Sakalli

(Review from allmusic)

In contrast to then-recent Grateful Dead archival releases, this two-hour-plus live album does not present a particular show or group of shows, but rather is a compilation, courtesy of bassist Phil Lesh (hence the title) of what he calls rarer material that stand on its ‘historical relevance’ that wouldn’t have made it out as complete shows. It is, if anything, even more arcane, even more of a fan-oriented release than the others.

The material spans the years 1967-1995, practically the Dead’s entire career. For the most part, the historical relevance is hard to discern, though the album does contain a 1970 version of “Mason’s Children,” which, as Lesh notes, “never made it onto an ‘official’ album.” Rather, the choices are often idiosyncratic. Recalling that the Dead were once accused of playing “In the Midnight Hour” for 45 minutes, Lesh includes “the longest one I could find,” which runs almost 32 minutes.

There is a particularly well-received performance of the Ron “Pigpen” McKernan showcase “Hard to Handle” from 1971 that makes you wish for a higher-quality source than the audience tape included (or a video), if only to give a clue as to what the fuss was about. Elsewhere, Lesh includes many familiar tunes in what he takes to be exceptional performances.

Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / lead guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / rhythm guitar, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass guitar, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann / drums
- Mickey Hart / drums (except CD1/6, CD2/3)
- Ron “Pigpen” McKernan / harmonica, organ, vocals (CD1/1-2, CD1/4, CD1/6, CD2/3)
- Tom Constanten / organ (CD1/3, CD1/5)
- Brent Mydland / keyboards, vocals (CD2/1-5)
- Keith Godchaux / piano (CD2/2)
- Vince Welnick / keyboards (CD2/4)

Track List:
CD1
01. Dancin’ In The Streets – 11:44
02. New Speedway Boogie – 8:08
03. Viola Lee Blues – 19:45
04. Easy Wind – 8:05
05. Mason’s Children – 6:09
06. Hard To Handle – 7:35
CD2
01. Music Never Stopped – 8:56
02. Jack-A-Roe – 5:54
03. Midnight Hour – 31:53
04. Visions Of Johanna – 10:26
05. Box Of Rain – 5:12

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(Review from allmusic)

After the untimely passing of the Dead’s keyboardist, Brent Mydland, in late July of 1990, the band called upon former Tubes member Vince Welnick as Mydland’s replacement. Likewise, Bruce Hornsby (grand piano and accordion) was added as a semi-permanent bandmember as schedules permitted.

This archival release highlights two R.F.K. Stadium appearances from the early 1990s. The main performance features both sets from June 14, 1991; the bonus material is from July 12, 1990, and features a slightly different incarnation of the band.

Both performances are replete with better-than-average versions of well-worn classics such as “Cold Rain and Snow” and Johnny Cash’s “Big River.” The latter is also notable for its adept coupling to a smoldering rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm”. The Dead’s unique arrangement features a verse from all five Dead vocalists.

The second set, commencing on disc two, is where the performance becomes truly inspirational, leading off with a stirring reading of the “Help on the Way”, “Slipknot!”, “Franklin’s Tower” suite. Specifically, the engaging instrumental midsection “Slipknot!” issues rush after rush of flawless execution from lead guitarist Jerry Garcia. In turn, this pushes the rest of the band into creating symbiotic musical bliss for both performer and audience alike.

The remainder of the 1991 show features additional highlights, such as a heartfelt “Dark Star” and their second Dylan cover for the evening — “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue”.

The bonus material features a few gems from the Dead’s final studio album, “Built to Last”. The “Dark Star” that concludes View From the Vault II is the preferential version. It rises organically from the sonic ashes of “Foolish Heart” instead of sounding like a forced afterthought.

Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / lead guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / rhythm guitar, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass guitar, vocals
- Vince Welnick / keyboards, vocals
- Mickey Hart / drums, percussion
- Bill Kreutzman / drums, percussion
- Bruce Hornsby / accordion, piano, synthesizer, vocals

Track List:
CD1
01. Cold Rain and Snow – 7:00
02. Wang Dang Doodle – 6:39
03. Jack a Roe – 5:47
04. Big River] – 5:42
05. Maggie’s Farm – 7:43
06. Row Jimmy – 11:03
07. Black-Throated Wind – 7:19
08. Tennessee Jed – 7:48
09. The Music Never Stopped – 8:55
CD2
01. Help On The Way ] – 4:33
02. Slipknot! ] – 8:29
03. Franklin’s Tower ] – 12:27
04. Estimated Prophet ] – 13:07
05. Dark Star ] – 11:28
06. Drums ] – 9:54
07. Space ] – 6:26
CD3
01. Stella Blue] – 13:09
02. Turn on Your Lovelight – 9:12
03. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue – 7:19
04. Victim Or The Crime] (Bonus) – 8:29
05. Foolish Heart] (Bonus) – 10:10
06. Dark Star (Bonus) – 24:58

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Thanks to Bragi Taliesin for the contribution.

