Deadicated

by

Various Artists

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Picked this CD out of the rack after not listening to it for years.

Los Lobos' Bertha interpretation is close to the original, but with a nice hint of accordion. Bruce Hornsby's Jack Straw is great, one can tell he played with the Dead many a time and I (for one ;-) think that he performed wonderfully with them over the years. Whatever you think of him, he can play piano.

Forget The Hashed Mellows' US Blues, what a disappointing straightforward rock-ish version that is. Elvis Costello's Ship of Fools is sort of interesting in the sense that he has some of Jerry's raspiness and I like the instrumentation.

Suzanne Vega's China Doll sounds like, well, a Vega tune, which isn't bad, but perhaps a bit dull. Happily her Cassidy is much livelier, certainly besting her 1988 appearance with GD in New York. Her delivery makes me appreciate the lyrics more than I did though.

Dwight Yoakim's Truckin' is kind of fun, which kind of scares me because I'm no country fan, and catches the spirit of the song. Warren Zevon/David Lindley's Casey Jones is utterly forgettable.

Indigo Girls' Uncle John's Band provides a harmonic touch, but they seem bored with the tune. Bit I sure liked Lyle Lovett's Friend of the Devil, a nice acoustic version of the classic.

Cowboy Junkies' To Lay Me Down makes you believe this was a Junkies' song all along, with the typical Timmins guitar sound and ability to make any song a sad one. Midnight Oil's Wharf Rat may bear the least resemblence to the original, but provides some much needed interest to the CD.

Burning Spear's Estimated Prophet is the reason to buy this CD. Hard to believe Rodney hadn't listened to the Dead before, because it's so right. Actually, I like this version better than the original.

Dr. John's Deal is somewhat overdone. Finally, I know folks here like Jane's Addiction's Ripple, but I think it strips the song of its beauty, like sung by a bunch of drunks at a karaoke bar, oh wait...