Sakalli
Freedom to Music
Grateful Dead – Three From The Vault (Live 1971) (@256)
25 Dec 2010
(Review from wikipedia, allmusic)
This archival release contains the complete show recorded on February 19, 1971 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York.
This concert marks the beginning of Mickey Hart’s temporary departure from the band. The previous night’s show would be his last for the time being. For the first time since late 1967 when Hart joined, the Grateful Dead were back to their original five-piece lineup.
There is a ferocity to the performance captured here, it is an all-out rock & roll concert. There would be no more show-opening acoustic sets as they’d done often in 1970; this was about returning to the roots but starting anew at the same time. Which isn’t to say the Dead had lost any of their gift; they simply channeled their power through a narrower tunnel.
Garcia’s soloing on the more up-tempo tunes like “Cumberland Blues,” “Bertha,” “China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider,” and “Deal” is wicked, Weir found chords and rhythms that seemed never to have existed before, and Lesh locked in with the sturdy Kreutzmann to create one of the most dynamic, inventive rhythm sections in rock. Pigpen, well, was still Pigpen, mascot and fan favorite, his role as a player somewhat diminished but obviously enjoying himself.
The ballads and mid-tempo numbers displayed new subtleties, and the band’s collective jamming on the expanded excursions — “That’s It for the Other One” and the Pigpen vehicles “Good Lovin’,” “Smokestack Lightnin’,” and “Easy Wind” — is still adventurous and evocative. The band’s take on Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” is a bolt of lightning.
The “Truckin’” opener establishes immediately that losing half of their percussion team isn’t about to slow these guys down. Kreutzmann’s solo is one powerful piece of drumming.
The new tunes, some still in relatively unfinished states, serve as indications that the Dead were growing rapidly as a creative force. We witness the first performances of the songs “Bird Song” and “Deal”, the second performances of “Loser”, “Bertha”, “Playing in the Band”, “Greatest Story Ever Told”, and “Wharf Rat”.
The template for nearly the next two-and-a-half decades of Dead-dom — including the idea of dividing the show into two halves, the second devoted to more introspective improv — was set right here. By the end of 1971, San Francisco’s secret would build a fan base that would never shrink.
Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / lead guitar, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass, vocals
- Ron “Pigpen” McKernan / keyboards, harmonica, percussion, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann / drums
- Bob Weir / rhythm guitar, vocals
Track List:
CD1
01. Two Ditties: The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down + Spring Song 1:19
02. Truckin’ 8:09
03. Loser 6:23
04. Cumberland Blues 4:58
05. Hurts Me Too 6:10
06. Bertha 5:21
07. Playing In The Band 5:14
08. Dark Hollow 3:15
09. Smokestack Lightnin’ 14:42
10. China Cat Sunflower 3:24
11. I Know You Rider 7:02
CD2
01. Greatest Story Ever Told 4:22
02. Johnny B. Goode 3:26
03. Bird Song 7:04
04. Easy Wind 8:17
05. Deal 4:22
06. That’s It For The Other One 16:09
07. Wharf Rat 9:08
08. Good Lovin’ 18:43
09. Casey Jones 5:00
Link in comments.
Grobschnitt – Ballermann (1974) (@256)
24 Dec 2010
(review from progarchives.com)
Beginning with a heavily accented address to the fans from the depths of the studio, Grobschinitt’s second album “Ballerman” immediately establishes the wacky sense of humour of Eroc and the band’s ability to blend this silliness with intricate progressive rock without sounding nearly as ridiculous as…that sounds.
This was the era of the double album, but most of these suffered from overextension and recycling of the same ideas ad nauseum. Grobschnitt avoided this trap by producing two distinctly different works, unified by their overall philosophy yet almost in different genres. Neither overshadows the other.
The first record’s opener tune sounds like a mixture of Russian melody and middle-oriental feel, featuring creepy slowed-down vocals from Eroc. Another highlight, “Nickel-Odeon” features top-notch space rock in a jazzy way, worthy of Rush’s great instrumental moments. With many changes of ryhtms and musical themes, the tune calms down with the apparition of crying vocals. Beautiful melancholic passage. It ends with a catchy melody which could have well escaped from a Yes song.
