"Music To My Ears" - Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder- A Review

This year has been a time of tremendous releases of Bluegrass music, this new Disc by Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder being up amongst the top with some Stiff Competition, like The Roys, The Grascals and The Lonesome River Band.
I'm a bit partial to this as it is an audiophile recording,It has been seriously recorded by Skaggs Studio and mastered by Georgetown Masters in HDCD(Old Haunts of genious "Golden Ears" Denny Purcells, now run by his apprentice Andrew Mendelson and crew), The Sound quality just shimmers, and this is a full blown production that has a lot of time and love put into it. Skaggs produced the CD with the help of Gordon Kennedy. All that said, the recordings of the other artists mentioned were quite incredible themselves, like the latest Roys's CD ,which is also done in HDCD.

Ricky has some real good material on this Disc, like "Music to my Ears", a Christian bluegrass song that has the grand traditional bluegrass sound. Also, a great tribute to Doc Watson, who passed away this year, it is called "Tennessee Stud", a mid paced bluegrass gem with Cody Kilby on guitar. Kilby is one of the best guitarists in this genre today, along with Tony Rice, Bryan Sutton and Others. Skaggs is not one to be afraid to step out side the box, and he does some here with the slight sound of electric guitar floating down over some of the songs. Gordon Kennedy takes care of that. Skaggs has songs on here that just live, and they might live on in your heart like "There's Nothing Like A Family" ,last song on disc ,just leaving you with a sense of joy.                       www.rickyskaggs.com

"New Day Dawning" - The Roys - A Review

This collection of songs by Lee and Elaine Roy has the same refreshing vibe as exhibited on their last Rural Rhythm CD, "Lonesome Whistle", their sound is fresh ,especially their harmonies which have that special sibling sound.  Their music has a unique bluegrass/country acoustic sound. They do this with the help of alot of Ricky Skaggs band and other studio musicians. Randy Kohrs plays dobro, Mark Fain is on bass, Cody Kilby plays guitar, and Justin Moses on banjo. Andy Leftwich helps produce and plays mandolin and some great fiddle.

  This CD features songs all written by the Roys with some help from some friends such as Lonesome River Band's Brandon Rickman. This is actually an EP ,with seven songs, but it is cheaper and in my opinion there are no filler songs on it. Their first single has already been released and has been a breakout hit. It is "Still Standing" which has great lyrics and an infectious melody.

  I love the first song on the EP, "New Day Dawning" ,the title track, which starts the album out with an upbeat bluegrass sound, and I love the theme of this EP, which is basically family and life story oriented. For example, the songs "Daddy To Me" and "Grandpa's  Barn"  are both family oriented ballads which are just plain solid songs.

  This is a very well produced CD, which has been recorded at Skaggs recording studio, like their last CD. Go check out their website and get a good deal on an autographed CD.      

                         www.theroysonline.com

Part 3 or Discs 3 + 4 of Europe 72 Olympia ,Paris Show - Review by Steve Seachrist

Disc Three

1. Truckin'

Bob repeats the Number-One-in-Turlock bit and the band plays like they are playing a

hit single. It’s a typical daydream in most ways. It’s nice that the verses and choruses

are remembered, lyric-wise. It helps with the credibility. I’m buying this version. We

arrive at the last verse unscathed but for Jerry’s awesome and unpredictable fills. Bones

are patched and we are on our way home. Jer winds up and bursts into a series of rock

figures before heading out on a more esoteric excursion. Pig backs him up admirably

with good jams on the Hammond. Before 7:30 we are certainly setting up for that repriseof the last verse, and that happens from a whisper to a scream within its short lifetime.The jam after this is short and rocky. It is fully flavored with the taste of the main song rather than any other side trip. This very suddenly drops into something that promises to

become…

2. The Other One

Why on Earth the top of this CD track did not rate the “Jam” title (like 4/16 did) is way

beyond my pay scale. We basically land here on a desolate other world, dust our only

friend. This could make you cry if you did not know that rescue was imminent. Each of

