Rock, Metal

Grateful Dead - Fillmore East, New York (1970)

2014-03-17T17:00:13Z

Grateful Dead - Fillmore East, New York (1970)

Disc 1:
1 - The Other One
2 - Cryptical Envelopment
3 - Dire Wolf
4 - Casey Jones
5 - Not Fade Away
6 - Cumberland Blues
7 - Cold Rain And Snow
8 - High Time
9 - Me & My Uncle

Disc 2:
1 - Dark Star *
2 - Spanish Jam *
3 - Turn On Your Lovelight *
4 - Uncle John's Band

* With Duane and Gregg Allman and Peter Green

Grateful Dead:
    Jerry Garcia – lead guitar, vocals
    Bob Weir – rhythm guitar, vocals
    Ron "Pigpen" McKernan – keyboards, harmonica, percussion, vocals
    Phil Lesh – bass, vocals
    Bill Kreutzmann – drums
    Mickey Hart – drums

A great and historic recording from two shows played on February 11, 1970. The first four tracks are from the early show and the others from the late.

The Dead played a Wednesday at Fillmore East, and then skipped a night and played the customary Friday-Saturday weekend show. This was completely unprecedented in the history of the Fillmore East. No other headline band at Fillmore East broke up a run with a day off--much less to play a relatively small club uptown.

The reason, as we have ultimately determined, was that Warner Brothers wanted the Dead to play an industry "showcase" at Ungano's (see below), and a few shows at Fillmore East essentially financed the trip. Since the Fillmore East was among the very few venues were the Dead were willing to play on the house sound system, they could simply fly to New York (with their guitars) and play the Fillmore East without the equipment truck.

The Dead had met the Allman Brothers, but never heard them play (although Jerry and Duane Allman had jammed in Atlanta on July 7, 1969). February 11, 1970 was a truly legendary night. After a perfunctory, if enjoyable early show, most of the Allman Brothers and some members of Fleetwood Mac (in town with nothing to do) joined the Grateful Dead onstage for an epic rock jam that included an unforgettable "Turn On Your Lovelight." --- lostlivedead.blogspot.com

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Grateful Dead Live at Wembley Arena 1990

2014-03-19T16:41:59Z

Grateful Dead Live at Wembley Arena 1990

Disc 1 - Set 1
01 Hell In A Bucket
02 Friend Of The Devil
03 Walkin' Blues
04 Cold Rain & Snow
05 Mama Tried >
06 Maggie's Farm
07 Cassidy
08 Stander On The Mountain*

Disc 2 - Set 2
01 Victim >
02 Touch Of Grey
03 Playing In The Band >
04 Dark Star >
05 Drums >
06 Space >
07 Dark Star >
08 Playing Reprise >

Disc 3 - Set 2 (cont'd)
01 Wharf Rat >
02 Throwing Stones >
03 Not Fade Away
encore
04 U.S. Blues

Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals
Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
Phil Lesh - bass, vocals
Bill Kreutzmann – drums
Mickey Hart – drums
Bruce Hornsby - keyboards, vocals
Vince Welnick - keyboards, vocals

Wembley Arena, London, 1990-11-01

This was an extra show added to the 30th & 31st October shows due to overdemand for those two shows. The Arena wasn't full though but that might have been due to problems with publicizing the extra date. This is not a great venue normally from the point of view of acoustics but the band filled up the cavernous space very well with their magnificent din. I will never forget the way that drums>space swirled around the room, tumbling out of the four massive speaker sets dangling from the roof in the four corners of the 'room'. Jerry's voice had been struggling the two previous two nights but seemed to stage a recovery for this last night of three. They only played Stander On The Mountain three times and this is reportedly the best attempt they made. It's a pretty good song and they should have kept playing it regardless of whether Bruce Hornsby was sitting in or not. It was till a bit sloppy at this stage. Set 2 was great: the inclusion of Dark Star answered the prayers of about 4,000 British Deadheads. Arguably one of the best Dark Stars ever was played in Wembley in 1972 (though not in this venue). I saw some Deadheads getting hassled at the tube station by anti-hippies after the gig. I remember the chuffed feeling I had when I finally laid hands on a SBD of this show (courtesy of a Japanese Deadhead) about 5 years later. ---Soeharto, dead.net

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Grateful Dead – American Beauty (1970)

2010-06-30T21:57:20Z

Grateful Dead – American Beauty (1970)


01. Box Of Rain (Hunter, Lesh) – 5:16
02. Friend Of The Devil" (Garcia, Dawson, Hunter) – 3:20
03. Sugar Magnolia (Weir, Hunter) – 3:15
04. Operator (Ron McKernan) – 2:22
05. Candyman (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:10
06. Ripple (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:09
07. Brokedown Palace (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:04
08. Till The Morning Comes (Garcia, Hunter) – 3:06
09. Attics Of My Life (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:09
10. Truckin' (Garcia, Lesh, Weir, Hunter) – 5:02

