Tuesday Morning Music: The Perro Tapes

The Cros

David Crosby’s first solo album, If Only I Could Remember My Name? (1971) is one of the most beautifully wasted documents from one of the most determinedly psychedelic representatives of ’60s and ’70s counterculture. For most of us, that means it’s totally awesome: Crosby is jamming on high in fluid country-folk mode with most of the Grateful Dead plus Joni Mitchell, the rest of his band (SNY) and Grace Slick. A bunch of people hated it though (Christgau suggested rechristening Crosby as Rocky Muzak, Roger Crosby or Vaughan Monroe) and it’s been in and out of print over the last 30 years.

The Wilco fetishists at LA-based roots music blog Aquarium Drunkard have posted the outtakes from those sessions — known as The Perro Tapes or P.E.R.R.O. ruffs — which are even more disorienting and hazy than the finished album, natch, which by our measure is a great thing, especially on a chilly Southern California morning such as this one. In addition to sketches of songs from If Only I Could Remember My Name?, there’s also snips from other solo CSNY projects plus a couple mellow and airy takes on “Loser,” a Dead standard from Garcia’s first solo record. Go get the tunes here. For more on the music, head over to … uh … “The Phil Zone” and you’ll find a cluster of Deadheads offering song-by-song annotations that are actually pretty fascinating.

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About Jay Babcock

I am an independent writer and editor based in Tucson, Arizona. I publish LANDLINE at jaybabcock.substack.com Previously: I co-founded and edited Arthur Magazine (2002-2008, 2012-13) and curated the three Arthur music festival events (Arthurfest, ArthurBall, and Arthur Nights) (2005-6). Prior to that I was a district office staffer for Congressman Henry A. Waxman, a DJ at Silver Lake pirate radio station KBLT, a copy editor at Larry Flynt Publications, an editor at Mean magazine, and a freelance journalist contributing work to LAWeekly, Mojo, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Vibe, Rap Pages, Grand Royal and many other print and online outlets. An extended piece I wrote on Fela Kuti was selected for the Da Capo Best Music Writing 2000 anthology. In 2006, I was somehow listed in the Music section of Los Angeles Magazine's annual "Power" issue. In 2007-8, I produced a blog called "Nature Trumps," about the L.A. River. From 2010 to 2021, I lived in rural wilderness in Joshua Tree, Ca.

2 thoughts on “Tuesday Morning Music: The Perro Tapes

  1. Pingback: MAGPIE - Arthur Magazine Blog » Jumpt Start Yer Tuesday: Dan Deacon’s “Get Older”

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