GinStats: Set II Time: 6:37 After Dinner and a Movie,
Fluff's Travels lead him to the AC/DC Bag, through Reba, past the James
Gang to score some B.Gin, then a run in with the Sloth before he finally
finds himself back in his normal Travels. It is on this twisted road, where
out of the feedback to Walk Away (a James Gang cover), arises a Bathtub
Gin. 0:00 start, & Trey sounds LETHARGIC on this intro, almost as if
he's already had a few shots of Gin himself! (Btw, it looks nice on a setlist
to have it read Walk Away->B.Gin, but it just ain't so.) NO ACCENTS from
Fish (which is unusual.) Page jumps in at 0:18 -> 1:09. He just keeps going
and going and going in this unusually long, but only marginally interesting,
solo. Rhapsody In Blue is evident, as is the Rhapsody In Purple, In Green
and InCognito. At 0:39 the rest of the band kicks in, but Page continues
anyway, which prompts some sounds from both Trey's and Mike's 'docs. Lyrics
Segment: 1:07 Trey sounds happy...you can tell he's smiling - Nothing wrong
with that! Page Fill 1: 1:39->1:49 with some dissonant overshadowing from
Trey which ends up making a mess of this section. Subsequently this isn't
really a "Page Fill" but rather shows us a band trying to figure out Trey.
Fill 2: 2:21->2:38 but again it's not really Page....he's just chording
a Rhapsody variation while the band as a whole tries to figure out *something*.
Damn this sounds slow! Look, "I didn't mean to be impolite, but I just
couldn't wait." FAUCET: 2:54 It has a staccato edge to it, but overall
I must say it's *close* to flawless! A lot tighter here than in may recent
versions SINGING W/THE FAUCET: 3:38. Again, they sound semi-lethargic,
although the actual execution is fine. It's a bath alright, but it's not
a BUBBLE bath; no one's bubbling over, and meanwhile we're pruning already...this
segment is going on and on...Right past the 4:00 mark though, some minor
interplay and major vamping in-between singing Maybe that's why this is
so drawn out, who knows. WATER FROM THE FAUCET: 4:54 finally! But unfortunately
it's not all too rewarding. Trey is simply extending the CFL with next-to-nill
thematic variation. Again, this is the Classic Faucet LICK, note-by-note,
as opposed to the variable CFTheme. I can't believe it - again and again
we just have the LICK...and again. Where's the jamming? Where's the water?
Where's the HOOOOOOOSSSSE? "BATHTUB GIN" REFRAIN: 5:28 Mike wants to end
this already. He's pleading now, and giving in to lethargy...he lets out
a few "Bathtub GinnnnN!"'s and the like. He doesn't give up either! He
will not stop singing this! Around 5:46->5:57 Trey finally gets a little
excited, maybe as an answer to Mike's begging, and he gives us a tiny run
up the neck to a psuedo-quasi-build...which leads us only back to the CFL.
Trey man..if you *try* to be proactive, you end up with a Poochie Homer
Dog. :) He realizes this though and, at 6:35, he concedes. ENDS AT 6:37
half-assed as Trey has a little trouble joining in on the refrain and simulataneously
setting things up for the immediate transition into the Sloth. I call it
a "transition" because there is no silence and, because of the urgency
Trey allocates to it, you can tell it's meant to be part of a larger, non-stop
barrage of songs. The intention appears to be Fluff'sTravels->AC/DC->Reba->WalkAway->B.Gin->Sloth->Fluff's
Travels ->Possum and since that is the intention, I'll go along with it.
But I still won't call it a segue. Rating: 60 Proof The Law won!!!
You see, according to strict Bathtub Gin Laws, no matter how UNIMAGINATIVE
a Gin is (as this one is), no matter how UNENTHUSIASTIC it sounds (as this
one does), unless they make an IRRECOVERABLE mistake (which they didn't
here) then a 60Proof is the lowest the Law allows. It's all part of the
larger conspiracy, I'm sure. So as much as I want to label this 50 Proof
& "good only for new drinkers" this version is saved...By the execution
of the initial Faucet and subsequent singing, and by Trey's wish to extend
the jam section. The problem is that here it wasn't really a jam section,
there WAS NO water from the faucet save, a couple of drips. By this point
they know better. (For those who feel that these '89 ratings are harsh,
keep in mind that they are being evaluated against the entire history of
the song, up to and including '96). Walk with light my friends, Benjy