The Grateful Dead - Road Trips Vol. 2 No. 4 - Cal Expo '93 - Import CD

Credits:

The Grateful Dead

Description:

For the eighth installment in the Road Trips series, the compilers have chosen selections from the Grateful Dead's late May (26 & 27) 1993 run at Cal Expo in Sacramento, CA. The 19 tracks accurately depict the best and worst of what the final incarnation of the combo had to offer. Luckily, there is more of the former as Jerry Garcia supplies moments of sheer inspiration -- such as the jam during the conclusion of "Deal," the ragged but oh-so-right "Crazy Fingers," and some psychedelic explorations sprinkled throughout the subsequent "Playing in the Band." Bob Weir is surprisingly well-represented in terms of his presence on late-'80s and '90s-era soundboard tapes. He is front and center, leading the faithful through an appropriately inspired Sunday-Go-To-Meeting revival of Rev. Gary Davis' "Samson and Delilah." Another highlight is the resurrection of the mid-'70s Wake of the Flood (1973) deep cut "Here Comes Sunshine," which proved to be welcomed by old and new Deadheads alike. The second CD contains two originals that the Grateful Dead never got around to releasing (or possibly even recording) studio versions of. Weir's midtempo angular love song "Corrina" has its moments -- lyrical miscues aside. Phil Lesh is particularly noteworthy as he bounds forward with the fearlessness of his former (like 20 years younger) self. That sonic aggression carries over into the brief reprise of "Playing in the Band." Welnick also does an admirable job complementing Garcia during an exceptional "China Doll." The optimistic "Liberty" is the other song that never surfaced on a studio release. It was likewise one of the final Garcia and Robert Hunter collaborations to have made it into the Grateful Dead's still-expanding songbook. While the preceding music was all from the May 26 show, the remainder of the disc was drawn from the subsequent evening. After a rocky moment or two, "Shakedown Street" settles back with some lengthy give and take between the participants. For fans of Weir's blues rave-ups, "The Same Thing" -- which, incidentally was a showcase for Ron "Pigpen" McKernan -- gets its appropriate mojo working. Sadly, vocal miscues mar an instrumentally acceptable "Dire Wolf." "High Time" works on an emotive level that Garcia was able to animate with his sincere, road-weary lead vocals. The set concludes on an up note as Weir takes the assemblage -- both on-stage and in the audience -- through their respective paces on an update of Bob Dylan's When I Paint My Masterpiece." Initial copies of Road Trips, Vol. 2, No. 4: Cal Expo '93 were packaged with a bonus disc boasting another hour-plus from the same May 26 & 27 1993 Cal Expo gigs. The two CDs are housed in a sturdy, triple-panel cardboard sleeve and come with a 12-page booklet. The photos are particularly stunning this go-round, and all are in eye-catching color.

Tracklisting:

1.Samson and Delilah
2.Here Comes Sunshine
3.Walkin' Blues
4.Deal
5.Box of Rain
6.Victim or the Crime
7.Crazy Fingers
8.Playing in the Band
9.Rhythm Devils
10.When I Paint My Masterpiece