Save Your Face

This mix compiles 47 performances of the Grateful Dead’s “Spanish Jam” – which may be every recorded version. Lasting 4.25 hours, the mix stretches from January 1968 to June 1995, nearly the band’s whole career.

The performances are divided into five “discs” of various lengths, which align with the band’s discontinuous engagement with the theme. All performances have been volume equalized and edited to have ear-friendly start and end points.

The disc/track indexing is strictly chronological, except for the 1973-1974 disc, which is sequenced for a better-than-chronological listening experience. If you don’t like that, the song title tags are formatted to enable a full chronological sort.

Multiple members of the Dead have credited Miles Davis’ “Sketches of Spain” album as the band’s source/inspiration. Drop the needle on the song “Solea” around the 9:30 mark to hear why that makes sense.

"Solea" and “Spanish Jam” may share an origin in the widely-recorded composition “Malagueña” by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona. Here’s Lecuona playing it in 1954. Here’s Chet Atkins playing it in 1956. Here’s the Stan Kenton big band playing it circa 1961.

You can follow Dead-scholar trails about the song here, among other places.

The mp3 mix has been divided into four separate downloads, so that you don't have to deal with a single, gigantic file. The two 1980s discs are combined into a single file for downloading. 

Disc One: 1968-1970 (download)

• Four performances
• 49 minutes

Disc Two: 1973-1974 + 1976 (download)

• Nine performances
• 45 minutes

Disc Three: 1981 (download)

• Nine performances
• 41 minutes

Disc Four: 1982-1987 (included with 1981 download)

• Seventeen performances
• 79 minutes

Disc Five: 1992-1995 (download)

• Eight performances
• 38 minutes

This mix compiles 18 versions of the Grateful Dead’s “Mind Left Body” jam from 1972-1974 – plus an appendix of 12 later manifestations (1975-1993). These eras are presented as separate mixes.

(This is version two of the mix, including volume and EQ improvements on four tracks.)

1972-1974 MLB MVP goes to Billy. If you could isolate his drums, you would find so many killer samples.

All performances are provided complete. I created jump cuts in some places, but those are at or after the moment when the theme vanished from the jam. (Preferable to constantly fading out as some other theme begins.)

I created sequences for each disc that help create a listening experience with some coherence and flow. Every MLB had its own tempo, vibe, and attack - bursting or emerging out of somewhere else, on its way to somewhere else.

You can also sort all tracks chronologically. The song title format of the mp3 files is: “MLB (YY/MM/DD).” Chronological isn't an ideal, continuous listening experience, IMO, but it enables you to use the mix as an audio reference work.

The standard written reference work on “Mind Left Body” is here. Worth reading all the way to the bottom! I believe I checked out every version noted in the post, and I only omitted the ones that are barely there.

While it is true that most of the post-1974 performances aren’t full MLB Jams, by early Seventies standards, they also have the benefit of doing different things with those four chords. The 12/30/83 > 10/20/84 > 11/29/81 sequence combines into a pretty thrilling jam, for any era, with MLB cropping up in interesting ways.

Two-hour mp3 mix zipped up here

Disc One: 1972-1974 (63 minutes)

• MLB (6/28/74)
• MLB (5/12/74)
• MLB (11/20/73)
• MLB (10/17/74)
• MLB (5/19/74)
• MLB (6/16/74)
• MLB (9/14/74)
• MLB (4/8/72 w/other themes)
• MLB (12/2/73)
• MLB (9/21/73)
• MLB (12/18/73)
• MLB (11/11/73)
• MLB (10/25/73)
• MLB (10/19/73)
• MLB (7/31/74)
• MLB (10/30/73)
• MLB (9/21/72 w/other themes)
• MLB (3/5/72 inside “Good Lovin’”)

Disc Two: 1975-1993 (44 minutes)

• MLB (10/18/78 - w/“Mojo" licks)
• MLB (12/30/83)
• MLB (10/20/84 - w/other themes)
• MLB (11/29/81 - w/other themes)
• MLB (2/28/75 - “Music Never Stopped” rehearsal)
• MLB (7/16/90)
• MLB (3/24/90 - “Mud Love Buddy”)
• MLB (6/8/92 - out of “Corrina”)
• MLB (3/10/93)
• MLB (3/10/85 - AUD)
• MLB (6/4/83 - AUD)
• MLB (9/6/79)

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

Here’s a 52-minute slice of 1981 “Scarlet > Fire,” comprising three unreleased performances. The mighty 3/10/81 MSG version is presented in full. Two more are presented as instrumental edits. Segues weave it all into a non-stop experience that goes like this:

Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain > Scarlet Jam > Fire Jam > Scarlet Jam > Fire Jam.