Personnel:
- Jerry Garcia - guitar, pedal steel, vocals
- Phil Lesh - bass, acoustic guitar, piano, vocals
- Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
- Ron "Pigpen" McKernan - harmonica, vocals
- Mickey Hart - percussion
- Bill Kreutzmann - drums
- Robert Hunter - songwriter
+
- Dave Torbert - bass on "Box of Rain"
- Dave Nelson - electric guitar on "Box of Rain"
- David Grisman - mandolin on "Friend of the Devil" and "Ripple"
- Howard Wales - organ on "Candyman" and "Truckin'" and piano on "Brokedown Palace"
- Ned Lagin - piano on "Candyman"
- New Riders Of The Purple Sage

With 1970's Workingman's Dead, the Grateful Dead went through an overnight metamorphosis, turning abruptly from tripped-out free-form rock toward sublime acoustic folk and Americana. Taking notes on vocal harmonies from friends Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Dead used the softer statements of their fourth studio album as a subtle but moving reflection on the turmoil, heaviness, and hope America's youth was facing as the idealistic '60s ended. American Beauty was recorded just a few months after its predecessor, both expanding and improving on the bluegrass, folk, and psychedelic country explorations of Workingman's Dead with some of the band's most brilliant compositions. The songs here have a noticeably more relaxed and joyous feel. Having dived headfirst into this new sound with the previous album, the bandmembers found the summit of their collaborative powers here, with lyricist Robert Hunter penning some of his most poetic work, Jerry Garcia focusing more on gliding pedal steel than his regular electric lead guitar work, and standout lead vocal performances coming from Bob Weir (on the anthem to hippie love "Sugar Magnolia"), Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (on the husky blues of "Operator"), and Phil Lesh (on the near-perfect opening tune, "Box of Rain"). This album also marked the beginning of what would become a long musical friendship between Garcia and Dave Grisman, whose mandolin playing adds depth and flavor to tracks like the outlaw country-folk of "Friend of the Devil" and the gorgeously devotional "Ripple." American Beauty eventually spawned the band's highest charting single -- "Truckin'," the greasy blues-rock tribute to nomadic counterculture -- but it also contained some of their most spiritual and open-hearted sentiments ever, their newfound love of intricate vocal arrangements finding pristine expression on the lamenting "Brokedown Palace" and the heavenly nostalgia and gratitude of "Attics of My Life." While the Dead eventually amassed a following so devoted that following the band from city to city became the center of many people’s lives, the majority of the band's magic came in the boundless heights it reached in its live sets but rarely managed to capture in the studio setting. American Beauty is a categorical exception to this, offering a look at the Dead transcending even their own exploratory heights and making some of their most powerful music by examining their most gentle and restrained impulses. It’s easily the masterwork of their studio output, and a strong contender for the best music the band ever made, even including the countless hours of live shows captured on tape in the decades that followed. ---Fred Thomas, AllMusic Review

Grateful Dead. Niewiele jest zespołów, które otoczone były (lub są) takim kultem, jak ta amerykańska grupa. Jerry Garcia, gitarzysta, frontman i guru był dla fanów swego rodzaju bogiem (tysięczny tłum spija słowa z mych ust, kochają mnie – że posłużę się innym cytatem). Dziś takich zespołów już nie ma, bo nawet aspirujący (może nieświadomie, ale zawsze) do podobnej roli Dave Matthews Band to już jednak inna liga, inna muzyka, a przede wszystkim inny świat. Bo dla Grateful Dead istotne znaczenie miało miejsce i czas, w jakim zespół powstał. Jak zsumujemy sobie San Francisco połowy lat 60-tych, dodamy odrobinę hippisów, Kena Keseya (tego od … a zresztą, co wam będę tłumaczył oczywiste oczywistości), Woodstock i jeszcze parę innych rzeczy – wyjdzie nam mieszanka, jakiej nie sposób przyrządzić już w żadnym innym czasie i miejscu.

Uwielbienie dla muzyki Grateful Dead sprowadza się – w moim odczuciu – do kilku albumów, które mieszczą się w kategoriach pomiędzy „wstyd nie znać – a – absolutnie wstyd nie mieć”. Jest w tej grupie recenzowane już przeze mnie arcydzieło koncertowe, czyli album Live /Dead, którego recenzję możecie przeczytać w linku. American Beauty, będący przedmiotem tej recenzji również zasługuje na umieszczenie go w przegródce „genialne płyty”. Co niniejszym w naszym serwisie czynię.

Dobrze, to teraz muzyka. Grateful Dead słynęli z koncertów. Słychać to wyraźnie na wspomnianym Live / Dead, gdzie utwory trwają po kilkanaście minut, a każdy z nich to taki odjazd psychodeliczno – bluesowo – rockowy. Owa mieszanka sprawdza się w wersji live, gdzie czasu co niemiara, a reguły rządzące koncertem zdecydowanie bardziej dopuszczają improwizację, zbędne dźwięki czy fałszywe nuty. Jak to się ma do nagrań studyjnych? Gdzie trzeba pilnować tempa, melodii, struktury, porządku i czego tam jeszcze nie zapragniemy. Ano ma się dobrze, pod warunkiem, że za nagrywanie bierze się ktoś taki, jak Jerry Garcia i koledzy.

