- Like all great American songs, Sugaree is half-original and half-stolen from an anonymous black guy from the 30’s.
- “Please forget you knew my name” is iambic quadrameter, and also very sad.
- The first solo.
- The little shiver in Garcia’s voice when he sings about meeting you at Joo-hooooo-bilee.
- Sugaree was a tiny little biscuit of a tune when it was born, but it grew into a cake large enough to feed Atlanta. (To use a pastry-themed metaphor.)
- Playing in the Band got longer by increments, but Sugaree suddenly expanded to nine times its original length in ’76 or so.
- Although knowing the Dead, they might have just forgotten the ending the first time and decided the song sounded better if you played it for 20 minutes.
- Or maybe Garcia said,
- “Hey, guys. Let’s play Sugaree for 20 minutes.”
- And the guys said,
- “How?”
- And Garcia said,
- “I’ll solo for 18 of them.”
- And the guys were fine with that.
- Billy plays these little THRRRP noises on his snare during the pre-chorus.
- The second solo.
- Garcia was a sloppy-ass guitar player, and he clammed all the time–half-fingered notes and fumbled frettings–but he rarely played the wrong note.
- BUT HE’S DOING THE THING!
- THE FANNING THING!
- I LOVE THAT FUCKING THING!
- To his credit, he always earned it.
- Wasn’t like he would start off the solo going DEEDLEDEEDLEDEEDLE.
- He wasn’t a lunatic.
- Gotta build up to that.
- A man’s gotta choogle before he can deedle.
- The difference between a good Sugaree and an acceptable one is dynamics: there’s only two chords during most of the song, so you’ve gotta get your kicks somewhere other than harmonically.
- There is no third solo, but there might be one day.
Musings on the Most Ridiculous Band I Can't Stop Listening To
Tag: 5/19/77
I usually don’t go in for the “show of the day” thing, but today’s anniversary is the mighty Fox Theater show from ’77, which I will be listening to as let you in on the Donley Job.
Join me, won’t you?
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