Recorded on July 10-11, 1973, at the Keystone in Berkeley, California, Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings is a 6 LP box set by Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia. The two musicians played together between February, 1971 and July, 1975 whenever the Grateful Dead were not touring. Some of the songs from this set were released as the 1973 album Live at Keystone, and others in 1988 as Keystone Encores. This box set includes all of the songs from the two earlier albums along with previously unreleased tracks. All the songs were lovingly remastered and are presented here in the order they were played. And what a great sounding box this is!
It's a lot to listen to - almost four hours of music - but it's worth it! Saunders and Garcia compliment each other wonderfully, and when it gets inspired and they start to jam it's as though they are able to read each other's minds. They know where to go and what to do when they get there.
Everybody knows that Garcia had an alter-life outside of the Grateful Dead that consisted of a lot of bluegrass and folk and country and blues side projects. He would play with almost anybody and the results were always interesting. Whoever he teamed up with seemed to bring out a different side of Garcia that allowed him to explore alternate musical universes. Here, early rock and roll meets jazz meets the 1960s folk scene. It's quite the document and the song choices - you'll know almost all of them - are interesting and more explored than played, although the playing is so nice.
The set opens with Hi-Heel Sneakers, setting a playful and joyous tone to the proceedings that doesn't let up throughout. Other standouts include two translations of My Funny Valentine and How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You, which most people will know because of Marvin Gaye's 1965 recording of the song. Saunders and Garcia are having fun here and it really shines through.
These two artists might at first seem an unlikely pair. They met while they were both involved in session work in the 1960s. Two different sides of the same coin, they inspired each other and performed together whenever they could, sometimes in bands (anybody remember Legion Of Mary) and also on Saunders’ absolutely beautiful 1990 Blues from the Rainforest recording.
Saunders was also there to help Garcia recover his musical bearings after the guitarist emerged from a diabetic coma in 1986.
Garcia and Saunders are joined on this set by bassist John Kahn and drummer Bill Vitt, and the four of them explore tracks that range from Rodgers and Hart (the aforementioned two takes of My Funny Valentine), as well as Mystery Train, Someday Baby and That’s All Right, Mama. They hit on Dylan three times - two takes of It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry and one of Positively 4th Street, to which some overdubbed mandolin was added by David Grisman at a later date.
Most of the tunes clock in at more than 10 minutes. Both takes of My Funny Valentine exceed the 18 minute mark, so if you like to listen to inspired jamming then this is a set you'll want to own.
Recorded on July 10-11, 1973, at the Keystone in Berkeley, California, Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings is a 6 LP box set by Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia. The two musicians played together between February, 1971 and July, 1975 whenever the Grateful Dead were not touring. Some of the songs from this set were released as the 1973 album Live at Keystone, and others in 1988 as Keystone Encores. This box set includes all of the songs from the two earlier albums along with previously unreleased tracks. All the songs were lovingly remastered and are presented here in the order they were played. And what a great sounding box this is!
It's a lot to listen to - almost four hours of music - but it's worth it! Saunders and Garcia compliment each other wonderfully, and when it gets inspired and they start to jam it's as though they are able to read each other's minds. They know where to go and what to do when they get there.
Everybody knows that Garcia had an alter-life outside of the Grateful Dead that consisted of a lot of bluegrass and folk and country and blues side projects. He would play with almost anybody and the results were always interesting. Whoever he teamed up with seemed to bring out a different side of Garcia that allowed him to explore alternate musical universes. Here, early rock and roll meets jazz meets the 1960s folk scene. It's quite the document and the song choices - you'll know almost all of them - are interesting and more explored than played, although the playing is so nice.
The set opens with Hi-Heel Sneakers, setting a playful and joyous tone to the proceedings that doesn't let up throughout. Other standouts include two translations of My Funny Valentine and How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You, which most people will know because of Marvin Gaye's 1965 recording of the song. Saunders and Garcia are having fun here and it really shines through.
These two artists might at first seem an unlikely pair. They met while they were both involved in session work in the 1960s. Two different sides of the same coin, they inspired each other and performed together whenever they could, sometimes in bands (anybody remember Legion Of Mary) and also on Saunders’ absolutely beautiful 1990 Blues from the Rainforest recording.
Saunders was also there to help Garcia recover his musical bearings after the guitarist emerged from a diabetic coma in 1986.
