Grateful Dead - reviews of official live and Vault releases

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by MikeP5877, May 10, 2006.

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  1. MikeP5877

    MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII Thread Starter

    Location:
    OH
    As promised, here are my reviews of the Grateful Dead live albums and Vault releases that are not part of the Dick’s Picks series.

    I’ve grouped this as follows:

    Original Releases (Warner Bros, UA, and Arista), listed in chronological order by DATE OF SHOW, not date of release, though they are close.

    Vault Releases – listed in order of release, for the most part. I’m sure I got a few out of order but it’s close enough.

    Other releases – includes the So Many Roads box set, the View From The Vault series, the Download Series, some video releases, and favorite bonus tracks on the Rhino remasters.

    Click here to see my reviews of the Dicks’s Picks series

    Enjoy and discuss….



    Live Dead - 1969 - 5 Stars – The Mothership of the original live Grateful Dead albums thanks to Dark Star>St. Stephen>The Eleven>Lovelight. Those first two were recorded 2/27/69 at the Fillmore West, the last two were recorded 1/26/69 at the Avalon Ballroom. Originally released as a two record set, these songs are joined together seamlessly on the CD of this album. Note that the Complete Fillmore West box set covers the shows from 2/27-3/2/69 so you still need Live Dead to hear The Eleven>Lovelight as originally released.

    History of the Grateful Dead, vol 1: Bear’s Choice – 1970 – 3 stars – released in 1973, this album served two purposes – it served as a contract fulfillment to Warner Bros, and it was a tribute of sorts to Pigpen who passed away in March 1973. Taken from their Fillmore East run in February 1970, side one is from the acoustic set, side 2 is electric. The acoustic set is just fine, but the 18 minute Smokestack Lightning bores me to death, sorry (check out the version from 3/18/67 for a killer version of this). The remastered CD has bonus tracks, featuring “Good Lovin’” and another 18-minute version of “Smokestack Lightning” (as if one isn’t enough).


    The Grateful Dead (aka Skull & Roses) – 1971 – 3.5 stars – A good sample of what the Dead were up to in early 1971: Down to one drummer and playing more or less straight rock and roll (and country-rock). Highlights include Wharf Rat (one of my favorites), Bertha, and NFA>GDTRFB. Also has an 18 minute The Other One which includes a 5 minute drum solo lead-in for those who love to listen to drum solos on CD (not me).

    Europe ’72 – 1972 – 5 stars – studio overdubs notwithstanding, a great overview of their 1972 Europe tour. All-time favorite versions of Truckin’, Morning Dew, China>Rider, and Sugar Magnolia. Lots of new originals also – Brown eyed Woman, Ramble On Rose, Jack Straw, Tennessee Jed, He’s Gone. This album serves as a fine intro to the jazzy Keith-era Dead. Essential album, even if you have most of the actual shows from this tour.

    Steal Your Face – 1974 – 3 stars – This was actually my introduction to live Grateful Dead music. Taken from the “retirement” shows of 10/16-10/20/74, there’s none of the far out stuff played at those shows, which is probably why it doesn’t get much respect. Plus the sound quality is crappy. Still, I like it for the versions of Mississippi Half-Step, Stella Blue, Cold Rain & Snow, and It Must Have Been The Roses.

    Reckoning – 1980 – 5 stars – compiled from their acoustic sets recorded in the fall of 1980. A mixture of originals and old-timey songs. Funky version of “Deep Elem Blues”, a beautiful “To Lay Me Down”, and one of the all-time greatest versions of “Bird Song” ever played. Get the remastered CD which restores Oh Babe It Ain’t No Lie (dropped from the old CD) plus a bonus disc of more acoustic Dead from 1980. Too bad they didn’t play acoustic sets more often in their career.

