Grateful Dead Family Discography: It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry

It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry

Composer: Bob Dylan

It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry was performed once by the Grateful Dead, with the Allman Brothers and Merl Saunders, in June 1973. They also performed the song five times in 1991 and once in 1992.

The song was performed by the Garcia/Saunders band, Legion of Mary, Jerry Garcia Band and the Jerry Garcia/John Kahn acoustic duo. In total the song was performed about 60 times by various Garcia bands. Garcia also performed the song when sitting in with Bob Dylan on June 25, 1995. It was also performed by a group that included Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Leon Russell, Mary Egan and Doug Sahm on November 23, 1972.

The song was played by the Keith And Donna Band, The Dead, Further, Phil Lesh & Friends, Voodoo Dead and by Bob Weir sitting in with the Jackie Greene Band.

It Takes A Lot To Laugh was performed by Bob Dylan with The Dead on August 8, 2003 but not included on the concert CD of that show.

The song was first recorded by Bob Dylan on June 15, 1965. The version released on Highway 61 Revisited was recorded on July 29, 1965. The working title for the song during recording sessions was Phantom Engineer.

Grateful Dead

Postcards Of The Hanging, 2002
30 Trips Around The Sun Box Set, 2015
Here Comes Sunshine 1973, 2023
RFK St., Washington, 6/10/73, Grateful Dead, 2023

Jerry Garcia

Live At Keystone, 1973
Live At Keystone Volume 1, 1988
Garcia Plays Dylan, 2005
Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings, 2012
Garcia Live: Vol 12: Jan 23, 1973, Garcia / Saunders, 2019
Garcia Live 14 Bonus CD: Jan 28, 1986, Garcia / Kahn, 2020

Furthur

Sept 23, 2011, Eugene, OR

Phil Lesh & Friends

May 27, 2017, Port Chester, NY, 2017

Bill Kreutzmann

May 1, 2015, New Orleans, Voodoo Dead, 2015

Bruce Hornsby

Here Come The Noisemakers, 2000
BMG Visa, Vol. 3, Various Artists, 2000
Live: October 9, 2004, Charlotte NC, 2005
Live: October 15, 2004, Portsmouth VA, 2005
Live: October 19, 2004, Ridgefield, CT, 2005
Live: December 6, 2004, Madison, WI, 2005
Live: December 12, 2004, Grand Rapids, MI, 2005
Live: February 16, 2005, Montgomery, AL, 2006
Live: September 2, Gilford, NH, 2006
Live: December 3, 2005, Williamsburg, VA, 2006

Bob Dylan

Highway 61 Revisited, 1965
Bootleg Series Vols. 1-3, 1991
Bringing It All Back Home/Highway 61 Revisited/Blonde on Blonde, 2001
Live 1975: The Rolling Thunder Revue: Bootleg Series, Vol. 5, 2002
Q: Bob Dylan, Vol 1: Freewheelin' Bob Dylan/Bringing It All Back Home/Highway 61 Revisited, 2002
No Direction Home: The Soundtrack: Bootleg Series, Vol. 7, 2005
Blues, 2006

