This song is live, from a 1970 live album which had some great stuff on it. They definitely do cross genres from rock to psychedelia to jazz, to reggae, but they're really heavily routed in American roots music including folk, bluegrass and blues.
Not only were the tour versions of their songs superb, but the band had the utmost respect for their fans. Always started on time and played straight through. And being in the audience with dead heads was a trip all by itself.
I saw Grateful Dead live 24 times between 1979 and 1994. I have many great memories of those shows being with friends and making new friends too...This song is done wonderfully on many of their live concert recordings as it was a concert staple for them for many years....Really like seeing you both enjoy the Dead!
Dead music always gives me a positive feeling. They seem to enjoy playing their music. There are literally hundreds of examples of their live performances! They allowed anyone to bring recording equipment to their concerts. This rabbit hole is very deep! Would've liked to hear the wall of sound! Amazon did an excellent bio called Long Strange Trip.
Wall of sound was awesome but incredibly expensive and time consuming to set up, they had 2, one the show they were doing and one being set up for their next show. It was really incredible how loud and pure the sound was, Stanley pegged it perfectly. At the Time it was in use it could not be beat. They had to use 4 tracker trailers to move the scaffolding and equipment around one to the next etc etc.
*AMBER* You really found your groove in this song! You looked like you could have been in the crowd swaying, spinning and vibeing ... LOVE IT!!! That bass is brought to you by the great Phil Lesh!!! I can't even tell you how many Dead shows I have been to in my life. Each one different and a new experience every time... Aug 9, 1995 was a sad day for us all
My good friend and true DeadHead was so despondent when we lost Jerry, he left work and we found him just sitting in his car crying and listening to the Dead in his car...miss you Jerry.
I was on the internet, looking at the upcoming tour dates to make plans, and my mother came in and said "Did you hear that Jerry Garcia died?"... I was crushed! 😢
Thank you so much Brother n Sister.....I've been lobbying for awhile for this.....and it COULD NOT HAVE COME ON A BETTER NIGHT!!...I love you guys....love to all!!😎 Peace from Pennsylvania ✌️
I really love this channel, I love seeing people genuinely enjoy the music, do the chair dances, and speak with the insight of people much older into the sound, and make us all feel like we are all taking the ride together. I love the Grateful Dead for the same reasons. Such a happy noise, full of thought and insight set to beautiful arrangements. I saw them play out live about 200 times back in the early 80;s to early 90's. It was the late 20th century equivalent of running away and joining the circus and traveling around the USA and meeting people in all these different places and learning how life is lived in so many different places. Thank You guys for rekindling such sweet memories, and giving me a chance to bop and air guitar in my chair. God bless.
One of my favorites by The Grateful Dead. I also recommend "Scarlet Bagonias", "Sugar Magnolia", "Ripple", "Uncle John's Band", "Fire On The Mountain " and a ive version of The Rascals' classic "Good Lovin'.
This was recorded when Bertha was still a new song, and it comes across how much they enjoy playing it. They kept on playing Bertha right up until the very end. This whole album is good, and it's got a nice raw energy.
So glad you’re back to the Dead. You guys could do a really fun deep dive on them - there is so much to explore - with so many different sounds. You could even deep dive this album. Lots of this album was recorded live. A great triple live album is Europe ‘72 - so much good stuff there - and gives you a great set of songs done live during a highly creative songwriting phase for them. And traveling to see them was a blast - I saw them about 100 times between 1985-1995.
The song you are listening to,"Bertha", IS live, from the album "Grateful Dead" which is a live album. I won't tell you what the band wanted to call this album, but you can look it up. They were so good live, many folks can't tell the difference between live and studio. The Dead used "Bertha" as a show opener on many occasions, it got the crowd going and set a mood for the evening. Lead Guitarist Jerry Garcia started out in folk and bluegrass bands, then a jug band, until they morphed into the Grateful Dead, each member brought something to the sound, so there are many, many influences on their music. They are a category of their own.
I'm not a Deadhead actually, but i think you would really dig "Uncle John's Band." There's definitely a beachy, summery vibe. Please make this your next Dead reaction. Thanks in advance!
Hi Guys, I loved your reactions as ever. Whenever The Dead played live, they would always add a combination of 2 songs that transition from one to the next and went into a long jam. On Europe 72 this is China Cat Sunflower and I Know You Rider (China Rider) on Cornel 5/0/77 it's Scarlet Begonia's and Fire on the Mountain (Scarlet Fire). To understand The Dead live, you should listen to one of these combinations. Or you could listen to Jack Straw, Brown Eyed Women or Moring Dew from either of these albums, or Dancing in the Street from Cornel 5/8/77 . Love yout channel.
A live performance of the Grateful Dead could go on for a very long time. They'd often play hours longer, other musicians (many famous) would come up and play with them. If someone needed to pee, they'd step off the stage for a while. It was an amazing environment.
For the life of me, I can't understand why no one has not directed you to "Terrapin Station" or "Not Fade Away" yet. I mean that is the standard closing set for their famous concerts. That is what all of those "Deadheads" do all of that traveling for.
"Bertha" was a clingy groupie that they just didn't want coming around anymore!! I smile everytime I watch you two listen to The Dead😊 I've spent the last 50 years turning people on to them and hoping they go head first down the rabbit hole. Jay, if you wanna hear a straight on rock n roll song try One More Saturday Night off of the Live Europe '72 album
Love that you’re Deadheads! I remember four decades ago I had just moved to DC and knew nobody. Driving home from work in my suit this song came on. I turned it up and started car dancing while traffic was somewhat snarled. Halfway through I noticed the car next to me with two young woman in office attire also car dancing and smiling at me. We pulled into a parking lot and started talking and I gained two friends. What a wonderful community of people! I didn’t follow them around like some. I just loved the music and their chill, peaceful nature and lived my conventional life, like so many others. There was always a connection (very human based on creativity and empathy) whenever two Deadheads (by chance) realized each other’s shared love of the Dead.
