Classical Compoesr Reacts to GRATEFUL DEAD: Touch of Grey | The Daily Doug (Episode 617)
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- Опубліковано 27 тра 2024
- #gratefuldead #touchofgrey
In this edition of #thedailydoug, I'm listening to Touch of Grey by the Grateful Dead. This is my third time on the channel listening to their music, and this is one that I actually somewhat know. I needed a 'pick-me-up' song with a good vibe, and this one definitely delivers. Come along for the ride!
Reference Video: • Touch of Grey
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The “We will survive” change was absolutely anthemic live, in front of a stadium’s worth of their community 👍
Wooooooo!
I saw Dead & Company play this in 2021. It was very poignant after COVID.
Specially when they play it right after midnight on New Year’s Eve
You are absolutely right on this one. Even more poignant when Jerry returned in '87 after slipping into a coma in '86. He singing "I will survive" then all of us singing "We will survive" for the first time after his recovery and the boys' return to the stage was downright magical.
When I was going through radiation treatment I constantly played this song. 32 years later I'm still getting by. Thanks for the reaction.
Mr. Robert Hunter was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. When interviewed about "Touch of Grey", Jerry Garcia said it was about the band facing up to the fact that they were getting older, but still wanted to remain active, and to bring something new to the party. Drummer Bill Kreutzman said that the main thing about the song to him was the line "We will survive ", it brought it all home for him. Saw "Touch" a few times over the years at Grateful Dead concerts, I consider myself a Dead Head, and it always had an uplifting effect on the crowd, as it was meant to, not that the crowd ever needed much uplifting, they were already there.
I went to the Dylan and the dead tour in Oakland coliseum on my birthday May 24th 1987, and it was the most encompassing concert I've ever been to. It wasn't like you went to the concert it was like you were absorbed into it! And then the girl on the side in the stands doing her dance of the veils, really set the mood. Peace and love y'all!
So cool ,im a big fan but living in Australia i never got to see them .They would have been welcomed with open arms if they toured here.
@@Nazz1967 I'm surprised I never did!
@@jhamptonjr I saw that same tour in Philly, it was great.
@@Nazz1967 Yeah, I'm not sure why they didn't tour there, they did Europe and Egypt, but that was about all they did outside the USA. And you guys can understand the lyrics, so as with you, I don't get why they didn't go Down Under.
Can you please do a few more Grateful Dead songs? You do a great job with the chord changes and key changes but also delve into the lyrics. The Robert Hunter lyrics are the special sauce that makes this music ring true for so many people for 60 years now. That and the improvisational jazz live component and bringing people together. Grateful
would love to hear you react to Dark Star from the 1969 LiveDead album
do Cornell 77 or Europe 72
Every dark cloud has a silver lining, and "every silver linings got a touch of grey.." Such a great line
The thing that impressed me about Jerry Garcia is that he respected his audience enough to not feel the need to explain the reference; he just assumed you'd understand.
Robert Hunter was a great poet.
Nurses dancing to this song during the height of Covid pretty much made me cry. So very uplifting.
*Ripple* may be my favorite song of theirs. I saw them tour with Bob Dylan (Alone and Together, I believe the tour was called). They played a four or five hour set, and only stopped because the fire department (handling security) said it was too dark for safety and they didnt have permission to use the stadium lights. Best concert I've been to. Things happened that I still can't explain. Ran into one of my best friends there who was on an exchange program in the UK, he didn't ever have a coherent story about why he was 6000 miles from there. And I hung out with a bunch of bikers for about an hour, smoking dope, who were set-up right up at the foot of the whole stage. But a girlfriend spent most of the time, she said, hanging out with a bunch of hippie dancers at the foot of the stage, dancing and twirling around. She saw no bikers, I saw no dancers (not at the front). Idk. Go figure. Of course everybody was high, but it was still a level of weird I don't run into often.
That's nice but this about Touch of Grey, I thought. 😂
I saw them about 50 times. Lot's of things I remember and many I can't explain, some interdimensional or at least innerdimensional where there's no difference between inside and out.
I'm a guitarist, and I transcribed Jerry's solo on this song back in 1990. For this neanderthal rocker it was a great education. Moreso than other rock/pop guitarists, Jerry plays like a jazzer. For instance, for the first four measures he's mostly playing chord tones. That is, playing only notes from the chord changes. Also, his phrasing quickly alternatates quiet and loud notes, mimicking the spoken verses. No wonder sax giant Ornette Coleman brought him on board for his great Virgin Beauty album.