    Dead Set – 1980 – 4 stars – taken from the electric sets of the same shows as Reckoning. Some highlights include Samson, Feel Like a Stranger>Franklin’s Tower, and Fire On The Mountain (out of Space!). The remastered version restores the “space” plus adds a bonus disc, which I like better than the original album, for the most part. (Shakedown street, Lazy Lightning>Supplication, and Let It grow)

    Without A Net – 1989/1990 – 4 stars – taken from their late 1989/early 1990 shows. They were really playing at their best in 10 years, when Brent died suddenly after their 1990 tour. One of the greatest versions of Eyes of the World, with Branford Marsalis sitting in (3/29/90). Well-played Help>Slip>Frank, and a beautiful Dear Mr. Fantasy which fades before they get to the Hey Jude ending (not a bad thing, actually)

    Infrared Roses – no rating – This CD is all “space” jams from circa 1989/1990 when they started experimenting and playing with MIDI technology. These are ok in the context of the original shows but hearing these by themselves does nothing for me. Ok, maybe I like Apollo at the Ritz, but I’d much rather hear it with the rest of 3/29/90. YMMV.


    Vault Releases

    One From the Vault – 8/13/75 – 4.5 stars – one of only 4 shows the band played in 1975. They played the entire Blues For Allah album, plus some favorites like Eyes of the World, US Blues, GDTRFB, etc… One of the greatest Help>Slip>Frank combos ever. My favorite Crazy Fingers too.

    Two From The Vault – 8/24/68 – 4 stars – Get this for the smokin’ That’s It For The Other One>New Potato Caboose combo that leads off disc 2. This makes a great pairing with the remastered Anthem of the Sun, which includes Alligator>Caution from the show before this one. The Dark Star>St. Stephen>Eleven>Death Don’t Have No Mercy is ok, but doesn’t quite approach the greatness from early 1969.

    Hundred Years Hall – 4/26/72 – 4 stars – highlights include Lovelight>GDTRFB, Playing In the Band, and the wild Truckin>Other One>Comes A Time on disc 2.

    Dozin at the Knick – 3/24-3/26/90 – 4 stars –Brent tunes are highlighted here - Blow Away, I Will Take You Home, Never Trust A Woman, and Just A Little Light. Playin>UJB>Terrapin>Mind Left Body jam on disc 2.

    Fillmore East – 2/11/69 – 4.5 stars – It’s really a 5 star show but I deducted ½ star for Hey Jude, which is a trainwreck. The rest of the show is fantastic from start to finish – one of my all-time favorites. This shows bridges the primal-era Dead with the more mature playing that you hear on Live/Dead.

    Terrapin Limited – 3/16/90 – 3 stars – released as a “limited” numbered edition (I have #11327) that’s still available after almost 10 years (go figure). I love the “Mock Turtle Jam” after Terrapin, cool China>Rider (after “Happy Birthday” to Phil). Good attempt at the Beatles Revolution for an encore.

    Fallout From The Phil Zone – various 1967 thru 1995 – 5 stars – compiled by Phil Lesh – highlights include a 30 minute Midnight Hour from 1967 (where Pigpen tries to get a girl in audience to come up and dance with Bob Weir), Visions of Johanna from 1995, and one of my all-time favorite performances ever – Hard To Handle from 8/6/71 (from an audience tape that will leave you screaming along with the crowd). Heck, this CD is nothing but highlights – I wish we had more Fallouts from the Phil Zone… We want Phil!

    Nightfall of Diamonds – 10/16/89 - 4.5 stars – the band was firing on all cylinders for this whole show. Killer Let It Grow>Deal to end set 1. One of their best latter-day Dark Stars to start set 2.

    Ladies and Gentlemen: The Grateful Dead – 4/26-4/29/71 – 5 stars. Compiled from their last run at the Fillmore East. Pigpen is in fine form on Lovelight, Good Lovin’, and Hard To Handle (second only to 8/6/71). Other highlights include the jam after Alligator (from 4/29), and a reunion with Tom Constanten on Dark Star>St Stephen>NFA>GDTRFB>NFA, from 4/28. Very high energy throughout!

    Steppin Out With The Grateful Dead – 1972 – 5 stars – compiled from their 1972 England shows. I rejoiced when they released this one because I finally had a good quality version of the Dark Star from 4/8/72. The last five minutes or so are one of the most beautiful pieces of music they ever played, slightly similar to the Dark Star from 9/21/72. The rest of the set ain’t no slouch either.

