Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings [Box set]

Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 25, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Fantasy
• ASIN: B0089X38C2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,360 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Grateful Dead guitarist/vocalist Jerry Garcia and keyboardist Merl Saunders performed live at the Keystone in Berkeley, CA together on July 10th and 11th, 1973. Although components of this memorable show have been previously released, this is the very first time that the concert has become available in its entirety. This 4 disc box set assembles the full set list, all remastered, and in the order in which the songs were performed. The repertoire spans blues, rockabilly, jazz, funk, Broadway, Motown, two Bob Dylan songs, and Jimmy Cliff s immortal The Harder They Come.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about time....but well worth the wait September 25, 2012

By Jack Tripper TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

It wasn't easy for me to give in and replace my homemade Keystone box set, painstakingly assembled many moons ago--so that I could listen to these shows in their entirety--by re-sequencing the tracklist and burning onto CD-Rs the four previous releases (plus bootleg) that featured highlights of these two July 1973 Berkeley shows. But after hearing the pristine remastered sound that came out of my speakers while listening to 'Keystone Companions,' I'll now gladly set fire to my old one as an offering to the music gods, in thanks for this excellent release, even though in the back of my mind I'll secretly be thinking, "What took so dang long?"

But that's neither here nor there, as it's here now, and captures Jerry at (arguably) the peak of his improvisational powers. There's no stronger evidence than listening to songs like the jammy, hypnotic "Merl's Tune," the straight-up blues of "Hi-Heel Sneakers," and especially the band's insanely tripped-out take on the jazz standard "My Funny Valentine," which contains some near-supernatural psychic interplay between Jerry, Merl, John Kahn, and Bill Vitt. Merl weaves his keyboard melodies tightly in and around Jerry's guitar leads as if the two have been playing together regularly for a decade, and the rhythm section is precise and on-point, even during the various sudden changes in tempo throughout....

Elsewhere we get: two Dylan covers that certainly do justice to the originals, with David Grisman's peerless mandolin playing making an appearance on "Positively 4th Street"; the Motown classics "I Second That Emotion" and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)," both featuring heartfelt, soulful vocals from Jerry; the reggae bounce of Jimmy Cliff's infectious "The Harder They Come," which is nearly impossible to sit through without bobbing your grinning head up and down...I could go on, but it would probably be way less boring for you to simply check it out for yourself.

'Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings' is, imo, the most essential Dead-related archival release in quite a while, and it's been a long time coming. I'm just thankful that I no longer have to deal with my shoddy-sounding self-assembled version, and can now listen comfortably, without worrying about sudden volume increases blasting my eardrums due to the combining of differently mastered albums. But for even the more casual, less obsessive Jerry fan--or Merl fan--this is one release that I can almost guarantee will not be coming out of your rotation for a long time, and will most likely make return appearances for many years to come. The music here is timeless, with Jerry and Merl putting their stamp on some of the 20th century's most beloved classics.

What more could you possibly ask for?

{But if you need further convincing, apart from the fact that you get four hours of prime Jerry and co. with crystal clear sound, an hour of which is previously unreleased, just know that the set also includes a booklet with nice photos (and nice smell, always a plus), informative liner notes from Grateful Dead authority David Gans, a snazzy poster, a button, a coaster, and a "scratchbook" that replicates the promotional matchbooks for the original 1973 'Keystone' double album.} Read more ›

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Recordings By 2 Greats Revisited September 26, 2012

By Randy Patterson

Format:Audio CD

Keystone Companions/The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings, recorded live on July 10 and 11, 1973 at the Keystone Club in Berkeley, California, beautifully captures the magical musical friendship of keyboardist Merl Saunders and guitarist Jerry Garcia. The Fantasy Records lavish four-disc set, is scheduled for release this Tuesday (September 25th) on the heels of the 70th anniversary of Jerry Garcia's birth and includes seven previously unreleased tracks, a special booklet featuring vintage photos, liner notes by Grateful Dead expert David Gans; a poster, a coaster, button and "scratchbook" (replicating the design of the original album's promotional matchbooks.

The incredible band featured Saunders; Garcia, guitar and vocals; John Kahn on bass; and Bill Vitt on drums. Virtuoso David Grisman added mandolin to the classic Bob Dylan number, Positively 4th Street. The mix of songs ranged frm Saunders originals to covers of songs by Jimmy Cliff, Junior Parker, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Rodgers & Hart, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudp, Lightnin' Hopkins, Don Nix, Dan Penn and Dylan.

