5/24/72 Strand Lyceum: "Sugar Magnolia," MLB, and the ESB

When: Wednesday, May 24, 1972
Where: Lyceum Theatre, London, England

Setlist: (In order of the released CDs, stream the show from dead.net here)

1. Cold Rain & Snow, Beat It On Down The Line, Mr. Charlie, Deal, Me & My Uncle, Hurts Me Too^, Dire Wolf, Black-Throated Wind, Chinatown Shuffle, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Playing In The Band, You Win Again^, Jack Straw, Casey Jones
2. Rockin' Pneumonia & The Boogie Woogie Flu, Mexicali Blues, Black Peter, Truckin' > Drums > The Other One > Sing Me Back Home > Sugar Magnolia > Turn On Your Lovelight > The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion)  E: One More Saturday Night

As always, my personal highlights are bolded.
^ Appears on Europe '72; final version of "Hurts Me Too" and final Pigpen performance of "Lovelight"

Is that a fish-lens effect, or is it the Dead?

Stellar recordings of this blistering show have been in wide circulation for many years, making it a Europe favorite of many Deadheads.* The performance is above average from start to finish, reaching incredible heights at times. Truly a show for the ages! In the liner notes, we learn from attendee Chris Jones that in 1972 the Lyceum was a ballroom, not the theatre arrangement we see in the photo to the left. He also reminds me that the New Riders of the Purple Sage opened these shows

The "Cold Rain & Snow" (just the second on the tour) that opens the show as a rarity, is very well played, with stellar lead play and vocals from Jerry. We're clearly off to a special start tonight, folks!! A few songs later, "Me & My Uncle" scorches from start to finish, with great drums, bass, guitars, and piano. Yes, that's everyone. This is yet another fantastic version of "Playin'" that stretches a bit longer than most on the tour. The jamming is excellent and weird throughout, and you can tell we're in for a treat for set two!

And what a treat it is! The "Rockin' Pneumonia" that opens the second set is very good and a bit smoother than the one the previous night. It's great to hear the band having so much fun up there!! The "Black Peter that follows is the first for the tour (and first for the whole year, in fact), and it is incredible. This Jerry ballad that has really grown on me over the years for its lyrical strength, and I wish I could have featured it in Song of the Day. It's a story of a coal miner dying of black lung disease, and there is wisdom in the koan-like lines, "It seems like everything, leads up to this day / And it's just like every other day, that's ever been." Well, this version is a magnificent, stand-alone performance that really shakes the soul, another example of the Dead taking advantage of their Lyceum residency to explore some songs they haven't played much (if at all) on the tour so far.

The rest of the set is absolutely epic. "Truckin'" is a hot start, even with a flubbed lyric from Bobby, and the jam is as they all are on this tour - stellar!! We're then treated to one of Billy's best solos of the tour, which Phil caps off by ripping the roll into "The Other One." What this segue lacks in tone and delivery, it makes up for in volume!! The jam that follows is everything you want from "The Other One," pure energy and chaos!! The spacey section in the second half features one of the most remarkable guitar screams I've ever heard from Garcia, fanning away at the strings while toeing the wah to create a blood-curdling effect. Amazing!! I'm not going to get into too much detail, but this is one of the finest jams of the tour, and that's saying a lot!! They cap it off with another spectacular version of "Sing Me Back Home," making me wonder what ever happened to this song after 1972? It's moving and interesting, and it fits the death-ballad spot that tends to cap off these epic jams to complete the psychedelic life cycle.

The "Sugar Mags" is a great rockin' version, well worth a listen - and not just for bridging the gap to the Pigpen portion of the set. And what a healthy portion it is!! Diving right into a raging "Lovelight" gets it off to a great start, with Phil and Jerry dueling and Bobby doing a great job keeping up with the extremely rapid pace. Pigpen finds some new and interesting raps ("I know you got it, I've been in your door before," "You took your love, and you left my door," etc.) we're also treated to a very brief "Caution" tease with an ominous howl of "All you need...." It's just a tease, and Pig and the band all finish the song strongly, falling directly into a particularly measured version of "The Stranger." Pigpen provides some of his own accompaniment with a soulful whirring of the organ to go with his sorrowful vocal delivery. Jerry's solo is less angry screaming than pensive and sad on this night, but it nails the whole feel of the song. It's amazing how varied the delivery of this song was considering how few versions we have to enjoy. Pigpen gets all worked up into an angry, howling mess in the final vocals. What a fantastic song to close out a fantastic set!!


Worth mentioning:

• "BIODTL" is a bit on the slow side, but very well played.
• Another fantastic "Mr. Charlie," get it while you can. So sad that there are so few left....
• "Deal" is a played in measured tempo, and you can tell from the vocals that Jerry is totally dialed in tonight!! According to Bobby, this rendition is "respectfully dedicated to the memory of Reverend Gary Davis," the legendary bluesman who died several weeks before. Davis was born in 1896 in South Carolina and lost his sight as an infant. Singing and playing ragtime, blues, and gospel songs, he developed a finger-picking guitar style that was hugely influential on American music, including the Grateful Dead. He died on May 5th in Hammonton, New Jersey at the age of 76.
• Seeing as this is the "Hurts Me Too" from the record, it's a highlight. Same goes for "You Win Again."
• I can't remember where, but I think there was a "White Rabbit" tease somewhere in the first set.
• This is a very hot version of "Mexicali Blues," but again I don't want to highlight an entire set. Short straw, sorry.
• Following "Black Peter" there is a well-formed "Beer Barrel Polka" tuning that Jerry tries to segue directly into "Truckin'." Unfortunately, the rest of the band doesn't jump on it with him.
• Bobby dedicates the "Saturday Night" encore to "the key of C." What a showstopper, can't wait for tomorrow night!!

Song of the Day: "Sugar Magnolia"

This classic rock song became a show-stopper and Deadhead euphemism for "the woman of my dreams." It's a simple, adoring lyric is filled with blooming blossoms, color, sunlight, and a river. The opening chords are as characteristic as the opening notes of "Truckin'" (both appeared on American Beauty), but this one came to signal the last chance to really shake your tail feathers before the end of the night.

