Customer Reviews

Postcards Of The Hanging - Grateful Dead Perform The Songs of Bob Dylan

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Perhaps you're wondering whether or not to buy this CD. Well, I bought it and am glad to report...it's good! Don't let that other unfortunate CD, "Dylan and the Dead," steer you away from this. Jerry really shines throughout, voice and guitar.
His solos, for example, on She Belongs To Me are at the level of Morning Dew, i.e., it's like listening to an angel play. I defy anyone to listen to the rousing All Along The Watchtower without concluding that's it's just as good as the immortal Hendrix version. Dickie Betts makes a great guitar contribution on It Takes A Lot to Laugh, and Jerry is A+ on Baby Blue. The last song on the CD, Man of Peace, is a fantastic rehearsal with Bob (Dylan) not Weir, ha ha. Bob's voice is tough and Jerry's guitar phenomenal. On the bonus CD, check out Mighty Quinn. It really swings in a Mississippi Half-Step style. All in all, NICE!

Its been a long time since i played tracks over and over again before i got to the end of a new record. These are peak performances, though, that kept me re-listening. When Phil started singing 'just like tom thumb's blues' i thought, oh, no, its too early in the day for a phil song, but then i heard him start to play with the lyrics. 'my best friend the drummer won't even tell me what it is that i dropped!' i was laughing and playing it a second time, then i remembered, i was supposed to be a picky deadhead. and i played it again.

There is an Allman's inflected 'It takes a train to laugh...' that features Dickie Betts and Butch Trucks (well, Mickey isn't on the track and the Dead never seems to want to run out of drummers) and a version of 'Man of Peace' with Bob from the Dylan/Dead rehersals in in 1987. The early versions of the package feature and extra disc with a "Queen Jane..." from 12/29/88 and a "Quinn the Eskimo" from 12/30/85.

If David Gans keeps producing compilations of the quality of this one, 'Stolen Roses', 'Might as Well...Persuasions sing Grateful Dead' and 'So Many Roads' (where he co-produced with Steve Silberman and Blair Jackson) we might have a quite a few more 'studio' albums that beat some of the good old years when the band was around and around.

The notes say that Bobby Weir was really into the project and listend to many of the possible choices. Between him and the GDH mailing list and the Well's deadlit conference and 'big-eared version chooser' David Lemieux (whew) SOMEBODY did a great job of putting the right stuff together for this time and space.
'Postcards'is a great souvenir for a season when Dylan is back on tour and Ratdog is blazin away.

Simply a must have for Dylan fans and Deadheads alike!!!

David Gans compiled what I believe to be key performances of these Dylan classics! For those who have been to a few Dead shows, you'll agree that it was always apparent that when a Dylan number was pulled out, it was a special moment... And O.K., sometimes those songs covered Bobby's turn at vocals.

Regardless, I cannot think of one Dylan cover I've ever seen that has disappointed! This disc CLEARLY illustrates that from start to finish! Without rating each song, let's cover the highlights...

And before we move forward, remember that no one covers a Dylan tune more complete than GD. I've played this disc for Dylan fans who are not Dead fans at all... The general reaction is "wow, I didn't know they could play these songs so well!!!

"The "Watchtower" from Rich Stadium is absolutely awesome and it ROCKS! This performance easily rivals the now historic Hendrix version from the Monterey Pop Fest.

"It Takes A Lot To Laugh..." what more can you say, I've noticed the other reviews listed here make special mention of this incredible version... We're talking 1973 with Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks and Merle Saunders, how could it get any better?

"Desolation Row" from the Knickerbocker reels out of control! Bobby's vocals are tight, (how many of us could remember every lyric to this rock anthem)? Definitely one of the highlights of this fine disc.

"Thin Man" from Meadowlands is Bobby at his best! Cerrralwling in and out of the lyric like a lizard while delivering the message, the way it was intended to be... A sad ballad with an ending we can all relate to, or can't we? One of life's questions.

"Baby Blue" is almost in a sense a Garcia song. Why? Because Dylan said so. This song was a consistent encore hit at Dead shows as well as Garcia Band shows. This beautiful and intense version from Dane County, 1981 could be a perfect close to "Postcards Of The Hanging." But we're not finished yet!

The rehearsal track of "Man Of Peace" from the
Dylan/Dead 87' tour rehearsals "brings it all back home" where it began and where it still stands... The songs of Bob Dylan!

As stated in the beginning... Simply a must have for Dylan fans and Deadheads alike!!!

While there are a few shining moments on here... this overall is an unworthy purchase. I confess that my personal prefence in live material sways towards the "Primal" period of 69 - 73. Most of the material on here is from the late 80's and reflects many of the weaknesses prevelant in live recordings from this period: Bobby Weir's often jokey / off key vocals and Jerry's sometimes listless playing. The lone track from the early 70's (#6 - It Takes a Lot to Laugh...) is a peach, featuring Dicky Betts playing ying to Jerry's yang in an extended jam. The last track is the only one actually sung by Dylan & is quite an improvement on the universally panned "Dylan & the Dead" material (and shows what that projecct/tour could have sounded like on record if they had meshed a little bit better).

But, then that's just my opinion. And opinions are just like [back cracks]..... everyone has one.