Which is to say three transitions!

I was turned on to these performances by a crowd-sourcing tweet I sent out, because I was on a S>F binge and wanted to check out some unknown (to me) versions from years I don’t know very well. Thanks to all who participated. If people enjoy this, I’ll look into samplers from more years (when I can handle listening to more of these songs again). 

52-minute mp3 mix zipped up here

• Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain (3/10/81 - MSG)
• Scarlet Jam > Fire on the Mountain (instr. edit) (5/15/81 - Rutgers)
• Scarlet Jam > Fire on the Mountain (instr. edit) (9/12/81 - Greek)

This mix is a continuous, instrumental edit of the jams from all seven May 1977 performances of “Dancin’ in the Streets.”

Every time the band finishes the synchronized riff section of one jam, they slide right into the beginning of another night’s jam. All dancing, no singing.

The segues are seamless, but I’ve presented the mix as seven tracks, so you can compare the performances. Aside from the first track, which includes the opening of the song, each version starts at the same moment. The final version fades out. All performances have been officially released, except for 5/1 and 5/4.

67-minute mp3 mix zipped up here

• Dancin’ Intro & Jam > (5/8/77)
• Dancin’ Jam > (5/19/77)
• Dancin’ Jam > (5/15/77)
• Dancin’ Jam > (5/12/77)
• Dancin’ Jam > (5/22/77)
• Dancin’ Jam > (5/1/77)
• Dancin’ Jam (5/4/77)

This mix is a companion to this May ’77 “Fire on the Mountain” jams collection.  

This collection provides instrumental edits of every Grateful Dead performance of “Fire on the Mountain” in May 1977. It was still a new song, played only six times prior to these versions.

As an improvisational vehicle, the song had three parts, all with variable lengths and approaches:

• The introduction, up to the first verse
• The middle jam, between the two verses
• The rousing final jam, which led to the “Scarlet Begonias” bookend close

In addition to eliminating the verses and choruses, I’ve also removed the return to the baseline groove that occurred between the middle jam and the second verse, so those solo-driven parts flow together without a slow-down. 

Otherwise, it’s all the music - each performance as a pure jam that reveals the essential differences among them. They range from seven to twelve minutes each. All have been officially released except 5/4/77.

72-minute mp3 mix zipped up here

• Fire Jam (5/4/77)
• Fire Jam (5/5/77)
• Fire Jam (5/8/77)
• Fire Jam (5/11/77)
• Fire Jam (5/13/77)
• Fire Jam (5/17/77)
• Fire Jam (5/21/77)
• Fire Jam (5/25/77)

You'll find a mix of May '77's "Dancin' in the Streets" jams here. 

Pretend that Spotify recommended this music because you listen to a lot of Khruangbin.

I have smashed together more than two hours of improvisational segments from late 1993 and 1994 Grateful Dead performances of “Playin’ in the Band” and “Terrapin Station.” 

At the time, the approaches to those two songs’ jams were closely related, and together they represent one of the highlights of late, improvisational Grateful Dead. Slinky, fusion-y, blue-green, dance music.

Everything on this mix appeared on previous Save Your Face mixes. I made a rough-cut playlist, and it turned out to be great for everything from snow shoveling to copywriting – a Dead “mood” that both rewards close attention and functions as sophisticated wallpaper music. 

So, I decided to take out the remaining vocals and tidy up the edges. Many of the segues originated on the earlier mixes I pulled from, and I welded a few more things together for this mix. Some edits are good illusions and others will be obvious, but they help create a dramatic ebb and flow of the band's Playin’ dilations and Jam-Out-of-Terrapin concentrations. 

This is what the mix will look like in your music player, if you download the zipped mp3 file. Anything that’s named “Terraplayin’” is an edit of related performances, featuring at least one jam from each song. 

2h13m mp3 file zipped up here

Nearly every “Feedback” The Grateful Dead played in 1969 included a gentle, gorgeous section of drones, whines, and knob-twiddling. This mix isolates and combines 14 such passages into a 35-minute ambient album. 