David Dodd points out in the annotations that this song is deeply rooted in American music, not surprisingly for a Hunter classic. The magnolia tree is native to the Americas (and Asia), showcasing fragrant white and purple/pink flowers signalling the beginning of spring. I first came to admire them while living in New Orleans (there was one in the lot behind my apartment), and here in Philly one of my favorite spring gardens features several magnificent trees. The opening verse, much like "Playin'" and other care-free songs of this era, celebrates the pleasures of a careless life:

Sugar Magnolia blossom's blooming
Head's all empty and I don't care
Saw my baby down by the river
Knew she'd have to come up soon for air

From there, the narrator takes us under the willow, where he begs his lover, "We can have high times if you'll abide." Ladies and gentlemen, that is how you "discover the wonders of nature." The annotations make comparison to the nymph-like creature Goldberry from J.R.R. Tolkien's epic trilogy, particularly for the "rolling in the rushes" line at the end of the second verse.

The woman who is the subject of this song fills all the narrator's needs, desires and wishes, by driving when he's too blitzed to see straight, paying his speeding tickets,** diligently waiting backstage, and dancing the zydeco. But it's the sensory descriptors that paint an emotional sketch that is as much about the feeling behind the love as it is about the person so cherished.

In Phil Lesh's autobiography Searching for the Sound, he describes that Bobby adding the line "jumps like a Willys in four-wheel drive" was the last straw for Hunter's songwriting partnership with him. When i first heard the song, I was always puzzled by that line until my mom explained it's basically a Jeep.

The finale of the song is "Sunshine Daydream," little more than a refrain of supplication that the band played with over the years. At first, it was played straight, but by the mid-'70s each line was preceded by a single beat before jumping into the final rage. As Dodd explains in his published version of the annotations,

The space between these parts ["Sugar Mags" and "Sunshine Daydream"] could be as brief as the space of several beats; could frame a set, as in the closing of Winterland [on 12/31/78]; or could be as long as a week, the case of the performance occurring in the week of Bill Graham's death, on October 25, 1991, when "Sunshine Daydream" came during the Polo Field concert in Golden Gate Park a week after the band opened a show with  "Sugar Magnolia" (Graham's favorite Grateful Dead song) at the Oalkand Coliseum Arena.

However they were arranged, the two are clearly born of the same kernel of inspiration. Hearing them, while at times a bit wearisome, never fails to bring a smile to my face, even on the toughest of days.

*     *     *     *     *

One More Trip Around the Bases

I know I did a sports post yesterday, but I want to get one more baseball post in before the tour ends.

• I was watching MLB network late on the night of 5/18, the night Justin Verlander got 25 outs without surrendering a hit. He had called into the broadcast earlier, and I caught the replay of his phenomenal interview. The retired players asked him to walk them through specific at-bats (including the one that resulted in a hit), and it was incredible to hear his thought process and his reflections on execution. He described how he got one slider to break at 50 feet ("a 50-footer"), and the next pitch - also a slider - was a 55-footer. What incredible control to be able to execute those similar but subtly distinct pitches, and what a nightmare to try to hit either of those pitches, let alone back-to-back. Doc Halladay - another master pitcher at the height of his powers - doesn't talk in such detail (though I'm sure he's thinking the same thing), and it goes to show what a special modern, professional athlete Verlander is. When asked when he started thinking he had a chance for another no-no, he interrupted the question to interject, "The third inning." WOW!! That dude's got brass... and brash! On top of all that, he said he had started to get a blister on his finger after his last start, so he changed his grib a bit. I guess it worked!! No one is supposed to mention the possibility of a no-no when it's working, but apparently Verlander can tell you all about it once it's through!!! Two more outs without a hit, and Verlander would have joined a very small club (of six) of pitchers to throw at least three no-hitters in a career. Hats off to you, JV! After watching those highlights and listening to his thoughts, I think he's got at least one left in that unbelievable right arm....
• The Phillies were starting to put it together, winning six straight recently behind major contributions from Cole Hamels and surprisingly Joe Blanton. However, it turns out they were just playing the Padres, the Astros, and the Cubs. The Nationals have their number, taking six of their last eight games.
• Long-suffering Cliff Lee has a jaw-dropping 0.76 WHIP and an 0-1 record to show for it. No worries, Cliff, we know you're killing it!
• Phillies catcher Carlos "Chooch"* Ruiz has been raking, hitting right around .348, moving up from hitting seventh to sixth, arriving at fifth on 5/14. In his first four games in the five-hole, he was 10-for-15 with 7 RBI and 5 runs. Not bad for a defensive catcher. (Of course, he went hitless until they moved him to the 4-hole last night, when he went 3-for-4.)
• When it became clear that Chase Utley was going to miss a chunk of time for the Phillies, the concern was whether Freddy Galvis could hit well enough to not sink the team. He's only hitting .235 overall, but in May he's hitting a serviceable .279 with2 HR, 12 RBI and slugging .810. Pretty good for a defensive rookie who's not quite ready for the bigs!!
• The defending world-champion Cardinals were killing it for a stretch, but after slowing down a bit they're looking mortal. Good thing, because when you lose your best player to free agency and one of your top pitchers to injury you should really struggle a bit. Good team, though; keep an eye on them!
• I see the NL Central coming down to a dogfight between the Reds and the Cardinals. Both teams are built to win now and playing solid baseball.
• Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman is pitching phenomenally. He breaks the 100-MPH barrier regularly, but the really impressive thing is the movement he milks out of it. They're handling him with kid gloves, pitching once or twice a week, but he's got the goods, folks.
• Speaking of coming down to earth, Matt Kemp slowed before heading to the DL for a bit, and the Dodgers slowed with him. That's why you build a big lead, especially in a winnable division. Don't freak out yet, Giants fans; it's early, yet.
• The AL East looks upside-down, with the Orioles and Rays at the top and the Red Sox and Yankees at the bottom. Crazy....
• Despite captain Derek Jeter hitting like a younger version of himself, the Yankees are struggling big time. They lost 6-0 to the Royals earlier this week. Ouch!

