From: Victor Szalvay
Subject: Antelope in Review Pt.15 4/29/87 III
Greetings my Friends! Ahhh.... finals are finally over and now it is time to cut out some new AIRs! Sorry for the delay between this and the last AIR, but sometimes school is just that tough. Anyhow, I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season.... :) I know the tension is palpable in the air regarding the New Years run, it’s just a great time of year!!! So, on to the next victim: 4/29/87 is the third live Antelope that hpb lists. Another great Nectar’s show, btw! It is found in the third set which is somewhat more rare then the first and second, but I thought I would touch on at least something in 87. Intro: Segues out of Makisupa... a must hear, imo. Just a great setlist throughout the show and this just makes it that much better. The end of Makisupa is really spacy and creamy... just floats around in space for a while and melts into-- Antelope intro; pretty bizarre intro, as all these early ones seem to be, I think my copy is a bit slow so I won’t report times. Actually, this intro sounds more like the modern ones then the 85 version did. They seemed to have worked out the kinks in the year and half since last playing this one live. A transition lacking the UMFF of modern versions glides us into -> Opening Theme: Everyone is pretty together and tight, Trey is using a non-distorted sound which really creates this mellow, non-driving feel. The licks that we are used to appear here in the intro, well polished and ready to roll. Page is around for this show and Jeff is gone (he left in Spring 86), but I can’t hear him at all. Trill: Very sweet!! Almost perfect, the trill just rolls out as Trey perfectly hits the string rake. The clean tone just amplifies the crispiness. Almost like a Robert Cray tone. Em Theme: Nice dive into it, Trey is heard switching to the distorted tone and things get dark very fast. Trey keeps diving for a while and then raises with a beautiful riff, or so it seems, until he flubs a bit. Not to worry, he is back on! Ahhh... Page is heard! I hear little one note plunks from Page but nothing heavy... It’s all Trey for a while as the jam builds and they up the tempo by double time. Fish is doing a great job holding things together and Mike is brilliant as usual. Trey is really reaching here as he heads higher and higher. Wailing rips upwards as Trey is breaking lose! He comes back down with all the fury of the band and really puts together a nice jam... we don’t see any gear shifts, imo, and as we approach the PMG Trey elongates a nice run and then brings it down to the open E string to finish out by sustaining the low note.... as the band rolls cleanly into -> Pre-Marco Groove: No noticeable difference from the Em Theme, except for the fact that Trey is now quiet. These early versions are very subdued as they seem to be trying to figure out a way to hit a gear shift. If you have ever played and jammed on this song you will know exactly what I am talking about.... it is so hard build the tension to a point where it rips through the wall and then bring it down and start again, requires amazing control and mastery of the song. I digress, so back the PMG... really nice and smooth at first... not much grooving until Trey fires off in rapid succession: Ry, Ry, Rocco! Marco Esquandolas... Happen you to have any Spleef, man (more a statement then a question). I think this is part of the problem here, the rapid succession thing just kills the tension and build in this groove. You know how they cut into the groove and then just wait..... and wait... and then, finally... Ry, Ry, Rocco! It just makes such a tremendous difference. Also, the feel is not as brisk or sharp... too laid back and it removes a lot of the dynamics. The groove continues here just like in the 85 version instead of breaking into the dramatic Gear SS. But only for a brief while, the groove rolls out of PMG and heads straight for -> Gear Shift Segment: the transition is weak, and for that matter, all the transitions here, except Opening > Em, have been pretty lame. I guess the energy is just lacking and they seem not to be pulling it off in the same manner that they do now... not with authority and perfect timing. The runs come in at a slightly off time and the whole thing is just too laid back to bring on any intensity. Trey hits the Set the gear shift... etc, and the band does and great job with the chorus. End: Well, definitely the most polished version so far, but still far from being what it is today. If you dig old Nectar’s stuff, I recommend this tape, but otherwise for you ‘Lope fans, you can pass... it is the first Page Lope, but you can’t really hear him. Well, there is one more Lope in 1987, 9/13/87 I believe, but it is so utterly rare I won’t try and find it to review for the 2 or 3 of you who might actually have it! :) I hope everyone has a great holiday season and I hope all of you at the NY run will think of me as they play the best Antelope ever!! :) Take care and till next, --Victor Szalvay