This particular aspect of “Feedback” ought to have its own name, since literal feedback is not the dominant feature, and there is great consistency among the performances. When you put them together, they sound like movements of a single, larger composition... or stanzas in a tone poem.

The mix includes 14 tracks, each labeled “Tones (mm/dd/69).” 

35-minute mp3 album zipped up here

This is an all-instrumental mix of generally jazzy Grateful Dead. The track list probably explains the premise pretty clearly: repetitious patterns in strange time signatures, structured jams, a family of Phil riffs, various knots that the band would tie and untie. As much as possible, I picked performances that present the motifs and riffs through unorthodox explorations. 

To those, I added some other Dead jazz moods, looking for interesting continuities across the years and songs. The overall goal is a gigantic, surprising jam that foregrounds the jazz/fusion band the Dead sort of were. 

Almost all this music appeared in some form on previous Save Your Face compilations. The exceptions are the 1994 “Terrapin” and “Let It Grow” jams. Nothing here has been officially released to my knowledge. 

140-minute mp3 mix zipped up here

Part 1 (69 minutes):

• Paging Getz & Gilberto (1975 rehearsal)
• Clementine instrumental (1/68)
• Bird Song instrumental (7/27/73)
• Philo Stomp > Jam (10/24/72)
• Phil Jazz Jam (7/1/73)
• Longer than Dirt (1975 rehearsal)
• Slipknoodle (1975 rehearsal)
• Early Eyes Jams (2/21>22/73)
• Eyesknot (6/20/74)
• The Seven (3/21/70)
• The Nines (1975 rehearsal)

Part 2 (69 minutes):

• Help on the Way/Looseknot Jam (1975 rehearsal)
• Jam (10/19/72)
• Spanish Jam (3/24/73)
• The Main Ten (6/19/68)
• Terrapin Jam (10/19/94)
• Let it Grow Jam (3/6/94)
• Let it Grow Horns instrumental (9/26/73)
• The Music Almost Stopped (1975 rehearsal)
• Noodle on the Mountain (1975 rehearsal)
• Another Riff (1994 rehearsal)

On the 45th anniversary summer of these performances, a mix ideally suited to any Deadhead’s summer listening. 

The Grateful Dead played live only sporadically in the spring and summer of 1973 – just 15 shows over five months, at only 10 venues. The Dead haven’t officially released anything from this period, that I am aware of, except the spectacular “Watkins Glen Jam.” (Update: The "Pacific Northwest, 1973-1974" official release includes three summer '73 shows.)

“The Watkins Glen Jam” is relevant here, because this mix is also an improbably long stretch of Summer '73 improvisation without more than a passing reference to identifiable songs. 

That summer, an improvisational theme in 6/8 that had been kicking around since late 1972 suddenly became the Dead’s regularly recurring jam, only to die out again in the early fall. It’s almost an extra Grateful Dead song from the period, sort of a relaxed version of Phil’s 1973-1974 “Eyes of the World” riff, leaning forward toward 1975’s “Stronger Than Dirt.” 

For more scholarship on this and other Dead themes, go here.

The accepted name for this theme seems to be “The Phil Jazz Jam,” and I’ve woven together five full-blown summer ’73 performances of it with other outstanding, non-song-based improvisation from that summer. 

It’s an outdoor, afternoon-into-sunset show in a meadow that you never heard about. It’s the unjustifiably neglected Summer of 1973 Grateful Dead, sending you a postcard from a wonderful place – a place that is not 1972, Spring 1973, Fall 1973, or 1974. 

67-minute mp3 mix here (with all relevant information included in mp3 tags)

• Phil Jazz Jam (6/24/73)
• Jam (7/1/73)
• Jam with Phil Jazz Jam moments (5/13/73)
• Phil Jazz Jam (7/1/73)
• Jam (6/9/73)
• Phil Jazz Jam > (6/29/73)
• Jam (6/29/73)
• Jam (6/30/73)
• Jam > (6/22/73)
• Phil Jazz Jam (6/22/73)
• Space (6/10/73)
• Quiet Improvisation (7/1/73)
• Quiet Improvisation (8/1/73)
• Jam (6/10/73)
• Jam (6/23/73)
• Phil Jazz Jam (5/20/73)

If you want more all-out playing from summer 1973, go here.

Cover art by M. DeNoor