- Morning Brewer

PS (Pairing Suggestion): 

Today's beer is the extra special bitter, or ESB, a stronger version of the typical London session ale, the bitter. In general it is a bit on the malty side with ample hops to balance the flavor, and because of it's strength (5-6% ABV or more), a bit of the alcohol flavor is commonly present. English versions will feature a toasty malt profile and an Anglo hop balance, often from Goldings or Fuggles hops. In geeky beerbars in the states, you will often find these ales served traditionally from casks that are hand-pumped or gravity poured from a "firkin" resting on the bar. Cask-conditioned ales are naturally carbonated by being sealed before fermentation is complete. As the yeast completes its charge, the carbon dioxide byproduct has nowhere to go but into solution as the pressure builds. This is an example of what English beer geeks call "real ale," as opposed to the commercial (or American) practice of forced-carbonating the beer with pressurized carbon dioxide gas. To experience a traditional English version, try one of these fantastic brews, either in the bottle or on cask: Fullers is the gold standard, Wells Bombardier and Hobgoblin are closely tied for second, and Young's Special London Ale is also quite special. Export versions you can find in the States are typically different from the traditional versions in England, which tend to be a bit stronger and more malty. When in England, be sure to sample a wide variety for comparison!!

American-brewed versions are about the same strength or stronger. The malt profile will commonly leave the toasty, English corner to venture towards the caramel end of the spectrum, and it's more common for these styles to utilize American hops like Cascade or the like, alone or in combination with English hops. Here are a few respectable examples produced in the U.S.: even though they are now owned by a mega-brewery, Redhook makes the version that first turned me onto the style***, but be sure to check out Sawtooth from Colorado's Left Hand Brewing Company and Boont from Anderson Valley Brewing in California. A big shout-out to southeast Pennsylvania's own Scarlet Lady from Stoudt's and the Extra Special Ale from Yards.


The ESB is today's pairing suggestion because it's one of London's typical styles, but it's also one of the fantastic brews that will be on tap for Saturday's party. I've conditioned the brew in the keg, but it'll be pushed through the tap and into your glass with carbon dioxide because I don't have a hand pump or a proper firkin. Pair this one withe BBQ baked beans we'll be serving at the party.


---------------------------------


* Interestingly, this show is missing from the Deadhead's Taping Compendium, Vol. 1, which I can only guess was an inadvertent error. Ouch!!!
** This line ("pays my ticket when I speed") is one of the most commonly mis-heard in all of Dead-dom, mistakenly understood by some as, "bakes my chicken when I sleep."
*** It was after a crazy week on tour with SCI, and after the last show I was double-fisting a Sierra Nevada Bigfoot barleywine and a Redhook ESB. The combination was sublime!!

5/11/72 Rotterdam: "Morning Dew," Baseball, & Black Lager

When: Thursday, May 11, 1972
Where: Grote Zaal De Doelen, Rotterdam, Holland

Setlist: (In order of the released CDs)

1. Playing In The Band, Sugaree, Mr. Charlie, Black-Throated Wind, Deal, Chinatown Shuffle, Mexicali Blues, China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Hurts Me Too, Beat It On Down The Line, Brown-Eyed Women, Jack Straw, Big Railroad Blues, Good Lovin', Casey Jones
2. Morning Dew, Me & My Uncle, The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion), El Paso, Tennessee Jed, Next Time You See Me, Dark Star > Drums > Dark Star > Sugar Magnolia > Caution (Do Not Stop On The Tracks) > Truckin', Uncle John's Band

As always, my personal highlights are bolded.

Built in 1966, the ultra-modern ambiance of Grote Zaal de Doelen contrast
the majesty of Concertgebouw or Musikhalle, played in over the fortnight.

Off in Rotterdam, the Dead kept on rockin'! As Blair Jackson writes in the liner notes, "All you really need to know about this Rotterdam concert is that it was former Grateful Dead vault-keeper Dick Latvala's favorite show from the Europe '72 tour." True, but as you know by now, I've got plenty more descriptive words for the music! The hall holds about 2200 people, and it was rebuilt in 1966 after the original hall was destroyed in WWII. In 1966, it was a picture of modernity, and on May 11, 1972, the Dead turned it into a space-ship dance hall with a performance for the ages.

The "Playin'" opener sets the bar high for the first set with some intense, dark jamming. Jerry seems like a man possessed in parts, and the rest of the band is right there with him. The whole first set is quite good, but the band really hits their stride during "China" > "Rider." The jam out of "China Cat" is vibrant and light, and the transition's got all the energy you could ask for. "Rider" feels a bit laid-back, bringing the pairing to a poppin' close. They follow it with a textbook version of "It Hurts Me Too" in which Pigpen delivers the lyrics perfectly, and Jerry's slide guitar is subtle and accurate. "Good Lovin'" is the best part of the set to me, and again it's unique and delightful. Early on the jam has a swampy feel to it, but Jerry's guitar tone is crisp and clean - a very nice juxtaposition! Pigpen also brings his own cognitive dissonance, singing his raunchy hallway rap with a clam, melodic voice. I'll bet you can't guess what song they decided to close the first set with....

Not sure if this one's from Europe, but at least we know that's Jerry and Bobby playing the guitars!!

The second set starts with the first "Morning Dew" of the tour,* and you know the Morning Brewer is excited about that!!! This is one of my top-3 favorite songs the Dead played, and it's sweet but imperfect. Garcia stumbles on the vocal at the end, but overall it's stupendous. I'll take as many versions of this song as I can get my ears on!! It's followed by a very fast rendition of "Me & My Uncle" that rocks hard with great contributions from Keith and Billy. "The Stranger" follows, and Pigpen delivers. To me this version is quite different from the one from Frankfurt, with the band following Pigpen's lead in sounding more forceful than lamenting. He starts with what almost sounds like a lilt to his voice, and while Jerry doesn't push the feedback envelope quite so hard as Frankfurt, he certainly takes it there. I can hear anger creep into Pigpen's voice during the "What is the secret?" verse and explode as he begs to "ride on them wings of love, one more time" and as he asks for some companionship at the tail end. Phil and Keith make excellent contributions on the climax, and all around it's a phenomenal rendition.