I saw the Dead in the early 80s. What impressed me most was how they could be a jamming band and yet move up and down and in and out together, like they had telepathy with each other. Of course Jerry Garcia's guitar stands out. He plays the single string solos but with more of a bluegrass/country feel than that of the blues giants that many others in those days were following. Garcia is also the lead singer here. I believe the best live Dead record was Live/Dead which came out in 1968. The songs on it are long and if you got the CD the first four songs (which are certainly the best part of the album) run together and take up about 55 minutes total. But I' recommend "The Eleven" which is a little less than 10 minutes. Or if you've got more time, start with "St.Stephen" then "The Eleven" then "Turn On Your Lovelight" and dig how the intensity and excitement just builds and builds. Oh, what the heck, start with "Dark Star" and do all four. PS _ Last I heard, Phil Lesh, the bassist, was running a restaurant in Marin County.
Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter wrote the words for this song, as he did for most Dead songs. Jerry Garcia wrote the music. For years the legend was that "Bertha" was named after an old fan (an actual mechanical fan, not a fan of the music) that would jump around the Grateful Dead's office when turned on. David Dodd at the official Grateful Dead site clarified that old myth by citing an interview in which Hunter revealed that the Dead named the rambunctious fan after the song, rather than vice versa. What "Bertha" is actually about, Hunter believed (he claimed he couldn't remember for certain), is "some vaguer connotation of birth, death and reincarnation. Cycle of existences, some kind of nonsense like that." That origin story could make "Bertha" a pun for "birth." It definitely opens up fascinating new possibilities for the song.
There is nothing like a Grateful Dead Concert. I experienced my first show in 1970 at The Fillmore East. Joseph Campbell, a world-renowned scholar of ancient mythologies saw the Dead in 1968. He was asked about his experience in an interview and responded, "I can only imagine this is how the ancients felt during their festivals celebrating God."
Saw them many times, including the largest rock concert ever at Watkins Glen in 1973... The Dead played for 4:30 hours, followed by The Band, playing for 2:30 hours, then The Allman Brothers Band, playing for 2:30 hours, then they all got on stage and jammed for two hours...
the soundcheck from that weekend some of the greatest improvisational jamming I've ever heard! the bands were just ON that weekend! you lucky folks, suffering through all that weather so we can have the recordings! Thank you for your service! lol
As a deadhead who’s seen them 100’s of times over the years, in every incarnation, your reaction is spot on✌️ Please do Billy Strings next. He’ll blow you away. I promise!
Love!! Just took the whole family to Dead & Company in Dallas in May. 30,000 people all dancing together on the final tour. Gonna see the final 3 shows ever in July back San Fran where it all started in back in 65. Grateful for sure. NFA Not Fade Away!!
It is going to be such a stranger feeling world when there is no hint of The Grateful Dead touring any more. There are some great cover bands that are still bringing the music to life, but it will never be the same
@@PHDWhom I just got back from San Fran this morning about 1:30 am. Most amazing 3 days of music and love ive ever been a part of. My gosh they were great!
@@jerrybroughton6117 My wife and I did Saturday, from our room in lovely Bremerton, Washington. My first show. She's seen them hundreds of times. But yeah, I've listened to the three day run already, and I'm just entranced. I need more. Whatever they do next, I have to go see them, even if it is Bob and Wolf Bros.
Love when Jay hooked onto Phil Lesh's unique style of bass playing . Phil is the Classically Trained Composer / Musician of the band . A Perfect combo with Jerry Garcia's vast knowledge of various guitar styles . The Grateful Dead is the most unique band of American Rock & Roll history . You guy's would have loved being at 1 of their shows 🙂
Phil was an Avant Garde Jazz trumpet player. When his bluegrass banjo playing friend was putting a rock band together and needed a bass player, Phil started learning the bass.
I first saw the Dead in 1970 at the Fillmore East in NYC when I was a senior in high school. It was one of their rare visits to the East Coast. The opening act was the New Riders of the Purple Sage. The Fillmore was only half full! This was before the "Dead Head" phenomenon and their audience was primarily members of the counter-culture. Vintage Dead. Thank you for embracing them and sharing them amongst the unfamiliar.
Great choice! As you picked up at the end, this is from a live performance. They recorded themselves religiously and innovated technologically so a lot of their live recordings are almost indistinguishable from studio recordings by other bands. They also let the audience record their shows and set up special sections for them. If my memory serves me correctly, and I'm way too lazy to look it up, this is from the Fillmore East on April 28 or 29, 1971. During this era they sort of played a psychedelic version of the Bakersfield Sound (think Waylon Jennings and Buck Owens). Amber is right about the folk influences -- they started out as a bluegrass band before The Beatles and lots of LSD changed their sound. They loved and were influenced by bluegrass, folk, country, rock, blues, reggae and jazz until the end. Definitely an eclectic band. By the way, the story of Bertha, but this may be the band pulling people's leg as they like to do, is that she was a fan they had in their corporate office. When it was turned on it would rattle and roam around the floor annoying everybody. This is from a live album called "The Grateful Dead" but colloquially known as "Skull and Roses" that was recorded in different venues in the fall of 1971.
I love watching you guys discover and enjoy this music as much as I do. I'm 37. Been listening for 25+ years and I'm still discovering magic Dead moments.
Ever since I heard it first late in 2016, I've been impartial to the "Bertha" on Red Rocks 7-8-78. It's luminous and stellar. It's the opening song of that live album. Many of the other songs on that album are excellent, too, including an excellent version of "Werewolves of London." I've listened to that song just to hear again a half second of vocalization by their only female vocalist, Donna Jean Godchaux.
Driving my country and western dad to work in the 70's , I was playing a dead cassette. He listened for a while before asking who it was , I told him and he said " I like it " . I almost fell out of the car ! It was Working man's dead.
I saw the Grateful Dead live in Jan. 1977. My first real concert, I was 15. That Oct, at our county fair with my family, we saw Jim Stafford. A lot of memories from today. Thanks you so much.
