Otis! No, not Bobby’s dog, and not Otis Day and the Knights. Otis Redding! I’m a firm believe that anyone who doesn’t like Otis Redding in not a well-adjusted individual. I mean, how can one not like at least one song Otis wrote? There are just too many gems.
Pigpen clearly falls into my rubric of well-adjusted individuals. Well, at least he passes the Otis test. I love the raucous power of rock and roll, but the groove of classic soul/R&B is such an important aspect of popular music that it can’t be ignored or overlooked. My kids get a healthy dose of Motown/Stax because it’s good for them! Of course, Hard To Handle also describes daily dealings with a 2.5 year old quite well, so that association is not lost on me.
For a number of Pigpen songs I tend to gravitate toward feel over execution and Hard To Handle usually falls into that category. Yes, Pig songs can be a bit rough or sloppy in places, but man could that cat get down! Hard To Handle also has the benefit that it does not include a Pigpen rap, which, in my opinion, don’t hold up well.
Suggestions for other versions? Leave them in the comments.
Jerry takes a fairly relaxed solo given the context in which it’s played, while Bobby comps along on the chords. Phil just rolls man, rolls deep. At one point both Jerry and Phil reach into the upper register for some extra funk, which creates a unique dynamic. Jerry isn’t setting the world on fire, but he does seem to be playing what the song requires. I really like Bobby’s rhythm work during the verse. It’s clear and funky, like a classic Stax or Motown tune. Surprising the song just ends on a big single chord, not the A E B progression. Aside from Otis, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who did Hard To Handle better than Pigpen.
I do think Pig’s raps stand up. My fave is his breakfast rap in “Lovelight” on the RSD vinyl exclusive from Winterland, 5/30/71. Another extreme one can be found on this very release (DaP 6, the version from 12/20/69). I’m not endorsing what he says, but you have to admit it is pretty crazy, even by today’s standards. And when he busts into that “Box-Back Knitties” sub-song (on many versions of “Lovelight”) I can’t imagine not being moved.
But I digress. The version of “Hard to Handle” on Ladies and Gentlemen contains what may be my all-time favorite jam. The one on the Phil Zone compilation (same version as RT 1.3 bonus disc) is a close second.
Here’s what I said about the one at hand (2/2/70): This song became a monster of a jam vehicle on later dates, but here it had not reached that status. The boys give a little pep talk to Pigpen before he embarks on his funky trip. His timing slips a bit near the end of the second verse and it throws off the drummers for a couple of bars. They recover just fine and proceed unharmed into the jam. Pig wails along for a while, singing non-sequiturs and generally hooting and hollering. As he quiets, Garcia gets louder and digs into some of his best serpentine licks. Pay attention here, as the jam is not as hot as some but still boils over admirably before Pigpen returns to ease through the repeat first verse. Phil is a big player in here, too. The wrap is large and the Missouri crowd responds in kind.
I know the other version you reference (Phil Zone and RT1.3) and considered that one, but couldn’t decide whether to go with the audience or SBD so I copped out and opted for this one.
The Lovelight of which you speak is indeed, how should I say, uncouth?, during the rap. But I never minded the Black Box Knitties because at least the rest of the band started to cook more when he did. Pig’s raps are alright if I’m in the mood and sometimes they do make me chuckle, but I’ve got to be in a certain head space to enjoy them and that’s not the case with a lot of other Dead songs.
This is a great song and a great release. Personally, I like the St. Louis show a little more that the SF material.
I like all of Pigpen’s songs, but I’m one of those who could do without the raps. Lovelight is always good but the “get yo hands out of yo pockets” thing goes on a little too long a little too often for me. Obviously, a lot of fans feel differently, Steven being one of them, and that’s cool. Good for them that they get enjoyment from something I’m somewhat indifferent to. Maybe someday the light will go on and I’ll start digging the Pigpen raps. That kind of thing has happened before for me with some Dead songs.
I’ve often wondered if this sort of rap kind of thing was just expected at concerts during the “San Francisco scene,” or in the late 60s early 70s in general. I’ve heard some live Janis where she starts talking or rapping to the crowd and, having the benefit of history, I think, why the hell is she giving advice? She’s going to be dead soon. Same thing with Pig drinking himself to death. And I’ll add Brent’s long Blow Away rap to the list too.
That might sound more harsh than I mean it to but one of the things I really admired about the Grateful Dead when I started going to shows (’90-’95) was that they let the music do the talking. But maybe they would have never reached the point where they could do that had they not had a wild front man in their early years.
I’d never thought about it quite that way, but it makes sense. Also, Pigpen’s raps suddenly disappear in the middle of the Europe ’72 tour, although he continues to sing songs. Was it just “time” to stop that stuff? Had the scene outgrown it? Was the band encouraging him to be more “normal”? (I doubt that last one.) For whatever reason, he suddenly stopped, and never rapped again. In fact, he played only one show after that tour and did not sing at all.
I forgot about Brent’s Blow Away rap. I used to like it, but, again, the more I heard it the less I liked it. I think part of my issue with Brent’s spiel is that it was pretty much the same thing every time. At least Pig mixed it up. The most commonly heard Blow Away in this vein, I assume, is the one from 7/7/89 since it was on CW&I and I believe a bonus track on the expanded Built To Last. I feel like if I’ve heard a live version on the Sirius station it’s always that one.