Word: leshed
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...groups, and they retain their oft-publicized position as the high priests of acid. Despite the death by excess in everything, particularly alcohol, of the immortal Pigpen (Ron McKernan) back in 1973, the Dead roll on, forever, it seems. Garcia (Captain Trips himself and the director of the movie), Lesh, Weir, kreutzman and Hart have played together for so long that they have developed the kind of tightness few groups can ever hope to achieve...
...well. The footage itself is excellent, featuring good camera work and more shots of Jerry Garcia's grungy fingernails than you ever thought possible. In many ways it is stock rock film stuff-pans of the audience cutting to tightly focused shots of Garcia's hirsute mug or Phil Lesh's rather spaced-out expression; then a cut to somebody's fingers working magic on a guitar...
...always been solid, but this album shows, especially in his solos, that his sense of rhythm is much better developed than his sense of melody. He will probably continue to develop as the group grows, but he will amost certainly never be able to reach the heights that Phil Lesh or Jack Casady...
...also poorly recorded and ungainly. If you reject their recent stuff purely because it has become popular, you are a sad elitist indeed. Their recent work is tighter, more controlled, and less prone to self-indulgence--in short, more mature. The mixing and recording has been excellent, and Lesh's bass work shows a maturity unrivalled by all but Casady's. The vocals are immeasureably better and we have on record some of Garcia's fantastic pedal steel. Hunter's lyrics today are far superior to his earlier attempts. And if you know, Mr. Krauss, anything about music, you would...
...gongs, bells, cymbals on the later effort. Try "Alligator", a piece of unabashed musical sarcasm complete with a three-part kazoo introduction, on which Garcia's guitar solos are mocking and derisive. "Dark Star", however, displays a tone of ethereal coldness and humility. For twenty minutes, Garcia, Wier, Lesh, and Constantine weave in and out of each other, building harmonic bridges over acid rivers designed by mad chemist Stan Owsley. An invitation for the future...