    Go To Nassau – 5/15-5/16/80 – 3.5 stars – Both sets really shine. Lazy Lightning>Supplication and Jack Straw>Franklin’s. I wish we had more official releases from the 79-81 era.

    Rockin’ The Rhein – 4/24/72 - 2.5 stars – I can’t believe I’m saying this about a Europe 72 show, but I can’t get in to this one. I don’t know if it’s because they sound out of tune, or maybe the Dark Star just bores me, or what... It definitely seems to me they were having an off night - listen to the intro to China Cat Sunflower for example – no one can decide what tempo to play in, very sloppy. Oh well, can’t win ‘em all. As always, YMMV so don’t let this rating stop you from hearing it yourself.

    Closing Of Winterland – 12/31/78 – 4 stars – The show starts off great with a rockin’ Sugar Mag, and a very high-energy Scarlet>Fire. Other highlights include a spirited vocal performance by Garcia on Ramble On Rose and a foot-stompin’ I Need A Miracle reminiscent of a great post-Truckin’ jam….which then descends in to a Terrapin>Playin’ combo.. whew! Things come to somewhat of a lull with a percussion jam>Not Fade Away that seems to go on for two weeks…the energy level picks up for Set 3 (disc 4) with their first Dark Star in nearly 4 years.

    GD Movie Soundtrack – 10/16-10/20/74 – 5 stars – Highlights galore, including Eyes>China Doll from 10/19, He’s Gone>Caution jam>Truckin’, and a 30 minute Playin from 10/16. The real treats are the apocalyptic Dark Star>Morning Dew from 10/18, and the He’s Gone>Jam>Other One>Stella Blue from 10/17.

    Rare Cuts and Oddities – 1966 – 4.5 stars – The main highlight for me is Jerry’s beautiful rendition of Hey Little One – he sounds so young and innocent. Pigpen plows through a killer King Bee>Caution. Early versions of NFA, Good Lovin, and Promised Land (sung by Jerry)

    Truckin’ Up To Buffalo – 7/4/89 – 3.5 stars - another fine show from the 1989-1990 era.

    Fillmore West – 2/27-3/2/69 - 500 stars - complete shows on 10 CD’s from the run that gave us most of the Live Dead album - Each show is to be heard and savored in their entirety, and then played again. And again and again. Of course the Dark Star suite is the centerpiece for each show, each one its own special journey. Also definitive versions of The Other One, Alligator>Caution, you name it… Perhaps their greatest official release.

    So Many Roads – 5 stars – Released in 1999. From their earliest demos in 1965 to their last show in 1995, and many stops in between, every song is a highlight here. Heck, I could start a thread just on the riches in this box set. Some of my favorites are the full Eyes of the World from 10/19/74, the jam from Watkins Glen 7/27/73, The Same Thing from 3/18/67, the “Beautiful Jam” from 2/18/71, Cassidy from 11/1/85, Estimated Prophet from 8/12/79, the Wheel from 6/29/76, and Stella Blue from 4/28/78. That’s It For The Other One from 2/27/69 is one the most scorching versions ever (it’s also on the Fillmore West 10 cd box). Listen to Garcia’s searing guitar solo on Death Don’t Have No Mercy from 1989… the last disc functions as sort of a “last album” as it gathers most of the “new” songs they were playing from 1992-1995 (ie: Eternity, Liberty, So Many Roads, Days Between, etc…). Thank you to David Gans, Steve Silberman, and the late Dick Latvala for presenting the perfect box set.

    Birth of the Dead – 1965/1966 – 4 stars – originally released as a bonus to the Golden Road box set, this gathers up their earliest live and studio recordings. Goes well with Rare Cuts and Oddities 1966.

    View From The Vault 1 – 7/8/90 – 3 stars. Fine show throughout, though the best part of this CD for is the bonus material from 7/6/90 – He’s Gone>Jam.

