The Grateful Dead

I am convinced that God made the Grateful Dead so that they could be heard in concert.
Besides the tremendous amount of music which the Dead plays at a date (usually they will
play until they are stopped), the band exudes a laid-back, happy confidence that puts a
flame in the soul and a smile on the face; yes it does. The group is a living sense of security
and contentment for pop music watchers, and it is probably our most important... More >

This live triple is where everybody except certified Grateful Dead freaks gets off the bus, but I've still got my card and it ain't a joker. Sure they're beginning to sound very complacent--the whole "Morning Dew" side could be scratched, and the long version of "Truckin'" proves conclusively that the song doesn't truck much. But the best stuff here--the ensemble playing on "Sugar Magnolia," the movement of "China Cat Sunflower," Garcia's It Hurts Me Too" solo, the lyric to "Ramble On Rose"--is a lot more than laid-back good. It's laid-back brilliant. Most of the rest, patchy though it may be, is laid-back good. Also, I like the way they sing. (And write.) (Grade: B+)