Disco de Grateful Dead: “Reckoning”

I mean, it's not as though I used to follow the Grateful Dead around the country with a trunk full of bootleg concert tapes or anything. But I thought I'd heard most of their albums at one time or another, even the ones I didn't own. (And I have a fairly tall stack of them -- for a non-Deadhead, that is. Commercial releases only.)

Somehow I managed to overlook this one, though. Well, no longer; it became one of my favorites the day I received it. And if (like me) you love the late-and-much-missed Jerry Garcia's _Almost Acoustic_ and/or his work with David Grisman, or if _Workingman's Dead_ and _American Beauty_ are your favorite Dead studio albums (as they are mine), you'll probably love this CD as much as I do.

If you've read the other reviews on this page, you already know what it is -- namely, a collection of live acoustic performances recorded during late 1980, culled from the first sets of a series of shows in September and October. (The second sets of these shows were electric material, like the stuff on _Dead Set_.) The lineup consists of the full 1980 band -- Garcia and Bob Weir on acoustic guitar, the always reliable Phil Lesh on bass, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann on deft and gentle percussion, and the late-and-also-much-missed Brent Mydland on piano. All I can add is that the performances are terrific. The Dead were just a helluva band.

And look at that song list! It includes not only some Dead tunes (e.g. "Dire Wolf" and "Ripple," two of my all-time favorites) but also songs from the (comparatively) solo albums released by Garcia (e.g. "Bird Song" from _Garcia_, "It Must Have Been the Roses" from _Reflections) and Weir (e.g. "Cassidy" from _Ace_), interspersed with traditional material (e.g. "Deep Elem Blues," which Garcia also did on _Almost Acoustic_) and cover songs (e.g. the old George Jones number "The Race is On," written by Don Rollins -- which Weir pulls off pretty convincingly, by the way).

This is a great CD and I find myself agreeing with some of the other reviewers that it _may_ be the Dead's finest release. At the very least it's one of their best live albums, and a fine collection of acoustic music to boot.

One more thing: I'm told that there's a track missing from the CD; the original two-LP set also included "Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie." Since I didn't have the original album I don't miss it, but I thought some of you might like to know. (Hey, maybe someday the Dead will release a CD consisting of all the songs cut from the CD versions of their vinyl releases. That may be the only way some of us ever get to hear "My Brother Esau" again.)

If you want to hear tenderness and kindness, if you want to hear perfection that'll bring tears to your eyes, if you want to experience a recording that greets you like a warm friend time and time again, if you want to experience the purest of Jerry's gentle spirit, if you want to hear an example of the most heart-felt of musicianship, if you want a work of art suitable for all ages and all musical tastes, if you would like to know what sheer genius combined with the gracefulness of six souls performing in a single collective consciousness produces, if you would like to lull your child to sleep in your loving arms letting music express the love you feel for your child, if you have ever searched for one body of music that let's you know that all will be well, if you want to lose yourself in wonder...

Bring even more joy to your life by allowing this collection of divine expression to enter your life. It will console you in the hour of your deepest need, and make a Great Day even better!

If I could aford to do so, I would offer a money-back guarentee out of my own pocket if your life were not deeply enriched by the wonders of this celebratory masterpiece.

I always feel great pride when I play this for "that person that you know" who dislikes the Grateful Dead. After listening to a few songs together, the person almost always says, "Who is this? This is really good!" I'll toy with them for a while and say that it's a Jazz band or a semi-Bluegrass story telling band, yet I won't reveal the mystery.

Much later, I will lead the conversation into a Dead-related conversation. I can almost always yield disdain of the Grateful Dead from the unwittingly enlightened listener. Then, after a few minutes of silence reflecting upon the majestry of the music, I "drop the bomb" on them and show them the CD case! -ALWAYS a wonderful and proud moment!

As a professional musician of over fifteen years, this album is a 'manditory' addition to all collections of music. Folk, traditional, blue grass, rag, rock, and even a touch of jazz, are the ingredients to this tasteful, warm, exploration of the roots of modern american music. Even if this sort of music is not your bag, nobody can deny the musicianship and devotion to the music this band exudes during these live performances. Reckoning, is a 'grate' choice for educated music lovers.

This is the album that made me a fan. In 1981 I had no idea who the Dead really were, I spent my time listening to mostly traditional rock and fusion jazz, with a little folk and blues and blue-grass on the side. In fact my real (although unknown to me) first exposure to the Dead was as side musicians on a David Bromberg album, but that is another story. Then somebody gave me a copy of The Reckoning as a present. Wow! I have owned this in every format(including copied onto an 8-track), and even my CD is wearing out. From there I moved slowly through Working Man's on in, eventually becoming a moderatly serious fan. From the rocking On the Road Again, to the playful Monkey and the Engineer to the soul wrenching Bird Song and China Doll wrapping up with the redemption, rebirth and revitalization of Ripple, this is one album that does it all. An album equally appropriate on the best and worst days of your life.

This is one of the greatest albums of all time. The Dead exude their full potential on this acoustic album, proving their versatility, musicianship, and command of the subtle. Dead-head or not, this is one to keep and enjoy for the long strange trip...