If Bickershaw's "Dark Star" was right out of 1969, Rotterdam's is all 1972!! The tempo is moderated a bit, and Jerry's tone is a bit more refined, with depth and clarity from the start. Phil challenges him early to take the jam deep - as Keith and Bobby seem to musically whisper, "Do it, do it" - but Jerry pulls up a bit and Phil responds with a new melodic theme, and they're off!! They rarely stray back to the theme of "Dark Star" in this one, but there's no question where this jam originated. Jerry flirts with terror with his tone, but overall the first jam is very melodic, with Jerry and Phil periodically referring to Phil's first idea as a secondary point of reference. The interesting melodic avenues they explore exemplify the era. Almost as soon as they come back to the "Dark Star" theme, Billy takes over and plays an interesting, though measured solo that runs on the longer side for the tour. Phil joins him for a duet that we'll hear plenty of through 1973, but when Jerry steps back into the conversation it's back to business, flirting with the edges of "Dark Star" proper. Jerry's thick tone gives an air of dangerous vulnerability, and the band coalesces around a momentary eruption before Jerry steps up for the first verse about 25 minutes from the beginning of the song. Did I mention this is the longest version of "Dark Star" on the books?

From the same show as the shot above.
Let's pretend they're both from Rotterdam.

After the vocals, they're ready for a spacey jam that pushes away structure and embraces haunting tones and rhythms. At one point, Bobby asserts himself like a dagger in a dark alley, waking up Billy and sending the entire jam on a frantic chase through the canyon between dissonance and melody. The band reaches the plateau, frantically trying to keep up with Phil and Billy. The jam from here on out is a serious of suggestions for the next song coming from all corners, mixed with intense jams both fast and slow. Please excuse me if the rest of this paragraph reads like a beer (or wine) review, but listening to it is as fascinating as drinking a Within the next two-and-a-half minutes, I hear different instrumental voices suggesting "Sugar Magnolia," "I Know You Rider," "GDTRFB," "Lovelight," "Playin'," "Bird Song," and "Caution." Phil bounces along, sticking with the up-tempo jam, and Pigpen's organ plugs along as a they sink into a new melody where Jerry's tone and quick playing remind me of "El Paso.," but he quickly takes it on a dangerous run down to the precipice. Soon, the rugged, rhythmic playing sounds like they're about to return to "Caution," but Phil pulls up. Jerry's guitar screams his disapproval, and they seem ready to turn full-on into "Truckin'," but Phil won't let the jam go!! More suggestions of "Wharf Rat," "Bird Song," "Comes a Time," maybe even "The Other One" (but that's probably a reach). No one can deny Bobby's loping introductory chords to "Sugar Magnolia," though, and we're finally out of "Dark Star!!"

"Sugar Mags" is fantastic, with Jerry rocking some clean tone that screams during the exceptional climax. Before long, they've come back to "Caution" with that thumping, charged rhythm. Just to mix up the intro a bit, Jerry finds a pleasant space to tease the melody from "There's a place in France..." (or something equally silly). By the time Pigpen works through the vocals, Jerry hints at "The Other One," but Pigpen jumps into a new rap, turning Jerry back to the blues (though still in the Other rhythm). We're then treated to a message from Pigpen's inner wandering workingman:

I got so many chil'n I don't know what to do.
I did a good job on my old lady
Man I don't know about you.
But if you need it, get movin',
If you need it, get movin'.

A few more hints of "The Other One," but the jam signals that "Caution" is here to stay. And it's a classic: funky and bluesy with a hard, hitting beat. Before long, Pigpen is back at his organ, painting shades in the sonic landscape. Billy breaks it down as the guitars and piano go quiet, and Pigpen steps back up to the mic.  The band swells behind his wanderings, and after a bit Pigpen proclaims, "Expeditionary, folks, it's on a four-day creep." After some more "Caution" jamming, they turn the corner for the final performance of "Who Do You Love?" Just as short and nasty as Copenhagen! The jam returns to "Caution," but it's short-lived.

From there, however, they're off to the land of "Truckin'." Bobby's voice sounds fatigued, but the band is energetically bounding around the room, with great contributions from Pigpen on the organ. The jam is excellent, but it ends rather abruptly. But can we blame them? They've been jamming hard for 82 minutes straight!! They seem to know they won't make it back to the stage for an encore, so they just jump right into "Uncle John's Band" to extend the show and say farewell. Incredible!!

Worth mentioning:

• This is easily the fastest version of "Mr. Charlie" I've ever heard, and I like it!!
• "Deal" on the other hand is quite slow, but it's still really well played.
• I would have talked about the "Brown-Eyed Women" in the show review, but Jerry flubbed the opening lyric. Too bad because otherwise it's perfect.
• Great versions of "Jack Straw" and "Big Railroad Blues," too. Nice vocals, very good guitar licks, especially on the latter.
• I could say everything I said for "Me & My Uncle" (played hard and fast) in describing "El Paso." I've got to tip the cap to Jerry in particular here, though Keith and Billy are excellent, as well.

Song of the Day: "Morning Dew"

The Dead's rendition of "Morning Dew" appeared on their eponomously named debut album, played far faster than the version from Rotterdam. Mostly, the Dead's arrangement has focused on Jerry's vocal delivery and the slow, steady theme erupting into a mad crescendo towards the end. As noted above, this is one of my favorite tunes the Dead played, and my absolute favorite versions from their respective eras are from Barton Hall 5/8/77, MSG 9/18/87, and Harpur College 5/2/70.

The song was written by Canadian folkie Bonnie Dobson in 1961, after a particularly moving late-night conversation she had with friends in L.A. about nuclear war. She describesthe story like this to Blair Jackson in a letter for her book Goin' Down the Road : "It took the form of a conversation between the last man and woman - postapocolypse - one trying to comfort the other while knowing there's absolutely nothing left." A critic described its first public performance as "a mournful dirge," but it was recorded numerous times before the Dead sunk their axes in it.

The resulting turns of phrase - about a baby that can't be crying, the people who are all gone, a young man mourning, and of course an impossible walk through the morning dew - contrast some of the most intense images of human life with the impossibility of their continued existence. In some of the Dead's versions you can hear Jerry's voice crack with the strain of emotion, but the way he fans the strings of his guitar as the climax builds into an unfathomable explosion is what sets this one apart from all the other Jerry ballads.

