Keystone Encores

Critical reception

Writing on Allmusic about Keystone Encores Volume I, Lindsay Planer said, "By mid-1973 the band was virtually a fixture at the Keystone and... their languid and unhurried style was the perfect blend of spontaneous improvisation and skilled musicianship. In particular, Garcia and Saunders carved out a fresh extension for Garcia to feed his insatiable love for jazz-flavored R&B. The combination of Saunders' sweet and soulful organ leads and Garcia's crystalline intonations are flawlessly supported by Kahn's assertive, yet elegant interjections."

Writing on Allmusic about Keystone Encores Volume II, Dave Connolly said, "Although Merl Saunders (who brought these recordings to light) gets top billing, the real attraction here is Jerry Garcia. Garcia's vocals and dexterous guitar playing shine, with Saunders' swirling organ lower in the mix. Bill Vitt (who had appeared with Saunders and Garcia on 1972's Heavy Turbulence) and John Kahn (then a member of Old and in the Way) are primarily here for support, laying down a foundation of drums and bass that never threatens to eclipse the two stars. The four songs featured here, all covers, are bluesy numbers peppered with the kind of country pickin' that the Grateful Dead covered on occasion, though without that band's intricate interplay."

More Keystone albums

Live at Keystone is a two-disc LP released in 1973. It was the first album to contain songs recorded at the July 10 and 11, 1973 concerts at the Keystone in Berkeley. In 1988 it was re-released, with additional tracks, as two separate CDs — Live at Keystone Volume I and Live at Keystone Volume II.

Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings is a four-CD album released in 2012. It contains remastered versions of all the tracks from the Live at Keystone and Keystone Encores albums, plus seven previously unreleased tracks from the same dates. The songs on Keystone Companions are presented in the order they were performed in concert.

Keystone Encores CD

1. "Hi-Heel Sneakers" (Robert Higgenbotham) – 8:12
2. "It's Too Late (She's Gone)" (Chuck Willis) – 7:44
3. "I Second That Emotion" (Smokey Robinson, Al Cleveland) – 10:57
4. "One Kind Favor" (Blind Lemon Jefferson) – 6:36
5. "Money Honey" (Jesse Stone) – 8:19
6. "How Sweet It Is" (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland) – 10:20

Keystone Encores Volume I LP

Side 1

1. "I Second That Emotion" (Robinson, Cleveland) – 10:57
2. "One Kind Favor" (Jefferson) – 6:36

Side 2

1. "Money Honey" (Stone) – 8:19
2. "Merl's Tune" (Merl Saunders, John White) – 13:35 – LP-only track

Keystone Encores Volume II LP

Side 1

1. "Hi-Heel Sneakers" (Higgenbotham) – 8:12
2. "Mystery Train" (Sam Phillips, Junior Parker) – 11:32 – LP-only track

Side 2

1. "It's Too Late (She's Gone)" (Willis) – 7:44
2. "How Sweet It Is" (Holland, Dozier, Holland) – 10:20

Musicians

Production