Blues for Allah
This is, far and away, my favorite Grateful Dead studio album. NEVER had the
band sounded this focused, cohesive and energetic in the studio. From the
songwriting to the arrangements to the performances, the band in 1975 had found
a creative high point, and it's evident in every tune on this album.
It's also clear that every band member enjoyed contributing. Rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, who was nearly booted from the band early on in part because it was felt he wasn't keeping up with the others improvisationally, plays his tail off here, and the mix allows the listener to hear him, whereas he was sometimes drowned out on previous Dead discs. Mickey Hart had returned to the Dead fold for this album after a hiatus related to his embarrassment over his father, a businessman who had, it was discovered, ripped off the band instead of enriching it. Easing his way back into the group, Hart didn't bring a full kit to the sessions, preferring instead to augment Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann with percussion accents (check out the sleigh bells on "Help on the Way"!). Vocalist Donna Godchaux is in great voice here, even though she has no lead vocal parts, except for a few lines on "The Music Never Stopped"; she supports the other singers throughout, though. Bassist Phil Lesh is at his creative best, interacting with the two drummers but also playing melodic figures in reaction to lead guitarist Jerry Garcia.
And that leaves Garcia and keyboardist Keith Godchaux, who never sounded better together than they did on "Blues for Allah." In later years, Godchaux developed an aggravating musical tic, imitating phrases Garcia was playing instead of offering parts that complemented him. Here, though, their musical interplay is a true partnership -- just listen to how supple they sound on "Franklin's Tower."
The Grateful Dead was always best when it had strong material, and the songs here -- even instrumentals like "King Solomon's Marbles" and "Sage and Spirit" -- absolutely burble and bubble with energy. The title track is probably the least accessible, with a decidedly Eastern modality and odd melodic line.
I have listened to this album well over a hundred times in the last three or four years alone, and always find pleasure going back to it. Note on the expanded version: The additional six tracks are pretty much throwaways, with five of them being instrumentals labeled "grooves" and "jams." The exception is "Hollywood Cantata," a pleasant enough number sung by Weir -- but, given the quality of the other songs the band was writing at the time, it's clear why it was left off the original release.
Even if you don't normally like the Dead, give "Blues for Allah" a try.
It's also clear that every band member enjoyed contributing. Rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, who was nearly booted from the band early on in part because it was felt he wasn't keeping up with the others improvisationally, plays his tail off here, and the mix allows the listener to hear him, whereas he was sometimes drowned out on previous Dead discs. Mickey Hart had returned to the Dead fold for this album after a hiatus related to his embarrassment over his father, a businessman who had, it was discovered, ripped off the band instead of enriching it. Easing his way back into the group, Hart didn't bring a full kit to the sessions, preferring instead to augment Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann with percussion accents (check out the sleigh bells on "Help on the Way"!). Vocalist Donna Godchaux is in great voice here, even though she has no lead vocal parts, except for a few lines on "The Music Never Stopped"; she supports the other singers throughout, though. Bassist Phil Lesh is at his creative best, interacting with the two drummers but also playing melodic figures in reaction to lead guitarist Jerry Garcia.
And that leaves Garcia and keyboardist Keith Godchaux, who never sounded better together than they did on "Blues for Allah." In later years, Godchaux developed an aggravating musical tic, imitating phrases Garcia was playing instead of offering parts that complemented him. Here, though, their musical interplay is a true partnership -- just listen to how supple they sound on "Franklin's Tower."
The Grateful Dead was always best when it had strong material, and the songs here -- even instrumentals like "King Solomon's Marbles" and "Sage and Spirit" -- absolutely burble and bubble with energy. The title track is probably the least accessible, with a decidedly Eastern modality and odd melodic line.
I have listened to this album well over a hundred times in the last three or four years alone, and always find pleasure going back to it. Note on the expanded version: The additional six tracks are pretty much throwaways, with five of them being instrumentals labeled "grooves" and "jams." The exception is "Hollywood Cantata," a pleasant enough number sung by Weir -- but, given the quality of the other songs the band was writing at the time, it's clear why it was left off the original release.
Even if you don't normally like the Dead, give "Blues for Allah" a try.
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