"Sounds a little like Dire Straits." I *NEVER* would have made that connection, but you're absolutely right. Dire Straits is one of my favorite bands, so maybe that's why this has always been one of my favorite Dead songs. West L.A. Fadeaway on the same album is a great track as well.
A lot of the dead heads I know/knew also loved Dire Straits. i think it has to do with the clean guitar tones that Jerry and Mark Knopfler both use. There's definitely something in common between the two.
Right there with you. Lightbulb went off. It reminds me of Brothers in Arms.
Lately I’ve been thinking that sultans of swing has a very deal-like sound to it
I had heard a Jerry interview from the early ‘80’s I believe where he was asked what he was listening to and he mentioned Mark Knopler as someone he enjoyed, so for this to have a Dire Straits tinge makes sense since it was written from that time of the interview
I thought it was by Tom Petty
My high school band teacher was so pissed at me because I was absent from a classical concert that was performed by our school and several others in 1972. He said “you weren’t at the concert” I said yes I was. I was at the Grateful Dead concert. You were the one that was absent.”
So fun to watch your “clean” take on the Grateful Dead…
We , Deadheads who saw all of this live… enjoy your percerption, interpretation, and Dead Groove you get in for their music… smiles, dancing in your own way, etc… that’s what we’re al about! You be you and enjoy the music!!!
How cool!!!
This was my introduction to the band, and this lineup with Brent on keyboards is really the band I think of when I think of the Grateful Dead. I remember being at a video dance (Those were a thing in the 80's!) in middle school and seeing the Touch of Gray video with the skeletons and the dog running through with Bill's leg bone and Mickey's skeleton wearing the Celtics jacket. It stood out, and definitely indicated where my musical tastes lay. That same dance was also the first time I heard Beastie Boy's you gotta fight for your right to party. That didn't quite make the same impression, lol. I love how the dead play. it's a texture. Bill and Mickey laying down a rhythm. Phil in the back with this deep bass melody. Bob doing chord substitutions and alternate voicings. Jerry doing melodic leads. Finally brent or any of the keyboardists really kind of being the glue that holds everyone together.
I absolutely ADORE the solo in this. Every note is perfect.
"Paint-by-numbers morning sky looks so phony." Wonderful lyric!
"They're not the best at what they do. They're the ONLY ONES who do what they do." ~ Bill Graham
For more advanced Dead, there's the jazzy prog fusion of "Help on the Way / Slipknot!" from the 'Blues for Allah' album. An energetic live rendition of the suite (including "Franklin's Tower") from 8/13/75 is on 'One from the Vault': ua-cam.com/video/pJq3onV2SG0/v-deo.html
Glad I read through these comments1 I would put this particular performance of these three songs up against anything they ever did. What a great, succinct show that was.
13:00 Absolutely nailed it. That was their ethos, formed at the Acid Tests.
Everyone smiles during the Garcia solo.
Love this one. Great guitar playing from J-Gar.
Love your thoughts on the lyrics. You pointed out things I had never considered.
Take a listen to "China Cat Sunflower" with it's transition to "Know You Rider" from the "Europe 72" album.
This song and sound melds in nicely with both Dire Straits and The Travelling Wilburys. And this song was the one that introduced another generation to the wonderful world of the Grateful Dead. And they were so influential (and their loyal fanbase) that Don Henley even referenced them in his hit Boys of Summer
Finally one of my favorites! I know this was their most commercially successful song but it shows why. Such a great song that keeps me happy
Great reaction, friend. Anything and everything from American Beauty is highly recommend. That was the album that introduced me to this world.
Glad you covered this beauty. Outstanding instrumentals, lyrics, melody. Enjoyed your insight on this as your a professional in this field. You brought interesting thoughts to the meanings and I concur. What a blessing Doug. Thank you
This song holds deeper meaning for me. Been a deadhead since 1980 and In fact it's my boat's name. I was almost killed in a car accident a few years ago. But " I survived" , although injured," I will get by". Being in my late 50s, i definitely have a Touch of Grey. Thank you for your viewpoint
Jerry went from 5 years gigging as a teen on banjo to folk/Americana to electric rock and blues to the growth of his singular melody writng that combined all those styles he experienced. He also covered jazz with his gigs with Merl Saunders including covers from Miles' Kind of Blue. For a precursor to World music with blues, jazz and fusion tones listen to his gigs with Howard Wales.
Doug, i found your channel after a Dead and Company show late on night and love you so much. You're so talented!
Please, please do a review of Althea, and Sugaree. They are absolutely banging songs.
Doug, this song had been stuck in my head all day today, you totally read my mind. Thanks so much for doing another Dead tune for us all.
