GOOD OL' GRATEFUL DEADCAST

Workingman's Dead 50, Episode 2: High Time

Date: July 16, 2020
Hosts: Rich Mahan, Jesse Jarnow
Featured Guests: David Lemieux, Gary Lambert, Sam Cutler, Bob Matthews, David Nelson, Brian Kehew, Mike Johnson, Buzz Poole

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into "High Time," the second track on the classic Grateful Dead album Workingman's Dead. Rich Mahan and Jesse Jarnow explore the song's creation, significance, and lasting impact, using rare stories, archival insights, revealing outtakes, and expert commentary. The discussion also traces the Grateful Dead’s evolution from psychedelic pioneers to roots storytellers and details the technological and collaborative breakthroughs that shaped the album.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Ethereal Nature of "High Time"

• [02:51] David Lemieux describes "High Time" as an effortlessly flowing song:

  “It’s just summer drifting along in a canoe... an ethereal song.” — David Lemieux

• [03:20] Gary Lambert recalls being stunned by the debut performance at the Fillmore East in 1969:

  “Nothing in their previous history could have prepared you for such a heartbreaking, beautiful melodic ballad as that.” — Gary Lambert

2. Studio Evolution & Roots Reclamation

• [04:25] Sam Cutler explains the band's shift away from psychedelic excess:

  “Nothing focuses a band’s minds collectively than poverty... The band entered into Workingman’s Dead with a completely other mindset.”

• They wrote and rehearsed songs in advance, aiming for efficiency and artistic clarity.
• [08:00] David Lemieux outlines the shift from "Primal Dead" (psychedelic era) to a more roots-based sound, with new songs like "High Time" entering live sets in mid-1969.

3. Recording at Pacific High: Tech Innovations & Teamwork

• [09:59] The Dead recorded Workingman's Dead at Pacific High, a pioneering, countercultural studio vibe.
• [12:14] Gary Lambert praises co-producers Bob Matthews & Betty Cantor:

  “They recorded their first album in LA...But Bob and Betty really had an innate understanding of the sound of the Grateful Dead.”

• [13:26] Bob Matthews and Sam Cutler both underline Betty Cantor’s “magician’s ears” and the unique sound she brought to both live and studio recordings.

4. Garcia & Hunter: The Songwriting Partnership

• After a failed ambitious concept project (The Eagle Mall), Hunter moved in with Garcia in Larkspur, catalyzing an outpouring of now-classic songs.
• Hunter’s quirky, tireless work routine is described (including trumpet practice and round-the-clock lyric writing).
• [17:50] Gary Lambert highlights their deep creative bond:

  “They were real soulmates in terms of their commitment to the art and their commitment to sort of that folkloric sensibility.”

5. Live Arrangements & Studio Contrasts

• [19:03] Early live versions of "High Time" sometimes followed “China Cat Sunflower” and “I Know You Rider.”
• [21:56] Gary Lambert shares Jerry Garcia’s memorable quote:

  “Making a studio record is like building a miniature ship in a bottle, and playing live is like being in a rowboat on the open ocean.”

• The studio version was carefully arranged and stripped-down compared to early live takes, with the omission of Tom Constanten’s Hammond organ part and instrumental intros.

6. Musical Arrangements & Surprises

• [24:13]–[25:43] Studio outtakes and remasters reveal fascinating details:
  • Faded/discarded drum parts.
  • Garcia replaced his basic electric track with acoustic during overdubs.
  • Some supposedly pedal steel lines were actually Bob Weir on electric guitar with a Leslie speaker.
  • [26:29] “Thanks for the clarification, Phil!”—on recognizing the Leslie speaker sound.

7. Sequencing & Recording Discipline

• [28:27]–[29:00] Bob Matthews cites Sgt. Pepper as inspiration for careful, story-driven sequencing.

  “Sergeant Pepper was our generation's masterpiece...there was a particular artistic evolution.”

• The Dead thoroughly rehearsed before recording—responding to past studio extravagance by focusing on precision and efficiency.

8. Studio Tricks, Anecdotes & Forensic Tape Work

• [31:25]–[32:47] The rare “crossover track” technique (not a typical punch-in) was used to blend two vocal takes on “High Time,” with help from John Dawson (of New Riders of the Purple Sage):

  “The line about 'We’ll fix it in the mix' is tantamount to being an amateur...You do not fix it in the mix.”

