07-07-1975
Ace’s Studio
Mill Valley, California
The unlabeled recording starts off with several takes of Crazy Fingers. With track 7, we get a laid back, slightly reggae version of They Love Each Other; the couple earlier takes were aborted attempts. Then there is a brief King Solomon’s before a few Slipknot takes. At the beginning of track ten someone (Jerry?) discusses galley slaves before Phil agrees that they will have to hear more “some other time when we have more time.” And there are then fifteen or so takes of Stronger Than Dirt. Track 25 picks up in the middle of a Franklin’s before Jerry suddenly stops and says “I still can’t here this microphone for shit.” Overall, there are some groovy takes in here, and it is interesting to hear some of the banter. The recording is probably not going to steal your face, but it is still a cool little piece of Dead history.
Ace’s was a studio that Bob built over his garage. The Dead recorded the Blues for Allah album there, gathering in the studio nearly every day between late February and early May while on hiatus in 1975. As Dennis McNally wrote, “Rock Scully later theorized,” that they developed the music largely in the studio – “Garcia set it up that way to end the Garcia-Hunter domination of songwriting by ensuring that the whol band participated in the creative process.” Jerry, quoted in Blair Jackson’s book, described what they were doing as “creating styles, rather than just being eclectic or synthesizing other styles. Thus, it’s a little bit more difficult, and considerably more experimental.” It is almost certain that this recording came from those earlier sessions rather than this date.
Today’s Dead of the Day:
Other July 7th Shows and Recordings:
- 1969 – Piedmont Park – Atlanta, Georgia
- 1978 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, Colorado
- 1981 – Kansas City Municipal Auditorium Arena – Kansas City, Missouri
- 1984 – Alpine Valley Music Theater – East Troy, Wisconsin
- 1986 – Robert F. Kennedy Stadium – Washington, DC
- 1987 – Roanoke Civic Center – Roanoke, Virginia
- 1989 – John F. Kennedy Stadium – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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