When Brent Mydland died in 1990, the tragedy had a tremendously adverse effect on the Grateful Dead, one from which the group arguably never recovered. But stalwart as ever, the band soldiered on as it had in the wake of the passing of their beloved Pigpen in 1973.
In retrospect, it’s impossible to be sure if the Dead settled on or settled for keyboardist Vince Welnick to join the ensemble. After all, Bruce Hornsby was enlisted very shortly thereafter (at Jerry Garcia’s behest, based on the latter’s previous sit-ins?) and toured with the Dead for a period to follow.
It is this era, specifically the autumn of 1990, from whence comes Dave’s Picks Volume 55. Producer and chief archivist David Lemieux and his team take most of the content on the three CDs from a concert in Paris. Still, there is also virtually an entire disc’s worth included from a performance in London two nights later.
The composite show–for that is what it indeed plays like–documents the psychedelic warriors dealing with misfortune the best way they knew, that is, to keep on playing and singing with as much gusto as they can muster. In contrast to the occasional strain in his voice, for instance, Jerry’s guitaring is particularly nimble and precise on “Althea.” There, too, it becomes obvious ‘Rhythm Devils’ Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart are drumming with more than a little agility.
The newly-configured septet did not merely rest on its laurels by sticking to a staid setlist either. Courageous as it was for the entourage to yet again embark upon a sojourn to Europe, the fortitude fostered new additions to the repertoire that refreshed the core complement even as it allowed spotlights for the recruits.
To that dual end, Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm” gets treated to a rousing if rueful interpretation, while this elegiac take on The Bard’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” would seem like nothing so much as homage to their fallen bandmate. Indicative of the mutual affection between the Grateful Dead and Hornsby, the latter’s compositions “Stander On The Mountain,” as well as “Valley Road,” appear as if in expression of gratitude for his generosity of spirit in joining the troupe.
Covering other artists’ material will invariably stretch a band in ways originals will not, but the adjustments can carry over into its tunes, too. Thus, this 10/28/90 concert begins with “Touch Of Grey,” self-referential proof positive that, under these trying circumstances, the Garcia/Hunter tune carried more significance beyond its position as the Dead’s sole mainstream hit.
Within this spirited musicianship, there are other notable adjustments as well. Welnick’s keyboards too often had a thin, antiseptic tone later in his tenure. Still, he uncorks a lusty organ solo on the Bob Weir-led “Walkin’ Blues,” where Hornsby also illustrates his enthusiasm with an energetic acoustic piano solo.
Elsewhere amidst these near four hours, tried-and-true selections such as “Uncle John’s Band” and “Tennessee Jed”–as well as relative rarities like a solid rendition of the Phil Lesh signature song “Box Of Rain”–arrive near latter days compositions like “Picasso Moon” and “Foolish Heart.”
In a string concluding with an unusually beneficent rendition of “Feels Like Rain,” both these culls from the final Grateful Dead studio album, 1989’s Built To Last, illustrate how unwavering is the septet’s collective engagement with the chosen range of songs. And the same might be said of the curators’ interweaving of performances from the two different sources.
Casual listening reveals the three cuts on CD two from Wembley Arena on 10/30–ostensibly the heart of that set in its running order–are of a piece with the Le Zenith sequence preceding it from two days prior. The quality of the stop in France was clearly not an isolated instance.
On the contrary, the Grateful Dead stretch themselves to the fullest extent of the resources at hand with the weighty interval that is “Victim Or The Crime”>”Eyes Of The World”>”Estimated Prophet”>” Uncle John’s Band.” Then, proceeding directly from “Drums”/”Space,” the alternately elastic and fiery segues of “The Other One”>”Wharf Rat>”Sugar Magnolia” depict how light but assertive is the collective instrumental touch. No wonder the audience response is so hearty.
Taking into account the fourteen minutes devoted to the climactic “Terrapin Station” two nights later, it’s little wonder Lemieux’s essay in the sixteen-page booklet finds him sharing such overtly affectionate recollections of his own trip overseas at this time. The emotional undercurrent in this prose for Dave’s 55 mirrors that within this pair of concerts, recorded with unadorned clarity by Dan Healy and mastered by David Glasser to emphasize the detail in the arrangements. In the end, this edition of Picks boasts multiple merits, not the least of which are Steve Vance’s imaginative cover design interweaving James Mazza’s multi-colored art. As such, the package in toto may well command more recognition than it would seem to deserve based on merely a cursory glance or listen.
SETLIST
Touch of Grey
Walkin’ Blues
Candyman
Box of Rain
Mexicali Blues
Maggie’s Farm
Althea
Cassidy
Tennessee Jed
Stander on the Mountain
Victim or the Crime
Eyes of the World
Estimated Prophet
Uncle John’s Band
drums
The Other One
Wharf Rat
Sugar Magnolia
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
