They’d played it innumerable times since, occasionally slowing it down a half step. Twenty-five years had passed since the Dead had recorded that song at Pacific High studio.
Three songs into the show, the house lights still on, the time had come for “Dire Wolf,” but with a perverse twist no one had anticipated.
Potential consumers should be advised that although a band calling themselves JGB (Jerry Garcia Band) continued to perform after Garcia’s passing in August of 1995, the release Welcome to Our World (For Members Only) (1998) - which contains a passable reading of “Mission In The Rain” - does not include contributions from Garcia.Excerpted from "So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead" While the reading included on the double CD Live at Roseland (2001) evokes a comparable level of bittersweet pathos, the momentum is lost during aimless solos from Jeff Chimenti (keyboards) and Kenny Brooks (sax). Fellow Dead guitarist Bob Weir revived the song with his ‘90s side band RatDog. Her contributions as a member of the Jerry Garcia Band can be heard on both the Reflections (1976) studio version as well as on the highly recommended Don’t Let Go (2001) two-disc live archival release. Seminal readings also feature some lilting and affective backing vocals from Donna Jean Godchaux. Both feature similar arrangements, highlightingGarcia’s marquee sweet-toned fretwork and well placed solos. The Dead only played “Mission In The Rain” live five times in mid 1976 - although by all accounts their interpretation was as equally inspired and received as the more common performances by Garcia’s side band. He animates them with undeniable conviction, adding a unique vulnerability that is well matched for the composition’s empathetic ambiance.
His experiences and affections for the quarters surrounding the Spanish Mission Dolores were collectively drawn upon for the quiet romanticism found specifically in lines such as “There’s a satisfaction in the San Francisco rain/ No matter what comes down the Mission always looks the same.” As well as the somewhat more cryptic “Someone called my name/ You know I turned around to see/It was midnight in the Mission/And the bells were not for me.” Hunter counterbalances that warm nostalgia with his trademark darker-edge on the lines “Ten years ago I walked this street/My dreams were riding tall/Tonight I would be thankful/Lord, for any dream at all.” Lyrics like these are perfect for Jerry Garcia. During his early tenure as a non-performing contributor to the Dead, Hunter was an inhabitant of the Mission District of San Francisco. At the centre of this ode to the city by the Bay are Robert Hunter’s endearingly personal lyrics. “Mission In The Rain” is one of the rare tunes that, while primarily a Jerry Garcia Band vehicle, was also performed a handful of times to considerable effect by the Grateful Dead.
0 kommentar(er)
