Reckoning

+++++++++++++ In the fall of 1080 the DeaD decided to play two weeks in San Francisco's tiny Warfield Theatre and a week at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The shows opened with a 30 to 50 minute acoustic set and then playing a pair of electric sets. The album was marvelously recorded by Dan Healy and Betty Cantor. It's modern American "Folk" music at its very best. On cd OH BABE IT AIN'T NO LIE is missing and the original title of CHINA DOLL was THE SUICIDE SONG.

nr. 1 Probably the best live effort since SKULL & ROSES, the sound is excellent, the selections range from DeaD standards to ultra-rarities and many of the performances were truly inspired. GOLDMINE, 9/87

nr. 2 Sure, it's a mite leisurely, sure Jerry's voice creaks like an old floorboard, sure there are remakes if not reremakes. But the songs are great, the commitment palpable, and they always were my favourite folkgroup. rating: B+ ROBERT CRISTGAU, VILLAGE VOICE, 1981

nr. 3 ...more a document of a once-memorable progressive group grown somewhat sluggish over the years than a compelling aural artifact. * (could this be the once-famous -es-) DAVE MARSH of ROLLING STONE...

nr. 4 Good news...You don't have to be a Deadhead to enjoy their latest live LP. The first good album in 10 years. This relaxed set shows off the band's instrumental abilities, rarely at the expense of the song itself (an exception is BIRD SONG, which includes a lengthy instrumental that sounds like the Dead have been listening to old Dave Brubeck albums). Garcia's singing is strong (for him) and the pairing of his raspy oldman/wiseman voice with acoustic fingerpicking is natural enough. Particularly satisfying tracks are IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE ROSES, a yearning love song with a tender reading by Garcia over lose interplay between Weir, Garcia and Mydland, and CHINA DOLL, featuring Garcia's dramatic vocal set against the Victorian moodiness of Mydland's harpsichord. Bob Weir's all-American vocals have never been impressive and his unmemorable, passionless versions of THE RACE IS ON and ON THE ROAD AGAIN are the low points on an otherwise solid record. The DeaD have exchanged dated ensemble work for a timeless American sound that is, still, distinctively their own. MICHAEL GOLDBERG, THE YEAR IN ROCK 81/82, LSP BOOKS UK 1981

nr. 5 An absolute gem all the way. It features a good blend of DeaD originals and an assortment of old folk, country and blues tunes, all performed in the Dead's inimitable style. The remarkable thing about the record is that the DeaD are able to pull off the same kind of dynamic shifts and intricate jams as an acoustic group as they do as an electric powerhouse. An amazing record! * * * * * BLAIR JACKSON

nr. 6 An all acoustic two record set collection that captures the subtle interaction between the musicians, and proves that even the bare bones version of the Grateful Dead is an absolutely unique musical enterprise. JAMIE JENSEN, BUILT TO LAST, FANTAIL 1990

nr. 7 A beautiful, relaxed record where the Dead play the stars from heaven. I strongly believe that it was this record that made it important for bands like Tesla, Guns & Roses, REM, Paul McCartney etc. to show their acoustic virtues, and made the path free for MTV Unplugged. Every song here is played with conviction, all instuments fit together perfectly, and the singing of Weir and Garcia is strong throughout the whole record. * * * * * ERIK SCHOTHANS, July 1992