Main menu
Fretplay home Submit tabs

Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia tabs Jerry Garcia discography

Channels
Guitar channel Bass channel Guitar videos Reviews

Message Forum
Guitar forum Bass forum Bands and artists Promote your band Recent discussions All categories

Fretplay.com

Jerry Garcia guitar tabs

CD reviews

The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 1: Legion of Mary

Jerry Garcia - The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 1: Legion of Mary Audio CD

A fair review of the Jerry Garcia "The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 1: Legion of Mary" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Jerry Garcia reviews here, or go back to the Jerry Garcia tabs.

Band: Jerry Garcia
Title: The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 1: Legion of Mary
Rating:

Release Date: 2005-08-23
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Tough Mama (7/4/75 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA) 2: That's a Touch I Like (3/1/75 Keystone, Berkeley CA) 3: I Second That Emotion (3/1/75 Keystone, Berkeley CA) 4: Since I Lost My Baby (5/22/75 Keystone, Berkeley CA) 5: Tore Up Over You (5/22/75 Keystone, Berkeley CA) 6: The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (3/1/75 Keystone, Berkeley CA) 7: Talkin' 'Bout You (7/5/75 Keystone, Berkeley CA) 8: I'll Take a Melody (5/15/75 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA) 9: Let It Rock (2/27/75 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA) 10: Neighbor, Neighbor (2/27/75 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA) 11: Money Honey (2/27/75 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA) 12: Last Train From Poor Valley (2/27/75 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA) 13: Mystery Train (7/7/75 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA) 14: How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You (12/14/74 Paramount Theatre, Portland, OR)

LOVE THE SAX ADDITION!
Like all my favorite musicians, Jerry could play with anyone in any style and always have something interesting to say. I love the addition of the sax player martin fiero--he plays a style influenced largely by the jazz greats like Parker and Miles Davis--and along with Merl's experience with jazz brings out another side of Jerry he had yet to experience before these gigs. Unfortunately many of the greats get lazy and just play whats comfortable once they have the gravitas to call their own shots. BUT Jerry still gigged with a wide spectrum of genres, and much of it is captured on tape. This guy NEVER SLEPT it appears! He was ALWAYS playing somewher! GOD BLESS YOU JERRY! Thanks for sharing and doing shows even when you felt like staying home. THIS is what REAL LOVE is all about---its a decision to sacrifice one's own comfort/priorities for the benefit of another (or for music)--ESPECIALLY WHEN WE DONT FEEL LIKE IT! Anyone can be generous when they feel good, or when its easy--It takes true charity and agape (Christian) love to decide to do it even though its not convenient. Unfortunately modern relatavism and narcissism has shredded the tradition of unselfish love. . . many dont even understand what LOVE REALLY IS! They think its merely a nice feeling/emotion.
"WHEN FREEDOM IS OUTLAWED, ONLY OUTLAWS ARE FREE".

Redoubtable
The bluesy, ebullient quality of "That's a Touch I Like" will have you tapping your foot and humming along in no time, and "The Night They Drove Ol Dixie Down" is rendered with such lament you'll almost want to reconsider the outcome of the Civil War. Not as cohesive or intimate as Jerry's Kean College performance, this is nonetheless a brilliant, swinging album with some hard-won victories. In keeping with Rhino's usual, brilliant treatments, the sound quality is excellent. . . and the feeling is there. And then some. It rivals anything the Dead have committed to record and, in many ways, occasionally surpasses it. .

Cream of the crop
This collection, to me, needs to be at the top of the shopping list. The Dead/Jerry catalog is so extensive that it's tough to prioritize, and you could spend a fortune buying all the great archive releases of recent years. In my tape trading days I really loved the Legion of Mary and Reconstruction shows and was thrilled when this CD release came out. It doesn't disappoint. The sound quality is excellent. The songs are phenomenal. I prefer this to any JGB incarnation I've heard. .

Yep!
Nicely musical and bluesy. I'm not a Deadhead but I do really like this album. Thanks Jerry and Mearle.

Legion of Jerry
To keep everything Low-Key the Band was called: "Legion of Jerry". My friend Larry had heard that Jerry Garcia had been playing in Berkeley outside of The Grateful Dead. It was right before Christmas 74, and since the "Farewell" Shows had just happened at Winterland in October and nobody knew if The Grateful Dead HAD a Future at this point, it did look like Jerry had moved-on, and now was Fronting a New Band.

It's now 2007, and I'm listening to this great "Legion of Mary" release. This version of The Jerry Garcia/Merl Saunders Band featured Jazz Great: Martin Fierro who had played with Sir Doulglas Sahm & The Quintet, back in the Sixties and went on to Form: "Zero" with Steve Kimock & Greg Anton, in The Eighties. Martin had Toured with The Dead as 1/2 of their horn section in September 1973 just as "Wake of the Flood" was Released. Things had not gone down so well for the Grateful Dead, Big Horn Band, as the fans weren't too Crazy about an R & B Flavored Dead. But Jerry wanted to Explore Jazz & R & B, so as of July 74, Martin was asked to join the Garcia/Saunders Band and "Legion of Mary" begins.

Tapes of this band traded in Dead-Circles back in the Eighties & Nineties, but they always were of Poor Quality and Never a Complete Show. Now that's Rhino has the Reigns, we are seeing more stuff pour outta The Vaults.
These two CD's are from Dec 74-July 75 and were recorded in Portland,Berkeley & San Francisco. This Band sounds just a little more Layed-Back than the Jerry/Merl Band of July 73 that gave us "Live at The Keystone", and that said, lot's of The Rock is gone, Jerry, had shifted gears here and Jazz has taken the place of Rock. Now the Band had Three Solo stars in Jerry, Merl & Martin, Tunes increased in Length and arrangements were Altered to leave spaces for the Reeds.

These Two CD's with 14 tracks and 160 minutes of Music represent a Fair Chunk of what "Legion" was all about. We get Dylan: "Tough Mama", The Band: "The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down" and Elvis: "Mystery Train". Some Folks have mentioned that they Don't like Martin's Playing & this ain't Jazz. Well maybe it Ain't Jazz, But, you can't Slam Martin's playing here as he ADDS to this Music. This is Jerry's Band and this is Jerrymusic, and it's Good & Rockin', Fun Stuff. You don't get to hear much stuff like this anymore. There are no Computers & Lip-Synch Pop Boys & Girls here just 5 Guys in a bar Playing! Just like in Chicago in the Forties, San Francisco in The Sixties, these Guys sometimes take Chances and Go Out There BUT, they are having FUN.

And Jerry? Right here, Mr. Garcia is in Peak Form. Listen to him Sing: "The Night They Drove ol' Dixie Down". I've heard him do this one Many times, and this is The Best! On: "Let It Rock", Jerry goes after Chuck Berry and takes his Lead as a Slow Smolder that Builds & Builds, Martin here has some good Moments as well. We get some Rare Tunes played: "Neighbor, Neighbor" & "Last Train From Poor Valley". Neighbor, is a Blues, Slow-Burn with Jerry and Martin keepin' it right in the groove. "Poor Valley" is a Stunner! I wonder why this is it's First appearance on record, You can Wonder what the Grateful Dead, COULD have done with this Gem. . .

These two CD's: "Legion of Mary" are Really Nice. The Powerhouse that The Grateful Dead, became in the late 70's after the Break was BECAUSE of what Jerry had Learned playing with Great Musicians such as these. This is True American Music, and we are Lucky to have it at Last!.

You can see a complete list of all Jerry Garcia discography, or go back to the Jerry Garcia tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.