[playingdead]

Nice official JGB release with Nicky Hopkins from 75 (Garcia, Kahn, Tutt, Hopkins) ... Let It Rock.

Check out the FOTD and that solo tone:

http://rhino.edgeboss.net/qtime/rhino/g ... _devil.mov

[jeffm725]

I always loved that few month window with Nicky and made it a point to get every one of those shows in my collection. Nicky Hopkins was a perfect piano foil for Jerry. Just an incredibly gifted and tasty player. He was also an unintentional comedic genius. Some of the shows from that period when he is so hammered that he can barely talk an intelligible sentence but still tried to engage the crowd with 5 minutes of prattle in between songs are pure gold! And who can beat a song titled "Edward the Mad Shirt grinder"? That band was the genesis of the Jerry Garcia Band and all its later incarnations.

[Highballin']

Man I'm still waiting for mine. I pre-ordered it. Love the Hopkins sound.
Slightly on-topic, I was listening to the Compliments "Let it Rock" (which is my favorite version of all) on my headphones. I finally realized that noise in the beginning and throughout is a train whistle. A real cosmic train whistle. Wow- I've listened to that 50 times and I always thought that was some effect, or some instrumentation of some sort. It's a real Far-off, Far-Out Train Whistle.
Absolutely Fantastic!!

[playingdead]

Listening to the "Sitting in Limbo" off this release ... wow. Amazing piano by Hopkins, beautiful, delicate arpeggios way up on the high keys, and sweet backing vocals, as well.

I don't know who's doing the mastering on these Rhino releases, but the quality is really stunning. The source jumps from mono to stereo in one spot, must've been a reel flip.

[keirweir]

Side note

My wife asked me who Nicky Hopkins was yesterday. She was doing some christmas shopping. I am not the brightest guy but I think I can put this one together.

[Tennessee Jedi]

Side note

My wife asked me who Nicky Hopkins was yesterday. She was doing some christmas shopping. I am not the brightest guy but I think I can put this one together.

Lucky you !
Dig Nicky in this pic w/Jeff Beck

Thats part of his head there