Book Reviews Reloaded: Deal

This article first appeared on East Niagara Post on May 12, 2015. It is repeated here as I work to put all my book reviews in one place. They will be posted on Thursdays or Fridays and only be altered from the original in that I will add publisher information and pages. Hopefully, by revisiting these reviews, other people might find a book they'd like to pick up for their own enjoyment.

Deal - Bill Kreutzmann

St Martin's Griffin

400 Pages

Let me say that this past week was a Grateful one. On May 4th, the fifth annual Grateful Dead Meet Up at the Movies took place, where we Deadheads were treated to excellent concert footage from 1989. My friend, Poof, and I headed to Clarence for the show. That same day, I received Dave’s Picks Volume 14 in the mail, a unheard gem from March 1972. The very next day saw the release of Bill Kreutzmann’s memoir, Deal: My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams and Drugs With the Grateful Dead. It arrived at my house in the mail on the 7th, coincidentally, Mr. Kreutzmann’s 69th birthday. I put aside my other books just to dive into Deal.

Special Movie Review: Long Strange Trip

I know it’s Tuesday and that generally means that there will be a book review coming from me. Yesterday was Monday, which meant that George gave you all a movie review. I’ve decided to throw a big, ol’ wrench into the whole works by giving you a Craig Bacon movie review on book review Tuesday. Yes, I know it’s weird, but if you’ve been one of our loyal readers over the past year, you know we’re all about weird.

Inching Your Way Through Dead Dreams

I got a message on Friday while I was at work and another Saturday afternoon after I got home from bowling with IdaLena. Both were a surprise considering who they were from. George, with whom I message regularly, sent one about a missing Grateful Dead show that suddenly had a reward attached to its discovery. Not so strange that it came from George, but the subject was strange. The call came from Wendy’s uncle, John, regarding the same subject. That was strange in that I don’t think I’ve ever had him call me in the last 25 years of knowing him. He’s cool. We like a lot of the same music, but we aren’t really on speed dial with each other.

REMINISCING: Down to Earth, Or How I Learned at NCCC East

Today, I’m looking back at a time of life that many people look back on with great fondness. I’m talking about those college years. No, I did not go away to college. I didn’t even stay at a local dorm. I was a proud Niagara County Community College student. Well, maybe student was stretching it just a little bit. I had great grades, but I didn’t always make it to class.

The Music Never Stopped

The sun is shining. It's warm enough to take my morning walk in shirt sleeves. I guess everyone knows what that means, right? You betcha! It's concert season. (Actually, in my opinion, anytime is the right time for live music.) Buffalo Harbor Series and Artpark have released their lineups for the summer, and caravans of hippies are hitting the road for the summer. I can't wait.

Cover Versus Original - Sing Me Back Home

With the passing of Merle Haggard in the last few days, Craig Bacon suggested I do a comparison between a Merle Haggard song and its associated cover. Of course, since it was Craig, the band doing the cover is the Grateful Dead.

The song Craig suggested was Sing Me Back Home and instantly the song hit an emotional chord in so many ways for me. The original version is soulful but direct. It tells a story about a difficult topic in that direct way that only Merle Haggard could pull off. Here is Merle's original:

I will admit that the first time I watched this video was the first time I heard this song. I can also guarantee that it won't be the last. You can feel the cold heat of the emotion in Haggard's voice as he tells this story in such a matter-of-fact tone that it is impossible to ignore. This was labeled as a Haggard classic, and I can see why.

Craig will probably not like this, but I chose a video teaser version of this song by the Grateful Dead for two reasons. One reason is that most people who are not Dead fans will not spend the 10 minutes they should to listen to one of the other live versions. The other reason is that this teaser does a pretty good job summing up the Dead's interpretation of this great tune. Here is a piece of how the Dead played this song:

Garcia's voice is ideal for this song, and the Dead nailed the tempo to help enhance the emotion as well. Of course, with the Dead, you get the notes wandering off into nowhere that don't seem to fit. But trust me, they fit. To me, the Dead's version is just as relevant as Haggard's. Where Haggard was trying to tell a story from the point of view of a man attempting to control his emotions, the Dead were telling the story as a lament. Both versions have merit, and I see no reason to put the original ahead of the cover.

Verdict: Let 'em both ride. 

George N Root III is a Lockport resident who loves all types of music. Follow him on Twitter @georgenroot3 or send him a message at georgenroot3@gmail.com. Yes, there were many better versions of this song by the Dead I could have chosen and no I don't want a list of them.