(Review from wikipedia, musicbox-online.com, allmusic)

“Infrared Roses” is a conglomeration of the famous improvisational segments of a Grateful Dead concert commonly referred to as “Drums” and “Space”.

The nearly hour-long instrumental interplay features no recognizable songs from the band’s repertoire. The excerpts pulled from a variety of concert performances circa 1989 and 1990, was reconfigured and combined into four distinct multi-movement suites.

The style of these improvisations range from ambient (“Little Nemo in Nightland”) to easy listening (“Silver Apples of the Moon” which features pianist Bruce Hornsby performing variations on the Dead classic “Dark Star”) to avant-garde (the title track and “Magnesium Nightlight”) to jazz (“Apollo at the Ritz” which features saxophone extraordinaire Branford Marsalis) to world music (“Speaking in Swords” and “River of Nine Sorrows”).

Infrared Roses isn’t a typical live Grateful Dead recording and potential consumers should not expect such. However, there is plenty for the adventurous listener, Deadheads longing for a good ol’ “Drums/Space” freak-out, and even parties curious about the remarkable stylistic breadth that became a motif of the Grateful Dead’s concerts for three decades.

Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / drums, guitar, synthesizer
- Bob Weir / guitar, marimba, synthesizer
- Phil Lesh / bass guitar, synthesizer
- Brent Mydland / keyboards, rattles, synthesizer, tom/tom
- Vince Welnick / synthesizer
- Bruce Hornsby / piano, keyboards
- Bill Kreutzmann / drums
- Mickey Hart / drums

Track List:
01. Crowd Sculpture – 2:22
02. Parallelogram – 5:07
03. Little Nemo in Nightland – 6:18
04. Riverside Rhapsody – 3:55
05. Post-Modern Highrise Table Top Stomp – 4:23
06. Infrared Roses – 5:40
07. Silver Apples of the Moon – 5:42
08. Speaking in Swords – 3:29
09. Magnesium Night Light – 5:31
10. Sparrow Hawk Row – 3:24
11. River of Nine Sorrows – 4:27
12. Apollo at the Ritz – 8:14

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(Review from wikipedia, amazon)

This archival release offers the complete concert from July 8, 1990 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh (only 16 days before Mydland’s death) with bonus tracks from two days earlier at Cardinal Stadium in Louisville.

A beaming Garcia sets the tone for night with a lyrically and musically perfect “Touch of Grey”. The first set includes some favorites like “Jack-A-Roe”, a wonderful, lilting “Row Jimmy”, Lesh’s fun rendition of “Dylan’s Tom Thumb’s Blues”, and a set closing “Let It Grow” that sees the band hitting all the marks they should be.

The second set, however, is where the fireworks are: two hour journey through old and new Grateful Dead, with nary a break in action for the duration. “Samson and Delilah” smokes, but it is the “Eyes of the World” that explodes. The second jam in the song saw a house full of dropped jaws. The band is solid throughout the set, with “Estimated Prophet”, “Wang Dand Doodle”, and “Black Peter” being real standouts.

Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / lead guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / rhythm guitar, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass guitar, vocals
- Brent Mydland / Hammond organ, keyboards, vocals
- Mickey Hart / drums, percussion
- Bill Kreutzman / drums, percussion

Track List:
CD1
01. Touch of Grey – 6:36
02. Greatest Story Ever Told – 4:44
03. Jack-A-Roe – 5:09
04. Minglewood Blues – 7:17
05. Row Jimmy – 11:50
06. Mama Tried ] – 2:32
07. Mexicali Blues – 5:30
08. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues – 6:13
09. Let it Grow – 12:15
CD2
01. Samson & Delilah – 7:05
02. Eyes of the World – 15:13
03. Estimated Prophet – 11:40
04. Terrapin Station – 14:55
05. Jam – 4:46
06. Drums – 7:37
07. Space – 9:03
CD3
01. I Need A Miracle – 5:27
02. Wang Dang Doodle – 5:19
03. Black Peter – 9:42
04. Throwing Stones – 9:22
05. Turn On Your Lovelight – 8:38
06. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door – 7:08
07. Standing On The Moon (Bonus) – 9:44
08. He’s Gone (Bonus) – 9:41
09. KY Jam (Bonus) – 13:42

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(Review from musicbox-online.com, allmusic)

This archival album’s main performance consists of two complete sets and encore from June 16, 1990. There also six bonus songs from a show at the same venue on October 3, 1987. Both capture the Dead practically in their own backyard at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. This venue became a Mecca for Dead shows, as the band performed there a total of 39 times between 1987 and 1995.

