Bear’s Sonic Journals – Sing Out! – Berkeley Community Theater Live – 3 CDs (April 25, 1981)
Without sounding too tie-dyed nostalgic this set is a hippie gift with the hipster dialogue & musical showcase. Recorded in 1981, it’s loaded with a voice from the Haight-Ashbury 60s about as intact as possible. It could’ve been performed next to the Further bus parked across the street from City Lights.
The concert has Wavy Gravy’s intro, a tune about saving whales, a song about Janis Joplin & some cleverly incorporated traditional melodies we learned as baby boomers. Country Joe’s struggle to get the audience to sing along is cute. The reproduction is good & the vibe is shallow but it’s ever-present & it does gain momentum. It’s listenable with moments where someone not of that generation may just go make popcorn.
The live 3-CD set with 37 tracks (including intros & thanks) was produced by Owsley Stanley. Recorded at the Berkeley Community Theater on April 25, 1981 makeup Bear’s Sonic Journals – Sing Out! (Owsley Stanley Foundation/Drops Feb 23/3 CDs). A solid package impressively packaged with detailed insert perfect bound book.
Country Joe (vocals/guitar/trombone/harmonica/tambourine) performs 7 songs & though he always had a thin voice compared to say, Jim Morrison of The Doors, his presence & sincere effort on stage is what was always appreciated. He entertained & he had a fairly good rap between songs for the audience. After his song “Janis,” the crowd applauded with enthusiasm. “Slide Trombone Blues,” even gets the audience to clap with this rousing surprise seductive performance.
One thing is certain, Country Joe McDonald was a diversified musician who should’ve played with more musicians & bands than he did because over the years Country Joe & the Fish became somewhat of a novelty band due to their humorous Woodstock 4-letter word songs (2 included here, updated at the end). Joe continued this approach though he did perform well throughout his set.
The 2nd set is Rosalie Sorrels (vocals/guitar) with Mitch Greenhill (guitar) & her more traditionally cultured folkier set begins with her folky-hippie dialogue between songs that are spoken sincerely. But it’s her singing (7 cuts) that was captured richly on “The Loving of the Game.” While Rosalie never achieved the worldwide acclaim of Joan Baez her performances have always been articulate & impactful with a warm stage presence.
The first CD concludes with “Postcard from India,” & Rosalie sings with a jazzier tempo & guitar display that sounds near-studio quality. A great cover of Dory Previn’s “Scared To Be Alone,” is a real highlight. Great set by a great artist.
CD1 (64:00) Highlights – Country Joe — “Janis,” “Picks & Lasers,” “Slide Trombone Blues,” “Yankee Doodle (He’s No Fool)” & “Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag.” Rosalie Sorrels — “The Loving of the Game,” “If You Love Me,” “12 Adler Place,” “Postcard From India,” “You’ve Got To Go To Sleep Alone,” “Scared To Be Alone” & Utah Phillips’ “I Remember Loving You.”
The 2nd CD begins with music by Kate Wolf (vocals/guitar), Nina Gerber (guitar/mandolin/vocals) & Ford James (bass/vocals) on 7-tunes. It begins with “You’re Not Standing Like You Used To,” which is excellently recorded from this performance. A couple of misstarts & forgotten lyrics but Kate resurfaces safely to finish the tunes. She continues to “Unfinished Life,” unblemished & with a lovely vocal.
Kate’s not a rock singer so Dino Valenti’s “Let’s Get Together,” made famous by the Youngbloods fell a bit flat on the famous chorus despite the sharp guitar playing & her delicate vocalizing on the verses. But the crowd liked it – so it may have been enough.
Following Kate were the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzman (drums/percussion) who were well-recorded & laid out a single 20-minute percussion jam that sounded like it was interpreting sitar runs in “Rhythm Devils.” Not exactly a Buddy Rich drum solo. I guess you had to be there, with some Panama Red, a water pipe & a guru.
CD2 (53:00) Highlights – Kate: “You’re Not Standing Like You Used To,” “Unfinished Life” & “Eyes of a Painter.”
The 3rd CD in this impeccable package features more ambitious playing with what’s an abbreviated Grateful Dead performance. Jerry Garcia (vocals/guitar), Bob Weir (vocals/guitar), Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzman (drums) & John Kahn (bass) on 9 tracks that open with tuning & introductions (over 3-minutes that’s not necessary) on the final CD. But I guess it’s for completists.
Several tracks are classic Dead songs & traditional pieces mixed with some covers that sparkle in the Dead oeuvre. Excellently recorded & beginning with “Deep Elem Blues” followed shortly by “Jack-a-Roe.” Two recordings that are studio quality in their live sound with the clarity of an approving, well-deserved audience reaction.
These songs present the band in a far more rural bluegrass rootsy country habitation than a psychedelic SF jam band they originated as. The instrumentation is exquisite (“Dark Hollow”) with gloriously delicate touches, absorbing vocals & convincing. This must have been a good night for the Dead since there was nothing sloppy, meandering, or overplayed.
The only thing it lacked was an all-out customary jam, but this performance is simply a carefully planned well-played show within the constraints of the time allowed & satisfying.
CD3(43:00) Highlights – “Deep Elem Blues,” “Jack-a-Roe” & “Dark Hollow.”
Artists: Country Joe & the Fish, Kate Wolf with Nina Gerber & Ford James, Jerry Garcia & Bob Weir with Mickey Hart, John Kahn & Bill Kreutzmann & Rosalie Sorrels with Mitch Greenhill.
Executive producers of this package: Starfinder Stanley & Hawk.
CD @ Amazon + Darkside Records & https://www.homegrownmusic.net/store/cd/bears-sonic-journals-sing-out-berkeley-community-theater-4.25.81-3cd & https://owsleystanleyfoundation.org/bears-sonic-journals/sing-out-w-jerry-garcia-and-bob-weir-and-more-at-the-berkeley-community-theater-1981/