What if May '77 Grateful Dead performances of "Brown Eyed Women," "Peggy-O," and "They Love Each Other" were 10-20 minutes long? That question and one other are answered by this mix.
The three mentioned songs are presented in edits that include 8-10 solo sections - combining the most variable portions of the month's performances into tour-spanning extended versions. Additionally, the month's longest "Sugaree" is edited into an all-instrumental version.
This is a revision of a previous SYF mix, now including the TLEO edit, created after the previous version of this collection. I believe that all these edits were suggested by SYF fans.
65-minute mp3 mix zipped up here
Brown-Eyed Women (12 minutes)
An extended version that includes the solo sections of nine May 1977 performances. May 28 leads off and provides the first vocal section and solo. The closing vocal section comes from 5/8. The month’s BEW solo sections lasted 40-60 seconds each.
Peggy-O (21 minutes)
Same approach as with “Brown Eyed Women.” The beginning and end (with the sung sections) are provided by May 9. In between, there are an additional eight solo sections from the month’s performances. Most of the solo sections are ~1:45 in length. May 11 is the longest at 2:30. I skipped one version which doesn't circulate in a good SBD or AUD recording. Only one comes from a non-official source.
OCD notes: For BEW, I sequenced to conceal tempo changes, so it would simulate a continuous, relentless solo break. For Peggy-O, I shuffled tempo here and there, so that the repetition of the instrumental break’s arc would be disrupted by some mood/body shifts.
They Love Each Other (21 minutes)
This edit includes all 10 Keith and Jerry “They Love Each Other” solo passages from April and May, 1977 - except that three excerpts include only Garcia’s solo.
It’s a wonderful, woozy conversation, in slow motion. They’re not quite two souls in communion. Keith is a little uptight and resistant, though flirtatious. Jerry’s just like, “Come on baby, let’s go downtown and have some fun.” Except for one night, when Keith was the horny one.
I did the best I could with the segues (jump cuts), given the combo of official sources and fan sources, including audience tapes. The sonic and mood shifts might actually enhance the drama of this dialogue going round in circles.
Sugaree (10 minutes)
An instrumental edit of the May 19, 1977 performance. It was the longest of the month.
Additional May 1977 Save Your Face mixes:
- Fire on the Mountain: All May versions edited into instrumentals
- Dancin' in the Streets: A 5/8 lead-off, followed by all of the month's jam segments
- May '77 Prequel: The first two, April, shows of the tour, curated into a fun form