Pure Jerry: Theatre 1839, San Francisco, July 29 & 30, 1977
| Pure Jerry: Theatre 1839, San Francisco, July 29 & 30, 1977 | ||||
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| Live album by Jerry Garcia Band | ||||
| Released | June 1, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | July 29 – 30, 1977 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 198:37 | |||
| Label | Jerry Made | |||
| Jerry Garcia Band chronology | ||||
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| Jerry Garcia chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| The Music Box |  |
Pure Jerry: Theatre 1839, San Francisco, July 29 & 30, 1977 is an album by the Jerry Garcia Band. It was the first release in the Pure Jerry series of live recordings by Jerry Garcia and his various solo bands. As the title suggests, it was recorded on July 29 and 30, 1977, at Theatre 1839 in San Francisco, California. It was released on June 1, 2004.
The lineup of the Jerry Garcia Band featured on this recording had been together for 18 months. In addition to Garcia on guitar and vocals, the group included fellow Grateful Dead members Keith Godchaux on keyboards and Donna Jean Godchaux on vocals, along with John Kahn on bass and Ron Tutt on drums. Another album recorded by this lineup is Don't Let Go.
The album includes one song, "Gomorrah", that would appear on the band's 1978 studio album Cats Under the Stars.
Pure Jerry: Theatre 1839 was reissued in July 2007 exclusively at Borders stores. This release features the same track listing with slight alterations to the color of the packaging.
The back cover of Pure Jerry: Theatre 1839 says, "As the Jerry Garcia Band soundboard tapes of July 29 and 30, 1977 are incomplete, the CDs contained herein compile the best performances among those available. Please accept our assurance that every step has been taken to overcome the various challenges presented by 27-year-old 7½ i.p.s. reel tapes — mysterious interferences, frustrating omissions, and some sticky stuff of unknown origin — in order to transfer, edit, and master this music in a way that faithfully celebrates its original performance."
On Allmusic, Lindsay Planer said, "Immediately striking is how good the recordings sound, adding to the intimacy and presence of the band's musical communication. The set list reflects Garcia's own decidedly eclectic tastes in addition to the wider variety of styles afforded him, in contrast to his concurrent involvement with the Grateful Dead. Even the songs that were being played by both outfits, such as "Friend of the Devil" and "They Love Each Other", are rendered with significantly different energies. The combo likewise became an outlet for Garcia's lengthy and expressive improvisations, one of the unquestionable fortes of the guitarist's non-Dead endeavors. There are no compact arrangements, as each of the selections — consisting of classic R&B, rock, and reggae tunes — are thoroughly explored..."
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Wikipedia