Mostly instrumental, the second record features the legendary 32 minutes space rock epic Solar- Music, which will later be the subject of the many live performances from the band. The introduction is very energic and rocky, a genuine collision between asteroids ! The rest of the song will feature great variations and improvisations on a beautiful delicate spatial theme reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “Careful With That Axe, Eugene”. Very psychedelic, a journey in the universe between stars exploding! Powerful and mindblowing! The ending section is very smooth and melancholic…
Ballermann is an inegal album showing both Grobschnitt’s space and symphonic sides. A cross-over between their debut album and their third, “Rockpommel’s Land”.
Line-up:
- Stefan Danielak (Wildschwein) / lead vocals, guitar
- Joachim Ehrig (Eroc) / drums, percussion, voice (1), electronic f/x
- Volker Kahrs (Mist) / keyboards
- Gerd-Otto Kühn (Lupo) / lead guitar
- Bernhard Uhlemann (Bär) / bass
Track List:
01. Sahara – 5:38
02. Nickel-Odeon – 9:20
03. Drummer’s Dream – 6:16
04. Morning Song – 5:47
05. Magic Train – 13:22
06. Solar Music, Part 1 – 17:33
07. Solar Music, Part 2 – 15:56
Link in comments.
Grateful Dead – Fillmore West 1969: Complete Recordings (Live) (@256)
24 Dec 2010
(Review from allmusic)
Few concert runs (several shows in the same venue) are as highly lauded by Grateful Dead enthusiasts as February 27 through March 2, 1969, at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. Practically every second of their eight-set, four-night stand is captured on this ten-CD box. These concerts were the basis for “Live/Dead”.
While no specific set list is adhered to, the songs can be loosely categorized with representations from the Grateful Dead’s ever-expanding songbook with McKernan’s R&B standards “Turn on Your Lovelight” and “King Bee”.
There are also a handful of selections from their previous three LPs, such as “Morning Dew” and “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl,” off of their 1967 self-titled debut. Anthem of the Sun (1968) yields the extended “That’s It for the Other One” suite — which glides gently into a sublime reading of “New Potato Caboose” on March 1 — or the fiery McKernan-led medley of “Alligator” linked to the acidic blues-fuelled “Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)”.
The final batch comes from the then-yet-to-be-issued Aoxomoxoa (1969) and is highlighted by the more compact numbers “Doin’ That Rag”, “Cosmic Charlie”, the folk-based “Dupree’s Diamond Blues”, “Saint Stephen” and the haunting, baroque “Mountains of the Moon”. The latter is featured in an acoustic setting, and on February 27 and March 1 it also serves up the ideal disposition for the centerpiece original “Dark Star”.
At the very heart of what made the Grateful Dead an anomaly in rock & roll was their ability to improvise and interact in order to make each and every experience different from the last, or the next. These recordings are nine and a half hours of proof.
Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / guitar, vocals
- Tom Constanten / keyboards
- Ron “Pigpen” McKernan / keyboards, vocals, harmonica, percussion
- Phil Lesh / bass guitar, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann / drums
- Mickey Hart / drums
Track List:
CD01
01. Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl – 11:46
02. Doin’ That Rag – 7:52
03. That’s It For The Other One (Cryptical Envelopement > The Other One > Cryptical Envelopement) – 20:03
CD02
01. Dupree’s Diamond Blues – 3:57
02. Mountains of the Moon – 5:57
03. Dark Star – 21:43
04. St. Stephen – 8:22
05. The Eleven – 13:03
06. Turn On Your Lovelight – 19:21
07. Cosmic Charlie – 5:51
CD03
01. Morning Dew – 11:04
02. Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl – 10:59
03. Doin’ That Rag – 6:55
04. I’m A King Bee – 7:09
05. Turn On Your Lovelight – 19:08
CD04
01. That’s It for the Other One – 19:45
02. Dark Star – 19:44
03. St. Stephen – 7:50
04. The Eleven – 15:12
05. Death Don’t Have No Mercy – 10:38
CD05
01. Aligator – 4:08