Garcia and Saunders are joined on this set by bassist John Kahn and drummer Bill Vitt, and the four of them explore tracks that range from Rodgers and Hart (the aforementioned two takes of My Funny Valentine), as well as Mystery Train, Someday Baby and That’s All Right, Mama. They hit on Dylan three times - two takes of It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry and one of Positively 4th Street, to which some overdubbed mandolin was added by David Grisman at a later date.
Most of the tunes clock in at more than 10 minutes. Both takes of My Funny Valentine exceed the 18 minute mark, so if you like to listen to inspired jamming then this is a set you'll want to own.
BONUS TRACK
In addition to the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia had numerous side projects, most notably the Jerry Garcia Band. He was also involved with acoustic projects such as Old & In the Way and collaborated with mandolinist David Grisman on several recordings, one of them being the 1994 CD called Tone Poems that featured period tunes played on the instruments of the time.
Garcia lent his talents to his many musical friends, playing or producing on more than 50 albums. Artists who sought Garcia's help included Jefferson Airplane, who listed him in the credits of Surrealistic Pillow as "spiritual advisor," and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (he plays the steel guitar on Teach Your Children).
But Garcia had a heroin addiction that culminated in the rest of the Grateful Dead holding an intervention during which they gave him the choice between the band or the drug. Garcia chose the band, and checked into a rehabilitation facility.
He beat the addiction - more-or-less - but his unhealthy weight, bad eating habits and a relapse on the Grateful Dead's first stadium tour caused him to collapse into a diabetic coma in July, 1986. He woke up five days later and claimed to have been very busy while unconscious. "Well, I had some weird experiences," he said. "My main experience was one of furious activity and tremendous struggle in a sort of futuristic, space-ship vehicle with insectoid presences. After I came out of my coma, I had this image of myself as these little hunks of protoplasm that were stuck together kind of like stamps with perforations between them that you could snap off."
Garcia had to relearn the guitar., but was soon back at it and the Grateful Dead released In the Dark, in 1987, which became their best-selling LP and spawned the hit Touch Of Grey.
The band continued to tour, but by 1991 Garcia was exhausted and again sought refuge in heroin, which resulted in another band intervention.
Returning from a 1992 summer tour, Garcia became ill. He eventually checked himself into the Betty Ford Center in July, 1995, and then the Serenity Knolls facility, where he died of a heart attack on August 9.
In addition to the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia had numerous side projects, most notably the Jerry Garcia Band. He was also involved with acoustic projects such as Old & In the Way and collaborated with mandolinist David Grisman on several recordings, one of them being the 1994 CD called Tone Poems that featured period tunes played on the instruments of the time.
Garcia lent his talents to his many musical friends, playing or producing on more than 50 albums. Artists who sought Garcia's help included Jefferson Airplane, who listed him in the credits of Surrealistic Pillow as "spiritual advisor," and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (he plays the steel guitar on Teach Your Children).
But Garcia had a heroin addiction that culminated in the rest of the Grateful Dead holding an intervention during which they gave him the choice between the band or the drug. Garcia chose the band, and checked into a rehabilitation facility.
He beat the addiction - more-or-less - but his unhealthy weight, bad eating habits and a relapse on the Grateful Dead's first stadium tour caused him to collapse into a diabetic coma in July, 1986. He woke up five days later and claimed to have been very busy while unconscious. "Well, I had some weird experiences," he said. "My main experience was one of furious activity and tremendous struggle in a sort of futuristic, space-ship vehicle with insectoid presences. After I came out of my coma, I had this image of myself as these little hunks of protoplasm that were stuck together kind of like stamps with perforations between them that you could snap off."
Garcia had to relearn the guitar., but was soon back at it and the Grateful Dead released In the Dark, in 1987, which became their best-selling LP and spawned the hit Touch Of Grey.
The band continued to tour, but by 1991 Garcia was exhausted and again sought refuge in heroin, which resulted in another band intervention.
Returning from a 1992 summer tour, Garcia became ill. He eventually checked himself into the Betty Ford Center in July, 1995, and then the Serenity Knolls facility, where he died of a heart attack on August 9.
- American Beauty
- Day Of The Dead
- Fillmore West, 1969, The Complete Recordings
- In The Dark
- Pacific Northwest 73-74, The Complete Recordings