Każdy utwór z American Beauty to połączenie southern rocka, bluesa, country i folku. Przyprawione psychodelią, a jakże, pewnie, że tak. Muzyka snuje się w sposób absolutnie nieskrępowany, i to za sprawą dość prostych zabiegów. Częste zmiany rytmu (często w ramach jednego utworu), wsparte wielogłosowymi chórkami (tym, co Marek Niedźwiecki w swoich audycjach nazywał „radiem California”), a wszystko to okraszone pozornie prostymi solami gitary lub … pianina (potraktowanego w sposób iście knajpiany – vide mój ulubiony Brokedawn Palace). Oczywiście nie słuchałoby się tego z taką radością, gdyby nie chwytliwe melodie, z niezłymi tekstami, nawiązującymi do literatury (wspomniany Brokedown Palace to odniesienia do noweli Johna Steinbecka) czy Biblii (wykorzystane w Ripple). Ta różnorodność stylów powoduje, że nastawiając płytę w gramofonie (albo odtwarzaczu) dociera do nas klasyczny rock (Box Of Rain), country (Ripple), blues (Candyman), southern rock (Sugar Magnolia) czy też folk rock (Friend of the Devil). Wszystko przemieszane i poddane hippiesowskiej ideologii.

I to już cały obraz Grateful Dead sprzed czterdziestu lat. American Beauty sytuuje Grateful Dead między najlepszymi dokonaniami takich zespołów jak The Allman Brothers Band, Jefferson Airplane, i oczywiście Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Słowem – klasyka. Wstyd nie mieć. ---Kris, artrock.pl

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Grateful Dead – Anthem of The Sun (1968)

2010-06-30T20:01:43Z

Grateful Dead – Anthem of The Sun (1968)


01. That's It For The Other One – 7:40 including:
- Cryptical Envelopment (Garcia)
- Quodlibet for Tenderfeet (Garcia, Kreutzmann, Lesh, McKernan, Weir)
- The Faster We Go, The Rounder We Get (Kreutzmann, Weir)
- We Leave The Castle (Constanten)
02. New Potato Caboose (Lesh, Peterson) – 8:25
03. Born Cross-Eyed (Weir) – 2:03
04. Alligator (Lesh, McKernan, Hunter) – 15:19
05. Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) (Garcia, Kreutzmann, Lesh, McKernan, Weir) – 5:39

Personnel:
- Jerry Garcia - lead guitar, acoustic guitar, kazoo, vibraslap, vocals
- Bob Weir - rhythm guitar, 12-string guitar, acoustic guitar, kazoo, vocals
- Ron "Pigpen" McKernan - organ, celesta, claves, vocals
- Phil Lesh - bass, trumpet, harpsichord, guiro, kazoo, piano, timpani, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann - drums, orchestra bells, gong, chimes, crotales, 
   prepared piano, finger cymbals
- Mickey Hart - drums, orchestra bells, gong, chimes, crotales, prepared piano, 
   finger cymbals
- Tom Constanten - prepared piano, piano, electronic tape

As the second long-player by the Grateful Dead, Anthem of the Sun (1968) pushed the limits of both the music as well as the medium. General dissatisfaction with their self-titled debut necessitated the search for a methodology to seamlessly juxtapose the more inspired segments of their live performances with the necessary conventions of a single LP. Since issuing their first album, the Dead welcomed lyricist Robert Hunter into the fold -- freeing the performing members to focus on the execution and taking the music to the next level. Another addition was second percussionist Mickey Hart, whose methodical timekeeping would become a staple in the Dead's ability to stop on the proverbial rhythmic dime. Likewise, Tom Constanten (keyboards) added an avant-garde twist to the proceedings with various sonic enhancements that were more akin to John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen than anything else coming from the burgeoning Bay Area music scene. Their extended family also began to incorporate folks like Dan Healy -- whose non-musical contributions and innovations ranged from concert PA amplification to meeting the technical challenges that the band presented off the road as well. On this record Healy's involvement cannot be overstated, as the band were essentially given carte blanche and simultaneous on-the-job training with regards to the ins and outs of the still unfamiliar recording process. The idea to create an aural pastiche from numerous sources -- often running simultaneously -- was a radical concept that allowed consumers worldwide to experience a simulated Dead performance firsthand. One significant pattern which began developing saw the band continuing to refine the same material that they were concurrently playing live night after night prior to entering the studio. The extended "That's It for the Other One" suite is nothing short of a psychedelic roller coaster. The wild ride weaves what begins as a typical song into several divergent performances -- taken from tapes of live shows -- ultimately returning to the home base upon occasion, presumably as a built-in reality check. Lyrically, Bob Weir (guitar/vocals) includes references to their 1967 pot bust ("...the heat came 'round and busted me for smiling on a cloudy day") as well as the band's spiritual figurehead Neal Cassidy ("...there was Cowboy Neal at the wheel on a bus to never ever land"). Although this version smokes from tip to smouldering tail, the piece truly developed a persona all its own and became a rip-roaring monster in concert. The tracks "New Potato Caboose" and Weir's admittedly autobiographically titled "Born Cross-Eyed" are fascinatingly intricate side trips that had developed organically during the extended work's on-stage performance life. "Alligator" is a no-nonsense Ron "Pigpen" McKernan workout that motors the second extended sonic collage on Anthem of the Sun. His straight-ahead driving blues ethos careens headlong into the Dead's innate improvisational psychedelia. The results are uniformly brilliant as the band thrash and churn behind his rock-solid lead vocals. Musically, the Dead's instrumental excursions wind in and out of the primary theme, ultimately ending up in the equally frenetic "Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)." Although the uninitiated might find the album unnervingly difficult to follow, it obliterated the pretension of the post-Sgt. Pepper's "concept album" while reinventing the musical parameters of the 12" LP medium. [The expanded and remastered edition included in the Golden Road (1965-1973) (2001) box set contains a live performance from August 23, 1968, at the Shrine in Los Angeles. This miniset features an incendiary medley of "Alligator" and "Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)" concluding with over four minutes of electronic feedback.] ---Lindsay Planer, AllMusic Review