the principals (minus Pigpen) carry on making all manner of rackets for several minutes.I really love these nebulous jams where searching is more important than finding. Jerry bows out near 4:45 and the others carry on beautifully without him. Bob strikes some really odd chords here. Jer comes tweedling back in a minute later, then he pushes out some volume-knob swells. This soon gets more aggressive, sparking Keith to make his own noise for a bit. At around 6:45 Phil makes several runs at the opening, but no one takes him up on any of them. More than a minute later, he pokes at it again and ever-so slowly everyone gets on board, but not all at once. In fact, they back off again, teasing us mercilessly with the entrance to the song proper. Phil rumbles through variations on his opening, now obviously just toying with it as the jam turns unpredictable corners again and again. The way this version blossoms is completely amazing. By 11:30 there is still tension even though a very high near-climax is reached. They back off yet again, setting up a little jam that Bob leads, again sans Jerry. Pig chimes in on organ and everyone except Jer comes to the table with the theme. Still no Garcia, they build it to its true structure and then the lead guitar finally warbles back into existence. Here the song has come around to its freakish form. It wails and wails here, all hands very much on deck. Parisian minds are being cracked open like oeufs. There is a slight cooling before Weir comes in with the verse. Pigpen is very active here and the backing vocals sound amazing. Piano leads the way out. Very quickly, the band leaves, and the only sound to be heard comes from the…

3. Drums

Billy displays his plentiful talents by knocking around on the trap kit for a few minutes.

It sounds like he has the snares turned off as he moves around the various three drums at hand. His right foot doesn’t do much but his left taps quietly on the high-hat pedal. His rolls are impeccable. A couple of minutes in, we can hear where this might go. Bill does a cool thing by pushing down on a drum head with one stick while hitting the drum with the other, then slowly releasing the hold, forming a change in tone kind of like a talking drum. We hear Phil warming up the bass as the track marker clicks over to one called…

4. The Other One

The top of this is a bass and drum solo, so I don’t know why it did not get a separate

title. Phil is front-and-center for almost two minutes before he plays the actual riff and

the band joins all at once. Jerry leads the jam into areas one would expect here but Bob

gets in some really tasty and unusual chording around 3:30. Soon after that both the hot

and cool dynamics of the song are displayed in turn. As space allows, more piano comes forward. The mood swings from bright to cloudy near 6:15 and it seems we will arrive at a verse soon. Before that can happen, a complete breakdown is called and Garcia works reverbed figures over slow, growling chords by Lesh. Next, Jerry clicks on the wah and dials it way back to a muted tone as he mimics demons. Phil and Bob are two ends of  the accompanying spectrum – one rumbling deep and the other strumming bright and squealing feedback. Jerry gets a grip on some pinch harmonics and lets them wail loudly. This is a fantastic little space jam. As its fruits dry on the vine, Bobby takes a chance on strumming the entrance to…

5. Me and Bobby McGee

Great song placement! As the cowboy ballads have been appearing in the midst of the

big jams, this one works just as well. It feels like relief. Groove, vocal harmonies, and a

catchy melody all come together as an antidote to the preceding madness. Pigpen warms the underpinning with organ as Jerry plays a perfect solo. The following verse is the one where Bobby McGee gets away and our singer wistfully regrets losing her. Wow, this is wonderful. The song builds to the wordless last verse and all cylinders are firing perfectly. Hear the guitar fills and piano embellishments. The cute last chord changes land kind of unexpectedly back on the still-unfinished…

6. The Other One

Oh, yes. We will hear a second verse soon, I can feel it right at the top as Garcia makes

no bones about playing the theme. The momentum is undeniable and the song moves

forward with that goal in mind. In less than two minutes, we are set up and Bob sings the one about Cowboy Neal. Note that it is Weir who plays those final guitar figures ending it and leaving an opening for Garcia to start…

7. Wharf Rat

I’ve really been enjoying the versions of this song from this tour. On this one, Weir rings some chiming chords in the first verse. Garcia sings it mildly at first, without as much conviction as I expected. He sounds a tad distracted, maybe. I think I detect some out of- tuneness in the guitar department and perhaps this is killing him. The song breaks down into its bridge and it becomes ever so delicate here. Bad things could happen. They don’t – the protagonist proclaims he will get up and fly away, and the song follows this sentiment. It lifts off and sails on. But it is still a bit of a struggle here. Nothing awful occurs, it’s just that the stars are not quite aligned. More barely off-color tones emanate from Weir at times when he could have been brought down somewhat in the mix to minimize this. Garcia decides to make the best of it and he gets busy with some colorful guitar work. The band jams out the ending only for a minute or so and lets the greater jam finally die here.

Disc Four

1.Jack Straw

I am dying to hear this. All previous versions have had Weir singing the verses instead

of alternating with Garcia as he had on the original

Europe ’72 album. So, was the

alternating idea something that came about in the field, or back at the ranch during

overdubbing sessions? Now we will find out (maybe).

