GRATEFUL DEAD
''THE VAULT BOX, DISC FOUR''
2008
392:10
DISC ONE
1 /Introduction/0:46
2 /Help on the Way/Slipknot!/7:52
3 /Franklin's Tower/6:58
4 /The Music Never Stopped/5:28
5 /It Must Have Been the Roses/5:05
6 /Eyes of the World/Drums/14:31
7 /King Solomon's Marbles/Stronger Than Dirt (Or, Milkin' the Turkey)/6:36
8 /Around & Around/5:59
DISC TWO
1 /Sugaree/7:56
2 /Big River/4:50
3 /Crazy Fingers/Drums/13:08
4 /The Other One/5:33
5 /Sage and Spirit/3:22
6 /Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad/7:15
7 /U.S. Blues/5:30
8/Blues for Allah/Sand Castles & Glass Camels/Unusual Occurrences in the/21:01
DISC THREE
1 /Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl/15:59
2 /Dark Star/11:20
3 /Saint Stephen/4:39
4 /The Eleven/14:26
5 /Death Don't Have No Mercy/8:24
DISC FOUR
1 /That's It for the Other One: Cryptical Envelopment/Quadlibet for Tender/15:40
2 /New Potato Caboose/14:15
3 /Turn on Your Lovelight/17:12
4 /(Walk Me out in The) Morning Dew/7:13
DISC FIVE
1 /Alligator/7:07
2 /Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)/7:36
3 /Feedback/4:01
DISC SIX
1 /Two Ditties: The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down/Spring Song/1:19
2/Truckin'/8:09
3 /Loser/6:23
4 /Cumberland Blues/4:58
5 /Hurts Me Too/6:10
6 /Bertha/5:21
7 /Playing in the Band/5:14
8 /Dark Hollow/3:15
9 /Smokestack Lightnin'/14:42
10 /China Cat Sunflower/3:24
11 /I Know You Rider/7:02
DISC SEVEN
1 /Greatest Story Ever Told/4:22
2 /Johnny B. Goode/3:26
3 /Bird Song/7:04
4 /Easy Wind/8:17
5 /Deal/4:22
6 /That's It for the Other One: Cryptical Envelopment/Drums/The Other One/16:09
7 /Wharf Rat/9:08
8 /Good Lovin'/18:43
9 /Casey Jones/5:00
REVIEW
By Lindsay Planer
The six CDs -- seven, if you count the separate, limited-edition bonus disc -- housed within the Vault Box (2007) include a trio of otherwise available From the Vault volumes. Each installment houses a (more or less) complete concert, presented in its entirety from very high fidelity multi-track sources. Interestingly, while the first and second sets were issued in fairly rapid succession in the early '90s, it took over a decade-and-a-half before Three from the Vault surfaced. The lapse had much to do with the inauguration of the Dick's Picks series, as it had been readied for market as early as 1994 by the Dead's collaborator and audio engineer Dan Healy. Interestingly, Healy was also fired the same year. Coincidence? Healy's keen ear and stringency for quality-control ultimately benefits the listener as the contents uniformly relay the Grateful Dead's respective strengths within the distinct phases of a seven-year span (1968 -- 1975). One from the Vault (1991) hails from August 13, 1975 at the venerable Bay Area based Great American Music Hall. The concert marked only the third live Grateful Dead appearance in nearly a year. The show also provided lucky attendees and the North American radio audience, who caught a rebroadcast via the Metromedia Radio Network, material from their soon-to-be-unleashed masterpiece Blues for Allah (1975). The lineup of Jerry Garcia (lead guitar/vocals), Phil Lesh (bass/vocals), Bob Weir (guitar/vocals), Bill Kreutzmann (percussion), Mickey Hart (percussion/crickets), Keith Godchaux (keyboards), and Donna Jean Godchaux (vocals) unveil the whole album, albeit out of sequence. Among the outstanding highlights are Weir's beatific instrumental "Sage and Spirit," the opening power-trio of "Help on the Way"/"Slipknot!"/"Franklin's Tower" and "King Solomon's Marbles" (aka "Stronger Than Dirt"). Plus, they dust off "Eyes of the World," a lilting "It Must Have Been the Roses," and a thoroughly groovy "Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad." Two from the Vault (1992) steps back to August 24, 1968 where we find the Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (vocals/keyboards) co-led version of the Grateful Dead. As fate would have it, the concert was one of the preeminent rock & roll gigs to be documented on new-fangled multi-track recording machines -- most of which had never been road tested before. The end result yielded