To echo some of the other great comments here, I think you both would love the medley of songs "China Cat Sunflower" into "I Know You, Rider" from their live album Europe '72. It's a fantastic example of what the Dead were like, live (no pun intended)! Jerry Garcia sounds like he's biting down on a power line while playing that guitar during those years in the early '70s. Also, a wonderful reaction as always!
Yes they have so many tunes to choose, most offer something that keeps you coming back, they just have their own vibe I still check in on once in awhile. For an ultimate Dead experience you guys need to hear Live: Dead 1969. That album is solid gold and a touchstone for many, the opener, Dark Star would blow your minds. Time to head out into space with Captain Trips, Jerry Garcia, RIP. Enjoy. 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
Great choice! Keep exploring their tunes as others have said they are a great blend of different musical genres wrapped into a band of stellar musicians kicking out some great fun dancing tunes. I had some of the best times at dead shows.
The story behind this song is that there was an electric fan that the band named Bertha, and it use to shake so much that it would shake across the whole floor of the room it was in!
Song preceeded the story. The fan would walk across the floor of the band's office disturbing the workers, so they named it Bertha, as in...don't you come around here, anymore. Lol
Nice reaction to one of the classic grateful dead songs. And yes, Jay, that bass player is the legendary Phil Lesh, one of the greatest and most versatile bass players in rock 'n' roll. He plays a very melodic bass guitar. Interesting little trivia about this song (or at least a trivia rumor), the original inspiration for this song was apparently an electric fan that used to move around the grateful dead offices, often feeling like it was following somebody who was sitting in a chair nearby. They nicknamed that fan "Bertha". They are great resident poet, Robert Hunter (RIP), expand that into a whole story song. (Edit: apparently, that legend is false, and the electric fan was named after the song, rather than the other way around as per a comment below, who reported the truth from the Dead website).
Pretty sure Phil Lesh verified the story in his book Searching for the Sound. It's possible it could be a case of if you have a chance to print the truth or the legend always print the legend but I would take the word of someone in the band over the word of someone who works at a website.
Bird Song is their tribute to Janis Joplin. There is a fantastic live video from 72 at the Old Renaissance Faire Grounds in Veneto, Oregon. Highly recommend. Not too long, 12 minutes of bliss.
Dead and Company are on their final tour, if there was any way possible for you guys to go you should not miss this!!! 👍👍 Not just for the concert, but the experience in the parking lot before the concert and inside the show. The atmosphere and the size of the crowd and how they are one with the band!!!! A GREAT TIME is had by all!!! 👍👍👌👌✌✌😃😃
FYI...Hunter and Garcia were a prolific and unusual tandem to write songs together. Hunter is a true poet, you can see some of his live performances here on UA-cam.
I love it when you guys react to the Dead. There are still some variations to their sound you haven't heard yet; the '60s pop (Beat it on Down the Line), the heavy acid rock (St Stephen, or for a REALLY deep acid rock dive, anything off "Anthem of the Sun". Even St Stephen is probably not channel friendly though.) Then there's their prog rock (Help on the Way, Estimated Prophet) their fusion rock, mixing classical with rock like ELO did (Terrapin Station), blues (Easy Wind) and... on and on.
Guys thank you for bringing me joy. Dead and Co (w John Mayer) played this TONIGHT in NYC - 50+ years later. My cat was named Bertha (after this song). My rec is a big one: Scarlet Begonias-Fire on the Mountain from Cornell May 1977. Its about 22 min but will change your life
Went to my first Dead Head concert when I was 20, early 90's and while I wasn't a huge fan at the time I can say that there is NOTHING like being at a Dead concert. It is a vibe unlike any other. The people are just there to enjoy the groove and each other. Helps if you are high or tripping but it was so much fun.
Jordon finally surrendered to Jerry’s vibe….. my ex love, followed them on tour for many years and introduced them to me…. Imagine being outside in nature with a few thousand kind hippies, half of which are spinning in delight…. I have learned to give in to them as well J.
Great tune! I haven't heard it in a long time though. Up next might I suggest Fire On The Mountain, Uncle John's Band and Casey Jones. I think you would really like Uncle John's Band. They were heavily influenced by folk, blues and some psychedelic which they managed to combine into a sound that was uniquely "The Dead" and they were in a genre all their own. The world lost a true genius when Jerry Garcia passed. May he TRULY Rest In Peace
You guys have got to hear , I repeat you guys have got to hear China Cat Sunflower/ I Know You Rider live from their Europe 72 album. The Dead at their peak live.
@@harlanginsberg7269 Agreed. There were bright spots before 1970 and after 1980, but those were the peak years. My first (and best) live show was Watkins Glen in '73 and my favorite studio album (Mars Hotel) was released in '74.
@@mushbone I was at Watkins Glen as well and amazingly enough it was my first Dead show too. However while I love the Dead I think I might love the Band more they are both near the top of my list. I then saw the Dead right after that in September at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.
They used to come to a local concert hall back in the 80s. I worked at the mall that was near it. We used to get Deadheads invading the mall, taking baths in the fountains. One climbed over the counter at the McD’s to get his own food. Was always an experience when they were in town!
The whole Skull and Roses album rocks. I loved watching you both grove out to the Grateful Dead. I hope you do more with them. I've seen over 100 shows since 1977. Bill Graham once said, the Grateful Dead are not just a band, they are environment. Many times the GD were the highest grossing tour band in America. Spring, Summer and Fall tours across America. Jerry Garcia also had his solo band which was very successful as well. The Not Fade Away, into Going Down the Road is epic on this album and a favorite among the fans. Enjoy.
According to legend Bertha was a big commercial fan that would actually 'walk' across the floor of the office, When one staff member threw it out , someone brought it back...
You never heard that story of the 'Bertha' fan...? I call it a legend because nobody ever said it was true, although there was a Fan named 'Bertha', weather H&G wrote the song for the fan is up for debate...
@@pooldude317 yeah I heard it, Garcia said it in that interview, which became the book 'Signpost to New Space,' q.v. What I mean is, coming from Garcia it's testimony, not legend.
