Search - Grateful Dead :: Two From the Vault

The Rough Early Years

Dennis G. Voss Jr. | Lexington, KY USA | 06/27/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Like many long-lasting bands, the Grateful Dead evolved significantly over the course of their career, so it's hard for beginners to navigate the catalogue. You may love the music from one period and have little use for the music from another. This concert comes from the early years, so it's not going to sound like the 70s roots-rock songs by which they are best known (e.g., "Truckin" or "Casey Jones"), let alone the more-recent pop hits (e.g., "Touch of Gray"). This is a combination of blues and psychedelic jams, with even less emphasis on pop songcraft and even more focus on instrumental explorations than found in most of their contemporaries (e.g., Jefferson Airplane). It's interesting stuff, usually good and occasionally great, but it has all the flaws one would expect from a concert recording made so long ago (i.e., limitations in sound quality, occasional gaffes by the band, and uninspired bits). Better to start with the more accessible and polished packages, such as the "Live Dead" album from the same period, and move to this one later so that you can hear fresh explorations of the songs you've already learned to love."

The best Dead Ever

S. Wismann | NJ, USA | 08/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was my first ever dead album I bought in 1994. I have played this album so much, I think I wore out the cds. I have come back to buy new ones cause mine are full of skips. Everytime I listen to this album, I always get happy. I am listening right now as I have found it, dusted it off and am enjoying.

There is a lot of really really good dead and this is at the top of the list for the era. Just PURE listen pleasure. BUY IT! SPREAD THE DEAD!!!!!"