This is a one-disc preview of a four-disc project I've been working on. The entire package should be ready for seeding in another week or three but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this snippet. - robbie

Don't Forget The Motor City:
Jerry Does Motown
A Compilation

1. Hi-Heel Sneakers (8:47)
(Garcia & Saunders, The Lion's Share, San Anselmo, CA, 9/24/1971)
2. The Way You Do The Things You Do (7:32)
(JGB, Lisner Auditorium, Washington, 4/3/1976)
3. Come See About Me (9:43)
(Keith & Donna Band, Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, 8/20/1975)
4. I Second That Emotion (11:38)
(JGB, Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, 3/19/1978)
5. What's Going On? (26:13)
(Garcia & Saunders, Keystone, Berkeley, CA, 7/22/1974)
6. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (6:36)
(JGB, Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, 11/26/1988)

My MO: Essentially the same as Jerry Does Dylan. I listened to as many versions of each song as I could get my hands on. Unlike Jerry Does Dylan, quite a few of these songs weren't performed many times, some only once. Basically, I selected whatever struck my fancy. Many different things contributed to my choices, none of them consistently. Sometimes it was the sound quality. Sometimes it was a solo. Sometimes it was the energy. Sometimes it was a guest artist. Much of the funkier stuff was performed only as instrumentals and usually, if not always, Merl was on the keyboards. There were a handful of songs that were performed across Jerry band incarnations. I started out selecting one version from each "band" until I came up with six versions of How Sweet It Is. I pared that down to four and put one on each disc. I also took a few liberties. Ain't No Woman was not released on Motown but it was first recorded by the Four Tops so it's included. Hi-Heel Sneakers was also not originally released by Motown but it was later covered by Stevie Wonder so I included it. On these discs, you'll also hear a few different lead singers. Merl does a tune. Backup singer Sarah Fulcher does a tune. Keith Godchaux does one. You'll also hear Paul Butterfield and James Booker as well as the short-lived JGB that featured Nicky Hopkins.

THE HISTORY
Ain't No Mountain High Enough: Performed once by Garcia & Saunders in 1974.

Ain't No Woman (Like The One I Got): Performed four times by Garcia & Saunders, all in 1974.

Another Star: Performed 14 times by Reconstruction in 1979.

Boogie On Reggae Woman: Performed 21 times in 1974-75 by Garcia & Saunders and the Legion of Mary.

Come See About Me: Performed once by the Keith & Donna Band in 1975.

Creepin': Performed twice in 1975 by the Legion of Mary.

Hi-Heel Sneakers: Performed eight times from 1971-74 by Garcia & Saunders.

Honey Chile: Performed eight times in 1973 by Garcia & Saunders.

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You): Performed 427 times by every incarnation of Jerry's bands with the exception of Reconstruction. From its entrance into the repetoire in 1972, it was played numerous times every year, up to, and including, the final JGB show on 4/23/1995.

I Second That Emotion: Performed 204 times, it, too, found it's way into Jerry's repetoire consistently through 1978, then disappeared until Melvin joined the band in 1981 where it remained until early 1984. It reappeared in September, 1989 and remained until the end.

I Was Made To Love Her: Performed eight times, all by Garcia & Saunders in 1972-73.

(I'm A) Road Runner: Performed 75 times, mostly from 1974-76, appeared once in 1978 and then from 1981-83.

Sunshine Of My Life: Performed once with Garcia & Saunders in 1973. Unfortunately, no versions of that show circulate and it's not included here.

The Way You Do The Things You Do: Performed 148 times in three different phases, 1976-78, 1981-84, 1990-1995.

What's Going On?: Performed once by Garcia & Saunders in 1974.

When The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game: Performed 10 times, first with Reconstruction in 1979 and returned briefly in both 1991 and 1993.

A Skiddly Bop Production
robbiem@optonline.net
December ??, 2007

The "Jerry Does" Series
Jerry Does Dylan (February, 2005)
Musical Gods: Jerry Does Van (May, 2007)
Don't Forget The Motor City: Jerry Does Motown (December, 2007)