The Dead had an unusual way with their music. If they sang it then it belonged to those that heard it. If you had a camera at their concert you were allowed to record as you wished. And if they sang the same song again you could not expect it to sound the same because if it was out there once it needed changing.
FYI - The Grateful Dead following is because of the improv playing of the music. The songs are played differently each time, sometimes with minor or major variations in tempo, rhythm etc. Thus, you never know what you're going to hear. A song played more R&R or Blues or C&W style.
Ok everybody. Amber is obviously a flower child born in the wrong decade. We need to come up with a flower child name for her. I'm going with "Clover". What say you? Lol
Some songs you haven't reacted to Eyes of the World, Uncle John's Band, Fire on the Mountain, Saint Stephen. I would also recommend a live version played anytime in the 70's for all these songs.
GD are such a vibe unto themselves, most of their songs can be played as a long jam at anytime, they did so in many of their live performances, playing some songs for 30-40 minutes or more
I remember when the Dead came to Providence RI in the very early 90's. It was 90-91 as I recall. I was working at AT&T in downtown Providence across from the 'Dunk", the Duncan Doughnut Center. The Dead rolled in and 1 AT&T Plaza was filled with the smell of pot, frisbees and Deadheads. It was a very laid back vibe and everyone was having a good time. The next day a Jehovah's Witness convention rolled in and the atmosphere was 100% different. I remember cracking up over it at the time. Good times.
Enjoy! Check the bass lines, Jay. Maybe after a little wild wood flower. Jerry gonna rip it here in a minute. So glad you are playing happy high energy music today. You got it Jay! This is live right? Jerry! Glad you dug it! Thanks!
Yes ! LIVE ! Every night they played , the songs had slight changes “ nuanced tweaking “ they were incredible live . Grew up in the Bay Area saw them 100’s of times .
I was very amused at Amber's comments about wanting to have a Grateful Dead experience. Let's just say that there's a certain aroma that would be necessary to really capture that fully. Interesting that you did the song Wildwood Weed on this particular day...
Greatest song ever about a ceiling fan that had a habit of becoming detached. Seen the Dead soooo many times, and met my wife at a Dead show at Red Rocks, we've been married 40 years now. Thanks so much for doing this!
The song came before the fan story. And I heard it was a fan on a stand that would wobble and walk across the floor, disturbing the people working in the band's office in San Rafael. They didn't want the fan coming near them, so they called it Bertha...don't ya come around here, anymore.
@@brianweldon4243 You're probably right, Brian, like the band the 70's were real good to me, a few misplaced brain cells is to be expected. :) It was a great time to be alive!
This song is live, from a 1970 live album which had some great stuff on it. They definitely do cross genres from rock to psychedelia to jazz, to reggae, but they're really heavily routed in American roots music including folk, bluegrass and blues.
You need to do the live version of China Cat Sunflower from May 1972!
@@nmann8164 Rock on!
Very true.
So glad you guys reacted to this one!
1971 live performance
Love that the Dead are still recruiting! Amber the Baby Deadhead!! ❤❤😂😂❤❤
Not only were the tour versions of their songs superb, but the band had the utmost respect for their fans. Always started on time and played straight through. And being in the audience with dead heads was a trip all by itself.
Started on time? When?
I saw Grateful Dead live 24 times between 1979 and 1994. I have many great memories of those shows being with friends and making new friends too...This song is done wonderfully on many of their live concert recordings as it was a concert staple for them for many years....Really like seeing you both enjoy the Dead!
"Once in a while, you get shown the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right"
Dead music always gives me a positive feeling. They seem to enjoy playing their music. There are literally hundreds of examples of their live performances! They allowed anyone to bring recording equipment to their concerts. This rabbit hole is very deep! Would've liked to hear the wall of sound! Amazon did an excellent bio called Long Strange Trip.
Wall of sound was awesome but incredibly expensive and time consuming to set up, they had 2, one the show they were doing and one being set up for their next show. It was really incredible how loud and pure the sound was, Stanley pegged it perfectly. At the Time it was in use it could not be beat. They had to use 4 tracker trailers to move the scaffolding and equipment around one to the next etc etc.
*AMBER* You really found your groove in this song! You looked like you could have been in the crowd swaying, spinning and vibeing ... LOVE IT!!! That bass is brought to you by the great Phil Lesh!!! I can't even tell you how many Dead shows I have been to in my life. Each one different and a new experience every time... Aug 9, 1995 was a sad day for us all
Rest in peace, Jerry Garcia.
Rest in peace Uncle Jerry
For real. Throw a tie dye on her and she’d blend right in
My good friend and true DeadHead was so despondent when we lost Jerry, he left work and we found him just sitting in his car crying and listening to the Dead in his car...miss you Jerry.
I was on the internet, looking at the upcoming tour dates to make plans, and my mother came in and said "Did you hear that Jerry Garcia died?"... I was crushed! 😢
Thank you so much Brother n Sister.....I've been lobbying for awhile for this.....and it COULD NOT HAVE COME ON A BETTER NIGHT!!...I love you guys....love to all!!😎
Peace from Pennsylvania ✌️
Great choice and glad it came to you at the right time. It's nice that they're on the bus.
Awesome band. Nuff sed 😃
I really love this channel, I love seeing people genuinely enjoy the music, do the chair dances, and speak with the insight of people much older into the sound, and make us all feel like we are all taking the ride together.
I love the Grateful Dead for the same reasons. Such a happy noise, full of thought and insight set to beautiful arrangements. I saw them play out live about 200 times back in the early 80;s to early 90's. It was the late 20th century equivalent of running away and joining the circus and traveling around the USA and meeting people in all these different places and learning how life is lived in so many different places. Thank You guys for rekindling such sweet memories, and giving me a chance to bop and air guitar in my chair. God bless.
Phil Leah - one of the all time greatest bass players ever .
One of my favorites by The Grateful Dead. I also recommend "Scarlet Bagonias", "Sugar Magnolia", "Ripple", "Uncle John's Band", "Fire On The Mountain " and a ive version of The Rascals' classic "Good Lovin'.