...but Weir's phrasing is just awful. And that falsetto, man! Not to mention Phil Lesh murdering the lyrics to Tom Thumb's Blues: who in their right mind would change a great line like, "I started out on burgandy but soon hit the harder stuff" to "I started out on HEINEKIN but soon hit the harder stuff."...? The stars are for the Garcia material, which is beautiful and sublime, especially "Baby Blue." Weir and Lesh, on the other hand, are hams.

Released as one of a series of CDs dedicated to the "Songs of Bob Dylan" (See another in this series under The Byrds), this CD offers wonderful interpretations by a band that was one of Dylan's greatest interpreters. Both Jerry and Bobby have time and again dug into the Dylan treasure chest for material that they molded into their own seemingly without effort. Why only three stars, then? Well, there are just too many tracks from the Brent-tinkling-on-the-DX7-synth era for my taste. I've seen and heard the Dead play Dylan from the Keith-and-Donna incarnation, through the Brent years, to Dylan and the Dead (at JFK Stadium in Philly no less), and even the Vince and whoever else joined him on keys last lineup. So ... I wish this particular collection would or could have dug out performances from a deeper vault. Finally, check out the Jerry Garcia-Merle Saunders "Live at the Keystone" CD's for some excellent Dylan interpretations. Happy trails!

This is a wonderful album, one of those records that should be done but rarely are. I always looked forward to Dylan covers when I saw the band or picked up a bootleg tape and it is fantastic to have them in one place in such pristine audio clarity.

One major surprise: Although I am a reasonably big Dylan fan, I was unfamiliar with the semi-obscure Man of Peace, taken from the Dylan / Dead tour rehearsals. What a fantastic song / version! This track is miles better than anything on the Dylan and The Dead live album. Get it for this track alone.

Over the past decade the Grateful Dead have found numerous ways to bring out the best of their live music library. (The From the Vault Series, The Dick's Picks Series, and numerous box sets, etc.) This one is one of the more unusual; an entire album of Dylan covers. For the outsider this is an odd concept for a live album, but Dead Heads (and less dedicated Dead fans like myself) know that the greatest hero of the Dead was Dylan, and they were always willing to tip their hats to him in concert. Here is proof.

There were some great performances here, but if you buy this three things may be disappoint you(something that will disappoint many Dead fans). One is the lack of the long, trippy jams that the Dead were known for. There were a share of killer solos from master player Jerry Garcia, but nothing near the great jams that made the group famous. (A shame too considering Dylan songs are made to be jammed upon) However the compilers clearly wanted to make this a clear-cut Dylan tribute, and jams would only tail away from the concept.
Second is the lack of Jerry Garcia's vocals. Bob Wier may have brought his '80s charisma to these recordings, but Garcia brought soulful vocals to Dylan songs that only the man himself could match, particularly the pain he brings to It's All Over Now Baby Blue. However Wier proves himself on Stuck Inside of Mobile , Desolation Row (the most essential cut on the album), All Along the Watchtower, and Ballad of a Thin Man, a performance on which the Dead actually outdo Dylan. (However, the song was never that great anyway.) The only song that should have been omitted was Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues ...

In conclusion this is not one of the greatest live Dead albums ever, and certainly many Dead heads will have much of the material on this album. But if you don't have the duet with Bob Dylan on Man of Peace performed during rehearsal for the Dylan and the Dead tour, or for that matter the It Takes a Lot to Laugh that contains a cameo from Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts and drummer Butch Trucks, this album is worth the money. And even you do I still reccomend this album for any lover of the Dead of Bob Dylan. Lets hope for similar live compilations (including a sequel to this one) in the near future!

I love this album and I loved Dylan's greatest hits volume 2 (Maggies Farm, When I paint my MP, Stuck Inside Mobile, She Belongs to me, Watchtower, Just Like Tome Thumbs blues,etc.) I owned this double LP and wore it out. My appreciation for the Grateful Dead is lightyears behind other folks who have written reviews on this c/d, but I think that this is a great starting place for anyone who thinks they might like the Grateful Dead but feels overwhelmed by all of the available GD albums (this is how I felt). I grew up listening to Dylan, and I don't think anybody covers Dylan like the Dead. Yes, I like them doing Dylan better than the Byrds, Turtles, the Band, the Association and other 60's groups I grew up with. Heck, I like them doing Dylan better than I like Dylan doing Dylan on several of these songs. No, they don't sound like they are trying to sound just like Dylan, but they certainly convey appreciation and respect for the composer. I like the great variety of styles and emotions that are included here ranging from the bittersweet (She Belongs to Me) to dark humor (Stuck Inside Mobile), and I love the feel of the energy level of the live performances. Desolation Row and When I Paint My Masterpiece are my personal favorites, and the bonus cd that has Queen Jane and Quinn is an added treat. My least favorite track is "It Takes a Lot to Laugh.." because I so much prefer Kooper/Stills version of this song from 1968's Super Sessions". Just Lke Tom Thumb's Blues is also a favorite - Just about anything that BW sings really rocks on this album and I've got to say that this must be the best album that I've purchased this year.

This CD is a must for Dead family. Dylan and the Dead are made for each other and this CD proves it. I have bought this CD for all of my friends and I plan to keep giving it. Just 100% fabulous beginning to end.