Much prefer Blue Sky in E. Like you said...classic and definitive. The warmth is lost in G. Just my opinion.

Nothing against those 1990's "Blue Sky" versions, they are all jolly good, but the song is so much richer in E. It feels like home. Those "Little Martha/Blue Sky" jams from 2009 on were perfect.

[Edited on 10/30/2015 by porkchopbob]

I think this key transforms the song from a classic jam into a real rocker.

A "Real rocker"?

Imho, it is a soft-spoken little country like song with some beautiful improv, The key of E is sublime.

Great thread Bob!

E is the way to play it BUT the problem is, only Duane and Dickey seemed to really be able to do that. I love Warren but I can't think of an "E version" where his solo didn't sort of nod off at points. This just kills it for me. When Warren starts his solo after the mid-point riff some times he either flat out doesn't play or noodles around a bit. This completely kills the momentum and feel of the song for me. Likewise Derek does some fantastic things on Blue Sky but melodically he can go off the rails some times. Both of them don't seem to stay in the pocket of the groove the way Dickey and Duane's solos do on EAP. And that's understandable. Bottom line is every time you hear Warren and Derek do an "E version" I can't help but to compare it to the EAP version and that is a really, really high bar.

SO. Even I do like Blue Sky in E better but post Duane, I think they pull it off much better in G particularly versions like Raleigh 94 where Warren plays slide on it. Like you say Bob, it is a rocker. It is also different enough that I am not comparing it to the original all the time. It is basically a different song.

In the end, I think the real question is: is ANY version of Blue Sky comparable to the EAP version. Answer: no. Like E and G by later versions for different reasons but probably would have to give the nod to G for much more consistent melody and non-stop playing.

[Edited on 10/30/2015 by axeman]

Totally agree that E feels like home.

Just like this little beauty from an old Sesame Street.....

Like both, but E is my preference. EAP version is my favorite ABB studio recording ever. Derek plays a joyous solo on the 10/28/14 final show.

Likewise Derek does some fantastic things on Blue Sky but melodically he can go off the rails some times. Both of them don't seem to stay in the pocket of the groove the way Dickey and Duane's solos do on EAP.

Wow, I hear the opposite, especially regarding Derek since his guitar is tuned to open E. He sounds absolutely amazing and at home on "Blue Sky" in E, his slide really opens up the song. It's also some his most melodic picking. The energy on the Fox Box version is through the roof. It is such a simple chord structure (E>A> ) that it can be easy to noodle, but even noodling sounds good to my ear.

[Edited on 10/30/2015 by porkchopbob]

I agree with you Big V. The original is a country classic. But When it gets transposed to G, it's a rocker.

Derek used to really crush this song back in 2000. Not that he didn't when they brought it back. And Jack P would really tear the house down with it.

I prefer the original. I just dig the dickey 1990s versions to the late 2000s/2010s versions.

Warren is playing it on his tour in E and it sounds great.

Bob I definitely agree Derek does some phenomenal things on Blue Sky! Not saying he doesn't but Duane and Dickey are just perfect on EAP. Every note is right on it and the melodies don't have a second of doubt or hesitation. A completely effortless lock-step groove with rhythm. Melodic perfection. The EAP version is just freaking perfect. I am surprised that such a slice of paradise was able to surface in this world. You'd think we'd have to wait until heaven to hear something like that. EAP's Blue Sky is a high bar. As good as all the other versions I have heard of Blue Sky are, they just are not in the same league as EAP. But I DO like those other versions and they are some of my favorite pieces to listen to!

Bob I definitely agree Derek does some phenomenal things on Blue Sky! Not saying he doesn't but Duane and Dickey are just perfect on EAP. Every note is right on it and the melodies don't have a second of doubt or hesitation. A completely effortless lock-step groove with rhythm. Melodic perfection. The EAP version is just freaking perfect. I am surprised that such a slice of paradise was able to surface in this world. You'd think we'd have to wait until heaven to hear something like that. EAP's Blue Sky is a high bar. As good as all the other versions I have heard of Blue Sky are, they just are not in the same league as EAP. But I DO like those other versions and they are some of my favorite pieces to listen to!

I hear ya!

And sully, I've heard Warren's acoustic version with Railroad Earth over the summer and it was one of the highlights of the whole Gathering of the Vibes weekend.

Count me as one of the few that digs it in the key of G. Frankly I'm partial to G and I believe Dickey is too. How many of his better tunes are out of G? As a matter of fact I used to believe that he probably wrote "Blue Sky" in G originally.

If you listen to the interview with Gregg on the XM recreation of Eat A Peach, he says of Blue Sky "It's tough to sing. I can see why he changed the key."

I think that is a pretty big indication that singing was the reason he changed it, or maybe originally wrote it, in G.

As a non musician I'm at a loss. I've listened to a bunch of Blue Skys today. I can hear differences in performance and tempo but I'm not quite getting the key change. I don't have many newer versions. What key is the final show's performance? I can compare that to EAP and try to sort this out.

No one has mentioned the Stony Brook version.

Duane and Dickey are clearly the gold standard. Derek has done a great job on this - several awesome versions Beacon 2013

Yes the Stony Brook live version from 1971. That is the hottest version of Blue Sky live. As good as Warren and Derek are, they never equaled what Duane and Dickey do here.

For that matter they never equaled Elizabeth Reed on the Fillmore album either.

And Trouble No More on Eat a Peach which is from the June of 71 Fillmore concert is it not, well Warren and Derek never equaled that either.