Yup, the opening sounds precisely like the official version from all those years ago. But

then again so do these vocals, so I am guessing these are the overdubbed ones. Do I hear a ghost Weir voice during the Garcia parts? Maybe. We’ll know more after we hear the version from the next show. I’m really tempted to go straight there now, but I’ll wait. Even so, I’m pretty sure we just have a re-mix of the parts you’ve already heard a million times. It’s drier and more live sounding, for sure. It wraps up exactly like you knew it would. Great version. Weir says he wants to hear a pin drop and a crowd member yells something in English about California.

2. Sugar Magnolia

The band responds with this. It is a picture-perfect version, sung expertly by an audibly

hoarse Bob Weir. The verses are tight and rocking. Once they are dispensed with, Weir

quietly requests “rock-n-roll” and the band obliges. They set up the song-ending groove

and Garcia lets the changes go around a few times before chiming in with a lead. And

what a lead it is. He quotes familiar riffs and also goes somewhat sideways with these.

Unfortunately the false ending is a premature little wreck. Oh, well. They burst into

the coda with such force that the transgression is instantly forgotten and this is where

Weir earns his keep. The end is a scream fest and Garcia is so turned on that he begins

cranking immediately on…

3. Not Fade Away

Jerry’s gonna tell us how it’s gonna be. He sets a fast pace, Pigpen and the others climb

aboard and the song rocks hard. And by hard I mean very hard. The singing is yelling

and the playing is wailing. Stuff cools nicely after two choruses and Garcia takes the

opportunity to play some nice patterns. I am halfway expecting a familiar melody to

come forward (like “Mountain Jam” or something) but that does not occur. Instead, the

band jams on that one chord for a good while and Jer delights in playing over it. When it mellows sufficiently he begins working the riff for…

4. Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad

As the singing starts, Donna is onstage and the boys share vocal duties with her. Check

out Pigpen’s swirling Hammond here. Nice addition. The first guitar solo is fantastic in

its studied restraint. Donna lets out a yelp to celebrate and Jerry busts right into the next

verse with audible joy in his voice. Dig this! Another solo, why not? This one pushes

harder and includes some of the fastest little licks I’ve ever heard Garcia pull off. Don’t

miss this. Back to choruses and they of course build and build, with the not-bashful

Donna Godchaux adding interpretive screams. The breakdown lands on the “Bid You

Goodnight” changes which Jerry decides to double up on at the last split-second. Then

those quiet two chords are but a fakeout as we of course explode back into…

5.Not Fade Away

Hear Keith at the top of this, adding bluesy greatness. Then Pig gives us a taste too

before he jumps forward to join Bob on the vocal tradeoffs. This ending segment is one

for the ages. It cements my opinion that this whole show is near the top of the list for the tour.

6. One More Saturday Night

As the two guitars play the intro in harmony, Bob somehow also manages to mention

that this song is the new single and he suggests that the French audience go out and buy

it. Could they find it? Who knows? At least they got to hear it live. The version has a

lot of charm but it is not as together as some. Jerry makes up for some of that by playing fantastic, noisy licks near the end of the first solo. Bob comes back strong with a couple more verses. His voice is ragged and also right. More harmony guitar leads to the fun key changes in the bridge, which of course climb right back to the final choruses. It’s a raucous way to end a show that will remain one of my favorites from any time. The last chord is beaten to a bloody pulp and the crowd goes bonkers.

A review of May 3 Olympia ,Paris Show by Steve Seachrist,

Part 1

Steve Seachrist is a Deadhead, musician and a very good reviewer of Dead music, He writes in Musicians and Deadheads language, He has reviewed every Live CD that the Dead have released, Which is quite alot. I am priviledged to have Steve share his review of one of the concerts from the new Europe 72 Box Set. This is a show that I have ordered. Enjoy.

Europe ’72: The Complete Recordings – Paris, France 5/3/72

Overview

Thus begins a two-night stay at the venerated Olympia Theatre in Paris. Please do read

the liner notes to this one, again written by the highly enlightened Steve Silberman. And again his insight gives me license to just let him provide all of the context. That makes me very happy. But here’s a bit about the music played this night: first and foremost, no fewer than four songs were selected from this very gig for the original

Europe ’72 album: “China

 Cat Sunflower”, “I Know You Rider”, “Tennessee Jed”, and “Jack Straw”. These are

centerpieces of that album and became the definitive versions for the vast majority of

Dead fans for a long time. Am I overstating this? I don’t think so. Taping became a
huge phenomenon later, but for a while, these were the ultimate in live versions. In my
mind, this is still pretty much true. I love other versions, but these are to me the pinnacle of what was possible. There are good reasons these were selected for overdubbing and subsequent release. They’re just incredibly hot, even next to versions played either side of this date. Go ahead, argue with me. I want to debate it.