a recording that sounded as good twenty years after the fact as it did to those who were there to experience it. Not to be missed are the psychedelic and exploratory "Dark Star, "the half-hour plus "That's It for the Other One"/"New Potato Caboose" and a rousing "(Walk Me out in The) Morning Dew" finale that is literally cut short mid-song thanks to the strict enforcement of a curfew. Three from the Vault (2007) is dedicated to the second evening of a mid-February 1971 run at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY. Debuted during the opening nights were a number of songs that would remain in the Grateful Dead's repertoire for the rest of their collective careers. Captured here are the very first "Bird Song" and "Deal," as well as embryonic outings of "Bertha," "Playing in the Band," "Greatest Story Ever Told,""Loser," and "Wharf Rat" -- each of which had been premiered one night earlier. As historically significant as these additions certainly are, it is the McKernan excursions on "Hurts Me Too," the long and sinuous "Smokestack Lightnin'," and a soulful spin of "Easy Wind" that should be considered in the Must Hear category for all Deadheads. Noteworthy too is that the February 19 show would be marked by the absence of Mickey Hart, who left the night before and would not return to action until 1975. Purchasers of the Vault Box via the Grateful Dead's online store were treated to a bonus CD containing a smoldering suite with "Alligator"/"Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)" and "Feedback" from August 23, 1968 at the Shrine Auditorium. These extra songs likewise augment the expanded edition of Two from the Vault issued in 2007.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
Rock's longest, strangest trip, the Grateful Dead were the psychedelic era's most beloved musical ambassadors as well as its most enduring survivors, spreading their message of peace, love, and mind-expansion across the globe throughout the better part of three decades. The object of adoration for popular music's most fervent and celebrated fan following -- the Deadheads, their numbers and devotion legendary in their own right -- they were the ultimate cult band, creating a self-styled universe all their own; for the better part of their career orbiting well outside of the mainstream, the Dead became superstars solely on their own terms, tie-dyed pied pipers whose epic, free-form live shows were rites of passage for an extended family of listeners who knew no cultural boundaries.
The roots of the Grateful Dead lie with singer/songwriter Jerry Garcia, a longtime bluegrass enthusiast who began playing the guitar at age 15. Upon relocating to Palo Alto, CA, in 1960, he soon befriended Robert Hunter, whose lyrics later graced many of Garcia's most famous melodies; in time, he also came into contact with aspiring electronic music composer Phil Lesh. By 1962, Garcia was playing banjo in a variety of local folk and bluegrass outfits, two years later forming Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions with guitarist Bob Weir and keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan; in 1965, the group was renamed the Warlocks, their lineup now additionally including Lesh on bass as well as Bill Kreutzmann on drums.
the Warlocks made their electric debut that July; Ken Kesey soon tapped them to become the house band at his notorious Acid Tests, a series of now-legendary public LSD parties and multimedia "happenings" mounted prior to the drug's criminalization. As 1965 drew to its close, the Warlocks rechristened themselves the Grateful Dead, the name taken from a folk tale discovered in a dictionary by Garcia; bankrolled by chemist/LSD manufacturer Owsley Stanley, the band members soon moved into a communal house situated at 710 Ashbury Street in San Francisco, becoming a fixture on the local music scene and building a large fan base on the strength of their many free concerts. Signing to MGM, in 1966 the Dead also recorded their first demos; the sessions proved disastrous, and the label dropped the group a short time later.