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Grateful Dead – Blues For Allah (1975)

2010-07-02T10:42:49Z

Grateful Dead – Blues For Allah (1975)


01. Help on the Way/Slipknot!(Garcia, Hunter) - 7:21
02. Franklin's Tower (Garcia, Hunter, Kreutzmann) – 4:28
03. King Solomon's Marbles (Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh) - 5:13
04. The Music Never Stopped (Barlow, Weir) – 4:30
05. Crazy Fingers (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:36
06. Sage & Spirit (Weir) – 3:03
07. Blues For Allah/Sandcastles And Glass Camels/Unusual Occurrences In The Desert (Grateful Dead) - 12:30

Personnel:
- Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
- Keith Godchaux - keyboards, vocals
- Donna Jean Godchaux - vocals
- Phil Lesh - bass, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann - drums, percussion
- Mickey Hart - percussion
+
- Steven Schuster - reeds, flute

The Grateful Dead went into a state of latent activity in the fall of 1974 that lasted until the spring of the following year when the band reconvened at guitarist/vocalist Bob Weir's Ace Studios to record Blues for Allah. The disc was likewise the third to be issued on their own Grateful Dead Records label. When the LP hit shelves in September of 1975, the Dead were still not back on the road -- although they had played a few gigs throughout San Francisco. Obviously, the time off had done the band worlds of good, as Blues for Allah -- more than any past or future studio album -- captures the Dead at their most natural and inspired. The opening combo of "Help on the Way," "Slipknot!," and "Franklin's Tower" is a multifaceted suite, owing as much to Miles Davis circa the E.S.P. album as to anything the Grateful Dead had been associated with. "Slipknot!" contains chord changes, progressions, and time signatures which become musical riddles for the band to solve -- which they do in the form of "Franklin's Tower." Another highly evolved piece is the rarely performed "King Solomon's Marbles," an instrumental that spotlights, among other things, Keith Godchaux's tastefully unrestrained Fender Rhodes finger work displaying more than just a tinge of Herbie Hancock inspiration. These more aggressive works contrast the delicate musical and lyrical haiku on "Crazy Fingers" containing some of lyricist Robert Hunter's finest and most beautifully arranged verbal images for the band. Weir's guitar solo in "Sage & Spirit" is based on one of his warm-up fingering exercises. Without a doubt, this is one of Weir's finest moments. The light acoustic melody is tinged with an equally beautiful arrangement. While there is definite merit in Blues for Allah's title suite, the subdued chant-like vocals and meandering melody seems incongruous when compared to the remainder of this thoroughly solid effort. ---Lindsay Planer, AllMusic Review

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Grateful Dead – Dave’s Picks Vol.3 (2012)

2012-08-04T16:41:44Z

Grateful Dead – Dave’s Picks Vol.3 Chicago 1971 (2012)


01 – Bertha
02 – Me and My Uncle
03 – Tennessee Jed
04 – Jack Straw
05 – Loser
06 – Playing In The Band
07 – Sugaree
08 – Beat It On Down The Line
09 – Black Peter
10 – Mexicali Blues
11 – Cold Rain & Snow
12 – Me and Bobby McGee
13 – Comes A Time
14 – One More Saturday Night
15 – (Set 2) Ramble On Rose
16 – Cumberland Blues
17 – That’s It For The Other One
18 – Deal
19 – Sugar Magnolia
20 – Casey Jones
21 – Johnny B. Goode
22 – Truckin’
23 – Big Railroad Blues
24 – The Frozen Logger
25 – Dark Star
26 – Sitting On Top of The World
27 – Dark Star
28 – Me and Bobby McGee
29 – Brown-Eyed Women
30 – St. Stephen
31 – Johnny B. Goode

Line Up:
    Jerry Garcia – lead guitar, vocals
    Keith Godchaux – keyboards, vocals
    Bill Kreutzmann – drums
    Phil Lesh – electric bass, vocals
    Bob Weir – rhythm guitar, vocals

When keyboardist Keith Godchaux joined the Grateful Dead for the band’s Fall ’71 tour, he changed the group’s sound significantly with his barrel-house performance style that gave new life to their tunes. Godchaux hit the ground running as many of the shows from that first tour were outstanding. Yet, over the past 20 years only two performances from that fabled tour have been officially released by the band. With the release of Dave’s Picks Volume 3, featuring the complete October 22, ’71 concert from Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre on two discs, with a third disc containing highlights from the previous night, we’ll get to hear a fully remastered recording from Fall ’71.