02. Drums – 4:02
03. Jam – 14:56
04. Caution (Do Not Step on Tracks) – 8:47
05. Feedback – 5:40
06. We Bid You Goodnight – 1:07
CD06
01. That’s It for the Other One – 21:22
02. New Potato Caboose – 11:42
03. Doin’ That Rag – 5:57
04. Cosmic Charlie – 5:51
CD07
01. Dupree’s Diamond Blues – 4:47
02. Mountains of the Moon – 5:04
03. Dark Star – 23:01
04. St. Stephen – 8:05
05. The Eleven – 5:47
06. Turn On Your Lovelight – 23:59
07. Hey Jude – 7:43
CD08
01. Dark Star – 21:09
02. St. Stephen – 8:21
03. The Eleven – 12:43
04. Turn On Your Lovelight – 15:25
CD09
01. Doin’ That Rag – 7:38
02. That’s It for the Other One – 22:43
03. Death Don’t Have No Mercy – 11:21
04. Morning Dew – 10:16
CD10
01. Aligator – 4:14
02. Drums – 6:51
03. Jam – 25:31
04. Caution (Do Not Step on Tracks) – 9:13
05. Feedback – 7:54
06. We Bid You Goodnight – 2:01
CD11 (Bonus)
01. Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) – 30:06
02. He Was A Friend Of Mine » – 12:14
03. China Cat Sunflower » – 4:15
04. New Potato Caboose – 13:36
05. China Cat Sunflower » – 5:29
06. I Know You Rider » – 5:08
07. High Time – 7:03
Link in comments.
Grateful Dead – Live at the Fillmore East 2-11-69 (@320)
23 Dec 2010
(Review from allmusic)
Performing two hour-long sets as the opening act to Janis Joplin’s New York debut as a solo star, the Grateful Dead turns in a characteristic performance for this period in their career.
In between the release of their second and third albums, they devote much time to the songs that would turn up several months later on Aoxomoxoa, including acoustic renditions of “Dupree’s Diamond Blues” and “Mountains of the Moon”.
Pigpen dominates the first set, singing the blues standards “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl”, “I’m a King Bee” and “Turn on Your Lovelight”.
A large part of both sets is given over to the group’s extended medleys, in the first set “Cryptical Envelopment/The Other One,” in the second “Dark Star/St. Stephen/The Eleven.” These involve, largely instrumental pieces set the tone for the Dead at the end of the 1960s.
There is also a game version of “Hey Jude”, the biggest hit of the previous year, to end the first set, and an unlisted, interrupted performance of “Cosmic Charlie” as a second-set encore.
Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / lead guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / rhythm guitar, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass, vocals
- Ron “Pigpen” McKernan / harmonica, percussion, vocals
- Mickey Hart / drums
- Bill Kreutzman / drums
- Tom Constanten / organ
Track List:
CD1
01. Good Morning Little School Girl – 9:19
02. Cryptical Envelopment – 1:55
03. The Other One – 6:01
04. Cryptical Envelopment – 6:58
05. Doin’ That Rag – 5:28
06. I’m A King Bee – 5:19
07. Turn On Your Lovelight – 17:07
08. Hey Jude – 8:24
CD2
01. Introduction – 1:19
02. Dupree’s Diamond Blues – 3:57
03. Mountains of the Moon – 4:50
04. Dark Star – 12:29
05. St. Stephen – 7:50
06. The Eleven – 6:09
07. Drums – 2:43
08. Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) – 13:26
09. Feedback – 4:03
10. We Bid You Goodnight/Cosmic Charlie – 9:06
Link in comments.
Grateful Dead – Two From the Vault (Live 1968) (@256)
22 Dec 2010
(Review from wikipedia, allmusic)
This archival release contains a complete performance recorded live at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on August 24, 1968.
The set list is fairly typical of the band’s mid-1968 repertoire. Having just issued their second platter, Anthem of the Sun, a month earlier, the Dead were concentrating fairly heavily on material from that disc — including most of the first side. The extended “That’s It for the Other One” suite is executed with the acidic fury associated with this era of the Grateful Dead.
The band is also looking forward to their upcoming projects. These include Aoxomoxoa — their next studio effort — which contains “Saint Stephen.” However, the track appears in the context of their 1969 release, Live/Dead, linked with “Dark Star” on one side and “The Eleven” on the other.
