Highballin' wrote: Yes and don't forget Donna. Keith never sang. Donna sang. I love the sound they gave to the Dead.Hear, hear!
I think that the early Brent stuff was tight by necessity. Everyone had to start to adjust... a new sound, a new makeup, different keys, different guitars. A thing I remember hearing or reading is that Brent wanted to make it a tighter band with less wandering and more focus towards the songs. Seems to me that Keith never really laid down any heavy chord stuff, mainly complimenting Jerry's noodling and otherwise hanging back but almost constant motion on the keys. Brent was different and very focused on the songs he was still "learning" and they started experimenting with that newness. Later, things settled into more of an overall sound. IMO, that is what we hear and enjoy the early Brent years.
Its all good. Literally.
Dave
The river keeps a talkin'