Peace and Love
Always the bounce is there. *bounce* ....*bounce bounce*......*bounce*
Take a journey listen to: Dark Star>St. Stephen>The Eleven>Lovelight off the Album, CD (wherever) Live Dead 1969. Touch is cool, very much commercial successful. Was fun in concert.
I must say, Doug's reaction shows to Grateful Dead music are some of my favorite GD Reaction shows out there. His musicality and understanding is so great to see but he also breaks down the lyrics in an intelligent way. Please feel free to cover more GD music!! Estimated Prophet, Terrapin Station live this time from the early 90s maybe, Crazy Fingers, Scarlet Begonias>Fire on the Mountain would all be awesome. Thank you Doug!
I remember they opened up with this song at the Last actual "Grateful Dead" show at Soldier Field on July 9th 1995....I was lucky enough to receive a call from a friend of mine in Chicago, who said he had some extra floor seats. I got on the next available flight from Texas and the rest is history... As Jerry said after that final show... "Always a hoot"...
Phil's walking bass and sudden solo'ish bursts, makes things open up so much.
Jerry's guitar has alot of Ragtime-ish style, no?
it's happy music, my mom said, as I got into it in my teenage years in the 70s ...
she was used to me blasting Led Zep and the stones...😅
Love this reaction, this song, and 'In the Dark' in general was my 'Dead gateway, along with seeing some related shows with a Deadhead friend that I grew up with. Would love to hear your analysis of 'Help on the Way>Slipknot>Franklin's Tower', another 'Dead classic that is much more technically complex.
1982 is the first time I saw them do this song. Fan Favorite, great video 1987, I was there!!! They named this album "In the Dark" because they recorded it live on stage In the Dark!!!👍👍👌👌✌✌😃😃
I can’t help but to think of the difference of Groot saying I am Groot to finally saying We are Groot at the end of the 1st movie 😁
I am interested is Doug's take--wish he would do something Live - such as China-Rider from Alpine 89 - pure musical magic right in front of your ears
I was at that show - one of my favorites!
Doug needs to study the charisma between Brent and Jerry
Those were some of the best shows I saw. I don't think I had anything left dry after the second day and didn't care.
Explore More Grateful Dead..You'll be Amazed and Spellbound. 🌟 🤩
Garcia and Hunter were a colaborative team and Weir/Barlow were also a team. Hunter and Barlow were the lyricist. Garcia and Weir the musical composers
Thanks for covering this one.
The Dead are famous as a jam band that played very long sets, with very long songs that went to all sorts of places. This song captured all that but in a single that was radio friendly and actually 'A Hit' that struck a chord with a wider audience than their regular community.
NGL it's the only song of their's I genuinely like.
I love you man, you always brighten my days. Thank you
Doug. I'd love to hear your take on the song Unbroken Chain, from the Mars Hotel album.It is a very interesting and moving composition, with a very compelling harmonic progression, and some odd time sections, i.e.11/4 and 15/4.
It was nice to hear you mention the Grateful Dead community. I am a Deadhead and have been going to shows for 37 years . Or as we refer to it as( getting on the bus). I have never and will never get off the bus. The community has changed my life for the good. I have met so many beautiful souls and have picked up brothers and sisters along my long strange trip. Jerry has been gone since 95' but all the members have kept the music and community alive. The most recent version " Dead and Co." Shocked the community when John Mayer joined the band. I vowed to never go to another show. But, I could not resist and ended up enjoying the latest version. They are not the Grateful Dead but seeing the music I love being performed with the community I love makes me feel blessed. Not Fade Away. Ty❤
As a Deadhead, I enjoyed listening to this with you, thanks for your insights!
Love it, great hook and lyrics.
Video also excellent!
Hi, Doug, lots of fun as usual. I wonder if you've covered Jerry's buddy, David Grisman, especially " Hot Dawg" ? Brilliant compositions played by virtuosi on all acoustic instruments. Good stuff!
When the dead first started playing this song, we referred to it as "we will survive" because we didn't know the title
Great visiting with you and the Grateful Dead! Thank You for your input on one of my favorites.
Hey Doug! Thanx for reacting to this great track from The Grateful Dead. A huge hit on it's release back in the day. They weren't one of my faves but this track is very catchy and the lyrics are cool and thought provoking.
I love your Haken t-shirt riffing on the classic Heineken label. Very cool!
LOS JAIVAS - "Alturas de Machu Picchu" Full album is a *masterpiece*
brooo you gotta do more complicated tunes like Help on the way > Slipknot and Estimated Prophet for the time signature
Doug has done some other Dead songs, including Terrapin Station. I think he may have also done at least one of the songs you mentioned.
