tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post8439206891980869956..comments2024-03-26T23:10:34.814-07:00Comments on Grateful Dead Sources: July 1975: Blues for Allah LetterLight Into Asheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-77395117639214636682018-02-16T23:43:05.898-08:002018-02-16T23:43:05.898-08:00An article from Record World, 6/28/75:
UA PACTS ...An article from Record World, 6/28/75: <br /><br />UA PACTS GRATEFUL DEAD<br />Los Angeles - Al Teller, president of United Artists Records of America, and Ron Rakow, president of Grateful Dead and Round Records, have jointly announced the signing of a long term manufacturing, marketing and distribution agreement whereby United Artists will manufacture and distribute all Grateful Dead and Round Records product. All current and future Grateful Dead and Round product is included in the agreement which is effective immediately. <br />Initial new releases under the deal are a newly-recorded Grateful Dead lp to be released in August, and solo lps from Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir to be released in the fall. Catalogue albums included in the deal are two by the Grateful Dead, two Jerry Garcia solo efforts, two lps by Robert Hunter...and albums by Keith and Donna Godchaux and Phil Lesh and Ned Lagin. <br />... The group is completing editing an as yet untitled movie of the band in concert. The movie soundtrack will be released by United Artists, early in 1976."Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195590583641426943.post-61744398133592101532012-12-26T01:05:19.563-08:002012-12-26T01:05:19.563-08:00Blues for Allah was released the next month.
Gar...Blues for Allah was released the next month. <br /><br />Garcia commented in the November '74 interview that songwriting was a burden that was pushed on him by the band needing material, and he felt they needed to develop more musically. In '75 they had the ability to record in Weir's home studio (rather than an expensive regular studio), so that was the impetus for trying a new approach to the album - rather than Garcia bringing in finished songs, they would come & try to develop new material from the ground up, as a whole band. <br />Per McNally & Scully, "Garcia set it up that way to end the Garcia-Hunter domination of songwriting by ensuring that the whole band participated in the creative process from the beginning." (McNally p.482)<br /><br />The unannounced concert plan barely happened - there were only a couple "hit and run" performances in '75, and none in early '76.<br />But over the course of '75-76, the Dead found it increasingly difficult to "depend on record sales...to sustain further projects and support us." (Not that that was ever a good idea!)<br />Alas, the movie was not "nearly completed" as announced - in fact it wouldn't be finished until spring 1977, meanwhile sucking over $600,000 from the band. <br /><br />Grateful Dead/Round Records was also going downhill in '75, til it finally expired in spring '76 - with a combination of expensive projects, lack of successful records, and perhaps other financial problems, it dug its own grave.<br />Rakow had said in the November '73 Rolling Stone article, "Did you see that crow on our label? So many people have had reservations about this company of ours, we decided to put the crow on our album and the labels. That crow's for eating. Either we or a lot of other people are going to have to eat that crow." <br />Now in '75, financial crisis has arrived, and they have called on United Artists to bail them out, and Rakow metaphorically eats the crow.<br /><br />The UA deal had mixed results. Rakow had turned to them to keep the Dead from going bankrupt & to keep the film project going. But, once they'd signed on, UA required results, and gave deadlines. <br />Blues for Allah, after being leisurely tinkered with for months, ended up being hastily recorded in a couple weeks once the deadline loomed. It got worse in '76: lacking another album, the Dead felt forced to offer a live album from the '74 tapes, and Rakow kept demanding that they turn in Steal Your Face and Diga on time, resulting in bad feelings and a final blowup between band & Rakow; and so their record company folded.Light Into Asheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943335142002007213noreply@blogger.com