|
Beyond Description (1973-1989) is a companion set to 2001's 12-disc box The Golden Road (1965-1973), which collected all of the Grateful Dead's albums for Warner Bros, adding bonus tracks to each album, along with a double-disc collection of early pre-Warner recordings called "Birth of the Dead" for good measure. Beyond Description picks up the story after the Dead started their own label with 1973's Wake of the Flood and runs all the way to 1989, when they released their last studio album, Built to Last. Like The Golden Road, each album here is enhanced with bonus tracks, running the gamut from as little as three (on Built to Last) to has many as 16 (a full-length bonus disc added to 1980's live acoustic Reckoning), but there's nothing quite as enticing as "Birth of the Dead." Indeed, "enticing" is not a word that's frequently associated with the albums in this collection. Even among Deadheads, these records, with a couple of noteworthy exceptions, aren't highly regarded, and the additional studio outtakes, demos, and live tracks don't necessarily help matters either; after all, if the foundation is shaky, it's hard to add an expansion. That's true here. It's certainly nice to have this material excavated, particularly for legions of dedicated fans, but none of the bonus tracks are revelatory. None of them offer a new perspective on the album, nor are there any lost gems here (not even the version of "Good Lovin'" sung by producer/Little Feat leader Lowell George on Shakedown Street qualifies as a hidden treasure). Instead, the bonus material ranges from the merely pleasant (the bonus discs on the live Reckoning and Dead Set), to the somewhat interesting (an early take of "China Doll" on Wake of the Flood), to the forgettable (most of the studio outtakes), to the actively irritating (a long acoustic demo of "Weather Report Suite," tedious jams on Blues for Allah). It's material that fans will hear once and file away, next to their large collection of Dick's Picks discs. Conversely, the individual albums featured in Beyond Description do pack some surprises. Certain records live up to their reputations -- Wake of the Flood remains one of their strongest, moodiest affairs, From the Mars Hotel is an underrated record, In the Dark is an assured comeback -- but others sound both better and worse than they did in memory. In particular, Go to Heaven, while far from their best, sounds much better than its reputation suggests -- it may not be much of a Dead record, but it's warm and well-crafted, a good fusion of the Doobie Brothers and Little Feat. Built to Last, however, is an outright embarrassment, a rushed sequel to In the Dark constructed with overly slick synthesizers and cavernous drums that sounds even more dated than the disco cuts scattered throughout Terrapin Station and Shakedown Street (neither of which sound inspired, but are fascinating in their tentative attempts to streamline the Dead). Ultimately, it matters little whether the albums themselves are all that strong or weak -- this is a package for the diehard, the one who will buy the bad albums just to complete his collection. In that regard, Beyond Description is every bit the equal of The Golden Road -- the remastering is good, the packaging has been assembled with loving care, the liner notes are solid. It's all enough to make this a necessary library piece for truly dedicated Deadheads.
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
TRACK LISTINGS
Disc 1
1 Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo 5:45
2 Let Me Sing Your Blues Away 3:17
3 Row Jimmy 7:14
4 Stella Blue 6:26
5 Here Comes the Sunshine 4:40
6 Eyes of the World 5:19
7 Weather Report Suite:
Prelude
Part 1
Part 2 (Let it Grow)12:52
8 Eyes of the World Live / Bonus Track 17:05
9 Weather Report Suite:
Prelude
Part 1
Part 2
Bonus Track / Studio Acoustic Demo 12:39
10 China Doll Bonus Track / Studio Outtake 4:02
Disc 2
1 U.S. Blues 4:40
2 China Doll 4:10
3 Unbroken Chain 6:45
4 Loose Lucy 3:21
5 Scarlet Begonias 4:19
6 Pride of Cucamonga 4:16
7 Money Money 4:24
8 Ship of Fools 5:38
9 Loose Lucy Bonus Track / Studio Outtake 4:43
10 Scarlet Begonias Live / Bonus Track 9:09
11 Money Money Live / Bonus Track 4:19
12 Wave That Flag Live / Bonus Track 5:34
13 Let It Rock Live / Bonus Track 3:22
14 Pride of Cucamonga Bonus Track / Studio Acoustic Demo 4:24
15 Unbroken Chain Bonus Track / Studio Acoustic Demo 6:20
Disc 3
1 Help on the Way/Slipknot! 7:21
2 Franklin's Twoer 4:33
3 King Solomon's Marbles
Part 1. Stronger Than Dirt
Part 2. Milkin' The Turkey 5:16
4 The Music Never Stopped 4:36
5 Crazy Fingers 6:42
6 Sage & Spirit 3:06
7 Blue for Allah
Sand Castles & Glass Camels
Unusal Occurences in The Dessert 12:44
8 Groove #1 Bonus Track / Studio Outtake / Instrumental 5:45
9 Groove #2 Bonus Track / Studio Outtake / Instrumental 7:35