• [33:06]–[35:55] Brian Kehew and Mike Johnson discuss solving mysteries in tape archives—finding outtakes spliced on backwards, and the ongoing hunt for unreleased material:

  “We were panning for gold and we came up with a giant strike.” —Mike Johnson

9. Archival Mysteries and Tape Management

• Johnson describes the Grateful Dead tape vault—“the cage”—and the challenges posed by undated, unlabelled reels.
• [39:31]–[39:37] Example of a session reel labeled only “GD number five” that turned out to be from the Workingman’s Dead sessions.
• The Dead’s habit of reusing old multi-track tape complicates these hunts.

10. The Song’s Lyrical and Emotional Complexity

• [40:55] David Lemieux acknowledges "High Time" as a distinctly mature song in the Dead's catalog—distinct from psychedelic material.
• [41:19] Gary Lambert explores the enigmatic lyrics:

  “That lyric is so enigmatic...He just conjures up this imagery for you. One critic...called what Hunter wrote 'blank check aphorisms.'”

• [42:24] Buzz Poole interprets the song as a meditation on change and the fading high of the ‘60s.

  “By June of '69, when High Time is debuted, the summer of love is two years past...With High Time...they have had something and now they don’t have it, or it’s harder to maintain.”

11. Later History and Enduring Legacy

• "High Time" dipped in and out of the live repertoire after the album, eventually including Donna Jean Godchaux in harmonies ([44:11] plays the 1977 version).
• The episode closes on the song’s place in the Grateful Dead’s ongoing mythology—as a marker of artistic evolution and a “grown-up” take on love, loss, and endurance.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [03:20] “Nothing in their previous history could have prepared you for such a heartbreaking, beautiful melodic ballad as that.”
  — Gary Lambert, on hearing "High Time" for the first time

• [04:25] “Nothing focuses a band's minds collectively than poverty.”
  — Sam Cutler, on budgeting and creative discipline

• [21:56] “Making a studio record is like building a miniature ship in a bottle, and playing live is like being in a rowboat on the open ocean.”
  — Jerry Garcia (as recalled by Gary Lambert)

• [32:47] “You do not fix it in the mix because you don’t allow it to need to be fixed.”
  — Bob Matthews, on studio professionalism

• [35:55] “We were panning for gold and we came up with a giant strike.”
  — Mike Johnson, on unearthed archival finds

• [41:19] “He would lay out these words that could mean vastly different things to different people.”
  — Gary Lambert, on Hunter’s lyrics

Selected Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:51 | David Lemieux on the atmosphere of "High Time" | | 03:20 | Gary Lambert on the first live performance | | 04:25 | Sam Cutler on financial discipline shaping the album | | 08:00 | David Lemieux on the band's sonic and stylistic shift in 1969 | | 12:14 | Gary Lambert on the role of Bob Matthews & Betty Cantor | | 13:26 | Bob Matthews on engineer/producer process | | 17:50 | Gary Lambert on the Garcia/Hunter creative partnership | | 21:56 | Metaphor comparing studio and live performance | | 24:13-25:43 | Musical breakdown—outtakes reveal surprising instrumentation | | 26:29 | Phil Lesh clarifies the classic Leslie speaker sound | | 31:25–32:47 | Bob Matthews on creative mixing solutions and the “crossover track” technique | | 33:06–35:55 | Brian Kehew and Mike Johnson on archival tape detective work and the thrill of lost studio finds | | 40:55 | David Lemieux on the mature songwriting of Workingman’s Dead | | 41:19 | Gary Lambert analyzes the ambiguous lyrics | | 42:24 | Buzz Poole connects the song’s themes to the changing times | | 44:11 | Audio: Donna Jean harmonies on “High Time” (1977 version) |

Tone & Style

The episode is a mix of affectionate reminiscence, technical deep-dive, and critical analysis, delivered with warmth and enthusiasm by the hosts. There’s a conversational looseness, spiked with expert revelations, humorous asides, and a fascination with both the myth and the mechanics of the Grateful Dead.

By the end, listeners are left with an understanding of “High Time” as not just a beautiful ballad, but a pivot point in the Dead’s musical journey—from psychedelic explorers to articulate storytellers—and a lesson in creativity, collaboration, and evolution still resonant today.