was listening to KPFA just now, DJ said Southern Blood arrived, and played the GA track during the Dead show. Great to hear Gregg, but. I thought it was underwhelming. Made me wish to hear just him and a guitar.

really made me wish they'd release a disc of some of Gregg's more recent tunes in solo form, I'm
sure they exist. Plenty of tape rolled between the 80's and now...

Can't wait to hear Willin' tho. That one is made for him.

That's surprising. It never occurred to me that Gregg's cover of Black Muddy River would be anything but him solo acoustic (or him singing and Scott on acoustic.) Please tell me there aren't strings.

Willin' on the other hand is great with the piano.

Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming all alone,
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone.
No flower of her kindred,
No rose bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh.

I'll not leave thee, thou lone one,
To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go sleep thou with them;
'Thus kindly I scatter
Thy leaves o'er the bed
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow
When friendships decay,
And from love's shining circle
The gems drop away!
When true hearts lie withered
And fond ones are flown
Oh! who would inhabit
This bleak world alone?

Thomas Moore

That's surprising. It never occurred to me that Gregg's cover of Black Muddy River would be anything but him solo acoustic (or him singing and Scott on acoustic.) Please tell me there aren't strings.

No, it's done upscale string band style. So I found myself wishing I could erase all that and just
hear Gregg.

I'm sure there are demos. Maybe Al Paul can pick Scott Sharrard's brain sometime in a future interview.

Which makes me think Al was also sworn to secrecy as he seems to be at least a regular guest of the inner circle, maybe he'll come out with some stories or interviews from GA's final year or so.

Use of phrase or concept from outside sources is a common songwriting technique.

That tune above may be in the lineage of Black Muddy River but different tunes.

Back in my bluegrass days I took the phrase "roses in the rain" from Springsteen's "Thunder Road" and wrote a bluegrass tune called...."Roses in the Rain".

Like the imagery above and BMR my tune was about something once beautiful that is now ruined.

"Steal Like An Artist" is an interesting book about songwriting.

man you just killed me with that Thomas Moore poem.