Pigpen recorded several songs for an album which never was released. These include "C.C. Rider" and "Bring Me My Shotgun", recorded in 1970. In February, 1973, he recorded a Lightning Hopkins song, "She's Mine", as well as "I Believe", "Like A Long Time", and "Michael", at his apartment in Corte Madera, CA. ... Another song, intended for the solo album, was the Clancy Carlile song "I'm A Loving Man", which was recorded in 1969 at Pacific High Recording, located on Brady Alley just off Market, in San Francisco. ... The album was to be released, tentatively, on Mercury, or its Smash subsidiary, with Bob Serempa as the A&R person.Many of these songs have been given different names over the years, and circulate in all sorts of fragments and orderings. The most common tape in circulation has the following songs (with alternative titles in brackets):
I Got Two Women (Two Women)I'm A Loving Man circulates separately, often with Buckeye's Theme and with outtakes from Workingman's Dead/American Beauty
Michael (Poor Michael Went Down, Queen Of Santa Fe II, Gas Station Rap)
Katie Mae
Baby Please Don't Go (New Orleans)
That Freight Train, Up In The Sky (That Train)
Untitled instrumental
Bring Me My Shotgun
C.C.Rider
Katie Mae (repeat)
Hitch Hiking Woman
I Got Two Women (repeat)
When I Was A Boy (Santa Fe Queen, Queen Of Santa Fe I)
Bring Me My Shotgun (repeat)
...
I Believe (The Devil In My Bones)
She's Mine
Like A Long Time (Look Over Yonder, No Tomorrow, No Time)
...
Sweet Georgia Brown (instrumental, with Jorma Kaukonen)
Betty And Dupree (with Jorma Kaukonen)
C.C.RiderThe Deadhead's Taping Compendium Volume 1 lists a tape (dated ??/70) which seems to be a more complete version of these recordings. It has a track list:
Guitar instrumental
Bring Me My Shotgun
Hitch Hiking Woman
Piano riff
I Got Two Women
Santa Fe Queen
Gas Station Rap
Hobo Jungle Rap
C.C.RiderNotes
Instrumental (x4)
Bring Me My Shotgun
Katie Mae
Bring Me My Shotgun (take 2)
Hitch Hiking Woman
Piano riff
I Got Two Women
Santa Fe Queen
Gas Station Rap
Hobo Jungle Rap
Passing Through
Easy Rider
Black Powder Rag (note 1)
In The Still Of The Night
Big Boy Pete
"The folk motif continues with "Hobo Jungle Rap," a simple one-chord monologue in which Pigpen describes his first encounters with local hobos. After dissolving quickly as a song, the monologue continues as a spoken word narration. In it, Pigpen talks briefly about his first experiences hopping freight trains, adding a sweet lick from his guitar here and there. Much to our dismay, however, the tape breaks off prematurely.Note that this tape doesn't include "That Train" or "Baby Please Don't Go," so there are still unknowns about what was recorded when.
"Following the tape flip, the subsequent two tracks are disturbingly haunting. All the preceding selections are based around traditional blues and folk approaches, but these songs are derived from a deeper spiritual influence, remotely similar to that of Charlie Patton or Son House. Vocally, these are emotionally harrowin, and the musical approach is dark, almost occultish. "Passing Through," while admittedly not a very dynamic selection and further hampered by feedback blasts, is a chilling tale of weary travel, with loneliness and despondency prevailing. "Easy Rider," which at the outset sounds distinctly similar to the Rolling Stones' "Sister Morphine," is only slightly less morbid lyrically but far eerier in execution. Unlike "Passing Through," which is delivered from an emotional and perhaps autobiographical approach, this tune is presented in the form of a narrative, focussed intently on setting as well as character.
"Following a brief rap, the tape concludes with a fragmentary and comic attempt at the fifties sock hop classic, "In The Still Of The Night," complete with teen idol falsetto, before the finale of "Big Boy Pete," which is playful and immature."
I Believecirculates with a variety of dates. It is sometimes listed as "Pigpen's Final: Recorded 3/9/1973," which can't be right because Pigpen died on 8 March. I've also seen it dated as February 1973 and as 5 March 1973.
She's Mine
No Tomorrow
PlayhouseThe description of the tape is:
Walkin' Blues
Driving Wheel
Kansas City
Kansas City (take 2)
St Louis Women
Bluebird
My Property
So Long (No Tomorrow)
"This tape contains a mixture of traditional blues and extraordinary ballads, all executed solo by Pigpen at the piano. From the opening notes of "Playhouse," the listener is grabbed by the authenticity of the delivery. Passionate, soulful, and remarkably melodic are Pigpen's vocals, giving the track a distinctive pre-World War II feel. "Walkin' Blues," which actually only contains one verse from Robert Johnson's definitive version, begins as a boogie-woogie stomp, but restarts as a common-time shuffle. Finding a comfortableniche, Pigpen showcases his improvisational skills by taking several liberties with the lyrics and masterfully adlibbing several verses of his own. The instrumentation contains more than several shaky sports, but they are greatly overshadowed by the vocal delivery. The following "Driving Wheel" is uncessarily brief, lasting only two verses, thus remaining disappointingly unremarkable. In contrast, Pigpen's interpretation of the classic "Kansas City" is a barrelhouse stomp from start to finish. Instrumentally, Pigpen chops at this with the rhythm of a choo-choo, and the tune is further complemented by vocals that are as sweet as a honey bee's nectar. On the second take, Pigpen uses the intrumental break to nochanlantly shift to "St Louis Women," which is considerably saltier in execution, and certainly more characteristic of the Pigpen we're accustomed to. Unfortunately, the tape then breaks off midverse."
"Side B begins with "Bluebird," a soulful, albeit extremely erratic, selection. Pigpen's attack on the verse is done with the passion of James Brown, filled to the brim with soul and emotion. However, the refrain is unusually lethargic, slower in tempo and noticeably less enthusiastic in delivery. The pattern repears itself again on the second verse and refrain, although considerably less severe, before dissolving abruptly.
"My Property" is musically identical to the following "So Long (No Tomorrow)," similar in somberness but lyrically far less dreary. Like the preceding "Bluebird," this selection dissolves prematurely.
"The tape concludes with "No Tomorrow," a deeply sad and introspective ballad. This could arguably be considered Pigpen's swan song, with its haunting melody and frighteningly forboding lyrics. The instrumentatism is classic melancholy, and eloquent throughout. Even so, it is far overshadowed by the moving emotion displayed in Pigpen's vocals. Crying out "Don't make me live in this pain no longer / You know I'm getting weaker not stronger," it is as though the performer awakens through the music to the realisation of the final curtain that lurks momentarily, leaving the listener with a touch of sadness deep and removed."
McKernan's BluesPigpen McKernan and Rodney Albin at the Top of the Tangent in 1964:
Rocky Mountain Blues
John HenryPigpen and Jorma at the Top of the Tangent in 1964:
Hoochie-Coochie Man
Sweet Georgia Brown (instrumental)The instrumental version of "Sweet Georgia Brown" is Jorma solo, I believe. "Betty and Dupree" ("Diamond Rag Blues" on some tapes) is Jorma on guitar and vocals and Pigpen on harp.
Betty And Dupree
So Long BabyThis tape was played by David Gans during the KPFA Grateful Dead Marathon in 2003. I'm not sure what the song "So Long Baby" is.
She's Mine
Baby Please Don't Go
Slow Blues