May 18, 1979
Time for some Reconstruction!
May 18, 1979
Date Listened
January 26, 2025
Sources
Lossless Legs lists two sources for this show: SHNID 27919 and SHNID 151097. Both actually appear to be the same source, though SHNID 27919 is a little bit cut off on the very beginning and on the last track (a few seconds of the start of I’ll Take A Melody). SHNID 151097 is a first generation audience recording and sounds absolutely fantastic. At times it sounds like a soundboard.
Reputation
As is unfortunately the case with most Reconstruction shows, these are unknown to all but the most dedicated fans.
Reconstruction didn’t last long and didn’t tour much, and Jerry Garcia’s side projects are generally not as well known as his work with the Grateful Dead. Reconstruction is the sort of band that has fanatical support among the few of us who have been exposed to it, but the wider music world unfortunately is mostly unaware of this stuff.
Discussion
There’s nothing better than Reconstruction to show just how varied Garcia’s guitar talents were.
Some of the tracks here are well known to Jerry Gracia Band fans. Someday Baby is a tune that he played frequently in the 1970s. Struggling Man pops up from time to time in the 80s, though it seems that Reconstruction played it more frequently. And, of course, I’ll Take A Melody is an old Jerry Garcia Band staple.
Still, the fusion jazz and flat out smooth jazz here is a long way away from most of Garcia’s other catalog. I Just Want To Stop, Don’t It Make It Better, and Lovely Night For Dancing were frequently played at Reconstruction gigs. Jazzy instrumentals like Soul Roach, Fast Tone, and Mohican and the Great Spirit, meanwhile, sound like they could fit in well on a Miles Davis or Charlie Parker album.
Your interest in this music will depend on your musical tastes in general. I’ve always loved jazz music, and have listened to jazz since my earliest years. As a result, I absolutely love Reconstruction and can’t get enough of them.
And like my SOM collection, I liquidated my GD collection down to almost nothing. Sometimes the rush of collecting the next show/season takes over the enjoyment for me and I have to cast it away, and rekindle the game/music, rather than quantity.
I remember going from cassettes to b&p to downloading shows.
I can't remember the taper, but if you haven't heard the 12/1/79 aud from the balcony at the Stanley Theater, you've got to check it out. One of my favorite audience recordings.