As 1967 mutated into the Summer of Love, the Dead emerged as one of the top draws on the Bay Area music scene, honing an eclectic repertoire influenced by folk, country, and the blues while regularly appearing at top local venues including the Fillmore Auditorium, the Avalon Ballroom, and the Carousel. In March of 1967 the Dead issued their self-titled Warner Bros. debut LP, a disappointing effort which failed to recapture the cosmic sprawl of their live appearances; after performing at the Monterey Pop Festival, the group expanded to a six-piece with the addition of second drummer Mickey Hart. Their follow-up, 1968's Anthem of the Sun, fared better in documenting the free-form jam aesthetic of their concerts, but after completing 1969's Aoxomoxoa, their penchant for time-consuming studio experimentation left them over 100,000 dollars in debt to the label.
the Dead's response to the situation was to bow to the demands of fans and record their first live album, 1969's Live/Dead; highlighted by a rendition of Garcia's "Dark Star" clocking in at over 23 minutes, the LP succeeded where its studio predecessors failed in capturing the true essence of the group in all of their improvisational, psychedelicized glory. It was followed by a pair of classic 1970 studio efforts, Workingman's Dead and American Beauty; recorded in homage to the group's country and folk roots, the two albums remained the cornerstone of the Dead's live repertoire for years to follow, with its most popular songs -- "Uncle John's Band," "Casey Jones," "Sugar Magnolia," and "Truckin'" among them -- becoming major favorites on FM radio.
Despite increasing radio airplay and respectable album sales, the Dead remained first and foremost a live act, and as their popularity grew across the world they expanded their touring schedule, taking to the road for much of each year. As more and more of their psychedelic-era contemporaries ceased to exist, the group continued attracting greater numbers of fans to their shows, many of them following the Dead across the country; dubbed "Deadheads," these fans became notorious for their adherence to tie-dyed fashions and excessive drug use, their traveling circus ultimately becoming as much the focal point of concert dates as the music itself. Shows were also extensively bootlegged, and not surprisingly the Dead closed out their Warners contract with back-to-back concert LPs -- a 1971 eponymous effort and 1972's Europe '72.
The latter release was the final Dead album to feature Pigpen McKernan, a heavy drinker who died of liver failure on March 8, 1973; his replacement was keyboardist Keith Godchaux, who brought with him wife Donna Jean to sing backing vocals. 1973's Wake of the Flood was the first release on the new Grateful Dead Records imprint; around the time of its follow-up, 1974's Grateful Dead From the Mars Hotel, the group took a hiatus from the road to allow its members the opportunity to pursue solo projects. After returning to the live arena with a 1976 tour, the Dead signed to Arista to release Terrapin Station, the first in a series of misguided studio efforts that culminated in 1980's Go to Heaven, widely considered the weakest record in the group's catalog -- so weak, in fact, that they did not re-enter the studio for another seven years.
The early '80s was a time of considerable upheaval for the Dead -- the Godchauxs had been dismissed from the lineup in 1979, with Keith dying in a car crash on July 23, 1980. (His replacement was keyboardist Brent Mydland.) After a pair of 1981 live LPs, Reckoning and Dead Set, the group released no new recordings until 1987, focusing instead on their touring schedule -- despite the dearth of new releases, the Dead continued selling out live dates, now playing to audiences which spanned generations. As much a cottage industry as a band, they traveled not only with an enormous road crew but also dozens of friends and family members, many of them Dead staffers complete with health insurance and other benefits.
Still, the Dead were widely regarded as little more than an enduring cult phenomenon prior to the release of 1987's In the Dark; their first studio LP since Go to Heaven, it became the year's most unlikely hit when the single "Touch of Grey" became the first-ever Dead track to reach the Top Ten on the pop charts. Suddenly their videos were in regular rotation on MTV, and virtually overnight the ranks of the Deadheads grew exponentially, with countless new fans flocking to the group's shows. Not only did concert tickets become increasingly tough to come by for longtime followers, but there were also more serious repercussions -- the influx of new fans shifted the crowd dynamic considerably, and once-mellow audiences became infamous not only for their excessive drug habits but also for their violent encounters with police.