    View From The Vault 2 – 6/14/91 – 3 stars – one of the finer shows from their later years. Very good Help>Slip>Frank to open set 2. Also Dark Star in the second set, as well as a bonus track from 7/16/90 (same venue, RFK stadium)

    View From the Vault 3 – 6/16/90 – 3 stars - Good Terrapin>Jam. Bonus material from 1987.

    View From the Vault 4 – 7/24 and 7/26/87 – 3.5 stars - two high energy shows. They seemed to play through the songs pretty quickly. Good versions of Truckin, Bird Song, Other One, more…

    Download Series # 6 – 3/17/68 – 5 stars - I can never get enough of early 1968 Grateful Dead. Great Caution, Lovelight, That’s It For the Other One>New Potato Caboose, etc…

    Ticket To New Years – 12/31/87 – 4 stars – released on video only, no official CD – one of the best shows from the era. Stompin’ first set – Bertha, Promised Land, When Push Comes to Shove, and Music Never Stopped. Nice Bird Song, spooky space leading in to The Other One.

    Downhill From Here – 7/89 – 3.5 stars – Good China>Rider, very nice Standing On the Moon, smokin’ Deal to close set 1. Jerry looks like he’s having a lot of fun, as he should be since the band was playing their best in years, and would only get better over the next year. Video only, no CD release.

    Favorite bonus tracks from the Rhino remasters:

    Anthem of the Sun – already mentioned above but it bears mentioning again –You can make your very own live version of Anthem of the Sun by taking That’s It For The Other One>New Potato Caboose from Two From The Vault (8/24/68) and adding the bonus Alligator>Caution from Anthem of the Sun (8/23/68).

    Aoxomoxoa – Studio workouts from August 1968 on Clementine, The Eleven, and Nobody’s Fault But Mine

    Wake of The Flood – Fantastic Eyes of the World from September 1973.

    Terrapin Station – great studio version of Fire on the Mountain and one of my all-time favorite Dead performance - the Dancin’ In The Street from 5/8/77.

    Go To Heaven – the bonus tracks are better than the album itself – What’ll You Raise, Althea, Jackaroe, Peggy-O, Lost Sailor>Saint

    That’s it folks. I do not have Postcards Of The Hanging (CD of Dylan tunes), nor do I have any of the Download Series aside from #6 listed above.
     
  2. Jerry

    Jerry Grateful Gort Staff

    Location:
    New England
    Well done, my good man!
     
    Shvartze Shabbos likes this.
  3. mike65!

    mike65! Senior Member

    Location:
    Connecticut
    An addendum to Downhill From Here - The end of the first set, West L.A./ Desolation/Deal is actually from 7/19/89, and the rest of the show is from 7/17/89.

    Overall, very fair ratings, and I would tend to agree with them all, but I would bump up Two From The Vault to a 4.5, myself.

    Keep On Truckin" :D
     
  4. John Buchanan

    John Buchanan I'm just a headphone kind of fellow. Stax Sigma

    Thanks Mike - you have just ascended the staircase to Forum legend!!!
    The recording quality in the 3 Vault series CDs I have (Fillmore West 1969 3xCD, Ladies & Gentlemen, Rockin' The Rhein) is superb. Well worth exploring.
     
  5. brew ziggins

    brew ziggins Forum Prisoner

    Location:
    The Village
    Overall, I'd mostly agree, but not giving Hundred Year Hall and Rhein ***** is something I just cannot abide. Those are the first two 'official' live releases I would recommend. Also, Fallout From the Phil Zone is kind of a mixed bag; as you note there are many great moments, but for me, the collection does not cohere as nicely as an entire show, which is something that So Many Roads nearly does manage to accomplish. Don't forget the FAT Scarlet>Fire on SMR...

    Also worth mentioning is that the dreadful Steal Your Face and the Wonderful GD Movie Soundtrack were compiled from the same shows, and presumably the same master tapes. I've never quite figured that one out.
     
  6. musicalbeds

    musicalbeds Strange but not a stranger

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    I'll never forget it! I was there for it, as well as the Dozin' At the Knick shows, the View From the Vault show #2, and a one or two of the Dicks Picks...the Boston 1991 comes immediately to mind.