By this point in the Grateful Dead’s career, it had long settled into a two-set routine, each with its own selection of likely songs and a very structured format. What’s notable about this particular performance is that the band offered some variation to its pre-scripted formula, and in the process, it became a looser, more playful, and yes, even unpredictable ensemble.

During the first set, the Grateful Dead offered nine songs, and although they were mostly short ones, the band more than made up for this with some surprising twists and turns. “Let the Good Times Roll” hinted at the fun to come, bursting full-force into the astonishing choice of “Truckin’” before closing down the trip-shot introduction with a solid “Touch of Grey”. The set concluded in equally startling fashion with the seldom-played “Big Boss Man” leading into the rousing first set rarity “One More Saturday Night”. In between lay a beautiful “Friend of the Devil”, a soaring “Cassidy”, and a particularly jovial pairing of “Mama Tried” and “Big River”.

Charging out of the gate in the second set with a jaunty “China Cat Sunflower”, the Grateful Dead settled in for some serious improvisational mayhem. The guitar stylings of Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir danced in tandem to the rollicking rhythm of Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart, while keyboardist Brent Mydland painted each instrumental passage with a delicate array of color and texture. Garcia channeled guitar, saxophone, and flute before the band dove head-first into the initial verse of “I Know You Rider”. Without missing a beat, the band continued the groove, comfortably delivering Mydland’s socio-political commentary “We Can Run”, and despite its humorously botched lyrics, it remains as powerful a statement today as it was when it was first composed — even if it does carry a melody that’s just a little too cute.

Starting with “Estimated Prophet”, the members of the Grateful Dead locked onto one another in a shining display of collective virtuosity. Each musician fed off of the others, building a tuneful wall of liquid sound that built to climax after climax as melodies melted together, shifting from Estimated Prophet’s reggae rhythm to Terrapin Station’s epic folk-rock beauty.

Instead of the usual installment of Drums, the band members remained on stage in various configurations, continuing to experiment with their equipment, while exploring musical themes and ideas in ways that were reminiscent of the group’s early 1970s heyday. Terrapin Station mutated and evolved into something new, different, and exciting. As melodies surfaced, the group ran with them before the music devolved into free-form space. Eventually, a drum solo did emerge, but rather than a percussive duel, Hart called the congregation to order by banging around on the “Beam.” A gorgeous rendition of China Doll quickly ensued, and this, in turn, yielded to a jubilant Sugar Magnolia that brought the crowd back to reality. Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” caps off the evening as the band delivered in touching tribute to one of its biggest inspirations.

Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / lead guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / rhythm guitar, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass guitar, vocals
- Brent Mydland / Hammond organ, keyboards, vocals
- Mickey Hart / drums, percussion
- Bill Kreutzman / drums, percussion

Track List:
CD1
01. Let The Good Times Roll -] – 4:51
02. Truckin’ -] – 10:05
03. Touch of Grey – 7:29
04. Mama Tried -] – 2:34
05. Big River – 5:51
06. Friend of the Devil – 8:05
07. Cassidy – 6:21
08. Big Boss Man – 7:24
09. One More Saturday Night – 5:23
CD2
01. China Cat Sunflower -] – 10:38
02. I Know You Rider -] – 5:44
03. We Can Run – 5:49
04. Estimated Prophet -] – 13:06
05. Terrapin Station -] – 15:19
06. Jam -] – 15:15
07. Space -] – 11:48
CD3
01. Drums -] – 4:12
02. China Doll -] – 6:45
03. Sugar Magnolia – 9:57
04. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue – 7:40
05. Hey Pocky Way (Bonus 1987) – 6:16
06. New Minglewood Blues (Bonus 1987) – 7:36
07. Candyman (Bonus 1987) – 7:51
08. When I Paint My Masterpiece (Bonus 1987) – 4:39
09. West L.A. Fadeaway (Bonus 1987) – 7:33
10. My Brother Esau (Bonus 1987) – 4:25

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(Review from allmusic)

This archival release mixes performances from three successive shows performed at Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, NY, March 24-26. It contains most of the first set from March 26, all of the second set from March 24, and the second half of the second set from March 25.