Other troubles plagued the Dead as well: in July 1986, Garcia -- a year removed from a drug treatment program -- lapsed into near-fatal diabetic coma brought on by his continued substance abuse problems, regaining consciousness five days later. His health remained an issue in the years which followed, but the Dead spent more time on tour than ever, with a series of dates with Bob Dylan yielding the live album Dylan & the Dead. Their final studio effort, Built to Last, followed in 1989. Tragedy struck in October of that year when a fan died after breaking his neck outside of a show at the New Jersey Meadowlands; two months later, a 19-year-old fan on LSD also died while in police custody at the Los Angeles Forum.
As ever, the Dead themselves were also not immune to tragedy -- on July 26, 1990, Mydland suffered a fatal drug overdose, the third keyboardist in group history to perish; he was replaced not only by ex-Tubes keyboardist Vince Welnick but also by satellite member Bruce Hornsby, a longtime fan who frequently toured with the group. In the autumn of 1992 Garcia was again hospitalized with diabetes and an enlarged heart, forcing the Dead to postpone their upcoming tour until the year's end; he eventually returned to action looking more fit than he had in years. Still, few were surprised when it was announced on August 9, 1995, that Garcia had been found dead in his room at a substance abuse treatment facility in Forest Knolls, CA; the 53 year old's death was attributed to a heart attack.
While Garcia's death spelled the end of the Dead as a continuing creative entity, the story was far from over. As the surviving members disbanded to plot their next move, the band's merchandising arm went into overdrive -- in addition to Dick's Picks, a series of archival releases of classic live material, licensed products ranging from Dead T-shirts to sporting goods to toys flooded the market. Plans were also announced to build Terrapin Station, an interactive museum site. In 1996, Weir and Hart mounted the first Furthur Festival, a summer tour headlined by their respective bands RatDog and Mystery Box; in 1998, they also reunited with Lesh and Hornsby to tour as the Other Ones. In spirit if not in name, the Grateful Dead's trip continued on.
DoWnLoAd
''THE VAULT BOX, DISC FOUR''
2008
392:10
DISC ONE
1 /Introduction/0:46
2 /Help on the Way/Slipknot!/7:52
3 /Franklin's Tower/6:58
4 /The Music Never Stopped/5:28
5 /It Must Have Been the Roses/5:05
6 /Eyes of the World/Drums/14:31
7 /King Solomon's Marbles/Stronger Than Dirt (Or, Milkin' the Turkey)/6:36
8 /Around & Around/5:59
DISC TWO
1 /Sugaree/7:56
2 /Big River/4:50
3 /Crazy Fingers/Drums/13:08
4 /The Other One/5:33
5 /Sage and Spirit/3:22
6 /Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad/7:15
7 /U.S. Blues/5:30
8/Blues for Allah/Sand Castles & Glass Camels/Unusual Occurrences in the/21:01
DISC THREE
1 /Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl/15:59
2 /Dark Star/11:20
3 /Saint Stephen/4:39
4 /The Eleven/14:26
5 /Death Don't Have No Mercy/8:24
DISC FOUR
1 /That's It for the Other One: Cryptical Envelopment/Quadlibet for Tender/15:40
2 /New Potato Caboose/14:15
3 /Turn on Your Lovelight/17:12
4 /(Walk Me out in The) Morning Dew/7:13
DISC FIVE
1 /Alligator/7:07
2 /Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)/7:36
3 /Feedback/4:01
DISC SIX
1 /Two Ditties: The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down/Spring Song/1:19
2/Truckin'/8:09
3 /Loser/6:23
4 /Cumberland Blues/4:58
5 /Hurts Me Too/6:10
6 /Bertha/5:21
7 /Playing in the Band/5:14
8 /Dark Hollow/3:15
9 /Smokestack Lightnin'/14:42
10 /China Cat Sunflower/3:24
11 /I Know You Rider/7:02
DISC SEVEN
1 /Greatest Story Ever Told/4:22
2 /Johnny B. Goode/3:26
3 /Bird Song/7:04
4 /Easy Wind/8:17
5 /Deal/4:22
6 /That's It for the Other One: Cryptical Envelopment/Drums/The Other One/16:09
7 /Wharf Rat/9:08
8 /Good Lovin'/18:43
9 /Casey Jones/5:00
REVIEW
By Lindsay Planer
