csberry

Ah, yes, we reach a Grateful Dead album. I've never been terribly keen on The Dead. I got respect for the musicianship, but their music has never really done anything for me. Anthem of the Sun fits 5 songs in 38 minutes. You start off with a fun psychedelic ride with "That's It For the Other One." I really enjoyed this song quite a bit. From what I read, they ended up blending studio recordings with live performance outtakes from jamming. Whatever the methodology, I liked the results.

The song that really stands out after the first track is "Alligator." This song encapsulates what I hear Pigpen's big contribution was to the early Dead - a real, rough blues influence. "Alligator" starts off fairly straight-forward blues and then ricochets around the various musical wanderings the band takes it for the next 11 minutes.

I don't think a studio band could ever come up with "Caution (Do Not Stop on the Tracks)." The use of feedback, the patience to let riffs repeat over and over with subtle differences, and then to crescendo is a tell-tale sign of a road-worn band that has explored and stretched a song continuously at a multitude of concerts.

After really enjoying the first track, the rest of the album fit firmly in my retained concept of what the Grateful Dead sounds like. That could be a good thing or a bad thing.

Songs I knew I liked: None

Songs I didn't know but now like: "That's It For the Other One"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: Side Two ("Alligator" and "Caution") are okay, but I won't miss never hearing them again.