#cumberlandblue

[traceymhawk]

Happy #Halloween from #Cumberland Academy! I’m a proud, honorary #Cyclone #cheerleader! #happyhalloween! #halloweencostume #fun #cumberlandfun! #cumberlandblue! #GOCYCLONES!!!!! #wings #ithinkicanfly https://www.instagram.com/p/B4SJjy9JsNuH6KA9XN2nAyOLxNSC4on0EIWeoY0/?igshid=1ol9oxgye00bq

[jafreitag]

31 Days of Dead | Day 16: Cumberland Blues – Kansas City, MO 8/3/82 // (Keep Your) Day Job -Veneta, OR 8/28/82 // Easy Wind – New York, NY 9/20/70

December 16

Keep Your Workingman Job: Monday Morning Edition

Cumberland Blues (8/3/82 – Starlight Theater • Kansas City, MO)

(Keep Your) Day Job (8/28/82 – Oregon County Fair • Veneta, OR)

Easy Wind (9/20/70 – Fillmore East • New York, NY)

Since it’s Monday and most of us are back at work I thought it might be fun to visit some of Hunter’s compositions about our day job.

“Cumberland Blues” is a colorful tale about hardscrabble American miners. In his anthology, A Box of Rain, Hunter says: “The best compliment I ever had on a lyric was from an old guy who’d worked at the Cumberland mine. He said, ‘I wonder what the guy who wrote this song would’ve thought if he’d ever known something like the Grateful Dead was gonna do it.’” In his blog, Greatest Stories Ever Told, David Dodd describes the music that Garcia and Lesh composed for “Cumberland Blues.” Dodd says, “It borders on some out-of-control psychedelic bluegrass breakdown combined with a 1930’s or 1940’s novelty tune.” In that spirit, I selected a version from the Starlight Theater in 1982 that I thought embodied that description.

“Day Job” is one of the most hated songs in the Dead’s entire career. Fans practically bullied the band into retiring the song in 1986. Robert Hunter thought the song had a bad rap and that most the hate was unwarranted. In a 2015 interview with Scott Bernstein of Jambase.com, Hunter said: “I don’t think they were really listening to it. They didn’t like the idea. I was saying, ‘Keep your day job, support yourself, whether you like that gig or not.’ You had to do your job while you’re lining up your long shot. That just makes good sense. It was a nice up-tempo song with a catchy lyric. A couple of people reacted, and it became a thing to dislike ‘Keep Your Day Job.’ They didn’t like the meaning, or what they perceived as the meaning.”

I think most people will agree that “Day Job” didn’t get off to a great start. The band very unwisely decided to debut it in Veneta on 8/28/82 in what was supposed to be the anniversary of the legendary show at the same sacred location 10 years earlier. Expectations were high that the band would flashback in time and deliver the psychedelic goods. Instead, they opened the second set with a new song with no jam that told hippies to keep their day job. In all fairness to the band, I listened to that version and while it is far from the psychedelic odyssey that was Veneta ‘72, I must admit that it is actually very well performed. Check it out.

We conclude our “work shift” today with “Easy Wind.” As I mentioned in yesterday’s entry, “Easy Wind” is one of one of only two Grateful Dead songs that Hunter wrote both the lyrics and music to – the other is “It Must Have Been the Roses.” Using a blues melody inspired by Robert Johnson, Hunter conjured up a narrator, and perhaps the character of the Working Man in Workingman’s Dead – a construction worker who operates a jack-hammer to build a highway. He drinks (perfect for Pigpen), sings about his Rider (see “Operator,” and other songs with this term), and can’t help but notice all the ladies “out in red on the streets today.” The version I selected is a showcase for Bob Weir’s guitar work and it’s one of the best ever.

