(Rock, Blues) Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders - Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings 4CD - 2012, MP3, 320 kbps

01. Hi-Heel Sneakers [08:14]

02. Keepers (Previously Unreleased Take) [07:54]

03. The Harder They Come [06:23]

04. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (Previously Unreleased Take) [06:21]

05. It s Too Late (She s Gone) [07:47]

06. My Funny Valentine (Previously Unreleased Take) [18:14]

07. Mystery Train [11:37]

01. I Second That Emotion [10:59]

02. Someday Baby [10:15]

03. Merl s Tune [13:34]

04. It Ain t No Use [09:36]

05. Positively 4th Street [07:45]

06. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (Previously Unreleased Take) [08:09]

01. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry [07:06]

02. Keepers [06:34]

03. One Kind Favor [06:39]

04. That s All Right, Mama [04:11]

05. The Harder They Come (Previously Unreleased Take) [10:09]

06. My Funny Valentine [18:05]

07. Money Honey [08:21]

01. Someday Baby (Previously Unreleased Take) [10:15]

02. Merl s Tune (Previously Unreleased Take) [12:21]

03. Like A Road Leading Home [11:02]

04. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) [10:20]

The recordings that made up the original Live at Keystone albums by Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders, John Kahn, and Bill Vitt took place over two nights in July of 73. The band had been playing a regular gig at the famed San Francisco venue for some time, but it was here that it gelled.

Their program was a wide range of covers from Jimmy Cliff s The Harder They Come to Motown numbers, Bob Dylan songs, jazz standards, and even a wholly improvised jam. Recorded by the Grateful Dead s sound engineers Betty Cantor and Rex Jackson, the first release was issued in late 1973, compiled from the best of both nights.

In 1988, two volumes called Keystone Encores were released on 3 discs. This deluxe 4-disc package contains remastered versions of all the material from both those concerts presented in original running order. In restores the three-and-a-half-minute jam Space with the full, nearly 14-minute version, now entitled Merl s Tune. In addition, there are six more previously unreleased selections. All are different takes of songs that were featured on the earlier sets, including The Harder They Come, It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry, My Funny Valentine, Merl s Tune, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You), and Someday Baby. Taking it all in, it s fascinating to hear how complementary Garcia and Saunders were, and the degree to which they trusted one another in moving a set arrangement in another direction on the spot. Contrast the two versions of My Funny Valentine. On the latter one, Saunders shifts tonalities from a straight, subdued reading toward a more modal and exploratory one. Garcia responds by extending the tune s entire harmonic reach. The rhythm section, too, is unshakable check their astonishing interplay and shifting time signatures on the first version of Merl s Tune. There are many surprises to be found here, not the least of which is the remastered sound by Paul Blakemore, who retained the atmosphere that made the original recordings so appealing. His attention to detail in dynamics, textures, and presence is noteworthy. This box also includes a poster, a pin, a coaster, and a scratch book it seems matchbooks are no longer allowed. The definitive presentation of these recordings underscores what a historic if low-key partnership this was. The music, by any standard, is simply excellent.

Personnel:

Jerry Garcia Guitar, Vocals

Merle Saunders Keyboards (Organ, Piano, Clavinet, Synthesizers)

John Kahn Bass

Bill Vitt Drums

David Grisman Mandolin (on Positively 4th Street )

Source...............: CD

Ripper...............: EAC (Secure mode) / LAME 3.92 ; Asus CD-S520

Codec................: LAME 3.98

Version..............: MPEG 1 Layer III

Quality..............: Insane, (avg. bitrate: 320kbps)

Channels.............: Joint Stereo / 44100 hz

Tags.................: ID3 v1.1, ID3 v2.3