The six CDs -- seven, if you count the separate, limited-edition bonus disc -- housed within the Vault Box (2007) include a trio of otherwise available From the Vault volumes. Each installment houses a (more or less) complete concert, presented in its entirety from very high fidelity multi-track sources. Interestingly, while the first and second sets were issued in fairly rapid succession in the early '90s, it took over a decade-and-a-half before Three from the Vault surfaced. The lapse had much to do with the inauguration of the Dick's Picks series, as it had been readied for market as early as 1994 by the Dead's collaborator and audio engineer Dan Healy. Interestingly, Healy was also fired the same year. Coincidence? Healy's keen ear and stringency for quality-control ultimately benefits the listener as the contents uniformly relay the Grateful Dead's respective strengths within the distinct phases of a seven-year span (1968 -- 1975). One from the Vault (1991) hails from August 13, 1975 at the venerable Bay Area based Great American Music Hall. The concert marked only the third live Grateful Dead appearance in nearly a year. The show also provided lucky attendees and the North American radio audience, who caught a rebroadcast via the Metromedia Radio Network, material from their soon-to-be-unleashed masterpiece Blues for Allah (1975). The lineup of Jerry Garcia (lead guitar/vocals), Phil Lesh (bass/vocals), Bob Weir (guitar/vocals), Bill Kreutzmann (percussion), Mickey Hart (percussion/crickets), Keith Godchaux (keyboards), and Donna Jean Godchaux (vocals) unveil the whole album, albeit out of sequence. Among the outstanding highlights are Weir's beatific instrumental "Sage and Spirit," the opening power-trio of "Help on the Way"/"Slipknot!"/"Franklin's Tower" and "King Solomon's Marbles" (aka "Stronger Than Dirt"). Plus, they dust off "Eyes of the World," a lilting "It Must Have Been the Roses," and a thoroughly groovy "Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad." Two from the Vault (1992) steps back to August 24, 1968 where we find the Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (vocals/keyboards) co-led version of the Grateful Dead. As fate would have it, the concert was one of the preeminent rock & roll gigs to be documented on new-fangled multi-track recording machines -- most of which had never been road tested before. The end result yielded a recording that sounded as good twenty years after the fact as it did to those who were there to experience it. Not to be missed are the psychedelic and exploratory "Dark Star, "the half-hour plus "That's It for the Other One"/"New Potato Caboose" and a rousing "(Walk Me out in The) Morning Dew" finale that is literally cut short mid-song thanks to the strict enforcement of a curfew. Three from the Vault (2007) is dedicated to the second evening of a mid-February 1971 run at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY. Debuted during the opening nights were a number of songs that would remain in the Grateful Dead's repertoire for the rest of their collective careers. Captured here are the very first "Bird Song" and "Deal," as well as embryonic outings of "Bertha," "Playing in the Band," "Greatest Story Ever Told,""Loser," and "Wharf Rat" -- each of which had been premiered one night earlier. As historically significant as these additions certainly are, it is the McKernan excursions on "Hurts Me Too," the long and sinuous "Smokestack Lightnin'," and a soulful spin of "Easy Wind" that should be considered in the Must Hear category for all Deadheads. Noteworthy too is that the February 19 show would be marked by the absence of Mickey Hart, who left the night before and would not return to action until 1975. Purchasers of the Vault Box via the Grateful Dead's online store were treated to a bonus CD containing a smoldering suite with "Alligator"/"Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)" and "Feedback" from August 23, 1968 at the Shrine Auditorium. These extra songs likewise augment the expanded edition of Two from the Vault issued in 2007.