Behind The Lyrics:

Cumberland Blues – https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-cumberland-blues

(Keep Your) Day Job – http://artsites.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/djob.html

Easy Wind – https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-easy-wind

MediaFire: 

Cumberland Blues – http://www.mediafire.com/file/360ed19nmyzfacj/44_Cumberland_Blues_%25288.3.82_-_Starlight_Theater_%25E2%2580%25A2_Kansas_City%252C_MO%2529.mp3/file

(Keep Your) Day Job – http://www.mediafire.com/file/mkfsfr3dtqw6cjx/45_%2528Keep_Your%2529_Day_Job_%25288.28.82_-_Old_Renaissance_Fairgrounds_%25E2%2580%25A2_Veneta%252C_OR%2529.mp3/file

Easy Wind – http://www.mediafire.com/file/jz1j7d0us2jrt5e/46_Easy_Wind_%25289.20.70_-_Fillmore_East_%25E2%2580%25A2_New_Yrok%252C_NY%2529.mp3/file

Live Music Archive:

8/3/82 – https://archive.org/details/gd1982-08-03.sbd.miller.77196.sbeok.flac16

8/28/82 – https://archive.org/details/gd1982-08-28.sbd.walker.scotton.miller.112828.flac16

9/20/70 – https://archive.org/details/gd1970-09-20.140664.sbd.boswell.smith.miller.clugston.flac1644

Re-Listen:

Cumberland Blues – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1982/08/03/cumberland-blues?source=93105

(Keep Your) Day Job – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1982/08/28/keep-your-day-job?source=93327

Easy Wind – https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1970/09/20/gd70-09-20-s3-t08-easy-wind?source=102783

#dayjob #08281982 #cumberlandblues #08031982 #easywind #09201970 #gratefuldead #roberthunter #jerrygarcia #bobweir #phillesh #billkreutzmann #mickeyhart #pigpen #tomconstanten #keithgodchaux #donnagodchaux #brentmydland #brucehornsby #vincewelnick #31daysofdead #linernotesmusicblog

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[jafreitag]

31 Days of Dead 2018 | Day 9: “Me and My Uncle,” “Mama Tried,” “Cumberland Blues” – Alfred, NY 5/1/70

December 9

Me & My Uncle, Mama Tried, Cumberland Blues (Acoustic)

5/1/70 – Alfred College – Alfred, NY

Acoustic Sunday. I received a lot of requests for the acoustic version of “Mama Tried” from 4/18/70 because of the beautiful vocal harmonies courtesy of guests John Dawson and David Nelson from the New Riders of Purple Sage. The unique arrangement is a joy to behold. Sadly, I was unable to feature that version in my project because it was officially released (Family Dog at the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA on vinyl in 2013), and that would violate my self-imposed rules.

I was undeterred. Although unique, it seemed impossible that this was a one-off, so I listened to all of the acoustic versions of “Mama Tried” in the Spring of 1970. Lo and behold, I found this very engaging acoustic set from Alfred College. Several songs have already been officially released – “Candyman,” “Uncle John’s Band” and “I Know You Rider” from  the “30 Days of Dead” projects (2014, 2012, and 2018 respectively) and “New Speedway Boogie” from Fallout from the Philzone (1997). As with the Family Dog official release, the New Riders join the band for both “Me & My Uncle” and “Mama Tried,” so I decided to include both of those songs, along with “Cumberland Blues,” for today’s selection. The more I listen to this acoustic set, the more I can’t help but compare it to the famous show the following night at Harpur College (Dick’s Picks Vol. 8). Dare I say that it might just be better than Harpur? Judas! One thing I think we all can agree on is that Alfred College is definitely a sleeper show that may always live in the shadows of Harpur – at least the acoustic sets, anyway.

Download today’s tracks HERE.

Stream Me and My Uncle on relisten.net HERE, Mama Tried HERE, and Cumberland Blues HERE. Audio of the acoustic first set is also on YouTube.

And transport to the entire show on the Live Music Archive HERE.

#acousticdead #meandmyuncle #mamatried #cumberlandblues #gratefuldead #jerrygarcia #bobweir #phillesh #billkreutzmann #mickeyhart #pigpen #tomconstanten #keithgodchaux #donnagodchaux #brentmydland #brucehornsby #vincewelnick #newrisersofpurplesage #nrps #johndawson #marmaduke #davidnelson #31daysofdead #linernotesmusicblog #cycleforsurvival

Donor Rap – I’m participating in Cycle for Survival, the purpose of which is to raise money for rare cancer research. Like me, I’m sure that most of you have been affected one way or another by cancer so I am determined to do something about it and I can’t think of a better way than through the music of the Grateful Dead. At last count, my 31 Days of Dead Instagram account has 7,500+ followers. That puts me in a unique position to help make a difference. One hundred percent of every dollar raised goes directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for the stated purpose. This year I invite you to help kick cancer’s ass by making a tax-deductible donation. No amount is too small. Please go to my personal Instagram account (@ecmartin3) or use this link.

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