San Franciso-born keyboardist Merl Sauders had been writing and performing in New York before returning to the West Coast. Producer Nick Gravenites offered him studio work that included playing with guitarist Jerry Garcia, already at the helm of one of the world's most popular rock bands, the Grateful Dead. "Garcia reminded me of (jazz guitarist) Eric Gale," Saunders recollected, "Anything he played was very musical. He knew how to do a rhythm on any kind of tune - gospel, blues, jazz. I was amazed."

Saunders also helped Garcia expand his harmonic knowledge and even showed him some Art Tatum runs. "He taught me music," Garcia said of Saunders....

By December, 1970, a weekly jam session featuring Saunders, Garcia, Kahn, and Vitt had become a weekly gig at San Francisco's Matrix. Of course Garcia was already a major figure in musical counterculture as lead guitarist for the Dead, so he kept this new band low-key - so much that it never really had a name (although it was referred to as The Group at times). As Garcia said, "I couldn't take the pressure of being a double celebrity. It's a drag just being it once." (That didn't stop the itinerant Garcia from having a third band as well, Old and In the Way, with David Grisman, Peter Rowan, and Vassar Clements).

Live at Keystone, originally released as a double LP, was recorded by Grateful Dead associates Betty Cantor and Rex Jackson. Additional material was released as Live At Keystone, Volumes 1 & 2 in 1988. Keystone Companions/The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings assembles the original recordings and presents them, remastered, in the order in which the songs were performed at those two shows. The repertoire spans blues, rockabilly, jazz, funk, Broadway, Motown, two Bob Dylan suns, and Jimmy Cliff's immortal The Harder They Come. Some songs appear twice, providing the opportunity to hear how the band kept it loose and fresh.

As Gans notes, "This music is as exciting and satisfying 40 years later as it was on the day it was made." Boomerocity couldn't agree more.

Boomerocity.com Read more ›

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars We already know a lot of the music, but the extras and better sound are worth it October 3, 2012

By Kirk McElhearn VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

1973 was a pivotal year for Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. Pigpen died in March, and Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders had settled into a regular routine of playing at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco. While they had been playing together since December, 1970, after Jerry stopped playing with the New Riders of the Purple Sage, he and Saunders became frequent companions, meeting up to play totally different types of music from what Jerry played with the Dead, or with the New Riders. In 1973 Garcia was also playing in the short-lived Old and In the Way, a bluegrass band, but he and Saunders still managed to play a few dozen concerts together, and would eventually play 266 gigs.

But in 1973, Jerry and Merl were hot. While the Dead were performing some of their best concerts, Jerry's side projects showed him in a different light, playing blues, standards, Bob Dylan songs and much more, in a jazzier, more R&B tone. Together with other band members John Kahn and Bill Vitt, this recording features two complete shows, July 10 and 11, 1973, and shows the range of Jerry's non-Grateful Dead material.

With the exception of a couple of Dylan songs that the Dead would cover twenty years later, not one song in these two shows was in the Dead's repertoire. They range from standards like My Funny Valentine to R&B songs such as I Second that Emotion and How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You), by way of a cover of Jimmy Cliff's The Harder They Come. (The film of the same name, which broke reggae out of its island, was released in 1972.)

Listening to Jerry Garcia play guitar and sing these songs shows how versatile he was.... Remember, he had just come off a period playing country with the New Riders of the Purple Sage; he was in a bluegrass band, Old and In the Way; and the Grateful Dead was exploring traditionally-influenced songs and psychedelic jams. Yet Jerry's other side was this: playing standards and R&B, in his own band.

The music in this set is fairly well known. About 3/4 of it was previously released on three different albums, dating back to 1988. But now, all the music recorded on these two nights is available in this 4-disc set, in the order in which the songs were played. The band was hot, the sound is great, and there's nearly four hours of wonderful music here, at a very nice price.

If you're a Deadhead, you already know how great these shows were, and you probably have some of the earlier releases. You should still get this, for the extra hour of unreleased material and the better sound. If you're not a Deadhead, listen to some of the samples on Amazon; this music is very different from that of the Grateful Dead. If you don't like the Dead, you may find Jerry's solo work to be wonderful. This is a testament of a great guitarist playing the music he liked when he wanted to relax, at his peak, with a find backing band. Read more ›