Search - Grateful Dead :: So Many Roads: 1965-1995

So Many Roads: 1965-1995
Grateful Dead
So Many Roads: 1965-1995
Genres: Country, Pop, Rock, Classic Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
  •  Track Listings (11) - Disc #2
  •  Track Listings (7) - Disc #3
  •  Track Listings (18) - Disc #4
  •  Track Listings (10) - Disc #5

Deadhead collecting has come a long way. An experience that was once based in haphazard bootleg tape trading of complete single shows has graduated to this: a fancy, cloth-covered, lovingly annotated five-disc box set of l...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Grateful Dead
Title: So Many Roads: 1965-1995
Members Wishing: 8
Total Copies: 0
Label: Arista
Original Release Date: 11/9/1999
Release Date: 11/9/1999
Album Type: Live
Genres: Country, Pop, Rock, Classic Rock
Styles: Folk Rock, Jam Bands, Rock Jam Bands, Country Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Number of Discs: 5
SwapaCD Credits: 5
UPC: 078221406628

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Deadhead collecting has come a long way. An experience that was once based in haphazard bootleg tape trading of complete single shows has graduated to this: a fancy, cloth-covered, lovingly annotated five-disc box set of live recordings, oddities, outtakes, and rehearsals spanning 30 years. The live cuts comprise the heart of this package, and they put you right in the thick of things, presenting the Dead in pure, undiluted fashion, warts and all. The Dead intelligentsia who produced the package--David Gans, Blair Jackson, and Steve Silberman--have boldly chosen the most interesting improvisations and most riveting examples of group synergy: the Dead at their least accessible, but most ambitious and compelling. There are moments where you'll cringe at off-key harmonies or flubbed chords, but there is always a payoff. At times, you can hear the band desperately struggle through the verses just to get to the jam, where redemption always awaits. Jerry Garcia's wounded off-key moans on a 1984 version of "Shakedown Street" eventually give way to a wonderful in-the-pocket funk workout; on a 1988 reading of "Playing in the Band," Bob Weir's botched lyrics are long forgotten when the band intensely teeters at far-off edges just moments later. The problem with this approach is that you lose context by considering performances outside of their natural environment--the specific concerts that spawned them--but this approach also opens up many options as well. For instance, there are sparkling fusion-based jams from the early 1970s, examples of Garcia sparring with Branford Marsalis and Bruce Hornsby in 1990, and an assortment of eye-opening transitional instrumental passages and impromptu creations. These moments of splendid spontaneity are what the band is all about. Welcome rarities include early recordings driven by Pigpen's searing blues harp; a pair of studio outtakes from the Dead's landmark 1970 sessions featuring acoustic instruments and lovely harmonies; Pigpen's R&B-flavored "Chinatown Shuffle" and an arresting version of Merle Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home" from 1972; keyboardist Brent Mydland leading the crew through the Meters' "Hey Pocky Way" in 1989; and Garcia launching into the Irish folk tune "Whiskey in the Jar" at a 1993 rehearsal, much to the delight of his bandmates. A few of the oddities offer only historical value and the final disc bogs down a bit by focusing on the Dead's newest unrecorded material, which, despite some worthy additions, can't match the intensity of the live cuts. For courageous newcomers, the amazing trajectory of the band is here to behold--from psychedelic blues and folk to free-form odysseys to country-rock to jazz and funk to gritty heavy rock. For those only familiar with the Dead's radio-friendly songs, this is the other side of the spectrum. --Marc Greilsamer

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CD Reviews

An Exquisite Chronological Anthology
C. Gallagher | Gilford NH | 05/08/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 5 disc collection exceeded my expectations. It comes with a mini book of written materials about the Grateful Dead writen by various authors. It also has who, what, where, information related to the specific recordings on the discs. The early song recording quality is somewhat limited, but I found this to enhance authenticity..

The last of the 5 discs blew me away. It opens with an amazing "Lady With a Fan/Terrapin Station", and proceeds to explore diverse later material including a beautiful rehearsal version of "Whiskey in the Jar" that is intimate and personal. The disc has a recording of "Liberty" which I always liked in concert, "Days Between" and concludes with Garcia's last song sung live with the band "So many Roads". Quite touching.

The discs skip through the evolution of the Dead's sound over the decades and present an hours long panoply of their material, including excellent recordings of some less well known stuff. I bought it because it had some recordings of songs I didn't have on disc. I now cherish it for what it contains that I was not expecting. If you are a Dead Head, you need this in your collection and will be glad you spent the money, at least I was."