10 Distorto Bonus Track / Studio Outtake / Instrumental 8:14
11 A to E Flat Jam Bonus Track / Studio Outtake / Instrumental 4:39
12 Proto 18 Proper Bonus Track / Studio Outtake / Instrumental 4:18
13 Hollywood Cantata Bonus Track / Studio Outtake 4:14
Disc 4
1 Estimated Prophet 5:37
2 Dancing in the Streets 3:18
3 Passenger 2:48
4 Samson & Delilah 3:29
5 Sunrise 4:08
6 Terrapin Station Part. 1:
Lady With a Fan
Terrapin Station
Terrapin 16:29
Terrapin Transit
at A Siding
Terrapin Flyer
Refrain
7 Peggy-O Bonus Track / Studio Outtake / Instrumental 4:41
8 The Ascent Bonus Track / Studio Outtake / Instrumental 1:59
9 Catfish John Bonus Track / Studio Outtake 4:43
10 Equinox Bonus Track / Studio Outtake 5:15
11 Fire on the Mountain Bonus Track / Studio Outtake 6:26
12 Dancing in the Streets Live / Bonus Track 16:17
Disc 5
1 Good Lovin' 4:50
2 France 4:04
3 Shakedown Street 4:59
4 Serengetti 2:02
5 Fire on the Mountain 3:48
6 I Need a Miracle 3:35
7 From the Heart of Me 3:25
8 Stagger Lee 3:28
9 All New Minglewood Blues 4:16
10 If I Had the World to Give 5:00
11 Good Lovin' / Lowell George Bonus Track / Studio Outtake 4:56
12 Ollin Arageed Live / Bonus Track 6:30
13 Fire on the Mountain Live / Bonus Track 13:43
14 Stagger Lee Live / Bonus Track 6:39
15 All New Minglewood Blues Live / Bonus Track 4:34
Disc 6
1 Alabama Getaway 3:37
2 Far from Me 3:39
3 Althea 6:52
4 Feel Like a Stranger 5:08
5 Lost Sailor 5:54
6 Saint of Circumstance 5:39
7 Antwerp's Placebo (The Plumber) 0:39
8 Easy to Love You 3:38
9 Don't Ease Me In 3:23
10 Peggy-O Bonus Track / Studio Outtake 5:51
11 What'll You Raise Bonus Track / Studio Outtake 4:10
12 Jack-A-Roe Bonus Track / Studio Outtake 4:55
13 Althea Live 8:17
14 Lost Sailor Live 6:41
15 Saint of Circumstance Live 6:35
Disc 7
1 Dire Wolf 3:20
2 The Race Is On 3:00
3 Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie 6:27
4 It Must Have Been the Roses 6:59
5 Dark Hollow 3:51
6 China Doll 5:21
7 Been All Around This World 4:13
8 Monkey and the Engineer 2:55
9 Jack-A-Roe 4:13
10 Deep Elem Blues 4:53
11 Cassidy 4:34
12 To Lay Me Down 9:02
13 Rosalie McFall 2:53
14 On the Road Again 3:13
15 Bird Song 7:36
16 Ripple 4:27
Disc 8
1 To Lay Me Down Bonus Track / Studio Rehearsal 9:13
2 Iko Iko Live / Bonus Track 4:23
3 Heaven Help the Fool Live / Bonus Track 6:18
4 El Paso Live / Bonus Track 4:40
5 Sage & Spirit Live / Bonus Track 3:13
6 Little Sadie Live / Bonus Track 2:44
7 It Must Have Been the Roses Live / Bonus Track / Alternate Live Version 7:00
8 Dark Hollow Live / Bonus Track / Alternate Live Version 4:30
9 Jack-A-Roe Live / Bonus Track / Alternate Live Version 5:07
10 Cassidy Live / Bonus Track / Alternate Live Version 5:06
11 China Doll Live / Bonus Track / Alternate Live Version 5:52
12 Monkey and the Engineer Live / Bonus Track / Alternate Live Version 2:36
13 Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie Live / Bonus Track / Alternate Live Version 7:12
14 Ripple [Alternate Live Version Live 4:39
15 Tom Dooley Live / Bonus Track 3:32
16 Deep Elem Blues Live / Bonus Track / Alternate Live Version 3:42
Disc 9
1 Samson and Delilah Live 5:06
2 Friend of the Devil Live 7:31
3 New Minglewood Blues Live 4:44
4 Deal Live 4:45
5 Candyman Live 7:17
6 Little Red Rooster Live 4:33
7 Loser Live 5:55
8 Passenger Live 3:22
9 Feel Like a Stranger Live 5:43
10 Franklin's Tower Live 5:25
11 Rhythm Devils Live 4:01
12 Space Live 2:28
13 Fire on the Mountain Live 6:44
14 Greatest Story Ever Told Live 4:04
15 Brokedown Palace Live 5:47
Disc 10
1 Let It Grow Live / Bonus Track 9:38
2 Sugaree [Live Live 9:51
3 C.C. Rider Live / Bonus Track 7:17
4 Row Jimmy Live / Bonus Track 10:14
5 Lazy Lightnin' Live / Bonus Track 3:24
6 Supplication Live / Bonus Track 5:49
7 High Time Live / Bonus Track 8:40
8 Jack Straw Live / Bonus Track 6:16
9 Shakedown Street Live / Bonus Track 10:41
10 Not Fade Away Live / Bonus Track 4:49
Disc 11
1 Touch of Grey 5:50
2 Hell in a Bucket 5:37
3 When Push Comes to Shove 4:08
4 West L.A. Fadeaway 6:38
5 Tons of Steel 5:18
6 Throwing Stones 7:20
7 Black Muddy River 6:07
8 My Brother Esau (Single B-Side) Bonus Track 4:20
9 West L.A. Fadeaway Bonus Track / Alternate Version, 1984 7:09
10 Black Muddy River Bonus Track / Studio Rehearsal 5:41
11 When Push Comes to Shove Bonus Track / Studio Rehearsal 4:22
12 Touch of Grey Bonus Track / Studio Rehearsal 5:47
13 Throwing Stones Live 9:36
Disc 12
1 Foolish Heart 5:12
2 Just a Little Light 4:43
3 Built to Last 5:05
4 Blow Away 6:11
5 Victim or the Crime 7:37
6 We Can Run 5:33
7 Standing on the Moon 5:22
8 Picasso Moon 6:43
9 I Will Take You Home 3:55
10 Foolish Heart Live / Bonus Track 11:30
11 Blow Away Live / Bonus Track 12:02
12 California Earthquake (Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On) Live / Bonus Track 5:59
|