Come to think of it, I've never heard Warren or Derek equal what Dickey does on One Way Out on Eat a Peach.

The Duane, Dickey, Oakley era set the high water mark for many of the classic ABB songs and I have yet to hear any of the later versions of the band match it. Come close some years but not quite get in that zone.

The funny thing is if Duane and Oakley had lived and the entire band was mid to late 60's, they probably couldn't match themselves in 1971 either. Probably couldn't match the Warren/Derek/Otiel version of the band.

And all original member band here in 2015 would probably be okay if they didn't tour every year like the Stones do and put a new album out every 2 to 3 years to keep from sounded too much as if they were a nostalgic band. The Warren/Derek/Otiel version sound a little tribute band to me and that probably wouldn't have happen to me if they had put out another album of new material every 3 or 4 years. But think about it. When the last version of the band is playing Blue Sky or Black Hearted Woman and Duane, Berry AND Dickey are gone, not having ANY of the original front line is like when I saw a few times Marshall Tucker and both of the Caldwell boys are gone and you see just a couple original members on the stage, I got a tribute band feeling with Tucker. That must be a hangup for me. Glad I wasn't a big Miles Davis fan.

The wildest feeling I got of seeing a tribute band was in the 1980's and it's fourth of July and The Drifters were playing in the city park and just before they came out, a friend of mine said he read in the entertainment section of the paper that the Drifters on tour now contains NONE of the original members. They had all slowly dropped out until all were gone but the name was in demand for bookings so they just kept going. They had two members who worked with the last original member before he quit.

We had that with Warren and Derek. Both had been in the band with Dickey. And Otiel had too. Derek said that gave the last version some legitimacy and thinks it would be a mistake to put the band on the road with players who couldn't trace their evolution to Duane and Oakley though working with Dickey.

As a non musician I'm at a loss. I've listened to a bunch of Blue Skys today. I can hear differences in performance and tempo but I'm not quite getting the key change. I don't have many newer versions. What key is the final show's performance? I can compare that to EAP and try to sort this out.

The Eat A Peach version as well as any that were played by the original band were in the key of E.

Beginning in 1973 through 2000, Blue Sky was played in G. The Derek/Warren version of the band played it in the original key of E while Dickey Betts & Great Southern continued to play Blue Sky in G.

I personally like the song in the key of E, but I like it better with Dickey than without. I really liked the sound in 1973 with Chuck on piano. I didn't care as much for the version played by the Enlightened Rogues lineup that had a different intro.

If you listen to the interview with Gregg on the XM recreation of Eat A Peach, he says of Blue Sky "It's tough to sing. I can see why he changed the key."

I think that is a pretty big indication that singing was the reason he changed it, or maybe originally wrote it, in G.

This might be a good part of the reasoning or explanation.

If you listen to bands with older musicians today playing songs from years ago, sometimes the keys have been changed to accommodate the vocals. It just makes hitting the notes easier. This certainly isn't the case with all, but it does happen.

As far as Blue Sky, when I play it, I play it in the key of C, as it's just an easier fit for me to sing.

This is a good thread and musical discussion.

The key is determined by what's best for the singing if a vocal band.

Age usually means dropping the key. I can't sing the high notes I could in my twenties. If I want to sing a Garcia tune it is always a step, step and a half down at least from the Garcia key.

Certain keys favor intruments. Jesse McReynolds said he gives up good mandolin keys to play in a good vocal key, you adapt your playing.

In the case of Blue Sky, Dickey raises the key from E to G, so it doesn't make it any easier to sing. My guess is he just likes playing it in G.

In the case of Blue Sky, Dickey raises the key from E to G, so it doesn't make it any easier to sing. My guess is he just likes playing it in G.

On a guitar, the position goes up three frets from E to G (and the guitar harmonies are shifted up), but the vocal melody is dropped from E down to G. It was likely for Dickey's vocals, as mentioned, Gregg stated on the XM broadcast, "it was up there". For comparison, on the Stonybrook/Eat a Peach version, Dickey is reaching for the "don't worry 'bout where it's going" line where it is lower and easy for him on versions from the 1990s.

[Edited on 10/31/2015 by porkchopbob]

one of my favorite Warren Haynes slide solos

one of my favorite Warren Haynes slide solos

Sure miss that band....

Blue Skies.

There are probably 5 or 6 live version of the song with Duane and Dickie. I believe I have heard them all, and none are as good as the Eat A Peach version of the song. I think the EAP recording is just so good, that nothing quite compares, regardless of personnel, key or tempo.

I don't remember if there are any stories about the recording of the song during the EAP sessions.

I heard 2 stories about it. The 1st is that Dicky didn't think his voice was good enough to sing it. Duane told him it was his song, he should do the vox.
The other is that they chose the one with Dicky's best solo, at Duane's suggestion

I always said the EAP version is the perfect song by the perfect band.

The other is that they chose the one with Dicky's best solo, at Duane's suggestion

It's a happy coincidence that it was also the take with Duane's best solo!

Surely there isn't a version with a better Duane solo? 😮

[Edited on 11/1/2015 by Shavian]

Duane's solo was awesome as well, but it is totally within the realm of possibility that there was another take where his was even better.
I wasn't there, so I don't really know.

Duane's solo was awesome as well, but it is totally within the realm of possibility that there was another take where his was even better.
I wasn't there, so I don't really know.

Interesting thought...If there is an alternate take or two, then there is a strong possibility there are other takes of all of the studio cuts...Man would I love to hear those; maybe the deck was running during rehearsals....