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Grateful Dead – Skeletons From the Closet (1974)

2010-07-01T21:57:48Z

Grateful Dead – Skeletons From the Closet (1974)


01. Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) (Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann,
 Ron Pigpen McKernan) – 2:09 (* Originally released on the album The Grateful Dead)
02. Truckin' (Garcia, Hunter, Lesh, Weir) – 5:02 (* Originally released on the album American Beauty)
03. Rosemary (Garcia, Hunter) – 1:54 (* Originally released on the album Aoxomoxoa)
04. Sugar Magnolia (Hunter, Weir) – 3:16 (* Originally released on the album American Beauty)
05. St. Stephen (Garcia, Hunter, Lesh) – 4:26 (* Originally released on the album Aoxomoxoa)
06. Uncle John's Band (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:42 (* Originally released on the album Workingman's Dead)
07. Casey Jones (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:23 (* Originally released on the album Workingman's Dead)
08. Mexicali Blues (Barlow, Weir) – 3:27 (* Originally released on the Bob Weir album Ace)
09. Turn On Your Love Light (Malone, Scott) – 6:36 (* Originally released on Live/Dead)
10. One More Saturday Night (Weir) – 4:45 (* Originally released on the album Europe '72)
11. Friend Of The Devil (Dawson, Garcia, Hunter) – 3:20 (* Originally released on the album American Beauty)

Personnel:
- Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
- Ron Pigpen McKernan - organ, harmonica, vocals
- Phil Lesh - bass
- Bill Kreutzmann - drums
- Mickey Hart - drums
- Keith Godchaux - keyboards, vocals
- Donna Jean Godchaux - vocals
- Tom Constanten - keyboards
+
- Dave Torbert – bass

Skeletons from the Closet has been long-lived as a Grateful Dead primer, though it was superseded by The Very Best of the Grateful Dead in 2003. Fans of the band's live show have noted that Skeletons only contains two live tracks from a band whose live shows are its strongest suit. Still, Skeletons remains a good introduction to the band's early -- and arguably best -- work, and is also a great disc for the casual fan. Favorites include "Truckin'," "Sugar Magnolia," "Friend of the Devil," and "Casey Jones," classic tracks taken from 1970's Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. The disc also includes a couple of early Bob Weir jewels, "Mexicali Blues" and "One More Saturday Night," and an edited version of "Turn on Your Love Light" by Ron "Pigpen" McKernan. The disc offers several selections from the Dead's early albums, including "The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)," "St. Stephen," and "Rosemary." The tracking order of the songs isn't always chronological but it does have a natural flow, with the possible exception of the high-powered "Love Light." While most new fans will opt for The Very Best of the Grateful Dead, Skeletons -- for longtime fans -- will always be a great disc for a lazy Sunday afternoon. ---Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., AllMusic Review

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Grateful Dead – The Grateful Dead (1967)

2010-06-30T18:50:45Z

Grateful Dead – The Grateful Dead (1967)


01. The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) (Garcia) – 2:09
02. Beat It on Down the Line (Fuller) – 2:29
03. Good Morning Little School Girl (Williamson) – 5:42
04. Cold Rain and Snow (Traditional) – 2:27
05. Sitting on Top of the World (Chatmon, Vinson) – 2:03
06. Cream Puff War (Garcia) – 2:24
07. (Walk Me Out in the) Morning Dew (Dobson, Rose) – 5:04
08. New, New Minglewood Blues (Traditional) – 2:33
09. Viola Lee Blues (Lewis) – 10:12

Personnel:
- Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
- Ron "Pigpen" McKernan - keyboards, harmonica, vocals
- Phil Lesh - bass, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann - drums, percussion
+
- Tom Constanten - keyboards
- Mickey Hart – percussion

The Grateful Dead's eponymously titled debut long-player was issued in mid-March of 1967. This gave rise to one immediate impediment -- the difficulty in attempting to encapsulate/recreate the Dead's often improvised musical magic onto a single LP. Unfortunately, the sterile environs of the recording studio disregards the subtle and often not-so-subtle ebbs and zeniths that are so evident within a live experience. So, while this studio recording ultimately fails in accurately exhibiting the Grateful Dead's tremendous range, it's a valiant attempt to corral the group's hydra-headed psychedelic jug-band music on vinyl. Under the technical direction of Dave Hassinger -- who had produced the Rolling Stones as well as the Jefferson Airplane -- the Dead recorded the album in Los Angeles during a Ritalin-fuelled "long weekend" in early 1967. Rather than prepare all new material for the recording sessions, a vast majority of the disc is comprised of titles that the band had worked into their concurrent performance repertoire. This accounts for the unusually high ratio (seven:two) of folk and blues standards to original compositions. The entire group took credit for the slightly saccharine "Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)," while Jerry Garcia (guitar/vocals) is credited for the noir garage-flavored raver "Cream Puff War." Interestingly, both tracks were featured as the respective A- and B-sides of the only 45 rpm single derived from this album. The curious aggregate of cover tunes featured on the Dead's initial outing also demonstrates the band's wide-ranging musical roots and influences. These include Pigpen's greasy harp-fuelled take on Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little School Girl" and the minstrel one-man-band folk of Jessie "the Lone Cat" Fuller's "Beat It On Down the Line." The apocalyptic Cold War folk anthem "Morning Dew" (aka "[Walk Me Out in The] Morning Dew") is likewise given a full-bodied electric workout as is the obscure jug-band stomper "Viola Lee Blues." Fittingly, the Dead would continue to play well over half of these tracks in concert for the next 27 years. ---Lindsay Planer, AllMusic Review