The sound quality has taken a noticeable turn for the better over the past couple of shows, although it is still perhaps one notch inferior to earlier releases from the tour, like

Rockin’

the Rhein 

or Steppin’ Out. Here’s hoping whatever was plaguing the sound has been

 improved from this show on out.

Disc One

1. Bertha

The Paris crowd is already rowdy at the top, clapping in rhythm and cheering loudly.

The band warms up only for a second, then lights into this contender for tightest “Bertha” of the tour. This song had recently (in 1971) been released as a live version so there was little chance it would appear on the live album being recorded on this tour. Maybe that allowed them to loosen up a bit and just pummel it. Pigpen adds nice organ colors, Keith is a god of piano fills, and Jerry hits this out of the park in terms of singing and playing. Oh, sure, the other guys are all over it too. When the guitar solo hits, it is fantastic. I thought the one on  

Skull and Roses was the monster (and it is) but this one is every bit as

 hot and I never thought I’d say that.

2. Me and My Uncle

Another refugee from 

Skull and Roses comes up here. Before it does, a woman speaks

 some French to the audience. Weir chimes in in German. Prankster! The song comes to

life full of the same flavors that “Bertha” enjoyed only moments before. It is a very hot

version from the top to the tail. The solo is completely without peer. I do not know how

a band can get lit up to this extent, I really don’t. But here they are supernaturally great.

Every single note and nuance is as good (probably better) than you have ever heard it.

3. Mr. Charlie

This grooves so deeply I am having a hard time understanding how any version could

beat it. Jerry’s solo is certainly better than the official version. It is scary and thrilling in

ways that cannot be explained. The return to the verses is full of electricity and I rate this absolutely essential in the annals of “Mr. Charlie”. Wow!!

4. Sugaree

This easily could have been a contender for the original album. It is so solid and confidently played that it must have been on the short list. It is interesting that this tune

and the next one appeared on the live album from two years later, the universally-reviled

Steal Your Face

 I don’t hate that album as much as most folks, and I do see it as another

noble attempt to present previously-unreleased live songs, a lot like

Europe ’72. But

 back to this: the song is so completely full of the vibrancy you want that it is utterly

undeniable in its ascendancy to the top of the Europe heap. It’s the best so far.

5. Black Throated Wind There are so many great versions of this on the tour already, I didn’t know if this one could possibly beat them. Sound quality alone could give this an edge. It is played magically, too. Typically, Jerry’s lines make the biggest impact, but Bob’s singing and Phil’s contributions are killer and Keith and Billy nail their respective parts. Just when you thought you’d heard the best one, here comes this! Dig it. It is superlative, and I don’t use that term loosely.

6. Chinatown Shuffle

This version is perfect in its context here. The sound rocks, the playing is hot, and

Pigpen has never been in better form. If I had to nit-pick with a gun to my head, I’d say

Jerry may have nailed the guitar parts a little better on other versions but I am certainly

not going to complain. This is worthy of all the love you could invest in it. It is also a

necessary Pigpen interlude to the next tunes, which happen to be the ones selected for the

Europe ’72   

album.

7. China Cat Sunflower

I’m really excited to hear this, since every nuance of the official version is burned deeply into my brain. Jerry gets the riff straight quietly then snaps to for real. That groove is undeniable – it is the one. To my ears, the vocal we are hearing here is the original one and the more familiar one was overdubbed. They are so close, I could be wrong. When “diamond eye jack” is sung, I know I am right. The instruments do precisely what you remember but they sound huge here. The instrumental bridge is like a Technicolor version of what you know. The last verse is again just different enough that you know there was a later revision. As the jam develops, it is that totally familiar sequence of  sublime playing. And, yes, there are very good reasons why this concise little version was the one selected. It gives me chills to hear it like this. Jerry comes to the fore more so than other versions before the quick set-up to…

8. I Know You Rider

This sounds exactly like the vocals we know. Either they got it perfect live, or we are

now hearing overdubs. I’m going to guess the latter – it is too good. After the “wild

geese” verse, Jerry plays that exact solo we have imprinted in our brains. The next

chorus is that sweetened stuff you’ve heard so many times. Ditto the Jerry “train” verse

and the following chorus. Then the solo blows the roof off. Is it overdubbed? We don’t

know for sure but it sure is inspired. This is what Grateful Dead dreams are made of.

