read through. Greatest sounds like an RnB with some jazz changes. They opened many an 80s show with this pairing. I guess it filled other practical functions like adjusting the sound etc. besides they almost always opened with rock and roll. They short songs were at least as good as they’re long ones imho. Great pick

[@jaytroyer8590]

The Greatest Story Ever Told - the title of the song echoes the title of the 1965 movie about the life of Jesus Christ, Max Von Sydow in the title role, with Claude Rains as King Herod and Charlton Heston as John the Baptist. A runaway hit, that I was forced to watch by my parents. Apparently Hunter was impressed with the film as well, although the song is about Abraham, Isaac, and Moses, which, honestly, makes sense as well

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

I don’t think they played short songs in first set to warm up. I think that after awhile experience and experimentation resulted in that “format” of sorts. They were all about the audience, they would have done it the other way around if the audiences responded to it that way. It seems to me that a general rock audience doesn’t usually want a long dark star opener . I always thought of like the first set is kind of a standard rock concert format and the second set is like the extra set for those that hung around and want to go deeper

[@anthonybryant7390]

Jerry sounded like he wanted to go into Chuck Berry's Promised Land! Lol

[@anthonybryant7390]

Left handed monkey wrench. About mind expansion lol..

[@anthonybryant7390]

Cocaine years.