Customer Reviews

Arista Years

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Grateful Dead's enduring piece of Americana lies in concert. There, 30 years' preserved performances grew a musical/social counterculture whose substance abuse finally struck its leader/shepherd, guitarist Jerry Garcia, then scattered its thousands of cross-country wandering sheep.

The 2CD set "Arista Years," covering the group's last 15 years' studio/live LPs for Arista Records, proves the studio was prison more than haven for America's greatest non-stop traveling show. Working with outside producers Keith Olsen (Fleetwood Mac) and Little Feat's simpatico Lowell George, and with studio musicians (including Tom Scott's cool funk solo on "Estimated Prophet") traded the Dead's musical meanderings for 70s studio precision, with inconsistent results.

Disc One's highlights include 1978's near-hit "Good Lovin'" (given Latin-style backbone by the legendary Lesh/Kruetzman/Hart bottom, plus growling Bob Weir vocal and ace Garcia solo), the bouncy half-disco groove of "Shakedown Street," 1980's country rock "Alabama Getaway" and Brent Mydland's LP debut on "Far From Me." Missing are the group's take on "Dancing In The Street" (with vocals by Donna and the late Keith Godchaux) and 1980's "Don't Ease Me In."

Disc two begins with songs from "In The Dark," on which the Grateful Dead hit beyond its wildest nightmares. Ironically, from strictly studio perspective, "Hell In A Bucket," "Throwing Stones" and 1987's anthemic Top 10 "Touch Of Grey" are among the Dead's most focused, pop-oriented, finest studio creations. They distill the Dead's social and lyrical strengths: its tight country-rock harmony, Garcia's command of nearly every guitar style and ability (with lyricist Robert Hunter) to write soaring, catchy choruses with sly, wry humor. "I will get by...I will survive," comforted and aroused fans agonizing over Garcia's near-fatal diabetic coma the year before. It spurred the Dead's greatest popularity and the subsequent crowd, drug, and police problems. Forget the songs from 1989's "Built To Last" but for Garcia's "Foolish Heart" and Mydland's elegy, "Just A Little Light."

The group's most revered releases during this period were its live sets, 1980's 2LP "Dead Set" and "Reckoning" and its 1990 3CD "Without A Net," which here provide the compilation's most organic, comfortable moments The acoustic "Dire Wolf" and "Cassidy" brim with folk harmony and superb Garcia pickin', while "Franklin's Tower" plugs in with more musical muscle than its "Blues for Allah" studio counterpart. The set's finale, a live "Eyes Of The World" was a revelation even to longtime Deadheads.. Branford Marsalis' saxophone searches the attic space between Garcia's bopping solos and Lesh's bass to exploit the group's jazz leaning and what David Crosby described as the group's "electrified.Dixieland."

Where does this set fit in any CD collection? Longtime fans scoff at most of the group's studio albums, let alone collections; drawers of live cassettes tell their Dead story night by night until the end. Casual fans, meanwhile, might start with the Warners best-ofs or 1970's pillars "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty." This compilation, despite some fine performances and written tributes from Richard Gebr and Mix magazine editor Blair Jackson, is at best a supplemental stop even for the casual Grateful Dead fan, if such a thing exists six years after the group's long, strange trip ended.

THE BAND: Several band members came and went during the Arista years, but these albums ALL have these players in common - Jerry Garcia (guitar, vocals), Bob Weir (guitars, vocals), Phil Lesh (bass), Mickey Hart (drums), Billy Kreutzmann (drums).

THIS DISCS: (1996) 2 discs containing 26 tracks clocking in at approximately 153 minutes of music (disc-1 at 77:50 minutes, and disc-2 at 74:57). Included with the discs is an 18-page booklet containing song credits/titles, a brief intro to the band, studio album cover pictures and insight into the goings-on at the time of each release covered here, and what songs came from which albums. The albums here range from "Terrapin Station (1977) through "Without A Net" (1990) only. Digitally remastered sound. Label - Arista.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Terrapin Station (4 songs), Shakedown Street (4), Go To Heaven (3), Reckoning/Live (2), Dead Set/Live (2), In The Dark (5), Built To Last (5), Without A Net/Live (1).

