There And Back Again

Phil Lesh & Friends, Phil Lesh And Friends | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 21, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000658AT
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,849 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Celebration

2. Night Of A Thousand Stars

3. The Real Thing

4. Again And Again

5. No More Do I

6. Patchwork Quilt

7. Liberty

8. Midnight Train

9. Leave Me Out Of This

10. Welcome To The Underground

11. Rock-n-Roll Blues

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best New Rock Album in Ages!!!, October 29, 2002

By 

Curly Q. Link (Somewhere Out There) - See all my reviews

This review is from: There & Back Again (Dig) (Audio CD)

Reading the 20 other reviews preceding mine, I'm surprised at how divided the opinions are. I think the formula is... if you're an older Deadhead looking to repeat the Magic that was, and still is, the Grateful Dead, you'll be disinterested in the (first) CD full of wondrous new material, but "Grateful" for Bonus Disc 2 (and everyone agrees that you should get the special Limited Edition), which trods in faithful Dead territory. If you're an open-minded listener thirsting for music that is brand new, yet somehow strikes a familiar chord, then you will love this new CD, which i.m.h.o. is The Best New Album of Good Ol', Downhome, Straight-Ahead Rock in maybe 20 years. I've been following GD music since 1970, heard some awesome live shows, but as a singer-player-songwriter myself, I've always sought diversity. The fact is, it's getting harder & harder to do anything really ORIGINAL in the "pop" music arena anymore, especially since the name of the game is "Give 'em what they want"; I think Phil & co. have succeeded on both counts in a big way. Phil is admittedly proud of this record, as he says in the cyber-interview you can see if you buy the Ltd.Ed.,"...if I had to pick one or two songs from this album, I couldn't, because I think every song stands on its own, makes an impression..." It's really wonderful; 62 years old, after a life-saving transplant surgery, and here's Phil, still rocking with terrific, vital, fresh material, and...ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!! You've just gotta hand it to him; Phil Lesh is a real Rock & Roll Legend, just like Jerry Garcia. And the songs are great---Robert Hunter is in fine form, fabulous guitar playing from Haynes & Herring, grooves you won't lose... To the reviewer who called this "elevator music", I say: TURN IT UP, and you WILL be ELEVATED!!! Personal faves: "Night of 1000 Stars"-a HIT, it COOKS! "Again & Again"-special mood, great chorus; "No More Do I"-great groove, unforgettable vocal hook; "Patchwork Quilt"-lovely tribute to Jerry G., did you ever hear a Waltz or a 6/8 ROCK like that? Warren Haynes is so soulful, excellent vocals throughout the album. "Midnight Train"-haunting changes, a slick funky groove reminiscent of Steely Dan at their peak; "Rock-n-Roll Blues"-ragtimey shuffle a-la "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo". "Liberty", while perhaps topping the Dead's version on "So Many Roads" as far as tightness of the arrangement goes, for my taste, the vocal treatment is a bit too "pretty" for this song and lacks the raw guttiness of Garcia's vocal, but it's a minor point. This CD SHINES with more than the holographic spectral colors of its surface. Repeated listening will reward the attentive, even the spaced-out, listener. This music downloads itself right into your soul. And... you can BOOGIE to it! One interesting note: The title "There & Back Again" carries with it a few meanings, from the way a jamband like the Dead takes you "out there" and brings you "back again", to how Phil is living a "second life" after his close call. But something else comes to mind. In the fabulous documentary video "Anthem to Beauty" (a must-see), we witness the conflict that was between Phil Lesh and Warner Bros. exec Joe Smith, who wanted the Dead to "cut the weirdness" and craft accessible pop songs to reach the radio audience. By the time "American Beauty" was recorded, the Dead were moving more in that direction, led off by Lesh & Hunter's beautiful folk-rock classic "Box of Rain". Now, 30 years later, Phil has come full circle to the point where he's released an unabashedly "pop" album loaded with great songs, but also continues as The Elder Statesman of all those who love to JAM, and these songs will also work their way into "the flow", right alongside "Dark Star" and "Eyes of the World". There and back again, indeed... Somewhere, Jerry Garcia, and even Joe Smith, are smiling.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars There and Back -- Worth the trip, March 23, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: There And Back Again (Audio CD)

First, buy the package with the bonus disc.

Regarding the studio recordings, read the previous reviews. They cover the disc fairly and well. I won't waste time and space repeating what's already been said.

Now let's move on to the real jewel in this package -- the bonus disc.

On this disc, Lesh steps into his familiar role of anti-frontman. Although he does take a few vocal turns on these live performances, Lesh mostly does what he does best, create bass lines that manage to drive and snake through the music all at the same time. Phil Lesh is a monster bass player. He has been for years and he hasn't lost his touch (Phil, if you read this, please follow Jack Cassidy's example. Make an instructional video).

The disc opens with Passenger, a personal favorite of mine. The cut features burning slide guitar, an extremely hot organ solo and rough, but dead on vocals. With each of the following cuts, the disc just gets better and better.

St. Stephen, Dark Star, The Eleven (another personal favorite) are all warhorses from Lesh's days with the Grateful Dead. If you've listened to the Grateful Dead at all, you've at least heard the clasic versions of these songs as they were captured on "Live/Dead." The performances by Phil and his friends pay homage to the "Live/Dead" versions without aping them. The music sparkles throughout. The closing cut, "The Eleven" is a joyful romp. Like the Dead, Phil and friends can truly swing in meters that would tie most bands in knots.

"There and Back Again" is a solid disc that holds up to repeated listenings. It rates close to four stars. However, as I said earlier, it's the bonus disc that's the real jewel here. It hasn't left my car's CD player since the first time I loaded it. The four live recordings included on this disc all rate as five star road music delux!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once in a while you get shown the light..., May 26, 2002

By 

D. Martin (APO, AE United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: There & Back Again (Dig) (Audio CD)

Yes Phil Lesh played bass for the Dead and yes he's been rehashing old tunes live on the music circuit but this CD is mostly original material served on a 70's style platter. It's somewhat of a cross between the Dead and the Allman Brothers with a little bit of Charley Daniels thrown in for flavor. For an old head like me it's quite refreshing to hear above the blur of Puff Daddy (whatever he calls himself) and Britney Spears. Not that I'm knocking them but well... I guess I am.

When I bought this I listened to it over a couple of beers with a friend who hates the Dead and he asked me, "Who is this?" Believe me this guy is a great friend, however, he is not one to convince of anything he wants nothing to do with. When I told him who it was he replied, "Never would have guessed. I think I kinda like it." And with that I found myself at one of lifes moments where you look back and shake your head.

What my point is: this is not just for Dead heads and the like, but anyone who enjoys good old Rock and Roll.