(Arista)
On March 24th 1990, my friends and I were driving down the New York State Thruway from the small Canadian industrial city of Hamilton, Ontario, where we had just seen two powerful Grateful Dead shows. Not one of us had tickets for the Albany, New York concert, but we were optimistic. In the past, we had obtained tickets in so many creative ways, and we were confident that we would see the show that night, and head back to New York in the morning.
When we arrived in Albany, we were pleased to see a great scene - thousands of Deadheads selling food, clothes, stickers and all sorts of fun items. Unfortunately, few were selling extra tickets. About five minutes before showtime, two from our crew found a pair. Of course, I was happy for them, but the harsh reality of missing the show was drawing near. Finally, towards the end of the first set, I realized that this would be the first, and only, Dead show that I would try to get into, and fail. My two remaining cronies and I had our own little adventure out in the cold that night regardless. I only had a few opportunities to hear those shows since, but they were on poor quality bootleg tapes.
Fortunately, the shows from the Dead's three night stand at Albany's Knickerbocker Arena have just released on the three disc set, Dozin' At The Knick. From songs and performances (complete with mistakes), to the packaging and crystal clear production, Dozin' At The Knick is an excellent representation of the soul, passion and diversity of the Dead at a high point in the later part of its 30-year existence. After Jerry Garcia's passing, many Deadheads dove back into collecting bootleg tapes and CDs (yours truly included) because they knew that they would never again experience the physical element that was the heart and soul of the Grateful Dead, their live show. Heads have always been looking for that perfect soundboard tape, the killer "Morning Dew" or "St. Stephen," the one when Jerry said "goodnight everybody," or the one they attended when they had the "outer body experience." These days, even people who have shunned the whole concept, or have always had a slight curiosity about it, have, when no one was looking, purchased a CD or two from their local record shop. This set is an essential addition to anyone's music collection, Deadheads and non-Deadheads alike.
Many know that a Dead show consists of two sets. The first is usually pretty straightforward, with Garcia and Bob Weir alternating songs back and forth. Sometimes you get a tune from bassist Phil Lesh, or whomever is occupying the keyboards at the time, but for the most part, it's unpredictable. The first disc is a collection of 9 songs from the first set of all three shows. It begins with Weir rousing up the crowd with "Hell in a Bucket" from the 1987 album In The Dark. Then they pulled out a little surprise for everyone with the seldom played "Dupree's Diamond Blues," a quirky little ditty about what a man will do for his woman, and the trouble he gets in while doing it. Also on the first disc are solid versions of the traditional bluegrass romp "Jack-A-Roe," the gentle beauty of "Row Jimmy," and the Dylan classic "When I Paint My Masterpiece," a Dead standard. The highlights on Disc One are the three offerings from the late keyboardist Brent Mydland: "Just a Little Light;" an electrifying version of the blues-filled "Never Trust a Woman," and an intense rendition of "Blow Away," complete with sermon, to close the set.
The second set of a Dead show, at least since the late 70's, started off with an average of 3-6 songs (pre-Drums) that usually segue into each other, followed by "Drums." This is a unique portion of the show in which drummers Mickey Hart and Billy Kreutzmann weave different percussive sounds that include everything from congas to electronic pads. Combining various styles such as Latin and African rhythms with thunderous clashes and traditional rock & roll solos, "Drums" was never remotely similar from show to show. From "Drums" came "Space," the most avant-garde segment of a Dead show, in which Garcia, Weir, Lesh and Mydland created a chaotic collage of sounds, using the Midi systems on their instruments. From "Space," the Dead slowly creep back into the rest of the show (post-Space), teasing a tune or two on the way. The second disc is the pre-Drums part of the set from the night of the 24th. It begins with "Playin' in the Band," whose funky post-jam segues into the cheerful Dead classic "Uncle John's Band," which then slides into a furious version of the epic "Terrapin Station." A special highlight is the Dear Prudence-like instrumental "Mind Left Body Jam," which on this CD is titled "Mud Love Buddy Jam" for reasons unknown.
The third disc consists of two different post-Space segments. The first continues right from Disc Two with the post-Space and encore from the 24th. Standouts include Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" with an aggressive Garcia cutting it up on guitar, the haunting Garcia/Hunter ballad "Stella Blue," and Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away." The band returned for an encore with a spiritual a cappella interpretation of the traditional "We Bid You Goodnight."
The second post-Space segment on the third disc is from the 25th and features the touching Mydland lullaby "I Will Take You Home." A smoking "Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad," with Garcia and Mydland wailing like two Southern preachers, rolls into a loose and laid-back "Black Peter." Chuck Berry would have done a backflip had he heard the Dead tearin' it up with his classic "Around and Around" that night. The perfect ending to any string of Dead shows, a heartfelt rendition of the favorite "Brokedown Palace," closes this set.
Most Deadheads who have listened to hours upon hours of tapes and seen dozens, even hundreds, of shows, will say that they've heard better version of most of the songs on Dozin'. However, I think that most will value this collection as a recording of remarkable quality, complete with a superb song list, and excellent performances of them. Non-Deadheads can appreciate the same things, but also utilize it as an introduction to the band in their best form, the live show. They were never referred to as a great studio band, but the Grateful Dead created an atmosphere unmatched with their stellar performances. Dozin' At The Knick captures the energy and passion of a band that defied all by creating their own genre, subculture, corporation, and most importantly, a spirituality that will live on.