Whether live or contrived, it is pure magic. The crowd goes for it.

9. Beat It On Down The Line

“How many?” someone, probably Jerry, asks. Answer: nine. The version is as hot as

anything preceding it at this show. Every nuance is in place and the full-on Grateful

Dead X-Factor is on display. I don’t want to disparage the earlier shows but we have

serious lift-off here. There is no contest, even though earlier versions were great. This

one is better. We have finally reached our happy, happy home.

Weir mumbles some faux Francais at the end.

10. He's Gone

You’ll notice right away that the opening riff is that static one from earlier versions but it switches halfway through to the one we all know and love. That aside, there are tuning issues and the song is oddly grooveless. I can’t explain this any better than anyone else could. The air has somehow escaped the balloon. The efforts here all sound less than half-hearted. How did this band suddenly become nonchalant after so much magic? That is the eternal Grateful Dead quandary, and the reason we keep digging for the gems. This is certainly not one of them. As of the previous show the arrangement includes an instrumental bridge, a guitar solo that is only the verse part, and then the vocal bridge. That’s what we have here. The final verses are still undercooked and the ending just self fades unceremoniously. This version is easily my least favorite on the tour so far, even given the unfinished arrangements of some earlier ones. A lot of crowd cacophony and tuning precede the next number, but no one in the band says anything.

11. Next Time You See Me

Pig to the rescue again. There is no way to play this song without some level of commitment. The band comes back to life and pushes the blues buttons. After the first

quick verses the harp solo takes over for two rounds and Jerry is then given the stage.

He plays a couple of verses of moderately hot blues licks and hands it back off to Mr.

McKernan for more harmonica blowing. It’s fine and all, but not the definitive version

you may have been hoping for. It does include two verses at the end instead one, which I think is one too many.

12. Playing in the Band

No introduction of Donna precedes this but she is there on the first chorus, mixed

pleasantly low. The verses are powerful and relatively in-tune. When the time comes,

a reasonable bellow emits from Ms. Godchaux. One more chorus gets us to the jammy

zone and it goes to the watery depths immediately. After a minute, the heat is up there

with the best of these short versions and redemption is nigh. It is hard to deny the powers of any of these versions of this song. The X-Factor is on tap at all times. Before 7:00, strains of the return theme can already be heard, but do not let that get you down. Jerry works on the tease a bit more and then does get to it more explicitly. As concise as it is, this version satisfies. The drop to the actual theme is less dramatic than some on the tour, but once it arrives, the fanfare into the chorus is pretty big. Donna screams us in well and the final rounds are full of hot energy. Overall, not my favorite, but most of the many versions on the tour are very solid, including this one.

"The Dead In 1976" - Road Trips 4.5 - A Review

The Grateful Dead of 1976 was one of my favorite configurations. Back from a time off in 1975, the members went their own ways for awhile. They sounded refreshed and ready to play.

  I am listening to the Dead's last Road Trip's Series which is my first one, it is the releases which followed Dick's Picks(Latvala), and now will make way for Dave's Picks (Lemieux). This is their Third show back of the small theater tour they did. They would play usually multiple nights at a smaller than huge venue. In Boston and Philly , they did 4 night stands. Tickets were available by mail order to Deadheads first. I got the best seats ever for a Dead show, two third row seats. The Tower Theatre in Philly seats about 2,000. The vibe of these shows is mellow and intimate. Donna's singing is coming into her own, and sort of has to, as Phil is not singing at this point. Mixed in with recent Dead material,they were playing some Jerry Garcia Band songs and Kingfish songs(a group that Weir played in during 75, a country rock type group, they put out one album, a good one, in my opinion, I saw them ,the previous year.

    They played the two songs "Lazy Lightning" and "Supplication" by Kingfish on the Road Trips disc and from the JGB, "They Love Each Other" and "Mission In the Rain" from "Reflections" by the JGB.