COMMENTS: Hardcore Deadheads will probably hate this (or any for that matter) compilation. Most long time fans claim you need the whole album experience to get into the Dead... or, see one of their 'live' shows. Indeed, I saw them live in the late 70's and it was an experience I'll never forget. I would agree with these sentiments for the most part... but, over the years I've never been a 'diehard' Grateful Dead fan. I like the band, and I like a lot of their songs... but I always considered myself a casual follower. I have several of their early era albums when they were on Warner Bros' label - "American Beauty", "Workingman's Dead", "Blues For Allah", and "Aoxomoxoa" (from 1969)... all Dead classics! I don't think anything the band did in the late 70's or 80's can match any of these albums. With that being said, this collection of songs is great to have all in one place. The band members were changing as much as the song structure. 1980 found the Dead on the Billboard charts with "Alabama Getaway" (#68). In 1987, the band finally scored a top 10 hit with the song "Touch of Grey" (from "In The Dark"), which garnered a new set of fans from the mainstream rock audience. Less psychedelic rock and fewer improvisational jams - leading to more rock & pop (and structure). This caused a bit of culture shock between some of the old and new fans, when the peaceful hippie counterculture met the '80s rockers. Over the years, I've listened to all of these albums with songs featured here, and decided they weren't strong enough on their own to buy (outside of "Terrapin Station"). I did however crave several of these songs for my collection... "Good Lovin'", "Fire On The Mountain" and the band's psychedelic disco anthem "Shakedown Street" (from "Shakedown Street); "Alabama Getaway" and "Saint Of Circumstance" (from "Go To Heaven"); "Touch Of Grey" and "Hell In A Bucket" (from "In The Dark"); and "Foolish Heart" and "Standing On The Moon" (from "Built To Last"). Some absolutely great tunes here. For the casual Dead fan, I think this is a darn good sampling of the band in their 2nd phase of work (4 stars).

Look... if you LOVE the Dead, I mean really LOVE them... then you're way past this collection. This is a great sampling of a large part of the band's catalog, and I would say anyone who is looking for a good "1st" Dead listen... YES this is a good collection. From here though, you will want to go out and get all the albums that this CD takes its songs from.

77-90 were enigmatic years for GD. They were the best touring act around, but I can't say the same for their studio albums (except for in the dark). The songs are good, but I've never heard a studio cut that didn't sound better live. They did put out several albums in this 13 year period, and the best of it is here. There are some great songs that you would be silly to overlook. The Arista Years takes the best from an era that was not the best. It comes together as a nice 2 hours of music. This album is also a great deal, cuz almost all the songs from In the Dark and Built to Last are included. i recommend this.

This is probably the best representation of the Dead there is in any collection. Their live recordings are great for the many deadheads who cannot get enough of that unique experience, but the quality of their studio music is far beyond the typical concert, in sound quality and in terms of actually singing on key. If you really want a live CD, try "The Closing of Winterland"--a truly amazing concert that also collects some of the best music of this period ... or perhaps "Dozin' at the Knick," a fine concert in Albany, New York. The Dead's years with Arista were indeed their most creative and productive in my view, giving us such classics as Terrapin Station, Estimated Prophet, Shakedown Street, and Fire on the Mountain, and so many more. Amazing songs, great playing, and on-key singing that the Dead never managed to surpass. These guys jammed during afternoons in the gymnasium at College of Marin (California) back in the early 60s, and I enjoyed them then, but in all my years of listening to the Dead (and going to several concerts, beginning in 66 at the Fillmore Auditorium in SF), it seems to me that they really got it together during the late 70s, when Kieth and Donna Godchaux played both with the Dead and with the Jerry Garcia Band (check out the remastered edition of "Cats under the Stars"). This is a great (I'd say the best) collection for both new and seasoned fans of the Dead.

For starters, I am a fanatical Deadhead. So obviously, I have all of the Dead's Arista albums (studio and live) from 1977-1991 anyway (including 'Infrared Roses,' which is not represented here). So obviously, this 2-CD set was not meant for me or anyone else like me.

And for that reason, I am going to give as fair and as non-biased review as I can possibly give.

In 1976, the Dead, tired of being on their own label, departed Grateful Dead Records and signed with Clive Davis' up-and-coming Arista Records label. The label would also sign other artists who were "survivors" of the 1960s throughout its history, including Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, and the KBC Band (which was Paul Kantner, Marty Balin, and Jack Casady of the Jefferson Airplane), but that's another review altogether.