W 1999 roku ukazała się koncertowa płyta grupy Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions z tradycyjną, amerykańską muzyką folkową. Nie byłoby w tym nic niezwykłego, gdyby nie to, że w skład zespołu wchodzili Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir i Ron”Pigpen” McKernan, czyli trzon powstałego nieco później Grateful Dead, nagrań dokonano w 1964 roku. Jest to album o tyle ważny, ponieważ pokazuje skąd wziął się ten kalejdoskop przeróżnych dźwięków prezentowany przez tą grupę, która odcisnęła wyraźne piętno na całej amerykańskiej muzycznej kulturze.

Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions było przedsięwzięciem efemerycznym i raczej towarzyski i jego żywot był krótki. Ale niedługo później, na początku 1965 roku na scenie w Palo Alto w Kalifornii zaistniał zespół The Warlocks, którego muzycy z powodu działającego na przeciwnym wybrzeżu zespołu o tej samej nazwie postanowili zmienić swoją nazwę grupy. (Ta druga grupa też potem zmieniła nazwę – na The Velvet Underground)

Wybór padł na dwa słowa – Grateful Dead. Z czasem okazało się, że jedne z najsławniejszych w historii muzyki rozrywkowej.

Grupa zadebiutowała koncertem w San Jose 4 grudnia 1965 roku, a potem przez trzy dekady dawała swoim fanom mnóstwo fantastycznych dźwięków, począwszy od psychodelicznych zawirowań, poprzez jazzowe improwizacje, kończąc na magicznych dźwiękach, które pomimo, że zespół już nie istnieje to nadal poruszają naszą wyobraźnie i powodują gęsią skórkę na ciele.

Grateful Dead od początku swej działalności brało udział w słynnych Acid Test, Kena Keseya, grając ostrą, wibrującą muzykę wzmocnioną podczas tych testów światłami z lamp stroboskopowych. Całość stanowiło odpowiednią oprawę do osiągnięcia punktu kulminacyjnego jakim było poszerzanie swojej świadomości poprzez „zarzucanie” LSD. (O Keseyu i jego Merry Pranksters niżej). Zespół w trakcie występów u Keseya szlifował swoją formę nadając utworom swobodne, pełne odlotowych partii brzmienia, nierzadko kierując muzykę w odmienne stany podświadomości.

Z czasem styl Grateful Dead wykrystalizował się a że muzycy mieszkali razem w komunie hippisowskiej przy słynnej High Ashbury w San Francisco to mieli nieograniczone możliwości tworzenia i udoskonalenia swojego warsztatu. Oczywiście z czasem pojawiła się chęć dokumentowania swojego grania na płytach. Po szukaniu odpowiedniej wytwórni płytowej wybór padł na Warner Bros Records, która zagwarantowała muzykom pełną swobodę w trakcie pracy w studio.

W marcu 1967 roku ujrzał światło dzienne pierwszy album grupy zatytułowany po prostu „Grateful Dead”. Muzyka została nagrana w ciągu czterech dni a producentem nagrań został David Hassinger.

Otrzymaliśmy wspaniały debiutancki krążek zawierający muzykę psychodeliczną z elementami bluesa i rocka. Muzykę wirującą, pełną młodzieńczej fantazji zagraną z wielkim polotem i doprowadzającą do pełnego odlotu przy końcowych dźwiękach płyty. Nie ma tutaj żadnych elektronicznych, udziwnionych dźwięków tak charakterystycznych dla psychodelik, ale klimat płyty ocieka kwasem i odmiennością. Dominuje nad nią niesamowite zgranie grupy a także niezwykła gra gitarzysty Jerry Garcii. Mamy tutaj obok standardów bluesowych ”Good Morning Littre Schoolgirl” czy „New New Minglewood Blues” przepiękną balladę „Morning Dew”, pełne zadziorności, ale też niejakiej przebojowości „Cold,Rain and Snow” , protest song „Cream Puff War”, oraz trwający ponad dziesięć minut utwór „Viola Lee Blues” oddający klimat ówczesnych koncertów grupy.

