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Grateful Dead: Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses)
Repeats of some material only give the illusion this milestone vault exhumation is of lesser depth and dimension than its predecessors. On the contrary, it foreshadows the wealth of originals within Europe '72 (Warner Bros., 1972), with selections the late band lyricist Robert Hunter saw as part of an ostensible successor to the aforementioned pair of studio efforts. For example, this opener of "Bertha" is perhaps the most ebullient piece of music guitarist
Jerry Garcia
guitar, electricThose two brilliant compositions are both played with the appropriate enthusiasm and grace, proof positive of the deserved collective self-confidence the Grateful Dead had developed by this time. The range of other selections, taken together with "Playing in the Band," effectively constitute a veritable primer on the vast self-composted canon of these psychedelic warriors. Yet, cover material peppers the song sequence too in the form of rhythm guitarist
Bob Weir
guitar and vocals
"
data-original-title="" title="">Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" and keyboardist/harpist/vocalist Ron McKernan
vocals
Jimmy Reed
guitar, electric1925 - 1976
Chuck Berry
guitar, electric1926 - 2017
Such comparatively quick takes on those tunes counterpoint the most exploratory likes of "The Other One." Yet the latter, an improvisational staple for the group, times out at only (!) some eighteen minutes-plus even, with drummer
Bill Kreutzmann
drums
Phil Lesh
bass, electric1940 - 2024
Buddy Holly
composer / conductor1936 - 1959
Likewise, this second half of the expanded title proffers what is essentially an earlier incarnation of the Grateful Dead as a dance band par excellence inclined to frequent forays through interstellar space and time. Such travels nevertheless appear side-by-side with earnest explorations of deeply human emotion such as this ten-minutes plus of Garcia's impassioned singing on "Sing Me Back Home," composed by the same aforementioned country author of "Okie From Muskogee."
Again, the stretching out complements the terse approach, too, on the previously-unreleased ten tracks from Fillmore West, as with those original eleven amassed ones from various other sources. The (Young) Rascals' "Good Lovin'"clocks in at seventeen minutes plus, while this take on "The Other One," prefaced by "Cryptical Envelopment" and integrating Kreutzmann's ever-so-limber workout on his kit, is of approximately twenty-four minutes duration within the total hour of complementary content.
Similarly concise and to the point is Gary Lambert's essay writing the twelve-page booklet. Next to some archetypal action photos, the prose composed by this former employee of the late impresario Bill Graham and a long-term contributor to the Grateful Dead's official newsletter is both clear-eyed and passionate, while his grasp of knowledge comes across as effortlessly as his writing in following the chronological sequence of steps leading to this halcyon project.
In its enlarged form, Grateful Dead captures its subject with clarity and accuracy. Known colloquially for years as Skull & Roses, based on the the striking artwork of Alton Kelley—taken from an illustration in an old edition of 'The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam,' which producer David Lemieux and his curating team wisely decided not to tamper with—the eponymous title was assigned as something of a compromise between the group and the record company: the prank-minded former had a more graphic, near-epithet name in mind.
No matter, though, because the 50th Anniversary Expanded Edition of Skullf*#k functions even more completely as originally intended, a durable refresher for fans of longstanding as well as an almost ideal introduction to the band for those not so anointed. ">
Track Listing
CD 1 - Bertha; Mama Tried; Big Railroad Blues; Playing in the Band; The Other One; Me & My Uncle; Big Boss Man; Me & Bobby McGee; Johnny B. Goode; Wharf Rat; Not Fade Away / Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad. CD 2: Good Lovin'; Sing Me Back Home; Mama Tried; Cryptical Envelopment/Drums/The Other One; Big Boss Man; Not Fade Away/Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad/Not Fade Away.
Personnel
Grateful Dead
band / ensemble / orchestra
Jerry Garcia
guitar, electric
Bob Weir
guitar and vocals
Phil Lesh
bass, electric
Bill Kreutzmann
drumsRon McKernan
vocals
Merl Saunders
keyboardsAdditional Instrumentation
Jerry Garcia: vocals; Bob Weir: vocals; Phil Lesh: vocals; Ron McKernan: organ, harmonica; Bill Kreutzmann: drums.
Album information
Title: Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses) | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Rhino
Tags
Grateful Dead
Extended Analysis
Doug Collette
Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses)
Rhino
Europe '72
Robert Hunter
Jerry Garcia
Bob Weir
merle haggard
Ron McKernan
Jimmy Reed
Chuck Berry
Bill Kreutzmann
Phil Lesh
Buddy Holly
The (Young) Rascals
Comments
About Grateful Dead
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
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