Sandwiched between St. Stephen and Death Don’t Have No Mercy, The Eleven doesn’t seem like a natural bridge between the two songs, but that’s part of the fun now isn’t it?!

I have this as part of the Complete Fillmore West 1969 release. It came out when I was in grad school and although I didn’t keep up on all the releases at that time, I knew that this was a killer set and the price was affordable so I pulled the trigger on it. Let me say I’m glad I did. At the same time, I’m also happy that a compilation of the set was released (although a full re-release really should be on the table) so that folks can at least get a taste of it.

It’s a bit anachronistic, but whenever I see/hear The Eleven I automatically think of Spinal Tap.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fbMQ5Z2lN4]

The fact that the Dead had two drummers makes the Spinal Tap thing even funnier to me, but then again there is so much stuff in this world that is Spinal Tap that it’d take a long time to point them all out.

So here’s a bit of fun mixed in with some awesome Grateful Dead music today. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go listen to something in the key of D minor, the saddest of keys…

St. Stephen having set the stage, The Eleven starts at a brisk clip and quickly moves onto it’s fully formed version. Jerry’s guitar drips notes on odd meter as though it were second nature. The roll of the drums is almost hypnotic and the bass will warp your mind in a good way of course. Occasional organ flourishes punctuate the proceedings, but the band settles into a groove led by Jerry and Phil. The two engage in some counterpoint, one going up the other down, all the while maintaining that infectious groove. The 11/8 meter here gives the song a circular feel that almost begs for the progression to come around again. Around the 6:30 mark the band brings it down, paving the way for the vocal portion. It’s a group effort here, with Bobby and Phil sharing some responsibilities while ceding other to Jerry. Once it’s back to the jamming the Phil and Jerry show resumes, front and center. Mixed in by this point is greater attention to the songs dynamics so the band starts to construct peaks and valleys within the song. A familiar The Eleven riff emerges from Mr. Garcia at 10:10, functioning as a way-point. Shortly after the feel changes and the drums find a different rhythmic approach from the driving, circular one present heretofore. The emphasis is different, a bit more straight ahead as opposed to curved, paving the way to transition to another song with a bit more of a traditional meter and emphasis. Of course, this is just the beginning of any forthcoming transition and there are still a few unexplored corners of 11/8 that receive the band’s attention. The feel is more curious and exploratory now. Whereas before it was pedal-to-the-metal grooving, this is much more like putting on cruise control and really taking in your surroundings. The tempo slowly tapers and a bit of organ signals the switch to Death Don’t Have No Mercy.

Complete Setlist 2/28/69

Previous The Eleven DFAY Selections

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