Dozin' at the Knick

by

Grateful Dead

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I recently made one of those listmania lists, my favorite live Dead, and I found myself listening to these CDs for the first time in awhile. I had forgotten how good they are.

My favorite era for live Dead, if I had to pick one, would be the mid to late 70's, when it seemed all the different threads that formed their music were at their best. The music was folksy, bluesy, jazzy, and psychedelic. I could do without Donna's wailing, but that's out of my control, best to tune it out. I think '76 and '77 may have been the years when they were at their most consistent, if you were going to hear a show selected randomly from those years you had a good chance of hearing great music. Contrast that to the end of the Brent era, a time when Jerry himself said they just running on inertia (though worse was yet to come), when the Dead were fully in the "one in three" mode. It always angered me that they didn't feel more obligated to perform well on all nights given the prices for tickets. I know the point of the show was hanging out in the lot, indulging in the things heads indulge in, and dancing ecstatically with your bothers and sisters. I certainly get that and had plenty of good times based on that alone. But there was nothing like those nights when they turned on, when whatever they were doing was working, when it seemed Jerry was playing just to you.

These shows are evidence that, even during their deflated era, they still had those moments. And when they were on, when they were brilliant, they were astonishing and there was still nothing better. This set, compiled from three consecutive shows, shows the late Brent-era Dead at their best, from the songs selected, the group interactions, the solos, the timing, and the overall arc.

I wish I was there. I wish I could be at any show again for that matter, even one of their more disappointing shows was still way more fun than anything else you can do with your clothes on.

Disc 2 may be the single best CD of live Dead I own. Playing in the band --> Uncle John's Band --> Lady with a Fan --> Terrapin --> Mud Love Buddy Jam --> Drums --> Space. Nothing is rushed, but it doesn't take long to build. And then the transcendent moments keep coming, each one seeming more glorious than the last. If you are Phil fan, you'll get great Phil bombs from the bass, and Jerry's solos are soaring and buoyant, peak after peak after peak.

I listen to all kinds of music but the Dead are by far my favorite, and I own a bunch of it from all different periods. With all of the Dead music out there, we've got to be a little critical about the best and worst of it. This CD is by far the worst Dead I've ever heard. I gave it an honest effort when I first got it and gave up, and then tried again after some time away - but it is no use. In general, the playing is sloppy and uninspired, but the biggest reason is the horrendous keyboard playing of Brent - it has a really unpleasent tone, he plays too much, and it's too loud and too obvious. Using a poor analogy, over and over the band starts building a promising musical structure, a delicate house of cards, and Brent's keyboads come in like a hammer to demolish the whole thing. I initially gave it 2 stars, but I have to be honest - it is that bad.