The best feature of that show is a nearly eight-minute version of the rarely performed jam “Your Mind Has Left Your Body” here playfully renamed “Mud Love Buddy Jam.” The Dead had reinvigorated their live shows in the fall of 1989, meanwhile reintroducing many of their older songs. By the spring of 1990, they were back to a more conventional repertoire (though this album contains such fairly unusual selections as “The Wheel” and the a cappella “And We Bid You Goodnight”), but their performance standard remained high, as demonstrated on this well-performed collection.

Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / guitar, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass guitar
- Brent Mydland / keyboards, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann / drums
- Mickey Hart / drums

Track List:
CD1
01. Hell in a Bucket – 6:58
02. Dupree’s Diamond Blues – 5:56
03. Just a Little Light – 4:51
04. Walkin’ Blues – 6:52
05. Jack-A-Roe – 4:28
06. Never Trust a Woman – 7:39
07. When I Paint My Masterpiece – 5:54
08. Row Jimmy – 11:20
09. Blow Away – 11:39
CD2
01. Playing In The Band – 10:11
02. Uncle John’s Band – 10:05
03. Lady With A Fan – 6:49
04. Terrapin Station – 6:32
05. Mud Love Buddy Jam – 7:52
06. Drums – 9:41
07. Space – 9:38
CD3
01. Space – 0:43
02. The Wheel – 4:15
03. All Along the Watchtower – 7:41
04. Stella Blue – 8:38
05. Not Fade Away – 9:41
06. And We Bid You Goodnight – 2:59
07. Space – 1:33
08. I Will Take You Home – 5:16
09. Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad – 6:53
10. Black Peter – 9:15
11. Around and Around – 7:17
12. Brokedown Palace – 5:54

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(Review from musicbox-online.com)

This is the entire March 15, 1990 (bassist Phil Lesh’s 50th birthday) concert at the Capitol Centre in Landover, Maryland.

The first set kicks off with a rapid-fire “Jack Straw” that barely contains the intensity of the band. Sugaree quickly follows, and the band settles into a groove that allows them to loosen up, shake off the cobwebs, and melt into the music. Bob Weir rips his trademark, feedback-laden, rhythm chords throughout the song as Jerry Garcia, keyboardist Brent Mydland, and Lesh simultaneously solo, intertwining their instrumental musings in a beautiful kaleidoscopic soundscape.

“Easy to Love You” was Mydland’s best song, and the version here — the first since 1980 — is stellar. It’s impossible not to picture his feet dancing beneath his keyboard as he performs his solo. He also puts a real kick into the middle of “Walkin’ Blues”, keeping the momentum rolling and making the remainder of the set an outstanding musical series.

In “Althea”, Garcia’s guitar sings a flurry of notes that pass like clouds on a windy Spring day. The interplay between each member of the band makes for an incredible aural experience, and each person is clearly tuned in to every other person in the band (This “Althea” is the same one that appears on “Without a Net”).

Lesh takes the lead vocal on a rare rendition of Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues. After all, it was his birthday as Garcia reminds us with a few strains of Happy Birthday towards the end of the song.

“Cassidy” is short, but powerful raging through the solo excursions and covering quite a bit of musical territory in the process. The set concludes with a typically rousing rendition of “Don’t Ease Me In”.

Another Happy Birthday interlude leads into “China Cat Sunflower” to start the second set. The notes collide sending a cosmic burst of “comic book colors” across the audience. The jam weaves and turns over familiar ground, raging in intensity then dropping down a notch for a beautiful jam into “I Know You Rider”, which also rings with vibrant energy.

“Samson and Delilah” is furious but gives way to a mellow, melodious “Terrapin Station”. From Garcia’s towering solos to Lesh’s own sublime bass excursions to the subtle rhythmic fills from Weir and Mydland, this version of “Terrapin Station” soars with the best. It’s truly transportational. The song transcends both time and space as the music plays the band. The final jam out of Terrapin repeats like a mantra, as the band becomes a singular, giant sonic beast. The theme gradually mutates and changes — each cycle crashing like a giant wave, folding upon itself, pulling back, and crashing again. Each thunderous explosion seems to dissipate the storm, until all that is left is the aptly titled “Mock Turtle Jam” — a sweet, thematic, extension of the song led by Garcia’s midi-guitar.

Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart gradually begin to influence the theme as the jam increases in speed and intensity and flirts with both “Eyes of the World” and “Mind Left Body” transitions. Before either of these songs can fully form, the band turns things over to the drummers for their segment of the concert.

After “Drums” and “Space”, the set continues with a tender rendition of “I Will Take You Home” and a commanding and inspirational “Wharf Rat”, featuring an emotional vocal performance from Garcia. Weir draws the set to a rousing conclusion with an outstanding pairing of the anthems “Throwing Stones” and “Not Fade Away”. The icing on the cake is a wonderful cover of Beatles’ “Revolution”, which made its first appearance at a Grateful Dead concert since 1985.

Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / lead guitar, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann / percussion
- Phil Lesh / bass, vocals
- Bob Weir / guitar, vocals
- Mickey Hart / drums
- Brent Mydland / Hammond organ, keyboards, vocals

Track List:
CD1
01. Jack Straw – 6:19
02. Sugaree – 11:13
03. Easy To Love You – 6:32
04. Walkin’ Blues – 6:11
05. Althea – 8:32
06. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues – 6:57
07. Tennessee Jed – 9:16
08. Cassidy – 6:11
09. Don’t Ease Me In – 4:03
CD2
01. China Cat Sunflower – 6:27
02. I Know You Rider – 6:49
03. Samson & Delilah – 7:07
04. Terrapin Station – 14:22
05. Mock Turtle Jam -) – 8:23
06. Drums – 6:16
CD3
01. And – 3:43
02. Space – 10:05
03. I Will Take You Home – 4:20
04. Wharf Rat – 10:58
05. Throwing Stones – 8:59
06. Not Fade Away – 9:21
07. Revolution – 5:07

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(Review from allmusic)

This double-disc release highlights the Grateful Dead’s final performance of a five show run at the Meadowlands Arena, on October 16, 1989, Bob Weir’s 42nd birthday. Nightfall of Diamonds presents this concert replete with one of the most accurate soundstages of any Grateful Dead vintage release.

The Dead’s fall tour of 1989 coincided with the release of “Built to Last” — their 13th studio release. The loosely structured and perpetually evolving set lists allowed for the integration of newer tunes such as “Picasso Moon” — the up-tempo rocker that opens this set — with more established works from their 200-plus song canon. “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo”, coupled here with the funky “Feel Like a Stranger”, reveals some excellent ensemble playing. Jerry Garcia’s lead guitar lines are precise and well developed as he maneuvers the band into territories considered unattainable in the late ’80s by skeptical enthusiasts.

Another first set highlight is the overtly bluesy “Never Trust a Woman” — featuring the first of two lead vocals from the Dead’s ’80s keyboardist, Brent Mydland. The pairing of “Let It Grow” to an exceptionally engaging performance of “Deal” conclude the first set with the same high energy with which it began.

Set two/disc two continues to exhibit the Dead’s imposing strength. From the opening strains of the psychedelically acquiescent “Dark Star” — which envelopes a majority of the second set — to the a cappella encore “We Bid You Goodnight”, the Dead morph their entire quarter-century history into the space of less than 80 minutes. Every genre and stylistic approach is uncovered, including nearly half an hour of premier instrumentation which links “Uncle John’s Band” to the second Brent Mydland vocal, “I Will Take You Home”.

“Nightfall of Diamonds” disengages the misnomer that the Grateful Dead were outmoded and strung out in their final years of performance. Additionally, the set is offered as the quintessence of everything musically addictive to Deadheads during this era.

Line-up:
- Jerry Garcia / lead guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir / rhythm guitar, vocals
- Phil Lesh / bass guitar, vocals
- Brent Mydland / Hammond organ, keyboards, vocals
- Mickey Hart / drums, percussion
- Bill Kreutzman / drums, percussion

Track List:
CD1
01. Picasso Moon – 7:05
02. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo – 6:43
03. Feel Like A Stranger – 7:34
04. Never Trust A Woman – 7:31
05. Built To Last – 5:11
06. Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again – 10:43
07. Let It Grow – 11:59
08. Deal – 8:41
CD2
01. Dark Star-] – 12:02
02. Playin’ in the Band-] – 8:02
03. Uncle John’s Band-] – 9:25
04. Jam-] – 9:20
05. Drumz-] – 6:08
06. Space-] – 5:49
07. I Will Take You Home-] – 4:48
08. I Need A Miracle-] – 4:02
09. Dark Star-] (2) – 5:18
10. Attics of My Life-] – 4:52
11. Playin’ In The Band Reprise – 4:30
12. We Bid You Goodnight – 2:56

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