The developmental stage of the tunes here is nothing short of aurally palpable. The band is able to achieve much of the same energy that drove the versions which became indelibly stamped into the psyche of the counterculture, as well as Deadheads world wide.
Two from the Vault is a fun ride, as well as a glimpse into the immense improvisational talents of the Grateful Dead in the late 1960s.
Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / guitar, vocals
- Ron “Pigpen” McKernan / organ, harmonica, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass guitar, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann / drums
- Mickey Hart / percussion
Track List:
CD1
01. Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl – 16:00
02. Dark Star – 11:20
03. Saint Stephen – 4:39
04. The Eleven – 14:27
05. Death Don’t Have No Mercy – 8:23
CD2
01. That’s It For The Other One – 15:40
02. New Potato Caboose – 14:15
03. Turn On Your Lovelight – 17:12
04. (Walk Me Out In The) Morning Dew – 7:13
Link in comments.
Grateful Dead – Birth Of The Dead (Compilation 1965-67) (@256)
21 Dec 2010
(Review from allmusic)
Before the Grateful Dead were even signed to a record company, they woodshedded their style, playing live in a variety of capacities and also cut a handful of studio demos around the Bay Area.
Birth of the Dead includes the bulk of those incipient sessions, as well as some of their primordial concert performances — all predating their 1967 self-titled debut album. Appropriately, for a primarily historical release, the contents are configured chronologically.
The album begins with six tracks from November of 1965. Under the moniker of ‘The Emergency Crew’, the band recorded a cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Early Morning Rain”, the communally-credited “I Know You Rider” and four originals. Of these originals, “I Know You Rider” stayed in the Grateful Dead’s revolving repertoire for the next 30 years, while “Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)” would become a powerful blues-meets-psychedelia vehicle in the months ahead.
The last batch are from a mid-1966 session with overdubs done. The results netted their first 45 rpm “Stealin’” with an early speedy reading of “Don’t Ease Me In”. The latter resurfaced every once and a while throughout the remainder of their long, strange trip, including another studio remake for the 1980 album “Go to Heaven”.
“Fire in the City” is an interesting footnote as the Grateful Dead back up legendary jazz singer Jon Hendricks. The number was part of a soundtrack to the anti-war documentary film Sons and Daughters (1967).
The ‘Live Sides’ are derived from several gigs circa July 1966 and the juxtaposition provides a glimpse of how the quintet developed by leaps and bounds onstage, in real time.
Extended workouts of “Viola Lee Blues”, “I’m a King Bee” and “Keep Rolling By” are harbingers of the next step in their perpetual evolution, while the compact arrangements of “In the Pines”, “Sitting on Top of the World”, “Nobody’s Fault but Mine” and “Big Boss Man” hearken back to the earlier material.
Birth of the Dead aptly encapsulates the band’s formative era, bridging the gap between “Rare Cuts and Oddities 1966″ and the 1967 self-titled debut album.
Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / guitar, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann / drums
- Ron McKernan / organs, harmonica, vocals
with
- Jon Hendricks / vocals
Track List:
CD1
01. Early Morning Rain – 3:22
02. I Know You Rider – 2:41
03. Mindbender (Confusion’s Prince) – 2:41
04. The Only Time is Now – 2:24
05. Caution (Do Not Stop On The Tracks) – 3:17
06. Can’t Come Down – 3:04
07. Stealin’ (Instrumental) – 2:40
08. Stealin’ (With Vocals) – 2:36
09. Don’t Ease Me In (Instrumental) – 2:01
10. Don’t Ease Me In (With Vocals) – 2:02
11. You Don’t Have To Ask – 3:35
12. Tastebud (Instrumental) – 7:04
13. Tastebud (With Vocals) – 4:35
14. I Know You Rider – 2:36
15. Cold Rain And Snow (Instrumental) – 3:15
16. Cold Rain And Snow (With Vocals) – 3:17
17. Fire In The City (With Jon Hendricks) – 3:19
CD2
01. Viola Lee Blues – 9:39
02. Don’t Ease Me In – 2:43
03. Pain In My Heart – 4:24
04. Sitting On Top Of The World – 3:51
05. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue – 5:12
06. I’m A King Bee – 8:52
07. Big Boss Man – 5:11
08. Standing On The Corner – 3:46
09. In The Pines – 4:55
10. Nobody’s Fault But Mine – 4:15
11. Next Time You See Me – 2:47
12. One Kind Favor – 3:44
13. He Was A Friend Of Mine – 4:45
14. Keep Rolling By – 7:57
Link in comments.
