Dark Star part one

A close listen to the Live/Dead version

Just after I posted this, I learned that Phil Lesh died. RIP Phil.

Space: the final frontier. "Dark Star" is the ultimate Grateful Dead jam vehicle, and the purest experience of the band, at least as far as the true believers are concerned. The song also represents everything that nonbelievers find annoying about them. Brian Marchese satirizes the attitude: "deedle deedle noodle noodle wanky wanky crash boom dum dum da da noodle noodle Dark Star something/ space rock lyrics total dork fest doodle dee smoke another, dude, stoner twirly spinny dancer psychedelic space rock..." I have felt this way myself at times. But if you are in the right frame of mind, "Dark Star" can be a magical journey.

I first heard the tune on What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been, the studio recording that the band (very optimistically) released as a single in 1968. It sold a few hundred copies and vanished.

If you know "Dark Star" by reputation as a long and unfocused jam, this two-and-a-half-minute recording will be quite a surprise. I have a special place in my heart for it, because while it's silly in some ways, I admire its creative ambition. The stereotypically hippie-ish tambura drone has not aged well, but the last few seconds are really special: the Lydian ending chords fade into Robert Hunter reading a nonsensical poem, which in turn fades into a tiny snippet of Jerry playing uptempo bluegrass banjo. The Dead gave up on that kind of studio adventurism quickly, but I appreciate it while it lasted.