Other recordings

Super Session, Bloomfield-Kooper-Stills, 1968
New! Improved! Blue Cheer, Blue Cheer, 1969
Fiends and Angels, Martha Velez, 1969
no info American Avatar, The Lyman Family with Lisa Kindred, 1969
no info Phluph, Phluph, 1969
no info Alun Ashworth Jones, Al Jones, 1969
no info What Is Me?, Graham James, 1969
no info Concert For Bangladesh, George Harrison, 1971
no info And The Shelter People, Leon Russell, 1971
Medicine Ball Caravan, Various Artists (Stoneground), 1971
Family Album, Stoneground, 1972
no info Clean Living, Clean Living, 1972
no info A Pale Horse, Dave Carlsen, 1973
The Earl Scruggs Revue, Earl Scruggs, 1973
no info Tracy Nelson, Tracy Nelson, 1974
no info The Winkies, The Winkies, 1975
no info LA Jets, L.A. Jets, 1976
no info Ends and Means, Hopney, 1977
The Heart of Gold Band, The Heart of Gold Band, 1986
no info Two Steps Forward, Bad News Reunion, 1981
no info Last Orders Please, Bad News Reunion, 1983
no info Rich Kid Blues, Marianne Faithfull, 1988
Double Dose, The Heart of Gold Band, 1986
Songs Of Dylan: As Performed By Fifteen Great Artists, Various Artists (Kooper / Stills), 1989
Songs Of Bob Dylan (Start label), Various Artists (Kooper / Stills), 1989
The Best of Yesteryear, Blue Cheer, 1990
no info Keene On Dylan, Steven Keene, 1990
no info Main Liners, Jim Christopher and Brown Burnett, 1992
no info Orphans and Outcasts, Vol. 1, Ian Matthews, 1993
no info Test of Time, Happy & Artie Traum, 1994
no info Long Black Train, Noah Hunt & Jason Dennie, 1995
Doin' Dylan, Various Artists (Chris Wilson), 1996
no info Carousel of Dreams, Aquablue, 1997
no info Urban Folk, Vol. 2: Self Destructive Fools, Red Morton/Roger Wilson/Simon Edwards, 1997
no info Tribute to Jeff, David Garfield & Friends, 1997
Hippydip, Various Artists (Leon Russell), 1997
The Dylan Project, Steve Gibbons, 1998
Heart of Gold Band, The Heart of Gold Band, 1998
no info I Can't Complain, Phoebe Snow, 1998
no info And The Times They Were A-Changin', Various Artists (Kooper / Stills), 1998
no info HOB Winter Sampler, Various Artists (Phoebe Snow and Michael McDonald), 1998
no info The Second Act of Free Being, Richard Hunter with Susan Cutrona, 1998
Sundown on the Forest, Kingfish, 1999
Tangled Up in Blues: Songs of Bob Dylan, Various Artists (Taj Mahal), 1999
This Ain't No Tribute: Blues Cube, Various Artists (Taj Mahal), 1999
no info EP, Crystal Creek, 19??
no info Chinese Work Songs, Little Feat, 2000
no info It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Marianne Faithfull, 2000
no info True, Marianne Faithfull, 2000
no info Hop The Wag, Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, 2000
no info Full Circle, Shawn Pittman, 2001
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, Andy Hill and Renée Safier, 2001
no info Spotlight, Tir Na Nog, 2001
no info Live...Half in the Bag, The Steepwater Band, 2001
no info Under the Radar/Chinese Work Songs, Little Feat, 2001
Beth Loves Bob, Beth Scalet, 2001
no info Through the Looking Glass, Toto, 2002
All Blues'd Up: Songs Of Bob Dylan, Various Artists (Taj Mahal), 2002
no info Turnin' Back the Pages, Stephen Stills, 2003
no info Out Of The Woodwork, Beaucoup Blue, 2003
Down Upon the Suwannee River, Little Feat, 2003
no info Full House, Frankie Miller, 2003 (CD bonus track), 2003
no info Bluesman Play White Boys Blues, Vol. 1, Various Artists (Taj Mahal), 2003
On The Road: October 16, 2004, Austin, TX, String Cheese Incident, 2004
On The Road: Travelogue Fall 2004, String Cheese Incident, 2004
Omaha, NE: August 31, 2004, Little Feat, 2004
