Search - Grateful Dead :: Built to Last (Dig)

Grateful Dead In The End?

Andre S. Grindle | Brewer Maine | 03/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's more then apparent from the reviews of this album that this album is considered a low point in regards in the Grateful Dead's long career. Sadly it's also the end of their career but I really don't agree this was a bad way to go out.Now I'll start out by saying I am no "deadhead";I have never followed a group around live-never had the time or inclination to do so.And frankly from what I've heard I tend to go more for the bands funkier,jazzier 70's music such as Blues for Allah and my favorite Shakedown Street. So I came to this album with little to go on.And I wasn't disappointed.Considering how bland most late 80's-90's pop/rock could be this album actually seems to have plenty of heart in it. It's no mistake that the leadoff song and big single is called "Foolish Heart";funny that the Dead were always so openly anti-commercialism and in the end of their career they started getting hit singles. It's definately in the 80's rock genre-slick,mildly chilly in tone and with some,in this case tasteful synthesized backrounds.That is also the general tone your going to get on "Just A Little Light",the title song and "Standing On The Moon"."Blow Away","Standing On The Moon" and "Picasso Moon" turn out to be pretty touch rockers-the contemporary influence of Dire Straits and period Springsteen are in play but the presense of implied social commentary and moralizing on the latter two songs make it clear your firmly in Dead country with this music.I suppose most people who enjoy the Grateful Dead of the past will find what they're looking for on "Victim Or The Crime",a longish,slightly creepy piece of psychedelia that makes it clear that the band would never truly abandon the music that originally made them famous. The album ends with a a sweet lullaby in "I Will Take You Home".Even if this album finds Jerry Garcia's then mildly strainded singing near it's limit at times and the production is far from 100% organic in nature this is an album with a lot of strengh and a lot of treasures.The band could've actually lived off their tour revenues at this point and NEVER have to record again-and still give free performances occasionally. But at least they gave us one last album that was really good all things considered-featuring the strong writing and the jazzy,bluesy R&B heart at the core of the music. Even if the band has always been stereotyped as the original jam band before Dave Mathews and Blues Traveller the band could be excellent pop tunesmiths on their studio albums. And even at this very late date this finale to the bands career demonstrates that for all who hear."

Not For The Casual Fan

Socrates Stewart | Owings Mills, MD | 01/18/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"BUILT TO LAST is the Grateful Dead's last album and they finish their recording career with a pretty boring album. The song, "Foolish Heart," got most of the radio attention and is the most often included song in their concert repetoire. However, that song alone is not worth the price of the album. There are plenty of other great Grateful Dead albums, AMERICAN BEAUTY, WORKINGMAN'S DEAD, MARS HOTEL, and IN THE DARK plus a number of fine live albums are much better choices.



This album is for completists and Deadheads only and for them, it will take up shelf space more than ever becoming a staple in the CD player."

Decent, but uninspiring

Daniel Hayes | 08/10/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I used to have this album, and I wrote it off in the beginning as it was the Dead's attempt to go commercial. I know that after 20 odd years of being together, and having a surprise hit with the "In The Dark" album made them get stars in their eyes, and now they wanted to follow it up with an even bigger hit. However, this was not to be as the Dead tried to get a slick production on this album, and it still sounded 10 years out of date. It sounded like circa "Terripan Station", or "Shakedown Street". Plus Jerry's vocals are weak sounding on this album. Let's face it; the man had been smoking cigarettes, doing hard drugs, and bad diet these things do add up after awhile. As I said I wrote it off in the beginning(1989), but one night in 1993 I was out at a resturant with my family, and in the background music they played the title cut, and from that point on it's become one of my 5 favorite Dead tunes. The rest of the album has it's moments, but it just doesn't quite cut it in the end. Until the surviving Dead release a new album(Jerry died in 1995, and Phil Lesh turns 70 next year)this is the last recording we have of the Dead."