    Great reviews!
     
  7. ZappaSG

    ZappaSG New Member

    Location:
    Philadelphia
    YES!!!

    Thank you Perko!


    Another fine string of reviews!

    I have Ladies and Gentlemen...on the way from Amazon! I am so excited!!

    :righton:



    ps. It is you who are responsible for my current Deadheadness! :agree:
     
  8. jblock

    jblock Senior Member

    Location:
    Connecticut
    Great overview, thanks. I also wouldn't rate Rockin At the Rhein so low. I personally just can't get into Ladies and Gentleman... even though I'm a big fan of the era. Same regarding the GDMovie soundtrack. Good in small doses, but it all starts to sound the same after a while, and this is from someone who has almost every show from that era. Also, it's tough to go back to the two-channel mix after listening to it in surround on the DVD.
     
  9. ZappaSG

    ZappaSG New Member

    Location:
    Philadelphia
    Oh MAN!!!! I got Ladies and Gentlemen on Friday! :eek:

    Why didn't anyone tell me about this! This thing sounds incredible! The performances are sick! I love the organ on Truckin! Adds a whole new dimension! Im blown away!

    I got through discs 1 and 2 only. I can't stop listening to them. The Bird Song is great!! I'm not going to listen to 3 and 4 until I can find some time.

    That moment in Truckin' when Bobby laughs is one of the most real and honest things I have ever heard. I was smiling from ear to ear. At that moment it all became clear, and I truly understood the Dead.

    YES!

    :righton:
     
    ODShowtime likes this.
  10. mike65!

    mike65! Senior Member

    Location:
    Connecticut
    Haha, another convert :D "Might As Well" start tye-dying your jeans and smoking clove cigarettes. Your secret handshake instructions are coming in the mail. :edthumbs:
     
  11. reeler

    reeler Forum Resident

    steppin' out '72, one from vault, and grateful dead movie soundtrack are my favorites. Certain of the more recent vault releases have a fair amount of in studio tinkering by the GD archive engineers. In the end, they sound great to me. But Jeffery Norman "re-records" certain parts, i.e. plays Garcias guitar track through a fender twin reverb, records it with a mic, and uses the re-recrded track on the cd/dvd mix. It sounds like steppin out and rockin the rheine may have been given similar treatment. The result gives the shows more of a live reverb sound, closer to what I have heard at dead shows, but "purists" may question the practice.
     
  12. Jerry

    Jerry Grateful Gort Staff

    Location:
    New England
    Wow! Where did you hear that? That's not kosher....
     
  13. MikeP5877

    MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII Thread Starter

    Location:
    OH
    I just noticed a typo in the above comments for the SMR box set. "Cassidy" is from 11/10/85, not 11/1/85 as originally typed. This show is also famous for the Half Step>I Know You Rider segue. I do not think this was ever attempted before or after this show.
     
  14. mike65!

    mike65! Senior Member

    Location:
    Connecticut
    Another urban legend is born :shake:
     
  15. Jerry

    Jerry Grateful Gort Staff

    Location:
    New England

    Yeah, I smell a Wharf Rat....
     
  16. dcscott

    dcscott Go have another cheeseburger, Randy

    Location:
    Ontario Canada
    For the most part, this is correct. This part I'm almost certain is true " i.e. plays Garcias guitar track through a fender twin reverb, records it with a mic, and uses the re-recrded track on the cd/dvd mix." It is not re-recording JERRY as per say.
     
  17. reeler

    reeler Forum Resident

    check for yourself

    Jeffery norman states the fact in the special feature section of one of the DVD's but maybe I made it up.
     
  18. mdphunk

    mdphunk Sharing in the groove

    Location:
    Northern VA
    I think this only applied to his work on the GD Movie DVD. The multi-tracks were not very good sounding, and needed to be finessed a bit (the Wall Of Sound wasn't great for recording). Additionally, I don't think he ever scraps an original part, but rather blends the old and "sweetened" tracks to enhance the sound a bit. Actually, his demo of it on the DVD is really cool...he shows, for example, how he gets a very "tack" sounding kick drum to sound much more real.
     
