The late Jerry Garcia‘s vault continues to be full of treats that most of the world has yet to hear, and some of those treats will be introduced to the world with the new Heads & Tails archival vinyl series. The first installment comes out November 3 via Round Records, and it features a nearly-17-minute performance of “Save Mother Earth” on Side A by Jerry and Merl Saunders from January 19, 1972 in San Anselmo, CA with bassist John Kahn, drummer Bill Vitt, and Chicago blues legend Paul Butterfield on harmonica; while Side B features Jerry Garcia Band performing “Don’t Let Go” and “Think” on February 5, 1988 in Santa Rosa, CA.
We’ve got an exclusive blue/white/green tri-color vinyl variant limited to just 600 copies. Pre-order yours while they last. Here’s a mock-up:
The series description reads:
The late guitarist once spoke of developing a “record consciousness,” the skill set required to create music that could be communicated through a recording studio, pressed onto LP, and sold in stores. For Garcia and his many performing groups, it’s safe to say that stepping onto stage most nights of the week represented the absolute opposite of “record consciousness.”
Though Garcia oversaw his share of live albums, carefully picking the best takes from a number of shows, the idea of performing music that fit comfortably onto LP sides was usually pretty far from a concern. So now, some decades later, when listening to high-fidelity live shows on LP has become a new-fangled old-time pleasure, they don’t always add up how anybody might prefer. Jams spill over, timings don’t come out, and eventually you’re getting up from your beanbag every 10 minutes to flip the record. That’s the first problem.
The second problem comes from the bad surprises that sometimes accompany the thrilling surprises inside decades-old old tape boxes and prevent recordings from receiving a complete release on their own. Maybe there’s a reel flip that ruins a good jam or misses a song, a weird balance that knocks out part of a set from contention, or bad cuts at the head or tail of the tape, and there’s only a little bit of a show that’s deemed suitable for release. Hence, Heads & Tails built for those magical windows when record consciousness manifested for magical 18-to-22-minute stretches of well-caught tape.
Tracklist
Side A – Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders
1. Save Mother Earth (16:55)
Side B – Jerry Garcia Band
1. Don’t Let Go (13:19)
2. Think (6:58)