"The Dead's love for the road is in evidence on this segment from That's It for the Other One, the four-part opening track of their second LP, Anthem of the Sun. A rare Bob Weir-penned lyric details the Dead's youngest member being busted by the cops for smiling on a cloudy day referencing a real-life incident when Weir pelted police with water balloons as they conducted what he took to be illegal searches outside the group's Haight-Ashbury hangout."
"The song later evolved into The Other One, one of the Dead's most played tunes and a launchpad for their exploratory jams as in this languid, brilliant version at San Francisco's Winterland in 1974. What a long, strange trip it's been, reflected Weir on what is arguably the Grateful Dead's anthem. The group were only half a decade into a remarkable 30-year career when lyricist Robert Hunter penned this picaresque of their touring escapades."
"It's heavy on the gnarly details groupies consumed by reds, vitamin C and cocaine, and endless hotel-room drug-busts but the Dead's spirited delivery and, in particular, Weir's jovial growl, located the magic in their peripatetic lifestyle. As with many Dead tunes, Truckin' was best heard in concert (or on a fan-taped bootleg traded in the car park before a show). The rumble captured at London's Lyceum on the Europe '72 live LP is as fine as any you'll hear."
The Grateful Dead's touring lifestyle provided the core subject matter for several signature songs that blend narrative lyricism with expansive live improvisation. Bob Weir's lyrics recall incidents such as being busted after pelting police with water balloons and celebrate Beat-era figures like Neal Cassady. The Other One grew from a studio section into a frequent, exploratory live centerpiece, exemplified by a languid Winterland 1974 performance. Truckin' chronicles groupie culture, drug use and hotel-room busts, gaining potency in concert performances like the Europe '72 Lyceum recording. Sugar Magnolia, written for Frankie Hart, highlights Americana songcraft and evolved a joyful Sunshine Daydream coda.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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