To the dismay, maybe, of a couple friends, Im not a huge Dead fan. Dont get me wrong - I love a lot of the songs, love to see any of them live and appreciate and respect what theyve done for American music and, more than anything, live music. Garcia is easily among my favorite guitarists because of his lyricism. Admittedly, the scene used to and still does piss me off sometimes. Nothing quite like some shit-eating grinning dude dancing and thumbs-uping at you that makes me want to spit. One of the last Phil & Bobby shows I went to I think I intentionally wore a Leonard Cohen Songs of Love and Hate tshirt to ward that off. All that said - this song - China Doll - is far and away my favorite Garcia/Hunter song. The reason being is that singing/playing it is transcendental like few other songs. Its a sensation. It clearly is dealing with very heavy subject matter, but its about perseverance. At one point, not just at the minor-to-major key shift or with the first line after (take up your china doll), which develop the warmth and comfort, but what they lead to - the words, its only fractured... I tend to sing it as she instead. Every time - it feels like all the weight of the world just disappears in that breath. I also like to add the line just a little bruised and torn, thats all. I favor the live Reckoning version. Maybe Ill record and post it. youtube/watch?v=Ox35uCbEQDs
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 22:45:58 +0000
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