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Saturday, April 14, 2012

Grateful Dead - Skull and Roses (1971 us, superior west coast psych folk rock, 2001 HDCD bonus tracks edition)



The Grateful Dead's second live release was an eponymously titled double LP whose cover bears the striking skull-and-roses visual motif that would become instantly recognizable and an indelibly linked trademark of the band.

As opposed to their debut concert recording, Live/Dead (1969), this hour and ten minutes concentrates on newer material, which consisted of shorter self-contained originals and covers. Coming off of the quantum-leap success of the studio country-rock efforts Workingman's Dead (1969) and American Beauty, Grateful Dead offers up a pair of new Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter compositions -- "Bertha" and "Wharf Rat" -- both of which garnered a permanent place within the band's live catalog.

However, "The Other One" -- joined in progress just as Billy Kreutzmann fires up a blazing percussion solo -- sprawls as the album's centerpiece. The Dead also begin incorporating several traditional folk, blues, and R&B cover tunes, such as Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried," Kris Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee," as well as a few that had been in their songbook for several years, including John Phillips' "Me & My Uncle" and "Big Boss Man," a blues standard popularized by Jimmy Reed.

 Their formidable improvisational chops have begun to take on new facets of lean intricacy as Mickey Hart (percussion) and Tom Constanten (keyboards) were no longer in the band. Additionally, the arrival of Keith Godchaux (organ) and his wife, Donna Godchaux (vocals), had yet to occur. As such, the Grateful Dead spent the spring and summer of 1971 in their original five-piece configuration -- which is when these recordings were documented.
by Lindsay Planer


Tracks
1. Bertha (Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter) - 5:40
2. Mama Tried (Merle Haggard) - 2:43
3. Big Railroad Blues (Noah Lewis) - 3:34
4. Playing In The Band (Bob Weir, Robert Hunter) - 4:30
5. The Other One (Bill Kreutzmann, Bob Weir) - 18:03
6. Me And My Uncle (John Phillips) - 3:04
7. Big Boss Man (Al Smith, Luther Dixon) - 5:11
8. Me And Bobby Mcgee (Kris Kristofferson, Fred Foster) - 5:42
9. Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry) - 3:41
10.Wharf Rat (Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter) - 8:32
11.Not Fade Away (Buddy Holly, Norman Petty) / Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad (Traditional) - 9:12
12.Oh, Boy! (Norman Petty, Bill Tilghman, Sonny West) - 2:50
13.I'm a Hog for You (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 4:08
14.Grateful Dead Radio Spot - 1:00

Grateful Dead
*Jerry Garcia - Lead Guitar, Vocals
*Bob Weir - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
*Phil Lesh - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Bill Kreutzmann - Drums
*Ron "Pigpen" Mckernan - Organ, Harmonica, Vocals
Guest
*Merl Saunders - Organ

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8 comments:

  1. Hi!
    Heard it on few occasions and didn't like it at that time. But I am more than willing to try good old Gratefuls again.
    Thx for this nice opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You seldomly hear people say "the Dead are ok" - you either love them or hate them. Lovers get the improv magic the band can stir up while detractors view them as endless noodlers. The Other One is a mind blower on this album.

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  3. This has always been one of my favorite Dead albums. I particularly like Me and My Uncle and Wharf Rat. I never realized until I saw this post that John Phillips wrote Me and My Uncle.

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  4. Any chance of getting Merl Saunders "Fire Up"? Is tough to find on CD or digital download!

    ReplyDelete
  5. BestSub2018, for Merl Saunders And Friends - Heavy Turbulence / Fire Up, see here: http://therockasteria.blogspot.com/2018/09/merl-saunders-and-friends-heavy.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi
    Part 1 is fine but part 2 is missing on both turbo and hitfilr. I would be most grateful if you could upload a new copy.
    Many Thanks

    Tony

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Tony,
    "Grateful Dead - Skull and Roses", part2, fixed!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Brilliant stuff this. The Dead were the biz. Many thanks.

    ReplyDelete