Powstał debiut nietuzinkowy , oddający w pełni ducha epoki – epoki Flower Power. a grupa Grateful Dead rozpoczęła nim swoją podróż – podróż wokół słońca trwającą nieprzerwanie do 1995 roku. ---Grzegorz Wiśniewski, artrock.pl

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Grateful Dead – The Grateful Dead (1971)

2010-07-01T14:13:58Z

Grateful Dead – The Grateful Dead (1971)


01. Bertha (Garcia, Hunter) - 5:40
02. Mama Tried (Merle Haggard) - 2:41
03. Big Railroad Blues (Noah Lewis) - 3:33
04. Playing In The Band (Hart, Hunter, Weir) - 4:38
05. The Other One (Kreutzmann, Weir) - 18:03
06. Me & My Uncle (John Phillips) - 3:02
07. Big Boss Man (Smith, Dixon) - 5:08
08. Me & Bobby McGee (Kristofferson, Foster) - 3:02
09. Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry) - 3:41
10. Wharf Rat (Garcia, Hunter) - 8:30
11. Not Fade Away (Hardin, Petty)/Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad (Traditional) - 9:12
Bonuses:
12. Oh, Boy! (live) - 2:50
13. I'm A Hog For You (live) (Leiber/Stoller) - 4:06
 
Personnel:
- Jerry Garcia - lead guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir - rhythm guitar, vocals
- Phil Lesh - bass guitar, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann - drums
- Ron Pigpen McKernan - organ, harmonica, vocals
+
- Merl Saunders – organ

The Grateful Dead's second live release was an eponymously titled double LP whose cover bears the striking skull-and-roses visual motif that would become instantly recognizable and an indelibly linked trademark of the band. As opposed to their debut concert recording, Live/Dead (1969), this hour and ten minutes concentrates on newer material, which consisted of shorter self-contained originals and covers. Coming off of the quantum-leap success of the studio country-rock efforts Workingman's Dead (1969) and American Beauty, Grateful Dead offers up a pair of new Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter compositions -- "Bertha" and "Wharf Rat" -- both of which garnered a permanent place within the band's live catalog. However, "The Other One" -- joined in progress just as Billy Kreutzmann fires up a blazing percussion solo -- sprawls as the album's centerpiece. The Dead also begin incorporating several traditional folk, blues, and R&B cover tunes, such as Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried," Kris Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee," as well as a few that had been in their songbook for several years, including John Phillips' "Me & My Uncle" and "Big Boss Man," a blues standard popularized by Jimmy Reed. Their formidable improvisational chops have begun to take on new facets of lean intricacy as Mickey Hart (percussion) and Tom Constanten (keyboards) were no longer in the band. Additionally, the arrival of Keith Godchaux (organ) and his wife, Donna Godchaux (vocals), had yet to occur. As such, the Grateful Dead spent the spring and summer of 1971 in their original five-piece configuration -- which is when these recordings were documented. The Golden Road (1965-1973) (2001) box set features a remastered version of Grateful Dead and includes two additional covers -- Buddy Holly's "Oh, Boy!" as well as Leiber & Stoller's "(I'm A) Hog for You" -- plus an unmarked vintage radio spot for the album. Enthusiasts should note that this era is likewise represented on the four-CD Ladies and Gentlemen...The Grateful Dead (2000) archival release. ---Lindsay Planer, AllMusic Review

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Grateful Dead – Wake Of The Flood (1973)

2010-07-01T11:05:48Z

Grateful Dead – Wake Of The Flood (1973)


01. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo (Hunter/Garcia) - 5:41
02. Let Me Sing Your Blues Away (Hunter/Godchaux) - 3:14
03. Row Jimmy (Hunter/Garcia) - 7:10
04. Stella Blue (Hunter/Garcia) - 6:22
05. Here Comes Sunshine (Hunter/Garcia) - 4:36
06. Eyes Of The World (Hunter/Garcia) - 5:16
07. Weather Report suite - 12:40 including:
a) Prelude (Weir)
b) Part 1 (Weir/Anderson)
c) Part 2 Let It Grow (Weir/Barlow)

Personnel:
- Jerry Garcia - guitar, vocals
- Bob Weir - guitar, vocals
- Keith Godchaux - keyboards, vocals
- Donna Jean Godchaux - vocals
- Phil Lesh - bass
- Bill Kreutzmann – drums
+
- Vassar Clements - violin
- Matthew Kelly - harmonica
- Bill Atwood, Joe Ellis - trumpet
- Martin Fierro, Frank Morin - saxophone
- Pat O'Hara - trombone
- Doug Sahm - bajo sexto
- Sarah Fulcher – vocals

