Volume 21 of the GarciaLive archival series will feature Jerry Garcia at his mid-1970s home away from home, Berkeley’s Keystone, on February 13th, 1976. Out on June 14th via Garcia Family Provisions, the two-disc collection captures almost the entire concert with filler from a different gig two nights later at Sophie’s in Palo Alto, CA.
GarciaLive Volume 21 documents one of Jerry’s favorite lineups of the Jerry Garcia Band following the recent additions of Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux. Commenting on the group’s invigorated harmonies during this period, Garcia reportedly said, “This is what I want to hear.” That harmony is felt on the recording of “The Harder They Come” that arrived along with the album announcement. The telling is exceptionally chill, even for a Jimmy Cliff cover, with Jerry and Donna lulling the listener in before the instrumentalists break open the 18-minute rendition with a lengthy blissful jam.
Celebrated Grateful Dead audio engineer Betty Cantor-Jackson recorded nearly the entire two-set show on 1/4″ analog reels. GarciaLive Volume 21 is missing the show’s opening “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”, so archivists tacked a version of the Marvin Gaye classic from 2/15/76 onto the end of the album along with that night’s “My Sisters and Brothers” for good measure. While we don’t have the complete February 13th recording, we do have a few JGB milestones with the band’s debuts of The Rolling Stones‘ “Moonlight Mile”, J.J. Cale‘s “After Midnight”, and Ray Charles‘ “Talkin’ ‘Bout You”—taken from the Legion of Mary live repertoire.
Listen to “The Harder They Come” from Jerry Garcia Band’s GarciaLive Volume 21: February 13th, 1976 Keystone Berkeley, available here for pre-order on CD and digital format with a variety of merch bundles.
Jerry Garcia Band — “The Harder They Come” (Jimmy Cliff) — 2/13/76