Grateful Dead – Aoxomoxoa Original 1969 Mix Added
20 Dec 2010
Upon Bilek’s suggestion, I’ve added the original mix of Aoxomoxa (from vinyl) to the blog.
You can grab it from the original Aoxomoxoa post.
Grateful Dead – Rare Cuts and Oddities (Compilation 1966) (@256)
20 Dec 2010
(Review from allmusic)
For the truly Dead-icated Grateful Dead enthusiast, Rare Cuts and Oddities 1966 might be comparable to the recovery of lost Biblical relics, shedding light and providing a valuable context for the works to come.
It certainly can’t be argued that the band would take what they developed here and go on to create much more substantial. Likewise, upon hearing the flood of ideas crammed into these energetic selections, there is no doubt that a sonic synergy is occurring and rapidly maturing into its own unique beast.
The 18 tracks are split fairly evenly between studio demos/rehearsals and performances, all recorded at some point circa 1966. Grateful Dead’s set list points primarily to the members own specific tastes — such as McKernan’s obvious affinity and penchant for the blues, or Garcia and Weir’s folkier leanings.
There are also early originals, including McKernan’s “You See a Broken Heart,” Garcia’s “Cream Puff War” — with alternate lyrics — as well as the group-derived “Standing on the Corner”. The incendiary, blazing and ferocious “Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)” tumbles out of a brooding and stinging overhaul of James Moore’s “I’m a King Bee” for a total of a quarter-hour long fusion of the Grateful Dead’s patented blues-a-delia.
Notably, a few of these entries remained in their repertoire, specifically “Not Fade Away” and “Good Lovin’.” Here, the latter moves at a breakneck speed that gets them through both verses and a chorus in under a minute (no lie!) and the former bears an unrelenting Bo Diddley groove that seems to have dissipated over the years.
The majority of the tunes stayed in the lineup until new, fresh material began to take their place — particularly when Robert Hunter joined the fray the following year.
Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / guitar, vocals
- Ron “Pigpen” McKernan / harmonica, organ, vocals
- Phil Lesh / electric bass, vocals
- Bill Kreutzman / drums
Track List:
01. Walking The Dog – 5:40
02. You See A Broken Heart – 2:52
03. Promised Land – 2:32
04. Good Lovin’ – 2:40
05. Standing On The Corner – 2:57
06. Cream Puff War – 3:39
07. Betty And Dupree – 5:37
08. Stealin’ – 2:56
09. Silver Threads And Golden Needles – 3:02
10. Not Fade Away – 3:53
11. Big Railroad Blues – 3:10
12. Sick And Tired – 3:19
13. Empty Heart – 6:20
14. Gangster Of Love – 4:37
15. Don’t Mess Up A Good Thing – 2:58
16. Hey Little One – 5:02
17. I’m A King Bee – 6:00
18. Caution (Do Not Step On Tracks) – 11:05
Link in comments.
Grateful Dead – So Many Roads (Compilation 1965-95) (@256)
19 Dec 2010
(Review from allmusic)
For this box set, the group’s extensive vault was scoured for a five-CD set which includes only a few tracks that have ever been released in any medium. Adopting a roughly chronological sequencing, these are rare songs, especially, performance highlights spanning the Dead’s 30-year career.
Time and again, the songs here begin in normal fashion and then take off into uncharted territory; as long as the soloing is interesting, it doesn’t matter if lyrics are blown or the singing is off-key. In many cases, there are excerpts without the songs that begin or conclude them.
The rare songs include selections from the Dead’s unreleased 1965 sessions for Autumn Records, outtakes from Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, and rehearsals and live performances of songs intended for a Dead album that was never formally recorded.