Dobson made this additional note of the Grateful Dead's version:

I always like the Dead's version of "Morning Dew." My one regret is that when they first appeared in Toronto - was it in 1967 or 1968 at the O'Keefe Centre? - they didn't sing "Morning Dew" in the concert I attended. I also regret that i was too shy to go backstage and meet them.

Don't we all.... But at least you can claim credit for the genesis of this stirring and incredible piece of songwriting. We Deadheads thank you!

*     *     *     *     *

Alternate Topic

I haven't been able to follow baseball very closely due to work and travel, but I've been trying to catch up a bit after hearing of all the craziness this past week or so. Before I do a quick rundown, though, I need to say that for the first time since I moved to Philly, I now expect the Phillies to give up late leads to lose ballgames. I know this has been a standard Philly thing for much of the lives of most of the city's residents, but it's a first for me. Do I wish I hadn't expected them to win 93 games? Of  course, but that comes with the territory of making preseason predictions! That being said, I think they'll be getting Chase Utley back in the foreseeable future, they'll pull it together enough to be in the conversation down the stretch. How prominently they feature in that conversation is another story. With that, play ball!!

• After pitching 10 scoreless innings the week of my last baseball rundown, Cliff Lee went on the disabled list with a strained oblique. He's back and pitched well against New York the other night. But the bullpen gave it up, just as I expected!
• Cole Hamels knows better now, but just in case any readers didn't, here it is in black-and-white: Pitchers throwing at batters is acceptable, but there has to be a reason. It doesn't have to be a good reason, you just have to think it's a good idea. That means you'd better be ready to throw down, or suffer other consequences (good for you Bryce Harper, way to learn from your mistakes). If the pitchers' obvious the umps will give you a warning before they do anything, but try not to make it obvious. So unless you already got tossed/suspended you never say you wanted to "welcome him to the league." Your just asking for a suspension.
• Two no-hitters again this year?!?! Surprising, but I had no idea how rare Josh Hamilton's 4-HR game was. More rare than a perfect game!! Josh Hamilton is as good as it gets, folks.
• Elvis Andrus was on base for each of Hamilton's homers. That's why it's ok to take a strike; unless you're Josh Hamilton, it's easier to score from one of the bags.
• The same day as Jared Weaver's no-no, AJ Bernett posted an absolute stinker when he threw 72 pitches to retire just 8 batters, earning him the following line: 2 2/3 IP, 12 H, 12 R, 12 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HR. OUCH!
• Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis didn't do much at the bat to support his pitchers with his bat (4 Ks and a double play) over 17 long innings, but his two innings of scoreless baseball to earn the win is a feat!! (Even if it was the first time in over a century a position player from each team ended up with the decision.)
• Baltimore is 7.5 games up on Boston in the first half of March?!?! Is Jim Palmer pitching?
• Congrats for Jamie Moyer for getting his first hit as the oldest-dude-ever-to-be-able-to-pick-up-a-baseball.
• It's still early out West in the NL, but those Dodgers are playing good baseball. And Clayton Kershaw can pitch!
• Angels 7 games behind the Rangers? Wow!! And you thought Pujols's contract looked big over the winter!!
• Pujols went 31 games in without hitting a home run after hitting 3 HRs in a game. The last to go so long was the immortal Roberto Clemente in 1969, and he ended up going 49 games before his next bomb. 
• First the Marlins started spending big money on free agents. Now Nats are in first and the Mets have won 5 in a row coming off bringing their brooms to Philly. It's a new day in the NL East!

- Morning Brewer

PS (Pairing Suggestion): 

I had been planning to pair this show with the fantastic Belgian/French style, the Grand Crü, but I came across a fascinating article today about the beers of Rotterdam during the German occupation. That being said, the "Dark Star" from this show inspires me to feature a dark beer, so please read on. For the commentor who had suggested the funky brew from Rodenbach, don't despair! I will be featuring the Grand Crü shortly, as I've been drinking a few examples by way of research.

An article by Ron Pattison (beer historian and Rotterdam resident) in the most recent issue (#64) of the print magazine of Beer Advocate chronicles the "Dark Days for Rotterdam," when Holland was under German occupation. Serious restrictions on grain drastically decreased the potency of beer, and brewers insisted upon retailers serving only the unpopular dark lager (instead of pilsner and light lager) one day of the week. Pattison puts the crisis in perspective:

Dark days? I'd have thought having the city center blown to buggery was slightly worse than having to drink Dark Lager one day a week. [Note (from Pattison): I'm not sure how to translate "eenheidsbier" - "standard beer," perhaps. Literally, it means "unity beer."]

However, many people live their lives through beer, so dark days indeed.


Which brings me to the beer.... There are several varieties of dark lager, but they're all significantly dark with varying levels of roasty, chocolatey, and nutty flavors.

• The American versions tend toward the medium-bodied side and range from dark brown and mild (Shiner Bock) to dark and roasty (Dixie Blackened Voodoo) to strong and hoppy (Seventeen).
• The Munich Dunkel version features the bready and caramel-icious flavors of Munich malts, giving authentic versions (Ayinger, Paulaner, or Hoffbräu) more heft than their American counterparts above. However, Americans have made excellent examples, though they're hard to find (Gordon Biersch or the oak-aged version from Harpoon are worth a try).
• The Bavarian Schwartzbier is very dark (though rarely jet black) and typically has a moderate roasty flavor that is not prominent. It's body and dryness is reminiscent of a pilsner, but the color is darker than the Munich Dunkel version. Authentic versions from Bavaria (Köstritzer, Mönchschoff, or Einbecker) are relatively easy to track down, but American versions (Sam Adams, Black Radish and Sprecher Black) are a bit easier to find.

These are all easy-drinking beers, so pair this show and a dark lager with some delicious mussels and crusty French bread to dip in the broth.

---------------------------------


* In fact, the last time the Dead played "Morning Dew" was nine months prior on 8/6/71 at the Hollywood Palladium, the night of the incredible "Hard to Handle." That would also make this Keith's first performance of the song, as he made his GDebut on 10/19/71 at Northrop Auditorium in Minneapolis at the University of Minnesota.