Tornoto, Canada: November 8, 2004, Little Feat, 2004
no info Across the Decades, Fairport Convention, 2004
no info Chickenhead Blues, Rick Tobey, 2004
no info Nice Days Under Darkest Skies, Ygdrassil, 2004
Highway 61 Revisited Revisited, Various Artists (Paul Westerberger), 2005
Portland, OR: March 12, 2005, Little Feat, 2005
no info Killington, VT: April 10, 2005, Little Feat, 2005
Collingswood, NJ: April 13, 2005, Little Feat, 2005
Jim Thorpe, PA: April 21, 2005, Little Feat, 2005
no info Burning Bright: The Life And Music Of Ashley Hutchings, Ashley Hutchings, 2005
no info Tribute to Jeff Revisited, David Garfield & Friends, 2005
no info Sure Heart, Steve Martel, 2005
no info Four Upstanding: Live, The Escape Committee, 2005
no info Red White and Blues, Various Artists, 2005
no info Rock Revisited, Various Artists (Taj Mahal), 2005
Duluth Does Dylan Revisited, Various Artists (Wet Dog), 2006
Bob Dylan Uncovered, Various Artists (Little Wilson Band), 2006
no info This Is the BBC, Robyn Hitchcock, 2006
no info All My Friends Are Back Again: The Al Jones Anthology, Al Jones, 2006
Save The Dave Benefit, George's Majestic, Fayetteville, AR, March 04, 2006, Various Artists, 2006
no info The Fairport Companion, Various Artists (Al Jones), 2006
no info Bluesman Play White Boys Blues, Various Artists (Taj Mahal), 2006
no info A Walk On The Blues Side, Various Artists (Taj Mahal), 2006
no info An Introduction to Marianne Faithfull, Marianne Faithfull, 2006
After The Crash, Dylanesque, 2006
Try Me One More Time, David Bromberg, 2007
no info 30 Year Low, The Mendoza Line, 2007
no info Belle Monroe and Her Brewglass Boys, 2007
F.O.E. Hall, Fairless Hills, PA, March 30, 2007, Trident, 2007
no info Clapton Is God: The Cream of Early Eric Clapton, Various Artists (Martha Velez), 2007
no info Festival Cropredy 2002, Fairport Convention, 2008
no info White Chocolate, Al Kooper, 2008
Mary & Jay... Do Bob, BitterSweet, 2008
Comanche Boots, Terry And The Pirates, 2008
In the Well, Kokomo, 2008
Live, Bethel Woods, NY, 8/12/08, Allman Brothers Band, 2008
Live, Hartford, CT, 8/20/08, Allman Brothers Band, 2008
Live, Clarkston, MI, 8/27/08, Allman Brothers Band, 2008
Live, Morrison, CO, 8/30/08, Allman Brothers Band, 2008
Live, Virginia Beach, VA, 10/01/08, Allman Brothers Band, 2008
Live, Atlanta, GA, 10/10/08, Allman Brothers Band, 2008
Live, Beacon Theater, NYC, 3/13/09, Allman Brothers Band, 2009
Live, Beacon Theater, NYC, 3/17/09, Allman Brothers Band, 2009
Live, Los Angeles, CA, 5/19/09, Allman Brothers Band, 2009
Live, Canandaigua, NY 8/22/09, Allman Brothers Band, 2009
Live, Chicago, IL 9/2/09, Allman Brothers Band, 2009
Live, Nashville, TN 10/14/09, Allman Brothers Band, 2009
11/11/10, Omaha, NE, Yonder Mountain String Band, 2010
Live, Atlantic City, NJ, 11/13/10, Allman Brothers Band, 2010
Live, Beacon Theater, NYC, 3/18/11, Allman Brothers Band, 2011
Live, Beacon Theater, NYC, 3/26/11, Allman Brothers Band, 2011
7/10/11, Kalamazoo, MI, Yonder Mountain String Band, 2011
Pure... Psychedelic Rock, Various Artists (Kooper/Stills/Bloomfield, 2011
A Nod to Bob 2: An Artists Tribute to Bob Dylan on his 70th Birthday, Various Artists (Ray Bonneville), 2011
Diggin' On Dylan, Denny Freeman, 2012
03/30/12, St. Louis, MO, Yonder Mountain String Band, 2012
08/09/13, Omaha, NE, Yonder Mountain String Band, 2013
10/16/13, Oxford, MS, Yonder Mountain String Band, 2013
Live at Tribal Connection, Blue Moon Soup, 2013
Rocktopus, Kung Fu Hippies, 2017
From The Archives 2/11/17, Voodoo Dead, 2020