Jerry Garcia: “Sugaree” (1972)

The single from Jerry Garcia’s first album sneaks into the Top 100. Sweet.

Kronomyth 1.1: The sweetest blossoms die.

To my ears, Deal was the standout track on Jerry Garcia’s first album. There were a lot of great songs on there, don’t get me wrong, but “Deal” is the song I’ve been singing through the ages. Sugaree was a close second. It’s an about an outlaw who doesn’t want his girlfriend to give out his name to the law if she’s caught; whether the law is actually Death is open to conjecture. Garcia’s voice cracks a lot along the way, but I’ll assume you’ve already come to terms with that and might even find it endearing. In the US, the spooky Eep Hour was featured on the flip side, the kind of head trip even Syd Barrett could appreciate. In Germany, well, “Deal” finally got its fair shake by appearing on at least one side of a single. Note that the single version of “Sugaree” is about a minute shorter than the album version. I couldn’t tell you where the time went, since I haven’t heard the single version myself.

Original 7-inch single version

A1. Sugaree (Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter/Billy Kreutzmann) (4:35)
B1. Eep Hour (Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter/Billy Kreutzmann) (5:08)

Original 7-inch single version (Germany)
A1. Sugaree (Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter/Billy Kreutzmann) (4:12)
B1. Deal (Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter/Billy Kreutzmann) (3:13)

The Plastic

Released on 7-inch single in March 1972 in the US (Warner Bros., WB-7569) and Germany (Warner Bros., WB 16 170) with regional picture sleeve. Reached #94 on the US charts. (First appeared in 3/4/72 issue of Billboard.)