4/21/72 Beat-Club: "Playin'" Baseball, Drinkin' Kölsch

When: Friday, April 21, 1972
Where: Beat-Club, Bremen, West Germany
Setlist: (In order of the released CDs, can't find an AUD stream, but looks like you can get the .shn files here. I linked to the songs that were broadcast below.)

1. Bertha, Playing In The Band, Mr. Charlie, Sugaree, One More Saturday Night, Playing In The Band, Beat It On Down The Line, Truckin > Drums > The Other One

As always, personal highlights are bolded.

This 80-minute set was recorded for the German rock 'n' roll TV show Beat-Club, which aired one or two songs from the set just after the Europe tour ended. The fact that the Dead played an entire set indicates to me that they were thinking, "If we're going to make the trip all the way to Bremen, and the crew is going to set up all our equipment, we're going to give them a show so they feel like it was worth the effort!!" The result is a compact set with vast exploration in more than a few parts, and the nearly unheard-of mulligans and a total repeat. Like a studio session, but different. Way different!

At the Beat-Club in Bremen, 4/21/72.

The "Bertha" is very strong, despite Jerry missing on a few vocal lines. "Mr. Charlie" is as good as it gets, and the "Sugaree" is succinct and inspired. It better be: Jerry has to start over after someone plays the wrong changes! Then comes a second version of "Playin'" that Bobby takes issue with, introducing it as a "600,000-watt, clear-channel voice of treason." When he opens the lyric with, "Some folks trust in treason," it's too much for someone (I'm guessing Jerry), and they end up taking another mulligan.*

They end up re-starting the "Truckin'" as well because Bobby can't remember the words (surprise!), but Jerry leads us in an incredible instrumental section that falls into a quite interesting and energetic jam. Billy treats us to a quick drum break, and then the goods get delivered, courtesy of Mr. Philip Lesh. He drops the intro like a ton of bricks and proceeds to juggle the lead in perfect counterpoint to Jerry. This one is FAST for about five minutes until the jamming eases up long enough for Bobby to squeeze in the first verse. About 12 minutes out of "Drums," the band is exploring the mellow hinterlands of jam, bringing it back for a hard-rockin' jam with scorching leads from Jerry and power-chord bombs from Phil. Several minutes later, we get the ethereal release, and eventually a melody emerges. They play around with it as if to consider another song ("Uncle John's Band?" "Wharf Rat?" "Sugar Mags?"), but alas they are out of time. They stop playing for a few seconds before returning to their instruments for a cacophonous farewell to the studio in Bremen, surely leaving the recording techs scratching their heads, wondering what these Americans were up to, exactly. Surely they couldn't really believe we could air any of that rambling rubbish!

Worth mentioning:

• There was no audience at this performance, only the recording studio employees. Considering the band's track record in the studio, they must have brought a bottle of magic for this performance. 
• Either that, or their nearly 40-person entourage made it feel like they had an audience....
• Or both.

Song of the Day: "Playin' In The Band"

"Playin'" grew out of the instrumental exploration aptly called "The Main Ten" for its unusual time signature. Only played five times over twelve months starting on November 8, 1969, "The Main Ten" emerged as a minimally structured theme squeezed into a larger jam that usually grew out of a song like "Uncle John's Band," "Good Lovin'," or "Dark Star." It was a part of Mickey Hart's album Rolling Thunder, released while the Dead were on tour in Europe.

Starting in early 1971, Robert Hunter's lyrics were added to the Weir/Hart collaboration, and "Playing In The Band" was released in September of that year on the live record Skull & Roses (aka Skullfuck).** This version is played "straight" despite the unusual beat, with a very restrained instrumental break. It was almost like they were trying to stretch the confines of commercially palatable song structure, but at just over four-and-a-half minutes it was Dead on arrival. Within a few months of the debut of "Playin'," the band routinely pushed the instrumental section well beyond even the initial, amorphous theme of "The Main Ten" into the depths of space.

The song itself has an ethereal quality, in part due to the continuous, recursive beat in an unusual time signature, typical of Bobby and Mickey. At times the emphasis is on the halting quality of the ten-beat, but at other times the emphasis makes it sound more like a waltz, and at still other times it is closer to a rock 'n' roll standard. This song works because the whole band is comfortable "finding the one" when exploring odd time signatures, but it's Phil Lesh's bass that is most impressive to me. His classical and experimental background in composition comes out when playing this song, as he is able to explore the beat with the rhythm section while still providing melodic counterpoint to the lead once the jam leaves the confines of the song. It's quite an accomplishment to do all of this while never leaving the ten-beat structure. Ladies and gentlemen, the Grateful Dead!!

As the lyrics go, they mesh with the music to bring a joyous expression of youthful enthusiasm. The opening invocation can be interpreted as the Dead's commentary on the political upheaval of the late-1960s and early 1970s:

Some folks trust in reason
Others trust in might
I don't trust in nothing
But I know it come out right

With a few exceptions (like the free concert at MIT on 5/6/70 following the Kent State shootings), the Dead avoided making political statements, particularly in their early years. However, this existentialist expression should not be confused with nihilism; trusting in nothing is not the same as believing in nothing. As the verses progress, the philosophy comes more clearly into focus.

I can tell your future
Look what's in your had
But I can't stop for nothing
I'm just playing in the band

Again, it's the joy and youthful enthusiasm that shines through in this verse. Your destiny rests in the palm of your hand, and all you must do is keep doing what you love. From controlling your own destiny, the next verse describes controlling the whole word. Worrying about the details would just distract you from - you guessed it - playing in the band. Oh, and someone's got a problem with this?

If a man among you
Got no sin upon his hand
Let him cast a stone at me***
For playing in the band

In his own mind, the narrator is beyond reproach by virtue of the nifty syllogism that no one is without sin; in a land full of sinners, there is no moral high-ground from which to loft criticisms.

Taken on its own, the philosophy espoused in this lyric could be troubling: pure hedonism with a willful disregard for the tenets of morality or any semblance of duty to society or individuals. As my explorations of the "Song of the Day" throughout this tour have indicated, the larger philosophy (or philosophies) to be gleaned from the Grateful Dead's songs - and Hunter's lyrics in particular - is far more nuanced that merely that.