I always loved “Throwing Stones” from this album.
Omg! My absolute favorite album from these guys is in the dark. I've still got the CD that I bought 1987! Thanks Doug! Peace and love!
You blow my mind! I thoroughly enjoy you!
Love these videos , you are incredible! Weather report suite is one tune I think you would really enjoy its beautiful . Grateful
Forever grateful for all the joy they've brought to my life. Thank you for the review and I look forward to the next one!!
Love your work! If you need another Dead song you might like Unbroken Chain! Not well known and not played often but loved by fans. One of their most musically complex songs
I feel so fortunate to have seen them in concert before Jerry passed. In fact, it was their second to last show, at Soldier Field in Chicago. The popularity of this song made everything explode for the band where shows got enormous -- selling out stadiums when 10 years earlier they had a cult following. I would recommend a trio of songs often played together: Help on the Way, Slipknot, Franklin's Tower (commonly known as Help Slip Frank). Based on what I've seen pique your interest in these videos, I think you will especially enjoy these.
underrated guitar solo. Definitely a song that makes me smile.
FEED THAT DAMN DOG!
from Wikipedia: Grateful dead (or grateful ghost) is both a motif and a group of related folktales present in many cultures throughout the world.
The most common story involves a traveler who encounters a corpse of someone who never received a proper burial, typically stemming from an unpaid debt. The traveler then either pays off the dead person's debt or pays for burial. The traveler is later rewarded or has their life saved by a person or animal who is actually the soul of the dead person; the grateful dead is a form of the donor.[1][2] The grateful dead spirit may take many different physical forms including that of a guardian angel, animal, or fellow traveler.[3] The traveler's encounter with the deceased comes near the end of the traveler's journey.[3]
That's like the only Dead song I know and I love it.
Oh and Terrapin Station as well, which I discovered on your channel.
There's a Book called "More Than Human", by Theodore Sturgeon, who was a SciFi Writer for Star Trek & Twilight Zone & Many short stories & Novels. Phil Talks about it in the The Dead Book by Hank Harrison. They are discussing how the band developed their sort of psychic telepathic connections within the band & mentions this book as the one that gives an interesting example within a group of individuals becoming more than they're own limited human self, It explaineď how & why it develops....
Found your channel because it references the Dead. So I subscribed and will follow you on any Grateful Dead video. Bill Graham said “ they are not the best at what they do. They are the only ones to do what they do. “ Cheers.
DARK STAR FROM VENETA 1972. You will NOT be disappointed.
Dark Star will be the Holy Grail choice for this channel. A jazzy version from 1972 would be my recommendation, with April 8th, 1972 or Sept 21st, 1972 being my suggestion. Cheers.
Agreed. Can’t go wrong with the version from August 27, 1972 either. The classic Dark Star > El Paso
@@AaronRadioStudio
Yeah. That fast run of notes Garcia plays near the end is a wild ride.
When I was 13 we were making t shirt designs in school. I put a grey hand print on the shirt & wrote touch of grey on it. Later when I was walking by myself the scariest metal head in high school came up to me. I thought I was getting my ass kicked. He said “you like the Dead’? “ They are awesome, I like your shirt”. I didn’t know the Dead was cool. I just loved the music.
I think you’ll LOVE Help on the way > Slipknot > Franklins Tower. 5/22/77 is a great version. There are also some later versions available with video.
Thank you!
I always hear dire straits in this one as well. Great video 👍
Love this analysis! If you want to do another Grateful Dead video I would encourage you to do a live 1974 version of Eyes of the World. Truly mind melting jamming, even the jam out sequence is amazing! Plus the song structure is so fun and move your feet to and the lyrics are so validating. "Wake now discover that you are the song that the morning brings..." Give it a listen, you won't be disappointed!
You nailed it again, Doug. Great reading. NOW... if you want Prog Dead, then try Unbroken Chain from The Mars Hotel or Eyes of the World from One From The Vault. Ooooor... Weather Report Suite> Let It Grow from Wake of the Flood. Thanks.
I think Lazy Lighting>Supplication or Unbroken Chain would fit nicely into your vibe Doug! A little more complex but just as positive and fun.
💀🌹 you're funny Doug... dig the Dead. 😁
It's definitely their most upbeat song,and I love it,but there's another song that the title eludes me,it was featured in the movie The Mask starring Cher,Eric Stoltz and Sam Elliott,brings me to tears every time.💘💘💘
It's Ripple!
Actually “Mask” is the film with Eric Stoltz.
“The Mask” starred Jim Carrey.
