Customer Reviews

In the Dark

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The best thing about this record is the song you're least likely to have heard on the radio.

The last track, "Black Muddy River," is Jerry Garcia's response (put to words by Robert Hunter) to recovering from a diabetic coma that nearly killed him in 1986. When Garcia revived, his coordination was fried and he literally had to re-learn how to play guitar. His joy in doing so successfully was evident in exuberant performances over the next few years. This song captures both that joy and its terrible cost, without ever referring directly to these events. The tune is plaintive and affirming at the same time and, sadly, was the last number Garcia sang lead on with the Grateful Dead. It's well worth many listens.

As to the rest of the record, the Amazon review correctly points out that many of the songs were concert staples from the mid-to-late 80s. In fact, with the exception of "Black Muddy River," the best numbers -- Garcia/Hunter's "Touch of Grey" and "West L.A. Fadeaway;" Mydland/Hunter's "Tons of Steel;" Weir/Barlow's "Throwin' Stones," and "Hell in a Bucket" -- were live favorites for years BEFORE they were recorded. Small wonder, then, that the album (and the ensuing hit status of "Touch of Grey") felt anticlimactic to longtime fans.

The album's use of electronic gimmickry (motorcycle sounds on "Hell in a Bucket;" guitar processing on "Touch of Grey," etc.) to "enhance" the songs only underscores the futility of trying to capture their live energy. Nevertheless, the songs ARE strong, and this album stands among the Dead's best studio efforts, excepting the magnificent "American Beauty" and "Workingman's Dead."

For my money, THOSE records are the best overall introduction to the music of the Dead.

As many deadheads and other rock fans know, In The Dark was the Grateful Deads most commercially sucessful album, and for a good reason. Besides opening with Touch of Grey, the bands only top 10 hit, the whole album is classic. On Touch of Grey and Black Muddy River, Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunters writing combined to make supurb rock songs that could be enjoyed by anyone. Bob Weirs Hell in a Bucket and Throwing stones stand out in this album as well, though for different artistic reasons. Brent Mydlands Tons of Steel shows an imaginative writer coming in to his own. Overall, this is a Grateful Dead album that can be enjoyed by anyone.

"In the Dark" stands out from the vast array of Grateful Dead records for a few reasons: The first cut, "Touch of Grey" ("We Will Survive") is perhaps one of the most played (some will agree, over-played) radio songs of the Dead (I still like the song a lot despite this); I read once that it was the only song of theirs to become a number one hit in the U.S., though I can't back this up. "Throwing Stones" ("Ashes, ashes, all fall down...") also received a great deal of commercial recognition. Perhaps it is this aspect of "In the Dark" that causes me to less than love the record; the Dead were about as un-commercial and un-mainstream as an American band could be and still be widely recognized. It thus seems out of place how slick the mixing and production of this record are; there is something affected about the tone of the album; that's the reaction I had after listening to it for a few weeks. There is one s! ong, "Black Muddy River", that I thought was excellent. Though somewhat similar in tone and topic to "Brokedown Palace" from "American Beauty", "Black Muddy River" is a haunting, melancholy, beautiful cut that, on its own, deserves to be placed beside the band's greatest songs from earlier albums. This song was definitely responsible for at least one and maybe even two of the stars in the rating I submitted. Overall, "In the Dark" is not a bad record, but it is no "American Beauty".

I'd actually have to say that "In The Dark" isn't just one of their more popular albums, it's also one of their best. And though it's short, it's also sweet, and perfect for the casual listener. Their biggest hit ever "Touch Of Grey" is on here, and "Hell In A Bucket", "When Push Comes To Shove", and "Throwing Stones" are all great tracks as well. This may not be the album fanatics reach for, but anyone should find something they like on it.

This album has had so much radio and commercial success that it is easy to overlook the songs that are on here. For starters, it was this first album they did in 7 years, which allowed the material to come off sounding road tested, rehearsed and fresh. Garcia had just come back from nearly joining the Dead, and that exuberance floods over into these songs. Lesh had resumed his role as a singer in the band, and lends his baritone voice to some of the harmonies too. Though Brent only has one song on the album, he had become a full part of the Dead's sound and is prominently featured.

