'An aphorism, properly stamped and molded, has not been "deciphered" when it has simply been read; rather one has then to begin its interpretation, for which is required an art of interpretation.' -- Nietzsche, 'On the Genealogy of Morals'
'An aphorism, properly stamped and molded, has not been "deciphered" when it has simply been read; rather one has then to begin its interpretation, for which is required an art of interpretation.' -- Nietzsche, 'On the Genealogy of Morals'
This meditative improvisational version of Dark Star is on the So Many Roads box set--or so I am led to believe. It is short like a Japanese haiku.
This is a five-disc set that purports to be the first "in-depth musical retrospective of the Grateful Dead." I don't own the box set so I cannot judge how good it is.
A dark star is a star that is normally obscured or too faint for direct visual observation. This song is the fulcrum of the Grateful Dead's live musical playing. They were a traveling band, and this jam is a good indication of how accomplished the band was in extending themselves through jamming and exploration. On the other hand, they could also fall pretty flat. Their musical brilliance could be as fleeting as a sunshine daydream.
Update
The blurb under the video says that this version of the Grateful Dead's Dark Star is from the Capitol Theatre Port Chester New York 02 -18-1971 show. Only a small section (4.41minutes) is on the So Many Roads box set--- but I am not sure which section.
Wharf Rat, which is in the middle of the DS>Wharf Rat>DS jam, has been excluded from this video. From I can gather this was Mickey Hart's last show before the drummer left the band---that was from February 1971 until October 1974.
This is the Grateful Dead in transition to their 1970s Americana sound that was showcased on Europe 72. Many of the new material at the Port Chester 1971 show is quite basic or raw.
| Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at 3:50 PM | Permalink
Chris,
you are probably right. I was relying on the comments on YouTube under this video. They are often not reliable. I only briefly checked the song listing on So Many Roads--there were a couple of Dark Star jams--- on Disc 1 and Disc 2 respectively. I just presumed it was one of those.
I had no way of checking further. I'll have a look around now that I have some time and provide an update of what I find. The So Many Roads box set the track listing is:
Disc One ----its Dark Star > China Cat Sunflower > The Eleven (3/16/68) Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco
Disc 2 ----its Dark Star Jam > Spanish Jam > U.S. Blues (6/23/74) Jai-Alai Fronton, Miami, FL
However, on a closer look, the second track on Disc 2 is: Beautiful Jam (Grateful Dead) - 4:41 ( 2/18/71) Capitol Theater, Port Chester, NY
Is that from So Many Roads? I thought the Dark Star>Spanish Jam on there was from Miami 1974, and that doesn't seem to be this.