Yes, all good songs. If I had to pick my favorite by them, it would probably be "Eyes of the World."
Or a live version of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away".
I absolutely love Scarlet Begonias ❤❤❤
Can’t forget Franklins Tower
also I'd add "Wharf Rat, Dire Wolf, He's Gone, Monkey and the Engineer, and Tennessee Jed
but we could do this all day
Once you go down the rabbit hole of their live catalog, you’ll never have a fav song, but a fav version/date of each song. Greatest band ever!!
My beloved Mother in Law was Bertha. She was amazed that her name was the title. RIP Mom.
My middle name, Barry, was for my aunt Bertha. A special song for me.
RIP❤
This was recorded when Bertha was still a new song, and it comes across how much they enjoy playing it. They kept on playing Bertha right up until the very end. This whole album is good, and it's got a nice raw energy.
So glad you’re back to the Dead. You guys could do a really fun deep dive on them - there is so much to explore - with so many different sounds. You could even deep dive this album. Lots of this album was recorded live. A great triple live album is Europe ‘72 - so much good stuff there - and gives you a great set of songs done live during a highly creative songwriting phase for them. And traveling to see them was a blast - I saw them about 100 times between 1985-1995.
Saw them in 1976, 77 and 78 in New Haven, CT. Always fun at a Dead Concert. Love being a dancing bear.
“Franklins Tower” is a Greatful Dead tune I’ve always liked. Video of them live on stage doing it is great!!
The song you are listening to,"Bertha", IS live, from the album "Grateful Dead" which is a live album. I won't tell you what the band wanted to call this album, but you can look it up. They were so good live, many folks can't tell the difference between live and studio. The Dead used "Bertha" as a show opener on many occasions, it got the crowd going and set a mood for the evening. Lead Guitarist Jerry Garcia started out in folk and bluegrass bands, then a jug band, until they morphed into the Grateful Dead, each member brought something to the sound, so there are many, many influences on their music. They are a category of their own.
Hitchhiked over 100 miles to my first concert at the age of 16, was the Grateful Dead in Des Moines, Iowa. Life-changing experience back in 1973!
I'm not a Deadhead actually, but i think you would really dig "Uncle John's Band." There's definitely a beachy, summery vibe. Please make this your next Dead reaction. Thanks in advance!
There are people who saw the Dead play live literally thousands of times. I saw them five times, and I am grateful I did.
“They aren't the best at what they do, they are the only ones that do what they do” Bill Graham.
Probably one of the deepest rock rabbit holes you can dive down. Never enough Dead! Cheers....
I was not a 'Deadead", but I had the pleasure to see them two time in the 70's. Some of the best concerts I every attended.
Hi Guys, I loved your reactions as ever. Whenever The Dead played live, they would always add a combination of 2 songs that transition from one to the next and went into a long jam. On Europe 72 this is China Cat Sunflower and I Know You Rider (China Rider) on Cornel 5/0/77 it's Scarlet Begonia's and Fire on the Mountain (Scarlet Fire). To understand The Dead live, you should listen to one of these combinations. Or you could listen to Jack Straw, Brown Eyed Women or Moring Dew from either of these albums, or Dancing in the Street from Cornel 5/8/77 . Love yout channel.
Or Dark Star from Live/Dead.
Echoing this! Def do China Cat sunflower -> I know you ride for a taste of a psychedelic jam that's not too extended
Why stop with just two? Help is on the Way --> Sipknot --> Franklin's Tower
@@dongiovanni6796 I couldn't agree more, there's a good recording of this on Without a Net, ua-cam.com/video/fVq-PAiMVIs/v-deo.html
You know your stuff. 😉 Excellent suggestions all around!
You can't go wrong when listening to the Dead. They're a great jammin' band.
A live performance of the Grateful Dead could go on for a very long time. They'd often play hours longer, other musicians (many famous) would come up and play with them. If someone needed to pee, they'd step off the stage for a while. It was an amazing environment.
For the life of me, I can't understand why no one has not directed you to "Terrapin Station" or "Not Fade Away" yet. I mean that is the standard closing set for their famous concerts. That is what all of those "Deadheads" do all of that traveling for.
“The standard closing set” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 “This is what all the deadheads travel for”😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Terrapin Station is the pinnacle of the Dead's music!
"Bertha" was a clingy groupie that they just didn't want coming around anymore!! I smile everytime I watch you two listen to The Dead😊 I've spent the last 50 years turning people on to them and hoping they go head first down the rabbit hole. Jay, if you wanna hear a straight on rock n roll song try One More Saturday Night off of the Live Europe '72 album
Love that you’re Deadheads! I remember four decades ago I had just moved to DC and knew nobody. Driving home from work in my suit this song came on. I turned it up and started car dancing while traffic was somewhat snarled. Halfway through I noticed the car next to me with two young woman in office attire also car dancing and smiling at me. We pulled into a parking lot and started talking and I gained two friends. What a wonderful community of people! I didn’t follow them around like some. I just loved the music and their chill, peaceful nature and lived my conventional life, like so many others. There was always a connection (very human based on creativity and empathy) whenever two Deadheads (by chance) realized each other’s shared love of the Dead.
I saw the Dead in the early 80s. What impressed me most was how they could be a jamming band and yet move up and down and in and out together, like they had telepathy with each other. Of course Jerry Garcia's guitar stands out. He plays the single string solos but with more of a bluegrass/country feel than that of the blues giants that many others in those days were following. Garcia is also the lead singer here.
I believe the best live Dead record was Live/Dead which came out in 1968. The songs on it are long and if you got the CD the first four songs (which are certainly the best part of the album) run together and take up about 55 minutes total. But I' recommend "The Eleven" which is a little less than 10 minutes. Or if you've got more time, start with "St.Stephen" then "The Eleven" then "Turn On Your Lovelight" and dig how the intensity and excitement just builds and builds. Oh, what the heck, start with "Dark Star" and do all four.
PS _ Last I heard, Phil Lesh, the bassist, was running a restaurant in Marin County.
Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter wrote the words for this song, as he did for most Dead songs. Jerry Garcia wrote the music.
For years the legend was that "Bertha" was named after an old fan (an actual mechanical fan, not a fan of the music) that would jump around the Grateful Dead's office when turned on. David Dodd at the official Grateful Dead site clarified that old myth by citing an interview in which Hunter revealed that the Dead named the rambunctious fan after the song, rather than vice versa.
What "Bertha" is actually about, Hunter believed (he claimed he couldn't remember for certain), is "some vaguer connotation of birth, death and reincarnation. Cycle of existences, some kind of nonsense like that."
That origin story could make "Bertha" a pun for "birth." It definitely opens up fascinating new possibilities for the song.
Thanks for that clarification
I really like the electric fan story…probably very menacing on acid! 😅
There is nothing like a Grateful Dead Concert. I experienced my first show in 1970 at The Fillmore East. Joseph Campbell, a world-renowned scholar of ancient mythologies saw the Dead in 1968. He was asked about his experience in an interview and responded, "I can only imagine this is how the ancients felt during their festivals celebrating God."
When Amber flashes that big ol smile when Jer rips the first solo you made my heart smile smile smile :-). Much love you all.
Thanks for reviewing this song. This is the band at their best. I’ve been listening to this song for over 50 yrs and it never gets old.
Had the absolute pleasure of seeing the Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia twice in my life in the late 80s and early 90s.
Saw them many times, including the largest rock concert ever at Watkins Glen in 1973... The Dead played for 4:30 hours, followed by The Band, playing for 2:30 hours, then The Allman Brothers Band, playing for 2:30 hours, then they all got on stage and jammed for two hours...
I was at Watkins glen also... can’t believe it’s 50 years next month ... do you remember the rain storm during the band performance?
I was there too and, yes, I remember the rain storm.
@@salmuscles Too hot during The Dead; too wet during The Band; too cold during The Allman Brothers... I still have my t-shirt from the show...
the soundcheck from that weekend some of the greatest improvisational jamming I've ever heard! the bands were just ON that weekend! you lucky folks, suffering through all that weather so we can have the recordings! Thank you for your service! lol
That was the first Dear album I ever bought and still my favorite. More than 50 years of listening to it and I still enjoy from beginning to end.
As a deadhead who’s seen them 100’s of times over the years, in every incarnation, your reaction is spot on✌️
Please do Billy Strings next. He’ll blow you away. I promise!
This song is actually about a fan. Like an actual fan that moves air. Apparently it moved around when running and they named it Bertha.
Love!! Just took the whole family to Dead & Company in Dallas in May. 30,000 people all dancing together on the final tour. Gonna see the final 3 shows ever in July back San Fran where it all started in back in 65. Grateful for sure. NFA Not Fade Away!!
It is going to be such a stranger feeling world when there is no hint of The Grateful Dead touring any more. There are some great cover bands that are still bringing the music to life, but it will never be the same
😢
Hey Jerry! Those were some damn good shows, weren't they?
@@PHDWhom I just got back from San Fran this morning about 1:30 am. Most amazing 3 days of music and love ive ever been a part of. My gosh they were great!
@@jerrybroughton6117 My wife and I did Saturday, from our room in lovely Bremerton, Washington. My first show. She's seen them hundreds of times. But yeah, I've listened to the three day run already, and I'm just entranced. I need more. Whatever they do next, I have to go see them, even if it is Bob and Wolf Bros.
Love when Jay hooked onto Phil Lesh's unique style of bass playing . Phil is the Classically Trained Composer / Musician of the band . A Perfect combo with Jerry Garcia's vast knowledge of various guitar styles . The Grateful Dead is the most unique band of American Rock & Roll history . You guy's would have loved being at 1 of their shows 🙂
Yep
Phil was an Avant Garde Jazz trumpet player. When his bluegrass banjo playing friend was putting a rock band together and needed a bass player, Phil started learning the bass.
"Grateful Dead Movie" is a must see. Gives you that experience.
Yes it did, indeed. And then the bus came by and I got on.
I first saw the Dead in 1970 at the Fillmore East in NYC when I was a senior in high school. It was one of their rare visits to the East Coast. The opening act was the New Riders of the Purple Sage. The Fillmore was only half full! This was before the "Dead Head" phenomenon and their audience was primarily members of the counter-culture. Vintage Dead. Thank you for embracing them and sharing them amongst the unfamiliar.
Great choice! As you picked up at the end, this is from a live performance. They recorded themselves religiously and innovated technologically so a lot of their live recordings are almost indistinguishable from studio recordings by other bands. They also let the audience record their shows and set up special sections for them. If my memory serves me correctly, and I'm way too lazy to look it up, this is from the Fillmore East on April 28 or 29, 1971. During this era they sort of played a psychedelic version of the Bakersfield Sound (think Waylon Jennings and Buck Owens). Amber is right about the folk influences -- they started out as a bluegrass band before The Beatles and lots of LSD changed their sound. They loved and were influenced by bluegrass, folk, country, rock, blues, reggae and jazz until the end. Definitely an eclectic band.
By the way, the story of Bertha, but this may be the band pulling people's leg as they like to do, is that she was a fan they had in their corporate office. When it was turned on it would rattle and roam around the floor annoying everybody. This is from a live album called "The Grateful Dead" but colloquially known as "Skull and Roses" that was recorded in different venues in the fall of 1971.
I love watching you guys discover and enjoy this music as much as I do. I'm 37. Been listening for 25+ years and I'm still discovering magic Dead moments.
Watching the two of you move to seemingly different beats in the same song...that's the Grateful Dead spirit!
Ever since I heard it first late in 2016, I've been impartial to the "Bertha" on Red Rocks 7-8-78. It's luminous and stellar. It's the opening song of that live album. Many of the other songs on that album are excellent, too, including an excellent version of "Werewolves of London." I've listened to that song just to hear again a half second of vocalization by their only female vocalist, Donna Jean Godchaux.
