Never Listen to "Pofessional" Critics
M. J. Quinlan | Berlin | 11/09/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this CD about a month ago. I have been a Bob Weir fan for as long as I have been a deadhead (30+ years). As with many of Bob Weir's stuff, you can't listen to it just once. The first time I listened to the CD, I thought uh...OK. Two weeks later I listened to it again and have not been able to stop listening to it since. So I was wrong the first time, the music is not OK, it's great! I read critical reviews complaining about Bob Weir's singing--SO WHAT! Could Garcia sing?, Lesh? Dead concerts (and albums) were always great though, weren't they? What do I know about music other than what I like? This is a great CD with Great Music, that if you are a fan you will probably also not be able to stop listening to every track. (Although I have to admit I am partial to Odessa and Corrinna). If you've always liked the Dead and Weir's solo stuff, you can't go wrong with this CD."
This is a Ratdog album, not a Dead album.
10/05/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I read all of these reviews and had heard half of the songs live at least once (if not many times) before I bought this disc. Bob has always been my favorite! During my first listen I was put off a bit by the production sound of the disc. I think I was just too used to that live Dead sound, because now it seems the recording is very good indeed, especially through "high end" speakers. During the first listen the only songs that really stood out for me were Ashes and Glass and October Queen. The rest seemed too studio-like and some of the poetic verses are more suited for Jerry to sing than Bob (he is the Blues man afterall). Then I listened again, and again, and again. Finally giving Ratdog credit for being Ratdog, and not the Dead, I began to appreciate this disc more and more. Overall it is an excellent album. Like the Dead, these songs are usually better live than they are on the disc. I am not sure why they do not just play them live in the studio and record it like others do (Railroad Earth is a fine example). Nevertheless, I highly recommend this to anyone who has at least some interest in either the Dead or blues in gerneral. Although different in the type of music, it is similar to listening to Shakedown Street, or Terrapin Station on cd knowing how the songs sound live. The discs are good but the live shows are better. There is no radio play of these songs, so go see Ratdog and buy this disc and enjoy. From best to worst, this is how I see the tunes: Ashes and Glass, October Queen/Deep End, Odessa, Corrina, Welcome to the World, Bury Me Standing, Lucky Enough, Even So, Two Djinn. Sorry, but despite a very nice groove after the 5 minute mark, Two Djinn just does not do it for me. Knowing how they write the songs, I am willing to bet the music later in the song was the original "jam" that was kept to make a song from and the rest the music was added later when trying to finish the song. Worth the money for sure!!"