BIOGRAPHY
by Jason Ankeny
Rock's longest, strangest trip, the Grateful Dead were the psychedelic era's most beloved musical ambassadors as well as its most enduring survivors, spreading their message of peace, love, and mind-expansion across the globe throughout the better part of three decades. The object of adoration for popular music's most fervent and celebrated fan following -- the Deadheads, their numbers and devotion legendary in their own right -- they were the ultimate cult band, creating a self-styled universe all their own; for the better part of their career orbiting well outside of the mainstream, the Dead became superstars solely on their own terms, tie-dyed pied pipers whose epic, free-form live shows were rites of passage for an extended family of listeners who knew no cultural boundaries.
The roots of the Grateful Dead lie with singer/songwriter Jerry Garcia, a longtime bluegrass enthusiast who began playing the guitar at age 15. Upon relocating to Palo Alto, CA, in 1960, he soon befriended Robert Hunter, whose lyrics later graced many of Garcia's most famous melodies; in time, he also came into contact with aspiring electronic music composer Phil Lesh. By 1962, Garcia was playing banjo in a variety of local folk and bluegrass outfits, two years later forming Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions with guitarist Bob Weir and keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan; in 1965, the group was renamed the Warlocks, their lineup now additionally including Lesh on bass as well as Bill Kreutzmann on drums.
the Warlocks made their electric debut that July; Ken Kesey soon tapped them to become the house band at his notorious Acid Tests, a series of now-legendary public LSD parties and multimedia "happenings" mounted prior to the drug's criminalization. As 1965 drew to its close, the Warlocks rechristened themselves the Grateful Dead, the name taken from a folk tale discovered in a dictionary by Garcia; bankrolled by chemist/LSD manufacturer Owsley Stanley, the band members soon moved into a communal house situated at 710 Ashbury Street in San Francisco, becoming a fixture on the local music scene and building a large fan base on the strength of their many free concerts. Signing to MGM, in 1966 the Dead also recorded their first demos; the sessions proved disastrous, and the label dropped the group a short time later.
As 1967 mutated into the Summer of Love, the Dead emerged as one of the top draws on the Bay Area music scene, honing an eclectic repertoire influenced by folk, country, and the blues while regularly appearing at top local venues including the Fillmore Auditorium, the Avalon Ballroom, and the Carousel. In March of 1967 the Dead issued their self-titled Warner Bros. debut LP, a disappointing effort which failed to recapture the cosmic sprawl of their live appearances; after performing at the Monterey Pop Festival, the group expanded to a six-piece with the addition of second drummer Mickey Hart. Their follow-up, 1968's Anthem of the Sun, fared better in documenting the free-form jam aesthetic of their concerts, but after completing 1969's Aoxomoxoa, their penchant for time-consuming studio experimentation left them over 100,000 dollars in debt to the label.
the Dead's response to the situation was to bow to the demands of fans and record their first live album, 1969's Live/Dead; highlighted by a rendition of Garcia's "Dark Star" clocking in at over 23 minutes, the LP succeeded where its studio predecessors failed in capturing the true essence of the group in all of their improvisational, psychedelicized glory. It was followed by a pair of classic 1970 studio efforts, Workingman's Dead and American Beauty; recorded in homage to the group's country and folk roots, the two albums remained the cornerstone of the Dead's live repertoire for years to follow, with its most popular songs -- "Uncle John's Band," "Casey Jones," "Sugar Magnolia," and "Truckin'" among them -- becoming major favorites on FM radio.
Despite increasing radio airplay and respectable album sales, the Dead remained first and foremost a live act, and as their popularity grew across the world they expanded their touring schedule, taking to the road for much of each year. As more and more of their psychedelic-era contemporaries ceased to exist, the group continued attracting greater numbers of fans to their shows, many of them following the Dead across the country; dubbed "Deadheads," these fans became notorious for their adherence to tie-dyed fashions and excessive drug use, their traveling circus ultimately becoming as much the focal point of concert dates as the music itself. Shows were also extensively bootlegged, and not surprisingly the Dead closed out their Warners contract with back-to-back concert LPs -- a 1971 eponymous effort and 1972's Europe '72.