To really get a sense of what the Grateful Dead do you have to listen to live recordings. Their studio recordings are jumping off points for live explorations and excursions that can go to different places on different nights. If you want to dive head first into the deep end I'd recommend Dark Star from the Live Dead album.
You nailed it at 12:25. I really appreciate your reaction.
My favorite song of the Deads' is Friend of the Devil. This has to be number 2 for me. Thank you for reviewing this one.
The studio and live performance of this song are totally different. With Jerry and Brent this song live was insane in the early and mid-80s prior to Jerry's diabetic coma. The build in the intro was lengthy and just built speed and energy. On nights Jerry and Brent were magic. The Dead were the best and worst ever. When Garcia and Mydland were high they made you cry but when all their they were the best and really raised the energy to orgasmic levels. Saw over 70 shows from 1982 thru the passing of Jerry. The Dead were a live experience not to be missed.
Grateful Dead Live, 7/4/89, Orchard Park, NY. Jerry Garcia makes fun of his gray hair before he starts the second set with "Touch of Grey" ua-cam.com/video/A8rVM8GlD4c/v-deo.html
A good friend is a classical guitarist, his favorite guitar player is Jerry Garcia
I never got into the Dead, but I can’t help but love this song. The eighties keyboards, the unusual tone of the bass and Garcia’s distinctive voice all combine to make for an enjoyable listen.
Doug... you gotta do Help/Slip/Franklin's and you gotta do Dark Star
More live Grateful Dead please!!! Also they typically had 2 drummers!
Oh wow, I have always loved this song. It's different from a lot of their stuff but I have memories of listening to it in the truck with my dad in the 80s. I bought the tape in the 90s to listen to in my truck as a teen. Now I listen to it in my 40s via Spotify... in my truck. 😊
The first performance was on 09/15/1982. Definitely worth a listen
I had a Berkeley Greeks '84 version on tape.
Wharf Rat, Black Peter, Terrapin Station, Stella Blue, the Wheel, Uncle John's Band? Brokedown Palace. China Cat Sunflower? Playing in the Band?
He should do that 45 minute version of Playing In The Band. It's so fun!
You mentioned having two drummers was interesting. The Dead have had two drummers most of their career, though arguably their greatest period was with Kreutzmann only.
Hello, Mr. Doug. I feel alright too.
Brings back memories from the early 80s. I saw my first Grateful Dead concert just before “Go to Heaven” came out in a fairly small auditorium in Glens Falls New York, and it was pretty life changing. I always thought that the Brent Mydland era was really the best period in their 30 year run- but I’m biased. I followed them on a few summer tours between 82 and 87. This particular tune was the hit song that was kinda the beginning of the end for me; after “In the Dark” came out the Grateful Dead concert scene started becoming a little too crazy huge. At that point the fans kinda loved it to death. I’d love to see your reaction to an entire show (from the 80s of course!)
They had two drummers for most of their years.
This song made me a Deadhead the first time I heard it. Didn't hurt that I was a Parrothead too--Buffett did a lot of Dead covers.
Fun set of chords to "Box of Rain"--another of the Dead's best-loved songs. Worth taking a look at!
Doug, I enjoy your channel, and I love the Grateful Dead. I'll cut to the chase: I challenge you to please, *please* review the Grateful Dead's magnum opus, Dark Star, the 23 minute song that opens side 1 of their 1969 live album, Live/Dead. This song - and specifically this version of this song - is arguably the best thing they ever recorded, and it showcases the band's ability to improvise long and dynamic musical passages as a group. Many Deadheads consider this song the most loved song in the entire Grateful Dead catalog, and this version is a particularly fine one that has inspired an untold number of acid trips, so my suggestion is get good and baked first so you can appreciate it as intended, lol. Dark Star is a musical journey as well as a song, but it IS a song, and one that I would love to see you review. Many Deadheads such as myself find it breathtaking, but I'd love to hear your take on it. Thank you!
My brother-in-law was big into the Dead back in his early 20's. I was driving back alone after dropping my friend off at work soon after my bil passed away. The reality of it was starting to gett o me and i was starting to have trouble seeing the road when the chorus came in, "I will get by.... WE will get by.". That's when i knew that he would be watching over me. See you when I can, Little Bro.
Love you, Mikey.
Now play their disco hit, Shakedown Street!
I wouldn't call it disco, more funk, but I love the song. A side note: it was produced by Lowell George.
@@pandacosu8217 its not strictly disco, but it is a disco tune. We will let Doug decide
Thanks!
Thanks very much!
Doug, you are a GEM. Love seeing you react to my favorite bands!