From the Vault vol. 2

+++++++++++++++ The double-disc was recorded on August 24, 1968 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles (the second of a two night stand). It is a perfect reprensentation of the Dead at their peak - the material was fresh, the experience was new and the possibilities were endless. A jam could flow and develop into into anything and the show would last all night (this show gets cut off during the sensational MORNING DEW encore. It was getting a little too late!!).

nr. 1 What a great idea of soundman Dan Healy to clean up old concert tapes and release them on CD. After a beautiful BLUES FOR ALLAH live concert, this is the second release from the vaults. A LIVE/DEAD part II, or should this be part one, because it's recorded in 1968, one year earlier and no Constanten on keyboards yet. A relatively simple DARK STAR where Jerry Garcia starts off in high passion mode right from the beginning and Phil Lesh plays the bass as if it were the lead guitar. THE ELEVEN might have a strange rhythm basis, but it still is a song filled with atomic power with leading roles for Capt. Trips and Pigpen. After the eleventh storm has calmed down, we get a thrilling rendition of DEATH DON'T HAVE NO MERCY. L.A. must have felt another earthquake when the Dead played THE OTHER ONE. On LOVELIGHT Pigpen gets another chance to show his talents, but in the end this whole album could be regarded as a tribute to him. The show closes with MORNING DEW. A version on the same high level as the one on the EUROPE '72 album. It's a pity the GDM,Inc. don't bring out releases like these, once in every month. * * * * ERIK SCHOTHANS, JULY 1992

nr. 2 Not just another GD live album, more an archeological find! The band are in fine form. The late Ron "Pigpen" Mckernan leads them into a fifteen minute version of Sonny Boy Williamson's GOOD MORNING LITTLE SCHOOLGIRL, but the rush begins as Phil Lesh's bass poicks out the opening figure of DARK STAR and Jerry Garcia's initially awkward lead guitar grows wings to fly through a vintage performance. Early in their career the band had a reputation for being inconsistent, indisciplined and incapable of playing the same song twice. TWO FROM THE VAULT lays that ghost to rest. Compare these renditions of DARK STAR, ST. STEPHEN or THE OTHER ONE with 'definitive' versions on other albums and hear a band who certainly had their shit together. And what strange shit it was, too. CHAS DE WHALLEY, VOX, aug. 1992. rating: 8

nr. 3 The opening tune last a good fifteen minutes, with three long jams. After this opener, the boys begin the meltdown with their classic DARK STAR>ST. STEPHEN>THE ELE- VEN combination. There aren't words to describe the intensity and energy that goes with this long-missed musical masterpiece. FOR THE OTHER ONE is played in its entirely, CRYPTICAL and all. The song has unbelievable peaks, and flows smoothly into NEW POTATO CABOOSE, featuring Phil on the high end. The TURN ON YOUR LOVELIGHT epitomizes what the DeaD was all about. It's a long version in which the Pig leads the band and treats the audience with some funky raps. The energy level of this jam is so high that it is surprising it didn't blow the roof off the Shrine. The final jam on MORNING DEW gets cut as the amps get shut off and Jerry bids the audience goodnight. These young, inspired artists exploded when they took the stage. Garcia's licks are lightning fast and crickled with energy. Weir's rhythms are flowing and groovy, and bring the band to points where the opportunities are endless. Phil's bombs are mind-blowing. He was not a bassist, he was another lead guitarist playing bass and his solos were like thunder. As for the drummers, it's a free-for-all as the boys chase each other around. A Grateful Dead concert has never been routine and, especially back then, anything could happen. RELIX, June 1992, vol. 19, no. 2 BOB BROMBERG

nr. 5 Dan Healy has done a remarkable job with bringing new life to the original 8-track masters of this fantastic show; a show which is not currently in trape trading circles! This show was recorded nearly six months before the versions that made it into LIVE/DEAD (recorded at the Fillmore West 28/2/68), and show just how these songs developed into the band's most formative period. The encore of MORNING DEW is a real treat - it wasn't even listed in DeaD Base. RELIX, Vol. 19, No. 3

nr. 6 Emboldened buy the superb vocals of Ron (Pigpen) McKernan, the band charges into blues territory. Pigpen was the strongest singer the Dead ever had. He gave them entree to an Rhythm 'n Blues palette otherwise off-limits, because vocally he was the only one in the band who was up to it. When he launches into GOOD MORNING LITLE SCHOOLGIRL, he elevates lewd to a level of art, and jump-starts the band into one of it greatest performances. MALCOM JONES, NEWSWEEK, aug. 21, 1995