   A beautiful version of "Crazy Fingers" is on the Road Trips disc. Garcia is playing a white Travis Bean guitar, which he played for about a year. It tonally gave him some great tone, though it took a while for him to get it dialed in, after playing the heavily tricked out Irvin "Wolf" guitar which he was used to. The sound quality of this record is like a good Dick's Picks and it contains a caveat on it about how it is a snapshot of history, not a modern professional recording. The quality is good enough, not to need a caveat, but I think there had been some complaints about the quality of a former recording, I guess that they wanted to give themselves a way out. For the most part, I really like the sound quality. Garcia's vocals are low in a lot of the mix, depending on song. They are getting away from the Wall Of Sound which they had used on their last tour to a down sized system that they rented for a trial of shows.

   It is fun to hear them start out the second set with "St Stephen", a song which I do not think had been played in a while. Sounds like some of the beginning is lost or it was part of a segway from another song. Very good version of "Eyes Of The World " next, both on the mellow side. Next, they play a part of the Weather Report trilogy "Let It Grow", which is different, but good. A lot of songs on this Road Trips, I heard a few weeks later in Philly which was a more upbeat show, with a lot more reverb. I had heard an interview with Jeffrey Norman about mixing the Dead, He mastered this CD set. He said that Garcia always liked too much reverb on his guitar, so he would take it out in the mastering process. I don't know about this, you are trying to present the music the way that the group liked it, but you change it to your own tastes? A little more reverb would have been nice to warm up the mix. Jerry plays one of his best solos on " Ship Of Fools", He was not really jamming alot this night or playing lots of extended leads.

     Weir was playing a custom Ibanez instead of his Gibson 335 which he had been using and it changed his tone, The Gibson was a hollow body. Nice booklet by Blair Jackson describing the show with some nice pics. To fill out the space on Disc 3, they added some songs from June 12 to the CD. The Original Show ends with a raucous "Round and Round" which at first I thoght was a gliche, but it wasn't, towards the end of the song, they actually gallup into double speed, quite a feat, Jerry playing almost mandolin style. All in all, a good show, they were still working themselves back into shape after being off for awhile. The songs from June 12 were really nice. A Sugar Magnolia with a US Blues in the middle of it. I think that I had heard them do that once before.

www.dead.net

"To Terrapin" - Grateful Dead- HDCD

On May 28,1977, the Grateful Deadtook the stage and put out possibly the best sounding and tightest show that the band has ever done.This was not a multi-track recording. 1977 and 1972 were my 2 favorite years of Dead Music. "To Terrapin" was released in '09 as was their June 77,box set from Winterland which covered 3 full shows, June 7,8 and 9. I also have 2 great Dick's Picks from 77, DP 10 "Winterland,Dec 29" and DP 15 "Live From Englishtown ,NJ, an outdoors festival with the MTB. (I was at that one).






"To Terrapin", was done way after last Dick's Pick, #36(I was at that one too, Philly, 72) the untimely death of Dick, led to other outlets from the vault ,like Road Trips and special shows ,like "To Terrapin". This concert was a bargain ,selling for around 15 bucks for 3 Discs in a Cardboard sleeve. The artwork, along with the music is beautiful. This is a Betty Cantor recording, like Dick would used for a Dick's Pick, but technology had picked up and also Rhino Records were in charge of Dead releases, so the sound quality was shining, it was mastered by Jeffrey Norman.



Garcia is playing his Travis Bean guitar on this show, which had a different timbre than the Wolfe,his custom guitar, built by Irwin Guitars. I really loved the tones he got out of this instrument which had an aluminum frame. There is a very well done "Estimated Prophet" on Disc 3, which is off of their newest CD , "Terrapin Station". A very good "Playing in The Band", with some unusual jamming for this version. Keith Godchaux plays great on this disc. On the first CD, there are very good versions of "Jack Straw" and "Row Jimmy", overall, a very good setlist. This summer, I have been taking a bit of a break from bluegrass, and there haven't been any stellar releases that I have heard, except Ricky Skaggs latest, recently. I have been delving into the vault of Grateful Dead music, something only a Deadhead would understand. See you next time.



http://www.dead.net/  -Coming soon, Europe 72 Box Set

Grateful Dead Road Trips Vol4 , #4

This Grateful Dead 82 Concert at The Spectrum in Philly sounds awesome. The Recording is excellent and contains 3 Discs of great songs. Garcia's vocals are great, the recording is just splendid,unlike most Road trips CDs, this is a full concert ,like a Dick's Picks,but the Sound Quality is almost unbelievable, especially Garcia, both vocals and guitar!!!

Get it @

http://www.dead.net/