In short, So Many Roads (1965-1995) was obviously made by Deadheads for Deadheads. The Dead have succeeded over the years by addressing the interests of a cult that welcomes neophytes but also revels in its exclusivity; it’s no surprise that their version of a box-set retrospective holds true to that course.
Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / lead guitar, vocals (1965 / 1995)
- Bill Kreutzmann / drums (1965 / 1995)
- Phil Lesh / bass guitar, vocals (1965 / 1995)
- Bob Weir / guitar, vocals (1965 / 1995)
- Ron “Pigpen” McKernan / keyboards, harmonica, vocals (1965 / Jun. 17, 1972)
- Mickey Hart / drums (Sep. 29, 1967 / Feb. 18, 1971; Oct. 20, 1974 / 1995)
- Tom Constanten / keyboards (Nov. 23, 1968 / Jan. 30, 1970)
- Keith Godchaux / keyboards, vocals (Oct. 19, 1971 / Feb. 17, 1979)
- Donna Jean Godchaux / vocals (Dec. 31, 1971 / Feb. 17, 1979)
- Brent Mydland / keyboards, vocals (Apr. 22, 1979 / Jul. 23, 1990)
- Vince Welnick / keyboards, vocals (Sep. 7, 1990 / 1995)
- Bruce Hornsby / piano, accordion, vocals (Sep. 15, 1990 / Mar. 24, 1992)
Track List:
CD1
01. Can’t Come Down – 2:59
02. Caution (Do Not Step On The Tracks) – 3:13
03. You Don’t Have To Ask – 3:54
04. On The Road Again – 2:44
05. Cream Puff War – 5:39
06. I Know You Rider – 4:22
07. The Same Thing – 11:40
08. Dark Star – 25:28
09. Clementine – 7:52
10. Masons Children – 3:39
11. To Lay Me Down – 5:39
CD2
01. That’s It For The Other One – 20:55
02. Beautiful Jam – 4:41
03. Chinatown Shuffle – 2:57
04. Sing Me Back Home – 10:28
05. Watkins Glen Sound Check Jam – 18:33
06. Dark Star – 18:59
CD3
01. Eyes Of The World – 18:32
02. The Wheel – 11:17
03. Stella Blue – 11:39
04. Estimated Prophet – 10:55
05. The Music Never Stopped – 7:26
06. Shakedown Street – 17:25
CD4
01. Cassidy – 5:50
02. Hey Pocky Way – 6:05
03. Believe It Or Not – 5:07
04. Playing In The Band – 12:26
05. Gentlemen Start Your Engines – 4:12
06. Death Don’t Have No Mercy – 6:44
07. Scarlet Begonias – 19:38
08. Bird Song – 13:09
09. Jam Out Of Terrapin – 5:08
CD5
01. Terrapin Station – 12:38
02. Jam Out Of Foolish Hart – 5:27
03. Way To Go home – 6:30
04. Liberty – 6:00
05. Lazy River Road – 7:00
06. Eternity – 7:37
07. Jam Into Days Between – 7:08
08. Days Between – 11:02
09. Whiskey In The Jar – 5:17
10. So Many Roads – 9:57
Link in comments.
Grateful Dead – Without a Net (Live 1990) (@256)
18 Dec 2010
(Review from allmusic)
This double CD collection was the final live title to have been released by the Grateful Dead during their active performance life. The contents were compiled from a six-month window that included some of the Dead’s most uniformly strong shows from the fall of 1989 and the spring of 1990.
More than most other touring bands, the Grateful Dead were able to take full advantage of the technological advancement, as their expanded instrumental jams and sinuously segued suites often lasted in excess of the standard 25 minutes available on a single side of a vinyl album.
Without a doubt, this collection is the strongest and most accurate representation of how the concurrent Grateful Dead sounded since the epic Live/Dead album some two decades earlier.
Victim or the Crime” — Bob Weir’s dark tale of survival — is the most recent composition, having originally surfaced on the Dead’s final studio album. The two covers — Robert Johnson’s “Walkin’ Blues” and Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy” — were the only songs making their debut appearance on a Grateful Dead release.
