5 for the show...
Since then, this has become a favorite of mine and I was one of the first to order this from the Dead back in '91. Let me start off by saying that I'm quite familiar with this show having been there when everyone first taped it off the radio back in September of '75. As others have pointed out, this show is a keeper and the performances are great. This was a great show played in a small room with a warm feel.
Unfortunately for me, the mix on the cd versions have always sounded a little studio-ized to me. The between song crowd time is gone, Keith and Donna are sometimes low in the mix and the nice flowing soupy organic sound are replaced by something that sounds a little metalic to these ears. Granted that since Dead album started showing up on cd back in the late '80's, things like keyboards were sometimes lower in the mix than they used to be and I'm sure that there are many who perfer this but not me. I just find the mix a little colder than it should be. 5 for the show but 4 because I find the mix a little off.
Make-Believe Ballroom
" It was a stellar recording, boxed like the George Harrison "All Things Must Pass" collection, and may have come from the King Biscuit Flower Hour as there were some tracks missing. Back in the day, I first heard and recorded this show from a bootleg LP set titled "Make Believe Ballroom. However, it could also have been altered in order to more properly fit the LP format (rather limiting).
For anyone who has already undergone a process of Dead initiation, you'll understand those who recall an "imprint" that a particular show or recording made. Well, sitting in a dim dorm room, this did IT for me. Yeah, I'd been listening to their music for a few years, but this recording confirmed the "fact" that there was an inimitable magic to be had with certain special recordings. There is nothing like a Dead show, and yet there is nothing like this show. Seriously.
For the uninitiated, but curious, this is a great way to start your Dead-quest. Dick Latvala knew EXACTLY what he was doing when he released this (as did the King Biscuit Flower Hour dude). Hands down, this is one of the tightest, most intense and varied Grateful Dead shows out there. It's one for the ages and should reveal to any skeptics why they deserve a genre of their own in the pantheon of rock and roll. The Dead were unique, and this recording will demonstrate just exactly why.
Careful, it may leave a permanent impression!.
"This represents the beginning of the release of the vault tapes..."
" It was the predecessor to "Dick's Picks" and the numerous archive releases that came in later years. The title of my review comes from Dan Healy and the liner notes to "One From The Vault.
"One From The Vault" is notable for several reasons. Keith & Donna Godchaux first appeared on the mammoth "Europe 72," and their first studio album (Wake Of The Flood) was met with enthusiastic reviews as the result of the band breaking new ground with songs like "Weather Report Suite. " The second, "Mars Hotel," was not welcomed as kindly by critics, even though it included Dead staples like "Scarlet Begonias," "Ship Of Fools," "U. S. Blues," and "China Doll. "
On the third album, the band really stretched and took some risks. It was unusual for a band who had grown more comfortable with the live stage than the recording studio to invest the kind of effort they did into "Blues For Allah. " The album generated what became one of the strongest pieces in their live shows for years to come, the "Help On The Way / Slipknot! / Franklin's Tower" trilogy. Equally satisfying was "Crazy Fingers," with its reggae overtones and "lazy hazy summer day" vocal from Jerry. "Blues For Allah" sounds like weirdness from the Brian Wilson sessions for "Smile". . . trippy instrumentation and druid-like harmony vocals. . . not exactly "China Cat / Rider" stuff. The band took more than a few risks, and it was the last time they would release a studio album of this nature.
The 8/13/75 show at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall was used to showcase the "Blues For Allah" album. The entire album's performed, although not in its original sequence. . . in between "Allah's" tracks you'll find several Dead concert faves. Mickey Hart had returned to the band, from his self-imposed 1971-1974 exile. All of the band members were performing at the top of their game.
The next album, "Terrapin Station," was crafted under the auspices of Keith Olsen, perhaps best known for ushering in the Buckingham-Nicks era of Fleetwood Mac. After "Blues For Allah," Arista Records wanted a hit.
So enjoy the Dead, in their element, at the edge of their weirdness and brilliance. "One For The Vault" may not meet everyone's expectations of the band, but that's what the band was all about, right?.
The Dead return with a well-recorded bang
In fact, the specific purpose of this 1975 concert was to premiere the release of their 1975 studio album, Blues for Allah to a small audience of record executive-types and other selected folks. This live recording (8/13/75) ushered the Dead back after a hiatus from live playing/touring. I snagged this live disc when it was first released in 1991, after listening to slowly disintegrating "booted" tapes of the concert. At the time, the change in media and the improvement in sound quality were both very welcome. Speaking of which, for those of you that are audiophiles, there is a very detailed discussion of the analog to digital transfer process in the CD liner notes. For those of you that don't care about the Ampex MM-1100, Sony PCM-1630 Digital Audio Processor, this, that, and the other - trust me, the sound quality is excellent.
I guess the best way to describe this 2 CD set is to briefly chit-chat about the Blues for Allah studio album itself, and then the actual live performance.
The Studio Album
The music that the Dead recorded for the Blues for Allah album was at times lighthearted and bouncy (The Music Never Stopped; Franklins Tower); quiet and pastoral (Sage and Spirit; Crazy Fingers); experimental in an almost European avant-garde way (the completely "out there" epic 20+ minute title track); and jazzy with intricate ensemble playing (the rest of the album). Although this may sound like a dry and studied "chop-fest", the complexity and jazziness are handled very well and do not go over the top. Actually, I wouldn't care even if it did - the band is comprised of excellent musicians and I for one love to hear Jerry and Phil strut their stuff.
The 2 CD Live Set (8/13/75)
Overall, this is a great live set, although it does not sound as dynamic as other shows. The energy levels are up there, the playing is excellent, and there are some inspired jams, but the audience has been all but mixed out. In addition to the Blues for Allah material, there are a few concert favorites (Around and Around, Big River, Goin' Down the Road), pretty good jams including the 14'32" Eyes of the World>Drums and the amazing 18'41" Crazy Fingers>Drums>The Other One, along with OK versions of It must have been the Roses, Sugaree, and U. S. Blues.
All in all, I have to say that is yet another fine live set by the Dead and is certainly worth adding to the collection. Recommended.
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FIVE STARS AIN'T ENOUGH
This is where you should start. DON'T GET IT?
DON'T UNDERSTAND WHATS SO COOL ABOUT THE DEAD?
Maybe you just haven't been looking at the right places.
I always liked The Dead but can't say I ever really "felt it" untill I purchased this one. Once that introduction track gets going "Good evening, we welcome you, on behalf of the group. . . . " the ball is rolling. Each member chimes in when qued untill Mr. Jerry Garcia brings it all together, "Would you welcome please, the Grateful Dead. " It just sounds so god damned proffesional. HELP>SLIP>FRANKLIN were introduced to me via this one. Instantly I realized that I had just been converted from casual fan to DEAD HEAD status. If you don't fall in love with this stuff right away it will surely grow on you. Disc two opens in stellar fashion with SUGAREE and BIG RIVER (J. CASH) all above mentioned tracks remain my all time faves (excluding all PIGPEN stuff*) But there isn't a weak moment on these two discs. Jerry's guitar is on fire creating beauty untouched by anyone else. The band is at there absolute most solid.
There is a vibe here that I've never found on any other Dead recording, or anywhere else.
If you ask me they should issue this album to Junior High school kids, with a bong and a tie dye shirt.
You can see a complete list of all The Grateful Dead discography, or go back to the The Grateful Dead tabs
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