In episode 4 of Hooked on Creek, I review Max Creek’s performance on November 8, 1985, at Johnson State College in Johnson, Vermont.
A live recording of this entire Max Creek performance is available to stream or download here.
Episode 4 transcription
You’re listening to Hooked on Creek, a podcast celebrating the music of Max Creek. I am your host, Korre Johnson, and you are listening to episode 4.
Hey everyone thanks so much for joining me on episode 4 of Hooked on Creek. In this episode, I am going to discuss Max Creek’s performance on November 8, 1985, at Johnson State College in Johnson, Vermont. You can find a direct link to stream or download the entire Max Creek show I am reviewing in the episode show notes, or simply head over to hookedoncreek.com. And while you are there, click the contact link and let me know what you think. I am always looking for recommendations on topics to cover or Max Creek shows to feature in this podcast. Alright, now let’s get started.
The show at Johnson State College in Johnson, Vermont, on November 8, 1985, starts with a scintillating cover of the Grateful Dead’s Scarlet Begonias, a song released by the Dead on their 1974 album From the Mars Hotel. Certainly the deadheads in attendance must have been smiling as Max Creek stretched this iconic Dead song over 14 minutes, infusing it with some masterful jamming to kick off the show.
Near its conclusion, the extended Scarlet Begonias jam slowly dissolves, transitioning into an electrifying version of You Don’t Know, which was featured earlier during the introduction to this podcast episode.
Then, Max Creek plays a cover of It Takes A lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry, a song written by Bob Dylan that was released on Dylan’s 1965 album Highway 61 Revisited. I think Mark’s vocals during this song are especially tender, and beautifully reflect the resignation and frustration that colors the lyrics of this old Dylan song.
Then, Max Creek launches into a great cover of Cities, a song from the Talking Heads’ 1979 album Fear of Music. Here, Scott’s vocals froth with playful intensity as the band delivers a powerful interpretation of this Talking Heads tune.
On a personal note, I was first exposed to the song Cities through Phish in the late 90’s. A quick glance at phish.net shows Phish has been playing the song in their live shows since 1984. And based on what’s available on archive.org, it appears Max Creek has been performing the song Cities since at least 1983.
Next, John sings an infectious version of LFS, which is followed by Mark singing a cover of Me & My Uncle, a song originally composed by John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, and popularized in versions by Judy Collins and the Grateful Dead, who of course adopted the song as part of their standard repertoire, and I imagine, inspired Max Creek to cover the song themselves.
After Me and My Uncle, Max Creek throws down a heady version of Cocaine Lady, extending over 12 minutes. Scott’s guitar playing throughout this song is captivating — gripping your attention and squeezing you into complete submission. About nine minutes into the song, the direction of the jam takes a creative turn, offering a new dimension for the groove to establish and then break apart again. It’s simply beautiful.
And then to close the first set, Max Creek performs a nice cover of Bertha by the Grateful Dead that showcases some impassioned jamming by the entire band.
Set two begins with an incredible cover of I Heard It Through the Grapevine, a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966. The song was first released as a single in September 1967 by Gladys Knight & the Pips, but the Marvin Gaye version went to the top of the Billboard Pop Singles chart for seven weeks from December 1968 to January 1969 and became, for a time, the biggest hit single on the Motown label.
But In this Max Creek version from November 8, 1985, the song is jammed out to nearly 14 minutes, offering the Johnson State College crowd an interpretation of the song that perhaps was inspired more by the Creedence Clearwater Revival version released in 1970. I Heard It Through the Grapevine is certainly a highlight from this show and worth listening to several times to fully appreciate all the directions the band takes the song. It’s a real doozy.
Next, Max Creek rolls into I Know You Rider, a traditional blues song that has been adapted by numerous artists, including the Grateful Dead, but most modern versions can be traced back to Blind Lemon Jefferson’s Deceitful Brownskin Blues, which was released as a single in 1927.
Then, Scott leads the band through a great version of their reggae-influenced love song, Willow Tree, that features nice solos from both Scott and Mark.
After Willow Tree, Max Creek treats the audience with a gritty cover of Stagger Lee, a popular American folk song about the murder of Billy Lyons that took place on Christmas night in St. Louis, Missouri, back in 1895. Apparently, Billy Lyons was killed by a pimp nicknamed Stag Lee. The earliest references to this song about that murder can be traced back to 1897. And in 1911, two versions of the song were published in the Journal of American Folklore by the sociologist and historian Howard W. Odum. In this performance on November 8, 1985, Mark does an incredible job interpreting the story of Stag Lee for the Johnson State College crowd.
After Stagger Lee, Max Creek throws down an achingly beautiful version of Double Dare, clocking in over over 14 minutes long. I absolutely love Mark’s work on the keys throughout the song, and how John’s fat bass lines fit the mood of the song perfectly. About five minutes into the song, Scott seemingly hands possession of the song over to his guitar, letting his mastery of the instrument continue to tell the Double Dare story with no constraints. About 10 minutes in, the jam builds to a incredible climax, and then, slowly, dissolves and rearranges, setting up the next song in the set. Perhaps the best way to experience this huge Double Dare is with your eyes closed. Just let it sink in.
Double Dare eventually transitions into St. Stephen, which of course is a song by the Grateful Dead, originally released on the Dead’s 1969 album Aoxomoxoa. Here, Max Creek delivers a crowd-pleasing interpretation of this iconic Dead song, with some beautiful musical textures and jamming throughout.
After St. Stephen, Max Creek performs a fun and lively cover of Slow Down, a song originally written and recorded Larry Williams in 1957, but later covered by the Beatles during their early career. To close the second set, Max Creek extends Slow Down to over 10 minutes, providing Mark and Scott a ton of space to take turns jamming on this old tune.
And for the encore, Max Creek comes back on stage to deliver a crowd-pleasing closing performance of Not Fade Away, a Buddy Holly song originally released as the B-side of the hit single “Oh, Boy!” in 1957, and of course, a song beloved and covered extensively by the Grateful Dead.
Now looking back over this entire show, we heard one song, Cocaine Lady, from Max Creek’s 1980 album Rainbow. We heard one song from their 1983 album Drink the Stars, and that was You Don’t Know. We heard two songs, LFS and Double Dare, from their 1986 album Windows. And although the song Willow Tree was never released on a studio album, a version of the song does appear on Max Creek’s live album, 45 & Live, released earlier this year.
I think there is a lot to appreciate about this November 8, 1985, Max Creek show, so I highly recommend streaming it or downloading it from archive.org. You can find a direct link in the episode show notes or online at hookedoncreek.com.
Now, let’s hear a few tunes from this incredible show. First up, you are going to hear Cocaine Lady, which will be followed by Double Dare. This is Max Creek performing live at Johnson State College in Johnson, Vermont, on November 8, 1985.
And now, here is Double Dare.
And that concludes my review of Max Creek’s performance on November 8, 1985, at Johnson State College in Johnson, Vermont. I highly recommend you check it out. You can stream or download this Max Creek show on archive.org. And if you have feedback about this episode or recommendations for future episodes, visit hookedoncreek.com and click the contact link to send me a message. Thanks for tuning in.