Day 336: I Will Take You Home, 4/3/90

I know that there are a lot of Brent haters out there. Well, maybe hate is a strong word, but it seems that a lot of Deadheads don’t really like Brent’s songs. They’re fine with him as a musician and vocalist, but give him the reins and it was time to hit the bathroom.

[grooveshark width=300 height=40 id=41593183 autoplay=0][/grooveshark]

I am not one of those Deadheads. I Will Take You Home seems to be a lightening rod in this respect. I get the impression a lot of people felt that it killed the vibe of the show, but in my opinion it’s a beautiful composition and strongly contributes to the peaks and valleys structure you want in a setlist. Clearly, I’m quite unapologetic in my appreciation for the song.

I Will Take You Home also fits conceptually with the DFAY project at this point. We’re in the home stretch. This started on February 1st last year, so January 2015 marks the final month for the originally conceptualized one year project. I still haven’t decided what the future will be starting in February. Hopefully I’ll have a clearer idea in the next few weeks though, especially in terms of what I can handle in terms of time commitment, etc. I’ve got this final month mapped out already and it’s filled with many of my favorite Grateful Dead songs and some killer performances. So sit back, relax, and check back daily for the final kick – it’s all killer, no filler.

A MIDI trumpet leads the charge out of space before the delicate piano part enters the fray. Brent croons this lullaby, and Jerry experiments further with various MIDI woodwinds. By the second verse Bob and Phil are adding a bit more to the proceedings, but it’s still primarily Brent and Jerry. Trumpet seems to be the ideal transition instrument as Jerry uses it to great effect in the breaks between the different segments. Brent lays out the last “I will…..” before he and Jerry bring the song to a tender close.