Customer Reviews

Fire Up Plus

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fire Up is my favorite of the Jerr/Merl collaborations. "Welcome to the Basement" has some funky grooves as do most of the songs on this album. "After Midnight" is a scorching cover of the tune Clapton made famous. "Benedict Rides" and "System" are Merl at his funky/cheezy best with Jerry helping out with the chops and solos. Lonely Avenue, recorded live, tops of this fantasic record. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.

Jerry and Merl at at there best playing live.This is a overlooked hidden jewel recorded in 1973 with John Kahn, Tom Fogerty and Ron Tutt.. Any fan of Jerry Garcia/Deadhead or blues afficianado will love this album. Their rendition of "Lonely Avenue" is the best since Ray Charles. "After Midnight" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" are classics. This is as close to a money back guarantee rating as you can get for those who like blues/funk.

This disc collects most of Merl's first two solo albums with Jerry Garcia, Tom Forgerty, John Kahn and Bill Vitt on one disc (both Charisma and Chock-Lite Puddin' from Fire Up are missing). It's a shame that they didn't use an 80 minute disc as then they could've put on one of the two missing songs. The disc opens with the first album, Heavy Turbulence with Merl's My Problems Got Problems and is followed by a nice The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Save Mother Earth is a very good song and is followed by an instrumental version of Imagine. Welcome To The Basement and Man-Child are nice and end the album in fine fashion. After Midnight starts Fire Up and IS FIRED UP! Expressway (To Your Heart) is next and is an okay version but I've heard others do more impressive versions of it over the years. Soul Roach, Benedict Rides and The System are fine but the Lonely Avenue that ends the record is one of the most impressive performaces I've ever heard from Jerry outside of the Grateful Dead, It's a live track (with an additonal keyboard part added later and the Hawkins providing backing vocals) from a KSAN broadcast at Pacific High (Alembic) Studios with Bill Kreutamann on drums.

This is combination of 2 of Merls albums from early 70's on Fantasy. While there are some good cuts--there are also some cheesy compositions, which are not redeemed by jamming as live recordings might have been. Im not a big fan of Merls songwriting--though I love his playing. I therefore preer the covers on this album of all-stars. Its not at the level of other recordings of period, including Keepers by Merl. I was disappointed overall, thought it might be a gem---as it is I wont listen to it much.

A few of the tunes with Jerry leading and Merle filling with organ are as good, or nearly as good as the Saunders/Garcia material from the Live at the Keystone albums. The other material here is stuff that one does not wonder why it stayed in the can so long. The arrangements and the singing (even Jerry's) are less than stellar. From a host of recordings, there might be a few that stand out as high enough quality, exceptional enough to warrant release. This album is the stuff leftover, that was held back from release. One listen and you can tell why. It's not bad, it's just nohwere near what they are capable of doing.

If you like Merle and Jerry (and Kahn and Vitt), and I certainly do, stick with the Live at the Keystone albums, Vol.s 1 and 2 and Encores.