In my quest for variety in these pages it dawns on me that I actually would have liked to have had one or two more China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider combos. Oh well. C’est la vie.

On one level 1974 China/Riders are a no-brainer, and it would have been better to have a bit broader representation. At the same time have the cream of the crop included isn’t a bad thing.

This is an interesting version because the China Cat is much longer than usual. It seems China Cat is usually in the 6-8 minute range, and Rider is around 5-6 minutes. This China Cat clocks in at 10 minutes and a mere four and change for Rider. If China Cat Sunflower is your favorite section of this combo than this is definitely a version worth hearing.

As far as the signature song combos China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider may be the most accessible to a broad audience. China Cat is catchy, upbeat, and fun, and I Know You Rider is an instant singalong. If you were introducing someone to the Grateful Dead would you start with China/Rider? Or be a bit more brave and go for the Scarlet/Fire, Estimated/Eyes, or Help/Slip/Frank? Are there any other consistent combos that I’m missing? Those are the biggies as far as I’m concerned. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them, but China/Rider might be the best for introductory purposes. Of course you can always just go with Without A Net as well since it’s got very nice versions of China/Rider and Help/Slip/Frank, not to mention the epic Branford Eyes. I probably should have included the China/Rider from that set at some point, but oh well. These 1974 gems will have to suffice.

While Bobby kicks this one off with his signature riff, Phil adds some nice little bass fills and Billy’s tubs sound mighty nice. Keith is playing an electric piano of some sort – my knowledge of his gear is admittedly poor. Billy is pretty high in the mix and it’s easy to get a greater appreciation for the innovation he brings to this band. He really is a tour de force back there, and you can almost feel him taking the rest of the band by the scruff of the neck and pointing them in the direction he wants to go. The band works its way through the changes and everything is solid and well-played. It’s easy to hear why these ’74 China/Riders are so revered and appreciated. No one is re-inventing the wheel here, but the execution is beautiful and the playing inventive and inspired. A familiar China Cat theme emerges at 5:45 but instead of functioning as a culmination it simply serves as a launching pad for extending the jam further. Around the 8 minute mark the guitars scream and moan, almost sounding like a locomotive announcing its arrival. What might be another signal to move on is instead another jumping off point. Before long there a quick run through the Mind Left Body jam, and Jerry, almost intuiting the train analogy plays the melody to “I’ve Been Working On The Railroad” before they tag the Mind Left Body progression and work their way into I Know You Rider. Phil’s high tenor is quite discernible here. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. Depends on the day for me. The playing is solid, although after the epic China Cat Sunflower, the first instrumental passage in Rider isn’t as inspiring and there sounds like a bit of a flub in there. The electric piano sounds cool here though. The last verse is mainly just drums and vocals. In general Rider seems a bit rushed, but that doesn’t diminish the fun.

Complete Setlist 6/16/74

Previous China Cat Sunflower I Know You Rider DFAY Selections

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