  19. MikeP5877

    MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII Thread Starter

    Location:
    OH
    Ok, but that's only in relation to the GD Movie DVD, right? There's no evidence to suggest the same was done for Rockin' The Rhein and Steppin Out, correct? Those albums sound pretty much like the vintage Europe 72 mixes and every other show I've heard from that tour.
     
  20. jblock

    jblock Senior Member

    Location:
    Connecticut
    You didn't make it up. They talk about this in the bonus features, so it definitely applies to the GD Movie.
     
  21. reeler

    reeler Forum Resident

    give a listen and see what you think

    It was a little surprising to hear Norman say that he uses this practice, which he calls "re-amping". Nonetheless, the overall result sounds good, the GD movie sound track set is the best wall of sound era recordings I've heard. He says he used it on the bass drum, and on weir and garcia's guitars for GD movie sound track. He stated he used the original guitar track in one channel and blends the reamp track into the other channel "so I have guitars in both channels". And he says he used it on weir and garcia's guitar's as well as Keith's piano for closing of winterland sound track. The dvd's have cd counterparts which essentially is the same stereo mix as the dvd's. I can not prove he used it elsewhere, since it is not from the horses mouth, but the guitars on rockin the rhein and certain tracks of steppin out have a bit more reverb and more center fill and space around them than hundred year hall does. Either he added reverb or he did the reamp thing. Since he said "one thing I do" (in reference to "re-amping") rather than "one thing I did" makes me think he had used the technique before. The only way to know for sure would be to ask him. Give a listen to the guitars on hundred year hall, then play dark star on rockin the rheine and see what you think.
     
  22. mike65!

    mike65! Senior Member

    Location:
    Connecticut
    Be careful with your assumptions. Just because he did it once, doesn't mean that it was done any other time. Also, if he is saying "one thing I do", it could be that he is simply referring to his technique he is using while they are filming that segment. The Dead were constantly playing with their electronics, as well as mikes, so it is also possible that the other recordings you are referring to are just better quality and/or had different set-ups. Also note that the Dead had two complete set-ups for the wall of sound, and would leap-frog them from venue to venue, simply because they were so work intensive concerning the set-ups and dismantling.
    Unless you know all of the equipment they used at each location and the eq'ing they did at each one, it's like comparing apples and oranges. This is how nasty rumours begin.
    Nice to have another Deadhead in the forum. :agree:

    Welcome :wave:
     
  23. reeler

    reeler Forum Resident

    check out his interviews

    Twice actually. No nasty rumor, check out the interview segments of the GD movie and the closing of winterland, Norman says he used "re-amping" on both those releases. So he is officially on record as using "reamping" two times. That may or may not be the only times he ever did it. Is stating my opinion that I think it was used on rockin the rheine spreading "nasty rumors"? I'm not out to bash the GD engineers or anyone else, I've been a fan for 30 years.
     
  24. mike65!

    mike65! Senior Member

    Location:
    Connecticut
    Not at all. It's the old shampoo commercial routine, though, coupled with "I read it, so it must be true", ...and they told two friends, and so on, and so on... You originally said that Steppin' Out and Rheine sounded like they were given similar treatment, but then qualified the opinion with an assumption by saying that "the result gives the shows more of a live, reverb sound."
    That is when it becomes a nasty rumour. I never thought you were bashing, sorry if it read that way :sigh: If that is what they had to do to correct whatever lousy sound they came across for those releases, then cool. No problem. It's just the wording that made it sound like you knew specifics regarding other releases. So sorry :angel:

    Thanks for the chat, looking forward talking again :edthumbs:
    Now I've gotta go back and rewatch some extra features. Seems like I missed some info.
     
  25. Aggie87

    Aggie87 Gig 'Em!

    Location:
    Carefree, AZ
    Any comments on the "Grayfolded" release? I would have thought it belonged in this thread...
     
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