Today I am in the mood for some Brent. The guy was in the band over a decade and I find it a bit surprising how few of his songs have made it onto official releases thus far. Granted, I know he only had a handful of songs, but still. Just A Little Light is a tune that I like, obviously, and I was equally surprised to look through my collection and see that only two versions of this have seen release: 1. the studio version from Built To Last, and 2. the live version from 3/25/90, which was released on both Dozin’ at the Knick and the Spring 1990 box set. I like the live version but in the name of variety I opted for the studio version. I guess technically you could say there have been three versions as the one from 3/18/90 was released in the 2011 installment of 30 Days of Dead, but no matter how you count it there is a paucity of official versions from which to choose. Regardless, by the end of his time with the Dead, Brent had become a major contributor as a songwriter. I, for one, hope that more releases from the 88-90 period emerge to showcase how well he meshed with the band.
I like the driving beat on this song. That’s one of the appeals for me. Sometimes it seems like the longer a song was in the Dead’s repertoire the slower it became. The studio version moves along at a brisk clip though. I also love Jerry’s tone in this song. I assume that’s his envelope filter that provides the bubbly/thwacking sound, but whatever it is it’s a very distinct sound. I’ve always liked the staccato hits Brent does in the main progression as well. Personally, I find it a bit ironic because I tend to be more of a tonal purist, but perhaps familiarity breeds appreciation?
This song was only played 21 times by the Dead. I’m a bit surprised it wasn’t played more, but then again Brent didn’t get nearly as much lead time as Jerry or Bobby. Regardless, enjoy this one for what it is: a solid, upbeat tune with an interesting sonic palette.
It’s also fun to note that although the Dead didn’t make very many music videos they DID make one for Just A Little Light. Check it out!
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This really takes me back, as I haven’t listened to this album much over the past couple decades. Makes me feel like it’s 1989 or so.
I tend to really like the Dead’s studio work. I haven’t listened to this one in a while though and ended up going through the entire record for this posting. While not as good as In The Dark I find Built To Last to be really solid.
Jerry looks like an 80-year-old with a super-mullet in that video. I hope he had some fun.
Haha! Steve, it’s clear to me now that of all the Garcia eras people discuss the “mullet era” seems to get very little ink.