Many people complain the quality of the Dead's music declined after signing on Arista. I disagree entirely. 'Terrapin Station,' their 1977 album and the first with Arista, remains to this day one of my favorite Dead albums period, with the title track being one of my favorite songs (but this is probably because progressive rock is my favorite genre, and this song is a largely progressive piece).

The title track (over 16 minutes in length), obviously does not appear here on this budget-oriented two-disc set. What you do get are tracks from: 'Terrapin Station' (1977), 'Shakedown Street' (1978), 'Go to Heaven' (1980), the live 'Reckoning' (1981) and 'Dead Set' (also 1981), 'In the Dark' (1987), 'Built to Last' (1989), and the live 'Without a Net' (1990). So technically, saying this disc spans to 1995 is misleading. It really ends in 1990, after keyboardist Brent Mydland's passing.

But the material here is great and diverse. Obviously, the biggest hit of the Arista years was 'Touch of Grey' (also the Dead's biggest hit period, a Top 10 hit in 1987), which appears here (of course). But there is so much more to the Dead's latter period than just that one tune. 'Alabama Getaway,' which has seen a resurgence in popularity over the last several years due to its appearance in the video game 'Rock Band,' the disco-flavored 'Shakedown Street,' the anthemic 'Throwing Stones' and the outstanding Garcia vocal performance on 'Foolish Heart' all appear here on this set.

And you also get a 16+ minute live version of 'Eyes of the World' (which originally appeared on the 1973 'Wake of the Flood' album) featuring modern jazz saxophone great Branford Marsalis. On this version, Garcia and Marsalis seem to trade off of one another -- it is a really cool performance and was probably the highlight of the 'Without a Net' album.

Overall, this is not an incredibly complete set. It is a predominantly studio set, featuring tracks from the five studio albums released on Arista as well as the three official (not counting archival releases) live albums from the period as well. So, if this bothers you, than look elsewhere. I will tell you that right now. However, if you want to get a sampling of what the Dead were up to post-1976 than this is a great way to begin. If you really like it, obviously you'll want the eight albums this disc culls material from -- but it can also convert you into a lifelong Deadhead. And if this disc has that effect on you, than it has successfully served its purpose.

Buy 'The Arista Years' if you are a new or casual Deadhead who wants to get a taste of latter-day Dead (or simply wants to have 'Touch of Grey' for the car or office), but also if you are a Deadhead who has been too afraid to dive in or buy the five Arista studio albums from the period. Really, they aren't as bad as everyone says they are (and 'In the Dark,' from 1987, is a masterpiece in my opinion), and they are well worth your time. Honestly, you'd be best suited buying the albums from the period.

But if you are on a budget or are a curious/new/casual Deadhead, 'The Arista Years' works just fine. You get a great sampling of what the Dead were up to from 1977-1991. Eventually, however, if you like the stuff on this disc, you'll want to check out some of the Dead's magnificent live releases, because (and believe me, I know everyone says it, but it is the absolute truth) the magic of the Grateful Dead truly lies in their live performances.

The real reason to get this set is that it illustrates the versatility and evolution of the band. For me, though, the real bonus is Brent Mydland. His songs have a soulful touch to them and are definately worth a listen.

Some Grateful Dead fans are weary of the music that the band put out in the 80's. Other fans (including myself) love it. This is an interesting look into a different era of Dead music. Though this is not the music that the Dead will be remembered for, this album shows how the greatest rock and roll band of all time changed with the times and continued to thrive, even in the souless eighties.

This anthology is OK if you are not serious about the Grateful Dead music and just want to dabble with the hits. But you will be missing out on a huge amount of very fine tunes if you buy this and skip the albums from which the collection was culled. Instead, buy each of the featured albums when you can. Listen & enjoy. There is a lot to be gained by bypassing the short-cuts (-;

The only thing this album misses is live cuts (of course) The dead is meant to be heard live, but this album has a lot of studio highlights from one of the greatest dead periods ever. Contrary to some comments I feel that this album offers a great taste of the dead's funky era. A great way to take the next step of getting really into the dead.