As with the Grateful Dead, the Jerry Garcia Band could jam a song out into beautiful, mysterious places. Yet this improvisational, take-it-as-it-comes approach to music could also lead into dead-ends, barren desserts and meandering trails leading to nowhere. More often than not, Garcia was able to lead his comrades into rock-n-roll nirvana, but sometimes, like here during “Russian Lullabye”, the song loses control of itself. After a lovely, melody shaking groove the song breaks down into a pointless, boring bass solo.

Nearly every song includes something of a jam, and mostly the band is able to pull it off. Whether it is the soft, rock-a-bye lilt of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, or the get off your keister and dance bebop twist to Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue”, Garcia and Co. are ready to take you out there, to find new spaces for music.

Though there are a few misses, and some all to long rambles (the 27 minutes of “Don’t Let Go” if about 15 minutes too much) these three disks are filled with so many moments of brilliance, it is a definite must have for any Rock lover. It is also a brilliant place to find one of the all time guitarists genius outside of the Grateful Dead.

And at $19.98 for three full disks of music, it is quite a bargain.

For more info on this disk, and to purchase it (for it isn’t listen on Amazon) go to jerrygarcia.com.

First posted on Brewster's Millions.

Editors note: This now has another venue for success - and more eyes - at the Advance.net Web sites, a place affiliated with about 12 newspapers.

One such site is here.

Article Author: Mat Brewster

Mat Brewster is a periodic ex-pat wondering if he'll ever find a home. You can find him musing on pop culture, and obsessing over concert bootlegs at The Midnight Cafe.

Visit Mat Brewster's author page — Mat Brewster's Blog