Touch of Grey is infectious and it is easy to see why it charted in the top 5. Garcia plays a good solo, and it reminds everyone why this band attracted such a following. Hell In a Bucket is a strange Weir song (the video being even stranger) about a night out with a biker with S&M implications. Still it is a good rocker and moves the album forward. When Push Comes To Shove is a medium shuffle blues with a good beat, and good singing by the original trio of Lesh, Garcia and Weir. Tons Of Steel shows Brent improving in his singing and songwriting. Phil again lends his harmony singing (although he's somewhat buried by the mix). West L.A. Fadeway is a good song with interesting work by the rhythm section. More Dylan-esque than the usual Hunter material. Throwing Stones was Bob Weir's environmental call to arms, and also a pretty good song. One of the band's more political songs. And then to cap it off, one of the finest songs of their later years, Black Muddy River. I'd rank it up with Knockin' On Heavens Door as a great end of the road ballad. It is a perfect close to this solid late period album. It may not be the Dead at their peak, but is still a strong collection of songs by a band having survived a mid-life crisis, and was rejuvenated through it.

This one is probably easier for some to digest as it has a more accessible sound than some of the other albums by the band. This was the album that put the band on the map commercially speaking. Those of us who were already fans at the time found it a little hard to take due to the fact that it has such a radio friendly feel. This new version has bonus tracks but some of them are only so-so. One of the songs "My Brother Esau" was a bonus track on the cassette when the album was first released. The cassette had slightly different sequencing and was arranged better. I wish for this release that they would have gone with the cassette sequencing but then I wished that back in '87 too.

Along with AMERICAN BEAUTY and WORKINGMAN'S DEAD, IN THE DARK is one of the greatest Grateful Dead albums ever. Featuring numerous great songs, including "Touch Of Grey" (highly inspirational), "Throwing Stones", "Hell In A Bucket" (both highly cautionary), "West L.A. Fadeaway", "Push Comes To Shove", and "Tons Of Steel", the band sounds rejuvenated by Jerry Garcia's learning to play guitar again after lapsing into a diabetic coma the year before. This is the album where the Grateful Dead finally made the Top Ten, and with great music to boot, which was highly refreshing in an era of prefab teen pap.

In the Dark is the album that seemed to catapult the Dead to new commercial success. It's also the album that in my opinion was the beginning of the end... It lead to Dead shows becoming a "scene" for people who went not to listen to the music, but to be seen at a Dead show as wasted and drunk as they could get. And no more Dead shows at theaters...if you want to catch 'em now you go to a football stadium...

Anyway, back to the album... Hey, it's no Workingmans Dead, or American Beauty, or Wake of the Flood; what it is though is a disc with a lot of good tunes that you'll always remember and want to play again and again. And when you come down to it, isn't that what you want from a record in the first place?!

Apart from the above complaint, I can't fault much on In the Dark. Sure, there are the usual natterings - that it's too mainstream, that they didn't copy American Beauty for the 28th time - but these fall flat. Sounding exactly the same after 20 years is a ludicrous thing to expect from a band that changed every song from one concert to the next.

Expectations aside, this is a fine album. Some rock, some country, some jazz influence, all filtered through the Dead's sunny blend of rainbows and grassy hills and underlying hopefulness even in melancholy. You've likely heard "Touch of Grey," "Hell in a Bucket" and "Throwing Stones" whether you realize it or not, but it's the overlooked gems that really shine; especially Black Muddy River. ... it remains a favorite of mine to this day.

This being a studio album, it still can't quite - quite - match up to the magic that came through on stage, but it's a worthy addition nonetheless. Newcomers, go for American Beauty, Without a Net or One From the Vault first. Pick up In The Dark if your interest goes further.

In the Dark is a superior Dead album to begin with. The best in "Dead" pop. For the most part, this version of In the Dark is no different than the other. The sound is clean & there are no sur- prises. The nice thing is the cut of My Brother Esau, not available since the original cassette version of In the Dark back in '87. If you don't have the album on CD at this point it's well worth the purchase price. If you already have it, than it's a judgement call. It's definitely a great song though.