The remaining dozen performances are nuggets mined from the Dead’s formidable catalog. There are a few definitive versions of Deadhead favorites, including “Althea”, “Bird Song” and “Cassidy”, as well as the “Help On the Way”/”Slipknot!”/”Franklin’s Tower” medley.
Line-up:
Track List:
CD1
01. Feel Like A Stranger – 7:32
02. Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo – 8:00
03. Walkin’ Blues – 5:44
04. Althea – 6:55
05. Cassidy – 6:36
06. Bird Song – 12:57
07. Let It Grow – 11:54
CD2
01. China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider – 10:24
02. Looks Like Rain – 8:03
03. Eyes Of The World – 16:14
04. Victim Or The Crime – 8:04
05. Help On The Way > Slipknot > Franklin’s Tower – 18:57
06. One More Saturday Night – 4:50
07. Dear Mr. Fantasy – 5:44
Link in comments.
Grateful Dead – Built to Last (1989) (@256)
17 Dec 2010
(Review from amazon)
The band’s thirteenth studio album, “Built to Last” doesn’t capture the spirit or flavor of the Grateful Dead live, instead it presents some great new Dead tunes with the band playing unusually well in the studio.
This album features the most songs by keyboard player Brent Mydland, who has four song credits in collaboration with Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow. This mirrored accurately Mydland’s increasing vocal presence in the band over the decade he spent with the Dead.
Jerry Garcia’s three contributions are pretty good, the nod going to “Standing on the Moon” and “Built to Last”. Both have interesting changes, and are good songs. Weir only had two songs available. Victim Or the Crime is an excellent piece of psychedelia, and wonderfully dark. They hail back to their origins, and explore alleys others normally wouldn’t.
Mydland’s death less than a year later would prove to end the Dead’s studio album tenure.
Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / guitar, vocals
- Brent Mydland / keyboards, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass
- Bill Kreutzmann / drums
- Mickey Hart / drums, percussion
Track List:
01. Foolish Heart – 5:12
02. Just A Little Light – 4:42
03. Built To Last – 5:04
04. Blow Away – 6:10
05. Victim Or The Crime – 7:34
06. We Can Run – 5:31
07. Standing On The Moon – 5:20
08. Picasso Moon – 6:41
09. I Will Take You Home – 3:46
Link in comments.
Grateful Dead – Dylan & the Dead (Live 1987) (@256)
16 Dec 2010
(Review from wikipedia, amazon)
Dylan & the Dead was recorded in 1987, during a successful stadium tour of the same name. For this series of concerts, Grateful Dead would perform two sets of material, followed by a set by Bob Dylan, backed by Grateful Dead.
Dylan’s vocals are acceptable, and they are intriguing for what he chooses to include and leave out given the generally accepted crossroads he was at in his career. The Dead’s sound is unmistakable, and provides an interesting filter to standard and not so standard selections within Dylan’s substantial song catalog.
This unique album is a ragged, free-wheeling, and ultimately satisfying performance.
Despite strong initial sales, it was poorly received by critics.
Line-up:
- Bob Dylan / guitar, vocals
- Jerry Garcia / guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / guitar, vocals
- Brent Mydland / keyboards, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass
- Bill Kreutzmann / drums
- Mickey Hart / drums
Track List:
01. Slow Train – 4:57
02. I Want You – 4:04
03. Gotta Serve Somebody – 5:50
04. Queen Jane Approximately – 6:38
05. Joey – 9:16
06. All Along the Watchtower – 6:23
07. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – 6:51
Link in comments.
Grateful Dead – In The Dark (1987) (@256)
15 Dec 2010
(Review from allmusic)
“In the Dark” was their first studio album in 6 years. Most of the songs on this album had been played by the Dead since 1982 or 1983, which gave them a five-year edge on perfecting these songs for this album. After “Go to Heaven”, which contained songs that were mostly under a year old, the maturity of “In The Dark” was significantly more appreciated.
Fans had long mused that the Dead’s studio albums lacked the easygoing energy and natural flow of their live performances, and “In the Dark” does come close to capturing that lightning in a bottle.
