Disco de Grateful Dead: “Aoxomoxoa”

though "blues for allah" is probably the most accurate studio representation of what the dead truly were and are, "aoxomoxoa" is still my favorite dead record. it was recorded right when the band was making the natural transistion from bluesy psychedelic music and into a more folkish country sound. you can really hear the two musical realms butt heads. even the simple folk songs like "rosemary" and "mountains of the moon" have a real ambient psychedelic mood to them. however, "what's become of the baby" is definitely the oddest track on the album and is almost too spooky to listen to. dead naysayers who claim that the band wasn't dark and were only into singing about good times have obviously never heard this track. the album also includes the future concert staples "china cat sunflower" and "st. stephen," but a really good track that the band all but abondanded not too long after the record's release is "doin' that rag." it's got a lot of great effects and time changes and really sounds like the musical equivalent to going insane. this record really captures a great transistional period in the band's history and will grow on you immensely after repeated listenings. the remastered version also has some great studio jams, including the only studio recording of the phenomenal live favorite "the eleven." one more great reason to buy this thing immediately

The 1969 version, not yet released on CD, was much better. While some songs sounded almost exactly the same, most sounded more raw, a plus in my book. The 1971 remix (the one you hear on the CD and most vinyl copies) effectively sterilized the sound. "What About the Baby" lost all of the screaming and pots&pans acid sound effects that actually made it cool. If you can get a copy of the 1969 vinyl [ W7(WS1790) -not- WB(1790) ], you owe it to yourself to compare.

There is a market for the '69 version on CD. At least I would buy one.

I've read about the remastering, but true deadheads used to scrounge through used record stores trying to find the '69, not '71 Warners mix. The difference is more psychedelia, percussion, screams, acapellla fade on Doin' That Rag, and Tom Constanten's prepared piano + additional instrumentation on What's Become of The Baby, that actually makes it interesting, and more sinister. Will that ever be re-released on CD?

I already owned all of the cd's from the Dead's folk rock era, so I decided to get one from their psychedelic early era. So I browsed around an found one of theirs called Aoxomoxoa(!). When I put it in my stereo, St. Stephen was the first to come out and I love it right away. St. Stephen, Dupree's Diamond Blues, Doin' that Rag and Cosmic Charlie are timeless classics. The controversial song, What's Become of the Baby, in which Jerry sings with the wierd voice thing for over 8 minutes is O.K. Get it, it's a psychedelic classic!!

Living in a small upstate NY city during the sixties in a commune could be hard. No money, no car... Before tape decks and CDs and downloads, the Dead were a distant dream before they started touring the East Coast. Records were all we had. I still remember this one. 'Mountains of the Moon' has always been a favourite of mine. Throughout the years, in times of crisis, divorce, death and fire, I've managed to remember the phrase that is the title of this review. It's always been a solace.

As far as the self-indulgence is concerned: they were young; the were open to all kinds of grand ideas and they were trying to find the limits of what was possible with their music. This was the era of John Cage and John Coltrane. They were experimental and people expected it of them.

I still remember sitting in a friend's living room watching the cover breathe and swell and simmer.