Comes A Time (Grateful Dead Cover)

[Railroad Bum]

Okay, this is the kind of thing I live for, to be able to do an amazing Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter ballad like this one. The song first appeared on Jerry's solo album "Reflections," and it was played a total of 66 times over the decades. I was fortunate to catch one out in Kansas in the summer of 1991. I looked around me at that show (I will never, ever forget), and there was not a dry eye in that crowd, whether it was hippies, bikers, soccer moms, young and old, big and small. That was the real power of Jerry Garcia, and very few performers can do that.

Anyway, sorry to anyone hoping to hear a Neil Young cover (that's a good song as well). I played this on my favorite guitar, a Yamaha FG830, which is not an expensive or fancy instrument. Many people would say it's for beginners, and I would say it's for anybody who loves good guitars. I tried to keep it really simple and restrained myself on the lead playing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt35yG4chOk

[SpruceTop]

Nice, Railroad, Nice! Jerry could always reach deep and make a song spark in an audience. You do well by Jerry. Thanks!

[Gibson61]

I enjoy all of your posts, but this one ranks way up there. Soulful singing that channeled Garcia and really pretty guitar work. Your love for the song comes though. Very cool!

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Nice, Railroad, Nice! Jerry could always reach deep and make a song spark in an audience. You do well by Jerry. Thanks!

Oh, man, that's about as nice a thing as anybody could say. My two biggest musical heroes are Jerry and Tony Rice. Thank you.

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by Gibson61

I enjoy all of your posts, but this one ranks way up there. Soulful singing that channeled Garcia and really pretty guitar work. Your love for the song comes though. Very cool!

Well, thank you so much. I do really love this song. And it must be genetic because when my son heard me playing it, he immediately demanded that I teach it to him, lol.

[started with 1]

Wow Tim. What a great version of this fabulous song. Oteil sings it with Dead & Company now, but it was always Jerry‘s tune. And that record, Reflections, is one of my all-time favorites. This summer my son and I decided to learn every song on it. A tour de force of great songwriting. In addition to Comes A Time, one of my new favorite Jerry tunes from Reflections is Mission In the Rain. Thanks for this one. Beautiful.

[raysachs]

Another great Dead tune, very well done. I dig Reflections, but I didn’t really get into this song until I got my first good copy of the Buffalo show the night after Cornell in ‘77. I like Cornell, but I think it’s somewhat overrated and like the Buffalo show the most of that three night run 5/7/77 - 5/9/77. Donna even sounded good singing with Jerry on it.

-Ray

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by started with 1

Wow Tim. What a great version of this fabulous song. Oteil sings it with Dead & Company now, but it was always Jerry‘s tune. And that record, Reflections, is one of my all-time favorites. This summer my son and I decided to learn every song on it. A tour de force of great songwriting. In addition to Comes A Time, one of my new favorite Jerry tunes from Reflections is Mission In the Rain. Thanks for this one. Beautiful.

Joe, thanks as always for your steadfast encouragement. I really wouldn't have the cojones to share all these recordings with people like you, Ray, and Glenn especially. Just know that it means a lot to me.

Anyhow, my son plays me some version of Comes A Time by Dead and Co. with Weir singing it, and I hold out a cross and grab my holy water--just kidding! I like Oteil's voice, and he's such a groovy bass player. I got to meet him once at a Wanee Fest--super guy and not very tall.

Every song on Reflections is legendary--simply incredible. Mission is a sweet, sweet tune as well. You cannot beat a Jerry/Hunter ballad. There's not much better in this life.

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by raysachs

Another great Dead tune, very well done. I dig Reflections, but I didn’t really get into this song until I got my first good copy of the Buffalo show the night after Cornell in ‘77. I like Cornell, but I think it’s somewhat overrated and like the Buffalo show the most of that three night run 5/7/77 - 5/9/77. Donna even sounded good singing with Jerry on it.

-Ray

Thank you once again, Ray. Yes, Cornell is a bit overrated. I think it's given its status because of the Betty boards, which sound so incredible. To be honest, everything from basically 72-77 is so darn great. The consistency is not quite as good after that, but there is some colossal music in the later years as well. And the stuff from 1969-1971 is really wild.

[Glennwillow]

Very nice job on this one, Tim! You sound good and so does your Yamaha FG830! I enjoyed your cover.

- Glenn

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Very nice job on this one, Tim! You sound good and so does your Yamaha FG830! I enjoyed your cover.

- Glenn

Glenn, I appreciate the kindness, as always.

I would consider the FG830 the best value in acoustic guitars, for me anyway. I like rich, loud dreadnoughts. And I played a Martin D2-R for over 20 years, so the 830 reminds me of that guitar, with the Sitka spruce top and laminated rosewood back and sides. I might move up to something like an LL16 eventually, which is also crazy good acoustic for the money. Or I might just buy another 830 as a backup. The Alvarez that I have been playing for the last year or so has a super weak bridge plate and has developed a belly bulge that I do not like, so I don't trust that guitar. I also have an Alvarez AD60, which is super solid, and a Yamaha FG800 that I inherited from my son; thus, I have no excuses to not play a lot of guitar, lol.