Grateful Dead RECKONING

Grateful Dead: Jerry Garcia (guitar, vocals); Bob Weir (guitar, vocals); Brent Mydland (keyboards); Phil Lesh (bass); Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann (drums, percussion).
Recorded live at The Warfield Theater, San Francisco, California between September 25 and October 14, 1980; and at Radio City Music Hall, New York between October 23 and October 31, 1980.
Audio Mixers: Dan Healy ; Tom Flye.
Liner Note Author: Gary Lambert.
Recording information: Club Front, San Rafael, CA (11/17/1978-10/31/1980); Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY (11/17/1978-10/31/1980); Rambler Room, Loyola University, Chicago, IL (11/17/1978-10/31/1980); The Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA (11/17/1978-10/31/1980).
Photographers: Jay Blakesberg; John Werner ; Richard McCaffrey; Larry Hulst; Robert Minkin.
Arrangers: Jerry Garcia; Grateful Dead; Robert Hunter.
By late '79, the Dead were beginning a new phase of their existence, with the addition of keyboardist/vocalist Brent Mydland, who added some bluesy grit to the band's sound. This 1980 live document presents the band in a rare acoustic set that finds Mydland settling in nicely, and the other members sounding distinctly invigorated, despite the homey, back-porch arrangements. To complement the stripped down circumstances, the Dead reached into both their folk bag and the more traditional-sounding corners of their own catalog. The traditional "Jack-A-Roe" and "Deep Elem Blues" are given respectful but lively treatments. Beautiful Hunter-Garcia ballads "China Doll" and "It Must've Been the Roses" are rendered with poignancy. "Dire Wolf" and "Dark Hollow" (among others) make a convincing case for the Dead as the godfathers of alt-country.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop