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from the Rhino promo page:
BACKGROUND:
One of the most iconic figures in all of rock 'n' roll, beloved Grateful Dead lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Jerry Garcia pursued an array of side projects throughout his storied career, none more celebrated than the Jerry Garcia Band. This historic live recording captures a stripped-down quartet configuration of the group in 1980. It was so early in their timeline that Dead/JGB lyricist Robert Hunter - who does the vocal honors on two tracks - says in his notes that, "A lot of good Garcia solo-band songs hadn't been written yet." But, he adds, "there is an energy to Jerry's whole performance that shows him at his very peak," plus a slew of incredible covers of songs by Dylan, Lennon & McCartney, Hank Ballard, Jimmy Cliff, and more.
Album Facts:
- Almost 3 hours of never-before-released music on a Triple-disc package complemented with rare photos and liner notes by legendary Dead and JGB lyricist Robert Hunter.
- Historic concert recording, compiled from two back-to-back shows at Kean College, Union, NJ, on February 28, 1980.
- Features JGB interpretations of the Bob Dylan classics "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and "Simple Twist Of Fate."
- Other highlights include Holland/Dozier/Holland's "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You," J.J. Cale's "After Midnight," The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," and the all-time classic "Sugaree."
- Plus the Garcia/Hunter favorite "Mission In The Rain" and the Robert Hunter compositions "Promontory Rider" and "Tiger Rose," which feature his vocals.
from the Rhino press release:
Some nine years after the iconic artist’s death, Rhino Entertainment unearths an outstanding 1980 Jerry Garcia performance captured at Kean College in Union, New Jersey. The three-disc AFTER MIDNIGHT: KEAN COLLEGE, 2/28/80 finds the Jerry Garcia Band covering Jimmy Cliff’s “The Harder They Come,” The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” and the Bob Dylan classics “Simple Twist Of Fate” and “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.”
AFTER MIDNIGHT will be available September 28 for a suggested retail price of $29.98. [note: the GDF Store has a discount price!]
Mixed by Tom Flye from 24-track masters and mastered by Joe Gastwirt, this three-CD set has impeccable audio fidelity, featuring Garcia in top form. Clocking in at around 2 hours and 45 minutes, the 16-track AFTER MIDNIGHT finds Garcia backed by keyboardist/vocalist Ozzie Ahlers, bassist John Kahn, and drummer Johnny De Foncesca. Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, who contributes liner notes, takes lead vocals on a pair of his songs, “Tiger Rose” and “Promontory Rider.”
Virtually ignoring his Grateful Dead work, Garcia leads sprawling, jam-infused covers of songs by J.J. Cale (“After Midnight”), Allen Toussaint (“I’ll Take A Melody”), and Hank Ballard (“Tore Up Over You”), among others.
“Simple Twist Of Fate” is an epic, 17-minute, 27-second journey, while “The Harder They Come” clocks in at nearly 13 minutes. “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” and Garcia’s solo classic and album-opening “Sugaree” both linger near the 14-minute mark. On Disc Two, Garcia follows the classic “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You” with “After Midnight,” which he reprises following the band’s rendition of “Eleanor Rigby.”
There are no backup singers here—this band is all business. “Jerry was in top form vocally and instrumentally, playing lead and backup guitar at the same time,” Hunter says in the liner notes. “And there is an energy to Jerry’s whole performance that shows him at his very peak.”
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Jerry Garcia Band Live 3-CD Set
Coming 9/28/04