Scarlet Begonias -> Fire On The Mountain
May 5, 1979
Civic Center
Finding this under a giant pile of rocks was like the musical equivalent of finding an old painting in the attic & you take it to Antiques Roadshow on a whim & it turns out you have a Van Gogh.
OK, I admit to some slight exaggeration there, but I feel like in order to get the proper attention for some of these way under-appreciated gems you have to shout hyperbole from the rooftops. In any event, my vote just clicked this up to a measly 4 and it is so very much better than that.
First, seek out the Dusborne Matrix version. It's superb. Second, notice the perfect tempo of this version...never plodding, but never too speeded up either. This becomes especially apparent in the excellent bridge jam, which features a scintillating Jerry solo that doesn't lead into the "Fire" segue, but lays up nicely for Bobby to take over for one of those mind meld rhythm guided forays into "Fire" that just makes your brain smile. Great "Fire" to follow, heavy on drums--especially in "Scarlet" and lots of Phil throughout. Early in Brent's tenure, it's a sweet version, and for cryin' out loud, if you agree, let's get it out of the single digits.