Jerry Garcia, after a near-fatal diabet coma, approaches his instrument recharged, while his voice (a beneficiary of the extended hiatus?) shows some of its original smoothness. Of his four songwriting collaborations with long-standing lyricist Robert Hunter, “Touch of Grey” is far and away the best. “When Push Comes to Shove” and “West L.A. Fadeaway” use familiar blues-based riffs that lack the pair’s often-contagious chemistry, and “Black Muddy River” has one foot firmly stuck in mawkish MOR terrain.
What pushes “In the Dark” past the band’s also-rans are two terrific Weir songs, the cheerfully cranky “Hell in a Bucket” and the cautionary tale “Throwing Stones”. Rarely have Weir’s songs sounded so effortless; punctuated by Garcia’s guitar, they have more in common with the upbeat, flavorful sound of past Garcia/Hunter compositions than the pair’s own work this time out.
Although the album is unmistakable as the work of the Dead, much of it recalls the punchy, pungent production of Dire Straits’ recent work.
The album thrusted the band back into the spotlight on the strength of the band’s lone Top 40 single, “Touch of Grey” .
Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / guitar, vocals
- Brent Mydland / keyboards, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass
- Bill Kreutzmann / drums
- Mickey Hart / drums
Track List:
01. Touch Of Grey – 5:49
02. Hell In A Bucket – 5:37
03. When Push Comes To Shove – 4:05
04. West L.A. Fadeaway – 6:39
05. Tons Of Steel – 5:17
06. Throwing Stones – 7:21
07. Black Muddy River – 5:57
Link in comments.
Black Widow – Return To The Sabbat (Compilation 1969) (@256)
15 Dec 2010
(Review from progarchives.com)
Each song featured on this archival release is a demo of what would become the band’s debut, “Sacrifice” which was released in 1970.
All these versions are dating from 1969 and they are being offered in a less achieved way than the ones which were recorded for the official album released in those early days of prog. Most of the songs are shorter in their pre-release formats if you would except the opening number “In Ancient Days”. The keyboards intro on that one is more solemn and the sax parts longer.
This album is for fans only but it is still a good one. However any proghead willing to discover this almost anonymous band should start with the more accomplished official release from 1970.
Line-up:
- Jim Gannon / lead guitar, vibes, spanish guitar
- Zoot Taylor / organ, piano
- Kip Trevor / lead vocals
- Kay Garret / lead vocals
- Clive Jones / flute, saxophone, clarinet
- Bob Bond / bass guitar
- Clive Box / drums & percussion
Track List:
01. In Ancient Days – 9:26
02. Way To Power – 4:07
03. Come To The Sabbat – 4:10
04. Conjuration – 5:51
05. Seduction – 4:40
06. Attack Of The Demon – 3:56
07. Sacrifice – 10:49
Link in comments.
Grateful Dead – Dead Set (Live 1980) (@256)
14 Dec 2010
(Review from wikipedia, amazon)
Dead Set is essentially the electric brother of the acoustic Reckoning: both of the albums come from the same recorded concerts. It was originally intended for both of the albums to be one double record set, but due to the lengthiness of many of the Grateful Dead’s electric tunes, it was decided to separately release the material.
Steering from the path of previous live albums, this album does include much audience noise. There is cheering and screaming in the middles of songs.
There are some interesting renditions, like the slowed down version of “Friend of the Devil”, and the very energetic “Fire On the Mountain” and “Deal”.
Even classic renditions can be of interest, since the Godchaux’s present in the studio recordings are replaced with Brent Myland.
This edition of the album omits the track “Space” to make the album fit to a single CD.
Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / guitar, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass
- Brent Mydland / keyboards, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann / drums
- Mickey Hart / drums
Track List:
01. Samson And Delilah – 5:02
02. Friend Of The Devil – 7:27
03. New Minglewood Blues – 4:41
04. Deal – 4:35
05. Candyman – 7:15
06. Little Red Rooster – 4:30
07. Loser – 5:45
08. Passenger – 3:21
09. Feel Like A Stranger – 5:40
10. Franklin’s Tower – 5:22
11. Rhythm Devils – 3:55
12. Fire On The Mountain – 6:29
13. Greatest Story Ever Told – 4:04
14. Brokedown Palace – 5:41
Link in comments.