Jerry Garcia - Don't Let Go
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Free Music Notes for Don't Let Go
Free Music Review: Don't Expect Too Much And You'll Not Be Disappointed
Hit: 4 Stars
"Don't Let Go" contains lots of losey-gosey guitar jams and laid back vocals by Jerry and Donna Godchaux. The song list consists of some old favorites, "Sugaree", "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Sitting In Limbo" along with a few tunes, unfamiliar to Jerry's repatoire, "After Midnight", "Mission In The Rain" and "The Way You Do The Things You Do".So, are there any real surprises here?... Not really. I saw The Jerry Garcia Band at a small theatre in Hempstead, Long Island in the summer of 1976, probably just a few short weeks after this Orpheum Theatre set. The sparks that were ignited at Dead concerts were seldom found when Jerry performed with old bandmates John Kahn and Ron Tutt. By and large they were content to cruise at a steady 55 MPH and rearly shift into high gear, let alone overdrive. Jerry does let it hang out on JJ Cale's "After Midnight" and the band seems to rise to the occassion on "The Way You Do The Things You Do". But, I suppose this is what Jerry's audience expected from him. Afterall, for a guy in frail health, who was known to excesses and toured virtually hundreds of days a year, he was entitled to lay back while on his own. Enjoy this fine set for what it is. Don't expect too much and you'll not be disappointed.
Free Music Review: A mellow blues groove from the JGB
Hit: 4 Stars
"Don't Let Go" offers a nice selection from the Jerry Garcia Band catalogue. As others have noted, it is a complete show from 05/21/76 (plus one song), which is not that common, and adds to its appeal. With Donna Jean and Keith Godchaux in the band, along with John Kahn and Ron Tutt, I wasn't sure what to expect. Without an organ in the lineup, this version of the JGB is less funky and has more of a straightforward blues sound than in the configurations with Merl Saunders and Melvin Seals. The groove is mellow, perhaps a little too mellow for my liking at times, especially on disc 1, but never to the point of being snooze evoking, as several of the critics have suggested. Keith consistently provides some nice piano licks, which was not always the case in his work with the Dead, when he was MIA at times. The mellow groove and generally low decibel level also are in a range that works much better for Donna Jean's vocals (i.e., no screeching to be heard here), including her fairly rare lead vocal on "Strange Man." Jerry's guitar playing is solid throughout and his voice is strong though filled with tender sadness. Highly recommended, especially if you want to hear pretty good contributions from Donna Jean and Keith Godchaux--really.Free Music Review: Essential Jerry
Hit: 4 Stars
After reading the reviews here regarding the presence of Donna Godchaux in this version of the JGB, I confess to having serious apprehension as I put disc 1 into my player for the first time. If you are like me and dread hearing Donna's off-key wails, you can rest easy that she doesn't make this CD unlistenable. On disc 1, her singing is limited to background and accompaniment and is not bad. Her voice is more prominent on disc 2 where she sings solo on "Strange Man" and nearly ruins "I'll Take a Melody" and "Lonesome and a Long Way From Home". But that's enough about Donna. I will definitely give a lot of play time to the first disc, and probably not so much to disc 2. Jerry's guitar work throughout the CDs amply demonstrates his genius and his voice is in good form. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is incredible, as well as many other songs. It goes without saying that this is a "must have" for any fan of Jerry Garcia and I recommend this release (and the higher-energy Jerry Garcia Band Live release of 1991) to anyone interested in this band or great music.Free Music Review: Oh, Donna
Hit: 4 Stars
The more I listen to the Dead, the more I notice when Donna's not there _ roughly before 1972 and after 1978. Yes, she screeches, yes, she's not Bonnie Raitt, as she demonstrates on her Raitt-like solo on this one. But somehow, she provides a subcontext that's missing in some of the Dead's other work. (Not counting the Pigpen era _ that's a whole other story.)That's why I like this CD. Jerry is Jerry. Those of us who like him will buy almost anything that's released (more than 30 CDs of some kind since he died 5 1-2 years ago). This is good Garcia, good song selection and some great stuff _ I happen to like his version of "After Midnight'' better than Clapton's because it's more spontaneous. (By the way, Clapton didn't write it, J.J. Cale did). He was at his best from 74-78 and I'd like to hear more of the JGB from that period.
Still, for whatever it's worth, Donna makes this different.
Free Music Review: Jerry Garcia Plays an Eric Clapton Concert
Hit: 4 Stars
I was really a lot more impressed with this cd than i thought i would be. I love the dead, but i've never thought that jerry's solo guitar playing could hold its own like it does here. This band is really good, and i love keith's piano playing. Although many of the reviews here object to Donna's singing here, I think this is the best representation of her singing you're likely to hear. Relatively on-key throughout, and almost laid back compared to some of her screaming with the dead. That said, I would like to see more original material. I know that this band existed for fun and cover songs, but i think a lot of the songs just arent that great. He does wonderful versions of them though. This reminds me of nothing so much as an Eric Clapton concert.