Dead. Where Is Thy Sting?

@larsman 

Despite the Band’s stated ambivalence towards studio recording and the unevenness thereof, Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty are excellent albums in terms of showcasing the songwriting of Hunter and Garcia. Deadheads seem more focused on where the Dead took songs via improvisation than on the quality of the songs themselves. But those who appreciate the craft of songwriting can find plenty to enjoy on these albums. If the band had simply "gone through the motions" when recording them, this would not necessarily be the case. There is plenty of emotional commitment in playing and singing on display. 

These two recordings can be regarded as close cousins to the records released by The Band, as can much of Europe ’72. I’m assuming you’re familiar with Levon’s version of Tennessee Jed. It sounds so natural for him to sing that and for good reason. I had to give up guitar but I loved playing tunes by both the Dead and The Band. Not as vehicles for jamming, but as wonderfully written and arranged songs.

I’d also argue that overall, Ace, WOTF, MH,  BFA, Reflections and Garcia are all solid efforts. I own and  enjoy all of them. I’ve never owned or particularly cared for any of  the rest. Same goes for Steal Your Face, Without A Net and Dead Set. 

So, while studio albums may not have been "what the band was about", I’d assert there are quite a few that non deadheads can enjoy. 

All the recordings from the various stops on the Europe 72 tour are great.

@stuartk - yes, you are right; Workingman's Dead and American Beauty were kind of different from all the rest, being presented as fine works themselves and not trying to sound like they did live. I had both of them myself.

And if you're a fan of 'What's Become of the Baby', ya gotta get Aoxomoxoa (which had other great songs on it, too), though I did go to a Phil and Friends show where they actually performed that.

I recall 'Ace' and 'Garcia' came out around the same time, and almost every song on both was among their best ever and added to their sets. I remember thinking that 'Ace' sounded more like live GD than 'Skull and Roses' (like on 'Playin' in the Band'), which to me may as well have been a studio album, and while there were some outstanding songs on it (Bertha and Wharf Rat in particular), I thought overall, it was a pretty lame setlist from not-their-best nights - 'Europe '72' was much more like it for me when that came out - what a great triple album... 

I hope they make their annual superdeluxe package available to order soon! 

@johnto 

I love ’72 Dead!  If I could only listen to the Dead from one year in their entire career, I’d choose ’72. Yes, I’d miss the material from Wake of the Flood, Mars Hotel and Blues for Allah but for me, there’s something especially appealing about their playing in ’72. I think it was Weir’s peak as a superb rhythm guitar player. The new tunes were still fresh and Garcia was still varying his soloing approach to suit the style of each tune. And I love the SOUND of the band in ’72. The grand piano. Weir’s bell like ES345 and Garcia’s Strat. I’m not a fan of Donna’s out of tune singing but I can easily overlook it.

@larsman 

I'm sure you prefer entire shows but how do you think Ladies and Gentlemen stacks up against Skull and Roses?

I agree with what you say about WR into GDTRFB but I also think the versions of Bertha and Big Railroad Blues are pretty darned good, too.