I interpret this as a snapshot of a moment of excitement and freedom I remember experiencing particularly in my youth, a feeling that is so commonly held to make it nearly universal. This makes sense considering the song evolved over the time when the Grateful Dead were extensively touring college campuses across the country in 1970-1971 and they were musically exploring new genres, song structures, and vocal harmonies. Nowhere is this "snapshot" more evident than deep in second set of the epic show at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia on 5/19/77 (released as Dick's Picks, Vol. 29). As Tom Van Sant describes in his concert review in Deadbase IX (p 319):

[T]here is something mysterious and other-worldly about this song cycle ["Playin'" > "Uncle John's Band" > "The Wheel" > "China Doll" > "Playin'"]. Perhaps it has to do with the vision of Robert Hunter, who wrote all the lyrics in each of these songs. The journey begins normally enough, "Playing in the band, daybreak on the land..." but soon the structure dissolves, the space jam begins, and we arrive at a song evoking images of growth and celebration (Uncle John's), one symbolizing maturity and acceptance (The Wheel), and one describing decay and death (China Doll), making the cycle a microcosm of the life cycle itself. In the aftermath the formless space jam returns, and eventually were [sic] back to reality, the mundane fact that it's just a bunch of singers and musicians Playing in the Band. But, as we all know, it's more.

Well said, Mr. Van Sant! By 1977, "Playin'" was used as an invocation and beginning of the life cycle, owing to the combination of the beat, the lyrics, the song structure, and jam segment that evolved within it. In these seminal performances in Europe, '72 (they played it during the first set of every show on the tour), we can hear the band pushing the limits of the song to both feel out one another and the crowd in anticipation of the second set. These versions also serve as practice for the often-frightening, always-marvellous version from Veneta 8/27/72.

*     *     *     *     *

MLB Catch-Up

I've been out of the loop on the baseball season, so I spent a bit of time perusing the happenings around the league so far. Before I get into some impressions, I want to call attention to the retirement of Pat Summit, who led the Lady Volunteers to eight national championships in her 38 years as head coach of the University of Tennessee women's basketball team. She has been an incomparable leader and competitor in the game, and she won more college basketball games (1098 to just 208 losses) than Coach K, John Wooden, or any other coach in NCAA history. She was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease a little over a year ago, and she has chosen to be an outspoken advocate for herself and others suffering from the condition. Stanford coach Tara Vanderveer - who battled her for supremacy in the college ranks for decades before the rise of UConn - called her "a model of class and courage" in a statement trying to capture how she elevated the women's game. Pat Summit is a legend whose departure from the head of the most successful program in college women's basketball history comes all too soon. I wish her and her family all the best in coping with an incredibly challenging disease.

Now play ball!!

• I watched the Phillies at Giants the first half of this week, a very fun early-season series. You can tell from the atmosphere in the ballpark that the Giants fans feel they still have something to prove against the incumbent best-team-in-the-NL visitors, even when they're missing their two best hitters. Both teams are offensively anemic and will be relying on their stellar starting pitching to be competitive down the stretch and into the postseason.
• However, Tim Lincecum did not look like his old self pitching against Roy Halladay on Monday night. He gave up four earned runs in the first inning, and his fastball topped out around 92 mph. He was throwing a lot more change-ups than in years past, which is likely related to his fastball's velocity in one way or another. Scouts have long expressed concerns over his durability considering his "violent" motion, so keep an eye on him this season. I still expect him to work out the kinks and have a good year, though he isn't likely to win the Cy Young Award after his shaky start.
• Roy Halladay is a machine once he finds his groove, and he had an RBI single in the 4th on Monday. If you're going to score, you better do it in the first inning and hope it holds up.
• Going into Monday's game, the Giants had committed 14 errors in just nine games. In addition, on Monday there were three more that could have been ruled errors that ended up being scored as hits. On Tuesday, Brandon Crawford committed two errors in the first inning (one charged to the pitcher). Tough to win when you can't catch and throw the ball consistently....
• Madison Bumgarner can pitch!! And since he's all that, he better win a matchup with Joe Blanton. And the Giants better hope he's as durable as they expect, or else they have a mini-Zito contract to deal with for years to come.
• On Wednesday they played the first six full innings in an hour and wrapped up the ninth in well under two hours. The pitchers averaged a combined 20 pitches per inning through nine, allowing no runs. Flat-out dealing!! Cliff Lee ended up throwing ten scoreless innings on Wednesday night without surrendering a walk (or a run). The Giants took the game (and the series) in the bottom of the 11th, but both starters deserved the win considering the way they pitched.  
• During the local broadcast on Tuesday, the announcers said Chase Utley was placed on the 14-day disabled list and may rejoin the team as early as late next week or the Phillies. Weird thing is, I can't find any mention of it from any other sources. I'm thinking CSN-Philly dropped the ball on that one.
• At the beginning of the week, Matt Kemp of the Dodgers was leading the National League in every offensive category except stolen bases (his teammate Dee Gordon leads that one). It's early yet, so we shouldn't give too much weight to his numbers. However, he was darn close to the elusive triple crown (lead league in homers, RBIs, and batting average) last season. The last player to do that in the NL was the Cardinals' Joe Medwick in 1937, and in the AL it was Boston's Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.
• Keep an eye those Dodgers. Hot starts don't always last all season long, but their 9-1 start was pretty hot!! And while we're at it, what about those Washington Nationals? Can they keep this up? Hard to think such a young team will be able to perform like this through the dog days and into September, but their starting pitching is very impressive!
• The Rangers are on a tear! Their lineup has been dangerous, but they've come out of the starting gate looking like a well-oiled hitting machine. With the pitching staff they've assembled, they're going to be tough all year if they can stay healthy, and they're deep enough to absorb a couple injuries, too.
• Boston still looks like they're dealing with the fallout from last season's September collapse, and I'm not sure if Bobby Valentine has helped his team much so far. On Tuesday against the Rangers, they looked sluggish - particularly Jon Lester on the mound - and they didn't give him much help in the field. 
• It's hard to imagine, but I think Cody Ross made the fans on the Monster at Fenway wish JD Drew was still shagging fly balls in left when Ross missed a routine pop-up in the second inning, allowing a run to score. YIKES!!
• Happy 100th birthday to Fenway Park!! I will never forget when my grandparents brought my sister and I there for a ballgame when I was about 13. Cecil Fielder hit a homer to right-center in a Tigers win.
• After embarrassing the Red Sox on Monday, the Rangers broke out their brooms at Fenway. Then it was on to Detroit. Runs, runs, runs for those Rangers. Looking forward to how they handle Verlander tonight (unless last night's rain out impacts the rotation).
• I am a huge Roy Halladay fan (and not just because I get to watch him regularly here in Philly), but anyone paying attention would agree: Justin Verlander is the best pitcher in the game. Despite a rocky ninth inning on Monday, he managed to get the complete game win on 131 pitches. Four of his final five pitches hit 100 mph.
• I'm not surprised Ozzie Guillen found controversy and headlines in Miami, I'm just surprised the situation blew up so early in the year. I had expected them to get off to a hot start, only to be derailed some time after the All-Star break. It's just been a few days since he's been back with the team, but they're playing well. So far, it doesn't look like the players are too distracted by what we can assume is a very vocal group of Cuban ex-pats shouting their displeasure. The cacophony should continue through most of the season, so we'll see how the team handles it.
• Tip your cap to Jamie Moyer, who became the oldest pitcher in league history to win a game at age 49. He signed a minor league deal in the off season, a year after Tommy John surgery, and asked for 20 innings on the mound in spring training to fight for a roster spot. Not just on the roster, he earned a spot in the big league rotation and won his start on Tuesday. If he can hold on a few more years, he may be able to pitch against his own son, a college freshman this year. Unlikely, but I wouldn't put it past the guy. I heard him on NPR explaining that his most effective strategy is using the hitter's ego against him. Priceless!!
• Congrats on a great career, Pudge. I hope your numbers can stand up to the PED scrutiny they're sure to get in five years when you're eligible for the Hall of Fame. From Jayson Stark: "Our favorite Ivan Rodriguez tidbit, from ESPN Stats & Info's Jeremy Lundblad: All active catchers in baseball combined have won nine Gold Gloves. Meanwhile, Gold Gloves won by Pudge all by himself: 13." Impressive, to be sure. Too bad the surprisingly credible Jose Canseco fingered him on the 'roids.