Driving my country and western dad to work in the 70's , I was playing a dead cassette. He listened for a while before asking who it was , I told him and he said " I like it " . I almost fell out of the car ! It was Working man's dead.
I saw the Grateful Dead live in Jan. 1977. My first real concert, I was 15. That Oct, at our county fair with my family, we saw Jim Stafford. A lot of memories from today. Thanks you so much.
To echo some of the other great comments here, I think you both would love the medley of songs "China Cat Sunflower" into "I Know You, Rider" from their live album Europe '72. It's a fantastic example of what the Dead were like, live (no pun intended)! Jerry Garcia sounds like he's biting down on a power line while playing that guitar during those years in the early '70s. Also, a wonderful reaction as always!
Althea live is pure bliss.
my second favorite of theirs. whatever song you hear from the grateful dead,jerry's guitar playing is unmistakable.
Yes they have so many tunes to choose, most offer something that keeps you coming back, they just have their own vibe I still check in on once in awhile. For an ultimate Dead experience you guys need to hear Live: Dead 1969. That album is solid gold and a touchstone for many, the opener, Dark Star would blow your minds. Time to head out into space with Captain Trips, Jerry Garcia, RIP. Enjoy. 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
I heard they said once that the universe plays Dark Star, they just tap into it once in a while. 😀 Definitely the ultimate Grateful Dead experience.
Great choice! Keep exploring their tunes as others have said they are a great blend of different musical genres wrapped into a band of stellar musicians kicking out some great fun dancing tunes. I had some of the best times at dead shows.
I’ve seen this song in almost every GD show I attended. First show - 6/18/1983 SPAC ✌️☮️
The story behind this song is that there was an electric fan that the band named Bertha, and it use to shake so much that it would shake across the whole floor of the room it was in!
Song preceeded the story. The fan would walk across the floor of the band's office disturbing the workers, so they named it Bertha, as in...don't you come around here, anymore. Lol
Nice reaction to one of the classic grateful dead songs. And yes, Jay, that bass player is the legendary Phil Lesh, one of the greatest and most versatile bass players in rock 'n' roll. He plays a very melodic bass guitar. Interesting little trivia about this song (or at least a trivia rumor), the original inspiration for this song was apparently an electric fan that used to move around the grateful dead offices, often feeling like it was following somebody who was sitting in a chair nearby. They nicknamed that fan "Bertha". They are great resident poet, Robert Hunter (RIP), expand that into a whole story song. (Edit: apparently, that legend is false, and the electric fan was named after the song, rather than the other way around as per a comment below, who reported the truth from the Dead website).
Lesh bass, more Philling. Saw that on a shirt at a Dead show.
@@katherinea5011 I want that t-shirt now! Must be tie-dyed though.
Pretty sure Phil Lesh verified the story in his book Searching for the Sound. It's possible it could be a case of if you have a chance to print the truth or the legend always print the legend but I would take the word of someone in the band over the word of someone who works at a website.
@@88wildcat good point
Bird Song is their tribute to Janis Joplin. There is a fantastic live video from 72 at the Old Renaissance Faire Grounds in Veneto, Oregon. Highly recommend. Not too long, 12 minutes of bliss.
Built to Last, live version...was lucky enough to see them live in San Francisco back in the 80's. Personal fav..Oh The Wind And Rain, miss you Tim.
Yes, definitely watch some of their live performances of the Grateful Dead.
Listen to the live version of Eyes of the World with Branford Marsalis. It’s a major journey but so so worth it.
There music was so good because they were all talented musicians and they loved to play. Jerry’s and Phil rocked this song.
Blue Grass, Country Western, Rock, Psychedelic and all American.
Dead and Company are on their final tour, if there was any way possible for you guys to go you should not miss this!!! 👍👍
Not just for the concert, but the experience in the parking lot before the concert and inside the show. The atmosphere and the size of the crowd and how they are one with the band!!!! A GREAT TIME is had by all!!! 👍👍👌👌✌✌😃😃
Yes, that was live. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS choose their live recordings (preferably with video) over their studio recordings. ALWAYS
FYI...Hunter and Garcia were a prolific and unusual tandem to write songs together. Hunter is a true poet, you can see some of his live performances here on UA-cam.
My cousin gave up a full scholarship to Harvard medical to follow the Dead in the early 90’s. He’s a nurse now.
And probably doesn't regret a thing
I love it when you guys react to the Dead. There are still some variations to their sound you haven't heard yet; the '60s pop (Beat it on Down the Line), the heavy acid rock (St Stephen, or for a REALLY deep acid rock dive, anything off "Anthem of the Sun". Even St Stephen is probably not channel friendly though.) Then there's their prog rock (Help on the Way, Estimated Prophet) their fusion rock, mixing classical with rock like ELO did (Terrapin Station), blues (Easy Wind) and... on and on.
This 83 year old deadhead loved it!🌹
Guys thank you for bringing me joy. Dead and Co (w John Mayer) played this TONIGHT in NYC - 50+ years later. My cat was named Bertha (after this song). My rec is a big one: Scarlet Begonias-Fire on the Mountain from Cornell May 1977. Its about 22 min but will change your life
❤
Barton Hall 77 at Cornell is an amazing gig. Scarlet/Mountain, Morning Dew, Row Jimmy, Jack Straw… Legendary.
Went to my first Dead Head concert when I was 20, early 90's and while I wasn't a huge fan at the time I can say that there is NOTHING like being at a Dead concert. It is a vibe unlike any other. The people are just there to enjoy the groove and each other. Helps if you are high or tripping but it was so much fun.
Jordon finally surrendered to Jerry’s vibe….. my ex love, followed them on tour for many years and introduced them to me…. Imagine being outside in nature with a few thousand kind hippies, half of which are spinning in delight…. I have learned to give in to them as well J.
Great tune! I haven't heard it in a long time though. Up next might I suggest Fire On The Mountain, Uncle John's Band and Casey Jones. I think you would really like Uncle John's Band. They were heavily influenced by folk, blues and some psychedelic which they managed to combine into a sound that was uniquely "The Dead" and they were in a genre all their own. The world lost a true genius when Jerry Garcia passed. May he TRULY Rest In Peace
You guys have got to hear , I repeat you guys have got to hear China Cat Sunflower/ I Know You Rider live from their Europe 72 album. The Dead at their peak live.
