Customer Reviews

The Deadhead's Taping Compendium, VOLUME II: An In-Depth Guide to the Music of the Grateful Dead on Tape, 1975-1985

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One would like not to be a spoilsport where the Deadhead's Taping Compendium is concerned. After all, the work put into it is simply amazing; and I enjoy reading show and tape reviews as much as anyone. However, any serious Deadhead will find several flaws that spoil the book's usefulness. Firstly is the severe lack of subediting the second volume seems to have received. One can put up with an 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue' instead of 'It's All Over Now' (a completely different song) in one setlist or even a few. It's listed here in just about every setlist -- even in the 'hot versions' section at the back of the book. Another example: in a review of a Letterman appearance in 1982, the Dead were apparently pushing 'the forthcoming' Go To Heaven LP -- which was released two years earlier. These are just two examples of hundreds and they spoil my enjoyment and trust of the book. Secondly, the standard of reviews swings wildly. Some of the reviewers (Bob Clinton, Adrian Pide) are simply inept and should not have been published. Others, like John Dwork himself, I admire; I almost always agree with their thoughts on the music. But when they gush about close encounters with the Dead, the book becomes embarrassing. Dwork's starry-eyed account of how he blocked Garcia's entry into a hotel is a perfect example of the blind worship that drove the Dead to despair. These should certainly have been edited. Thirdly, there is a spectacular amount of Weir-bashing in this book. Given Garcia's erratic playing in the years 1978-1985, Bob Weir took up much of the slack and saved many a show from disaster. Yet again and again one finds reviewers treating him like he was an unattractive kid brother (this attitude towards a man older than most of the reviewers' fathers mimics the perceived [not entirely real] Garcia/Weir relationship). I don't want to sound too harsh; this book is an important and enjoyable publication. Still, I'd recommend Eric Wybenga's Dead to the Core before this volume. There's a definitive book to be written on the music of the Dead in these years; this isn't it.

Michael Goetz and company have done it again! This book has more in-depth, historical interviews with tapers from the Deadhead community, more information on soundboard releases, and another batch of incredible photos from people's collections. Sure, there are some errors in song titles and some missing shows, but there are a number of fine reviews by a number of contributors. If you enjoyed Volume I and enjoy Deadbase, go get Volume II of The Compendium as well. You'll be glad you did...I am!

As someone who wrote reviews for this (and the forthcoming) volume, I certainly enjoy the book. The criticisms of "a reader" above are certainly valid, which is why this book should not be billed or used as a reference book. Without question, there are many errors, but I use the book primarily as an enjoyable way to check out other people's opinions of shows I attended or have on tape. For that, it's unsurpassed.

If you enjoy collecting Dead tapes, don't go another day without this one. Wondering if you should pick up 11/29/80? If you owned this book you would know that the answer is a definite..YES!

In terms of helping me organize my collection of shows, this book was a godsend. However, I agree with some of the knocks on the individual reviews as well. First, the Weir-bashing is not only groundless, it makes the reviews and those who wrote them sound shallow and trite. My God, people, if he bothered you that much, you should have stuck to attending Jerry Garcia Band shows or something and skipped the Grateful Dead. Second, while it's one thing to say, for example, that "this is my all-time favorite rendition of this song", it's downright moronic to start sequentially ranking stuff or getting overly specific about individual songs). Most people trying to use this book as a resource don't want to know if you think this particular "Uncle John's Band" was better than the one last week in Richmond but not as good as Rochester two nights later. They just want to know: What, in your opinion, are the highlights/lowlights of this show? Is it better than average for the period? Below? Run-of-the-mill? Is there anything unique- a song, or jam -that makes it stand out during the era under discussion? Does it circulate in high quality? No one gives a crap what kind of drugs the reviewer did, or who they were with, or whether Jerry winked at them. Unfortunately, for certain entries that's exactly the kind of junk you'll have to wade through. I own all three volumes in this series, and while they are chock full of interesting info and dispell many of the myths around the taping scene (contrary to popular belief, the Dead did not officially sanction audience taping until the 1980s), wading through some of the useless dribble ("my buddy and I hitched out to the midwest for this show...", "I ate too many mushrooms and had to leave during the second set," etc.) can try the patience of even the most enthusiastic collector.

This is a great book. If it's possible to surpass the original, they have done it. There is an astounding interview with Betty Cantor-Jackson, and a huge part of the beginning is devoted to the rapidly advancing technology of tapes, recorders, mikes, and taping in general (remember, this is 1975). Rob Eaton is amongst the many experts interviewed in this guide.

I only had time for a quick glance through it last night, but I can see I have many nights of reading ahead of me :). For just one example, in flipping around, I came across John Dwork's review of the first night at RCMH/NYC in 1980. A fantastic narrative, that brought a smile to my heart.

This is a must buy for any serious, or not so serious, tapehead.

A really fine history book combines the elements of research, perspective and heart. With that in mind, the Taping Compendium (both Vols. 1 and 2) qualify as fine history. Although the ostensible reason behind the book is a review of Dead tapes, it's more of a diary of a rock band. Getz and Dwork are both scholarly and honest--telling us when they were good, and when they weren't very good. It's well worth reading, even if you aren't a Deadhead. I can't recommend it highly enough.

You just can not say enough about this book. It picks up right where Vol 1 left off. The only problem is that once you pick it up, dont make any plans because it is impossible to put down!

To be sure there are some corrections that should have been picked up on before final publishing, and the It's All Over Now, and It's All Over Now, Baby Blue mixup is frustrating. However, this is the most valuable series written on the Dead's music. There are many, many reviewers, so many voices are heard from, some are brief and analytical, some are flowery and abstract, and some are long-winded bordering on pretentious. They are mostly all entertaining, and for any hard core deadhead, good company for a long read. This is an invaluable resource for the dh community, and I believe these books will live on as the "papers of record" for many years as the cultural phenomenon continues to grow. I just hope they come with a new edition to address all the tapes that have appeared since the last printing.

This book has all you could want to know about the shows and songs from 1975-1985. If you favor the dead in those years, GET THIS BOOK!! It tells you highlights of the shows, highlight shows per year, etc.. Simply amazing.