- Morning Brewer

PS (Pairing Suggestion): 

Gaffel Kölsch in it's natural
habitat: the Stange

So, Bremen is not very close to Cologne, Germany, but the Dead didn't play there in 1972, so I'm taking liberties. Cologne (Köln) is home to a very interesting style of beer (one of my favorites), the Kölsch****, the demonym for all things and people from the region of Cologne. A true Kölsch is brewed at one of 20 or so breweries in the region, and it is typified by its clear golden-blonde hue, high carbonation, white billowy head, and crisp, dry finish. Light malts are featured along with more hops than many European beers (though not many by modern American craft standards), and a particular ale yeast provides some mild fruity characteristics. Overall, however, the Kölsch has a very clean profile, owing to the cool fermentation temperatures and cold-aging (lagering) that make this a "hybrid" style. This is a refreshing, low alcohol (by modern American craft standards) beer meant to be enjoyed amongst friends and in large quantities over an extended period of time. See why it's a favorite?!?!

Two modern Köbesses serving Kölsch at the pub.

In its native environment, Kölsch is typically served in a pub associated with or attached to the brewery where it was produced. The servers at the pub, called Köbesses, are typically male and have traditionally worn a blue knit waistcoat, a blue linen apron, and a leather money pouch worn like a fanny-pack. Kölsch is properly served in a thin-walled, cylindrical glass called a "Stange" that holds just 200-mL of beer. Since you'll probably enjoy several while at the pub, the server marks each customer's coaster with a notch for each beer ordered.

Through the Middle Ages, the brewers of Cologne formed guilds to gain some measure of political power in the face of their two sources of taxes: the King and the Pope. Closer to a manufacturers' association than a labor union, the guilds had economic, religious, and community functions all involving beer. The various iterations of the guilds maintained their presence through centuries' of the ebbs and flows of dominance in their region between the Germans, the French, and the religious powers that be to represent the brewers' interests in the grain and hops markets, regulation and taxation, and their consumer market, ensuring quality products at a fair price. In turn, this benefitted the farmers producing barley and hops, as well as the consumers and citizens, as the brewers understood that holidays and festivals were for the drinker, not the brewer! Following World War I, the immediate precursor to the current style began to emerge through industrial technology, taxation, grain restrictions, and economic depression under the Third Reichthe. After WWII, the guilds established the Kölsch style as their very own. In the global age, the Association of Cologne Breweries (alongside the Cologne Brewers Corporation) asserted exclusive ownership of the style by signing the 1986 Kölsch Konvention. Today, no brewer outside of the region can legally market a beer under the name of Kölsch, and none of the regional brewers can add descriptors such as "premium," "special," etc. to any of their Kölsch products.

I suggest you seek out a real Kösch to enjoy this show with an authentic and unique German taste. In and around Cologne, of course, you'll have plenty of options, but in the States your options are limited primarily to Gaffel and Reissdorf. (American copycats struggle to get it right, and tend to properly fall into the American blonde ale category discussed at the end of a previous post.) Pair your authentic Kölsch with the classic pub cuisine of the region like bierzupp (it's just what it sounds like), jestuvte murre met brodwoosch (braised carrots with bratwurst), the gourmet Kölsch caviar (actually fried blood sausage crumbs), or leading up to Lent, try the buttery, rich, almond-infused Muuzemandeln cookies. Delicious. Zum Wohl!!


---------------------------------


*  I agree with Blair Jackson in the liner notes that this is the hotter version of the two, but I can't call it a highlight if they took to shots at it!!
** Bob Weir's solo album Ace, which was recorded with the entire band backing Bobby on songs he wrote along with either Robert Hunter or John Perry Barlow, also included a version of "Playin'." Ace was released the same month as Rolling Thunder, while the Dead were touring Europe.
*** The allusion, of course, is to Jesus's Sermon on the Mount.
**** Information in this section comes primarily from Eric Warner's wonderful addition to the Classic Beer Style Series, Kölsch.