Concur. Every track on Europe '72 is magnificent.
@@mushbone To be fair their peak probably extended from like 1970- 1980 but 72 was definitely a great year for the Dead lol
@@harlanginsberg7269 Agreed. There were bright spots before 1970 and after 1980, but those were the peak years. My first (and best) live show was Watkins Glen in '73 and my favorite studio album (Mars Hotel) was released in '74.
Yes! They should react to China Cat and Cumberland Blues from Europe’72z
@@mushbone I was at Watkins Glen as well and amazingly enough it was my first Dead show too. However while I love the Dead I think I might love the Band more they are both near the top of my list. I then saw the Dead right after that in September at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.
They used to come to a local concert hall back in the 80s. I worked at the mall that was near it. We used to get Deadheads invading the mall, taking baths in the fountains. One climbed over the counter at the McD’s to get his own food. Was always an experience when they were in town!
"Eyes of the World" live could listen to this song any or all days of the week! "Get Back" by The Beatles same!
The Grateful Dead are not only the best at what they do, they are also the only ones doing it!!!
The whole Skull and Roses album rocks. I loved watching you both grove out to the Grateful Dead. I hope you do more with them. I've seen over 100 shows since 1977. Bill Graham once said, the Grateful Dead are not just a band, they are environment. Many times the GD were the highest grossing tour band in America. Spring, Summer and Fall tours across America. Jerry Garcia also had his solo band which was very successful as well. The Not Fade Away, into Going Down the Road is epic on this album and a favorite among the fans. Enjoy.
According to legend Bertha was a big commercial fan that would actually 'walk' across the floor of the office, When one staff member threw it out , someone brought it back...
What legend, both Garcia and Hunter talked about that, I think its in the Garcia interview by Charles Reich in Rolling Stone from 71
You never heard that story of the 'Bertha' fan...? I call it a legend because nobody ever said it was true, although there was a Fan named 'Bertha', weather H&G wrote the song for the fan is up for debate...
@@pooldude317 yeah I heard it, Garcia said it in that interview, which became the book 'Signpost to New Space,' q.v.
What I mean is, coming from Garcia it's testimony, not legend.
@@carlos_herrera ok, although I saw a Robert Hunter interview say, " Well it wasn't about a fan"...
The Dead had an unusual way with their music. If they sang it then it belonged to those that heard it. If you had a camera at their concert you were allowed to record as you wished. And if they sang the same song again you could not expect it to sound the same because if it was out there once it needed changing.
I went to a G.D. concert and walked into a giant party...
FYI - The Grateful Dead following is because of the improv playing of the music. The songs are played differently each time, sometimes with minor or major variations in tempo, rhythm etc. Thus, you never know what you're going to hear. A song played more R&R or Blues or C&W style.
Ok everybody. Amber is obviously a flower child born in the wrong decade. We need to come up with a flower child name for her. I'm going with "Clover". What say you? Lol
Before the Dead , Jerry was a very accomplished Biuegrass banjo player.
It's been fun watching your progression into the Grateful Dead. You're on a righteous path. Enjoy it.
Some songs you haven't reacted to Eyes of the World, Uncle John's Band, Fire on the Mountain, Saint Stephen. I would also recommend a live version played anytime in the 70's for all these songs.
GD are such a vibe unto themselves, most of their songs can be played as a long jam at anytime, they did so in many of their live performances, playing some songs for 30-40 minutes or more
Ooh loved this reaction! Now I can’t wait til you do one for some live Dead!! (that can also be viewed)
At a New England Dead concert 40+ years ago, my friend shouted “look, Jerry moved.” We laughed.
"China Cat Sunflower"/"I Know You Rider" is a great example of just some of what the Dead did live
I remember when the Dead came to Providence RI in the very early 90's. It was 90-91 as I recall. I was working at AT&T in downtown Providence across from the 'Dunk", the Duncan Doughnut Center. The Dead rolled in and 1 AT&T Plaza was filled with the smell of pot, frisbees and Deadheads. It was a very laid back vibe and everyone was having a good time. The next day a Jehovah's Witness convention rolled in and the atmosphere was 100% different. I remember cracking up over it at the time. Good times.
Enjoy! Check the bass lines, Jay. Maybe after a little wild wood flower. Jerry gonna rip it here in a minute. So glad you are playing happy high energy music today. You got it Jay! This is live right? Jerry! Glad you dug it! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing the Dead with a new generation of listeners!
Terrapin Station, Alabama Getaway, Picasso Moon, Throwing Stones, so many grooves!
Yes ! LIVE ! Every night they played , the songs had slight changes “ nuanced tweaking “ they were incredible live . Grew up in the Bay Area saw them 100’s of times .
I was very amused at Amber's comments about wanting to have a Grateful Dead experience. Let's just say that there's a certain aroma that would be necessary to really capture that fully. Interesting that you did the song Wildwood Weed on this particular day...
❤
Greatest song ever about a ceiling fan that had a habit of becoming detached. Seen the Dead soooo many times, and met my wife at a Dead show at Red Rocks, we've been married 40 years now. Thanks so much for doing this!
The song came before the fan story. And I heard it was a fan on a stand that would wobble and walk across the floor, disturbing the people working in the band's office in San Rafael. They didn't want the fan coming near them, so they called it Bertha...don't ya come around here, anymore.
@@brianweldon4243 You're probably right, Brian, like the band the 70's were real good to me, a few misplaced brain cells is to be expected. :)
It was a great time to be alive!
@@peterz4427 at least yours were just misplaced. Mine held a revolt, then fled the country in self-imposed exile, never to return.
Anything from the album Europe ‘72 especially China Cat Sunflower/ I know you Rider or Brown Eyed Women!
Los Lobos has covered this song numerous times and they do a great job. It’s worth checking out. You two rock.