After satisfying their nine-title/dozen-disc deal with Warner Brothers, the Dead began their own record labels: Grateful Dead Records (for group releases) and Round Records (for solo projects). Wake of the Flood was the first Dead disc issued entirely under the band's supervision -- which also included manufacturing and marketing. Additionally, the personnel had been altered as Ron "Pigpen" McKernan had passed away. The keyboard responsibilities were now in the capable hands of Keith Godchaux -- whose wife Donna Jean Godchaux also provided backing vocals. It had been nearly three years since American Beauty -- their previous and most successful studio album to date -- and, as always, the Dead had been honing the material in concert. A majority of the tracks had been incorporated into their live sets -- some for nearly six months -- prior to entering the recording studio. This gave the band a unique perspective on the material, much of which remained for the next 20-plus years as staples of their concert performances. However, the inspiration and magic of the Grateful Dead's music has always been a challenge to capture in the non-reciprocal confines of a studio. Therefore, while Wake of the Flood was certainly as good -- if not arguably better than -- most of their previous non-live efforts, it falls far short of the incendiary performances the band was giving during this era. There are a few tracks that do tap into some of the Dead's jazzier and exceedingly improvisational nature. "Eyes of the World" contains some brilliant ensemble playing -- although the time limitations inherent in the playback medium result in the track fading out just as the Dead start to really cook. Another highlight is Bob Weir's "Weather Report Suite," which foreshadows the epic proportions that the song would ultimately reach. In later years, the band dropped the opening instrumental "Prelude," as well as "Part One," choosing to pick it up for the extended "Let It Grow" section. The lilting Jerry Garcia ballad "Stella Blue" is another track that works well in this incarnation and remained in the Dead's rotating set list for the remainder of their touring careers. ---Lindsay Planer, AllMusic Review

Po wydaniu dwóch płyty z materiałem koncertowym i po blisko trzech latach od nagrania studyjnej płyty, muzycy Grateful Dead weszli do studia , by w 1973 roku nagrać i wydać kolejny album.

Tym razem płyta została wydana przez własną wytwórnię płytową Grateful Dead Records i tak muzycy osiągnęli to do czego zmierzali od początku swojej kariery – pełną niezależność.

Uwielbiam „American Beauty” i „Workingman’s Dead” prawie jak każdy Deadhead – wiadomo , że są to tytuły wywołujące dreszcz emocji przy ich słuchaniu, ale magia „Wake Of The Flood” sprawia, że przechodzę z tą płytą w inny wymiar odsłuchu, w kosmiczne czeluście otchłani, by na końcu spotkać tę gwiazdę jedyną najjaśniejszą w całym kosmosie.

Burzliwy rok 1973 w działalności zespołu zaowocował kolejną doskonałą płytą, w której od początku pachniało czymś innym. Jest to pierwszy album grupy po śmierci Pigpena. Nowymi muzykami zespołu zostało małżeństwo Godchaux – Keith, którego głównym instrumentem było akustyczne pianino, oraz jego żonę, wspomagająca chłopaków wokalnie, a zmiana w brzmieniu grupy nastąpiła między innymi za sprawą nowego klawiszowca. Bluesowe klimaty zostały przesunięty na dalszy plan. A nowym elementem Deadowej układanki stał się jazzowy feeling.

Wszystko zaczyna się od łagodnych dźwięków skrzypiec w utworze „Mississippi Half Step” i fantastycznego wokalu Jerry’ego. Gładkie gitarowe riffy i dodatkowo fortepian skocznie wygrywający rytm tworzą z tego numeru w pełni dojrzały południowy owoc. „Let Me Sing Your Blues Away” zaśpiewany przez Keitha jest radosnym bluesem z naleciałościami folkowymi. Niezwykle czysty, klarowny dźwięk wspaniale podaje nam gitara, pianino i saksofon. Z ciekawostek - utwór ten grany był na koncertach tylko szesnaście razy.

Znowu na szczyt swoich możliwości dochodzi duet Garcia-Hunter, co w piosence „Row Jimmy” słychać najlepiej. Piękny tekst świetnie zaśpiewany, tworzy z tej bujającej , swawolnej piosenki ponadczasowy utwór. Prowadzony jest przez linię basu Phila Lesha w dużej mierze uzupełnianej przez Keitha Godchaux i Billa Kreutzmann. No i oczywiście bardzo łagodna solowa gitara Garcii dopełnia nastrój błogiego luzu.

„Stella Blue” kolejny numer na płycie jest smutną opowieścią o miłości. Ta przejmująco smutna ballada jest jedną z najpiękniejszych w dorobku zespołu. Z kolei „Here Comes Sunshine” utrzymany w klimacie nagrań George’a Harrisona jest raczej radosną piosenką, która lepiej wypada w wersjach koncertowych.

Prawdopodobnie jednym z najlepszych nagrań w historii Grateful Dead jest ‘Eyes Of The World”. Klasyczny utwór grupy ma świetny rytm, oraz bardzo chwytliwą melodię. Każdy instrument brzmi doskonale a gitarowa praca Garcii utwierdza skłania mnie do tego, aby odpocząć na wzgórzu wśród przyjaciół drzew. Fantastyczna piosenka.

Płytę kończy trzyczęściowy epicki utwór napisany przez Boba Weira i Johna Barlowa – „Weather Report Suite”, który pnie się niczym winorośl po filarze domu, rozkwita czerwonymi kwiatami w blasku wieczoru i wybucha w płomieniach by rozpoznać swoją moc. Kosmiczna nieskończoność wywraca się w nicość, a potężny wybuch muzyki nadbiega zza nieludzkich drzwi. ---Grzegorz Wiśniewski, artrock.pl

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