The latter release was the final Dead album to feature Pigpen McKernan, a heavy drinker who died of liver failure on March 8, 1973; his replacement was keyboardist Keith Godchaux, who brought with him wife Donna Jean to sing backing vocals. 1973's Wake of the Flood was the first release on the new Grateful Dead Records imprint; around the time of its follow-up, 1974's Grateful Dead From the Mars Hotel, the group took a hiatus from the road to allow its members the opportunity to pursue solo projects. After returning to the live arena with a 1976 tour, the Dead signed to Arista to release Terrapin Station, the first in a series of misguided studio efforts that culminated in 1980's Go to Heaven, widely considered the weakest record in the group's catalog -- so weak, in fact, that they did not re-enter the studio for another seven years.
The early '80s was a time of considerable upheaval for the Dead -- the Godchauxs had been dismissed from the lineup in 1979, with Keith dying in a car crash on July 23, 1980. (His replacement was keyboardist Brent Mydland.) After a pair of 1981 live LPs, Reckoning and Dead Set, the group released no new recordings until 1987, focusing instead on their touring schedule -- despite the dearth of new releases, the Dead continued selling out live dates, now playing to audiences which spanned generations. As much a cottage industry as a band, they traveled not only with an enormous road crew but also dozens of friends and family members, many of them Dead staffers complete with health insurance and other benefits.
Still, the Dead were widely regarded as little more than an enduring cult phenomenon prior to the release of 1987's In the Dark; their first studio LP since Go to Heaven, it became the year's most unlikely hit when the single "Touch of Grey" became the first-ever Dead track to reach the Top Ten on the pop charts. Suddenly their videos were in regular rotation on MTV, and virtually overnight the ranks of the Deadheads grew exponentially, with countless new fans flocking to the group's shows. Not only did concert tickets become increasingly tough to come by for longtime followers, but there were also more serious repercussions -- the influx of new fans shifted the crowd dynamic considerably, and once-mellow audiences became infamous not only for their excessive drug habits but also for their violent encounters with police.
Other troubles plagued the Dead as well: in July 1986, Garcia -- a year removed from a drug treatment program -- lapsed into near-fatal diabetic coma brought on by his continued substance abuse problems, regaining consciousness five days later. His health remained an issue in the years which followed, but the Dead spent more time on tour than ever, with a series of dates with Bob Dylan yielding the live album Dylan & the Dead. Their final studio effort, Built to Last, followed in 1989. Tragedy struck in October of that year when a fan died after breaking his neck outside of a show at the New Jersey Meadowlands; two months later, a 19-year-old fan on LSD also died while in police custody at the Los Angeles Forum.
As ever, the Dead themselves were also not immune to tragedy -- on July 26, 1990, Mydland suffered a fatal drug overdose, the third keyboardist in group history to perish; he was replaced not only by ex-Tubes keyboardist Vince Welnick but also by satellite member Bruce Hornsby, a longtime fan who frequently toured with the group. In the autumn of 1992 Garcia was again hospitalized with diabetes and an enlarged heart, forcing the Dead to postpone their upcoming tour until the year's end; he eventually returned to action looking more fit than he had in years. Still, few were surprised when it was announced on August 9, 1995, that Garcia had been found dead in his room at a substance abuse treatment facility in Forest Knolls, CA; the 53 year old's death was attributed to a heart attack.
While Garcia's death spelled the end of the Dead as a continuing creative entity, the story was far from over. As the surviving members disbanded to plot their next move, the band's merchandising arm went into overdrive -- in addition to Dick's Picks, a series of archival releases of classic live material, licensed products ranging from Dead T-shirts to sporting goods to toys flooded the market. Plans were also announced to build Terrapin Station, an interactive museum site. In 1996, Weir and Hart mounted the first Furthur Festival, a summer tour headlined by their respective bands RatDog and Mystery Box; in 1998, they also reunited with Lesh and Hornsby to tour as the Other Ones. In spirit if not in name, the Grateful Dead's trip continued on.
DoWnLoAd
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