U.S. Blues - Grateful Dead - MP3 instrumental karaoke

The sublime opener on Grateful Dead's 1974 album From the Mars Hotel, "US. Blues" comes tearing through on an unstoppable mission to a boogie-woogie wonderland, with pianist Pianist Keith Godchaux at the helm. Originally titled "Wave That Flag," "U.S. Blues" explored patriotism and cynicism, delving into America's prevailing political landscape of 1974, the year of the Richard M. Nixon impeachment, which can be heard in the refrain, "Wave that flag, wave it wide and high / Summertime done, come and gone, my, oh, my." From the Mars Hotel took a rootsy U-turn following the Grateful Dead's 1973 Wake of the Flood album, piling jazz fusion and art rock flourishes into a vivid eight-track collection of songs primarily composed by lead guitarist Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter and featuring the former on lead vocals. From the Mars Hotel became the Dead's last album before their then-indefinite hiatus from live touring, which started in October 1974.