The
Grateful Dead Movie
From the October 16
- 20 1974 Winterland shows.
The Grateful Dead Movie DVD
contains two discs, the original DVD released in 1977 that was
compiled from their retirement shows at the Winterland between
October 16 and 20, 1974. It comes complete with a second disc of bonus
footage. The DVD offers three different audio options: the
original theater mix, 5.1 surround, and stereo. Only the last two
options are available for the bonus material.
The original movie is not
straight concert footage as it includes cuts with interviews and
really cool animation. The music is heavenly. At the top of the list are renditions of two Jerry Garcia classics, "Eyes
of The World," and "Morning Dew" performed to
perfection.
The bonus material is jaw
dropping. The whole thing is a highlight! "China Cat
Sunflower" > "I Know You Rider" was typically
sensational in 1974 and this rendition is one to treasure. The
exploratory jams of "Dark Star," "The Other
One," and Weather Report Suite."
The band was on for these
performances resulting in a group effort. What really aids in the
excellence of this run is Keith's contribution.
The Grateful Dead Movie is
so good that it will leave you wanted more. The only way to improve
this DVD is if was sequenced more like a concert rather than excerpts of
some of the best music the Grateful Dead ever created.
Yes I am bias toward
1974.
by Barry
Small
©
Grade A +
Order the DVD
The Grateful Dead Movie soundtrack
The soundtrack to the
Grateful Dead Movie includes much more material than the DVD, 20
tracks. It is very
heavy on set two material and includes the meat from the 17, 18, 19
and 20 concerts and select other material.
I am not one to frequently complain about compilations, but here
is one. Why are all the 1974 releases set two heavy and set one light?
Personally, I love the set one material interpretations from
1974, Dick's Picks 7 offers an excellent sampling. A
sixth disc of set one material would have been most welcome. Or in
keeping with five discs replacing the 10/20 material, sorry Mickey.
Or they could have not used a few long tracks on the video in the
soundtrack that are abundantly released like "W. Report" from disc three
and "Playing in the Band" from disc one. Really, seven or
eight discs would be needed to have a comprehensive look at this
run. Though, for traders supplemental set one material is easy
to come by.
Disc 1 - The Grateful
Dead Movie soundtrack first disc contains material
from various dates. Including an all star version "China Cat Sunflower" > "I Know
You Rider." The rendition of "Eyes Of The
World" apparently is an edited version, about five minutes
shorter than the version from So Many
Roads.
Disc 2 - The second disc starts with
a superb version of "Scarlet Begonias" from October 19.
The rest of the disc is the heart of the performance from October
17. Too bad this complete segment didn't make the DVD. The
"He's Gone" vocal segment has Phil dominate in the
mix. This leads to a killer segment of music among the best of the
series. The jam out of "He's Gone" is top notch. The
"Spanish Jam" blends into "Mind Left Body Jam."
Though, Garcia's slide work is not his strong point.
Disc 3 - 10/18 - This disc
contains parts of set one, two, and three from the concert. The
second set of this performance gets all the press because it has a
fantastic "Dark Star," and it melts perfectly a spectacular
"Morning Dew." While set two was exploratory the third set
is high energy rock and roll, and is fantastic. The set
included seven songs of which "Not Fade Away" > "Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad"
are included. On these renditions Keith and Jerry are trading riffs
back and forth with Phil running his bass lines in and out of the
musical conversation. The material not included from this set is
highly recommended, especially the "GSET."
Disc 4 - 10/19 - Another
spectacular "He's Gone," This versions segue is
clearly going into "Truckin'," explosively. Instead, the
music dissolves into
"Caution." Phil seems to be glad. Rapid. Rhythmic.
Frenzied. A great jam follows out of "Space" and they finally
bust into "Truckin'." This version offers solid piano throughout and the build up
to the peak is inspired. Keith and Jerry are totally in synch!
Disc 5 10/20 - The fifth disc my least
favorite. It does offer a balance of exploration, space, high
energy, and a ballad. This set Mickey Hart sat in with the band (he
also sat in for the third set that is not included).
The performance is very rhythmic oriented. It includes two drum solos.
During "Not Fade
Away" Phil locks in tight with the drumming duo creating
some incredible energy.
The
Grateful Dead Movie soundtrack has some of the best music of the
Grateful Dead's career. Though, the way portions are pieced
together, the lack of balance of set one material, and the ordinary
nature of disc five prevent this release from
receiving a higher mark. Further, there are some cuts.
for example, "Eyes of the World" appears to five minutes
shorter than the original rendition.
by Barry
Small
©
Grade A -
Order the Soundtrack
Steal
Your Face is another release from the same venue
From the GD.
The Grateful Dead Movie is
coming to DVD. Fans of the Dead are familiar with this rock n roll
classic and will be ecstatic to get a DVD copy. Here's what's in
store:
This 2 DVD set, with more
than 5 hours of footage, contains the original theatrical release of
The Grateful Dead Movie plus extensive bonus footage. The second
disc includes three additional documentaries, 11 never-before-seen
songs (totaling over 95 minutes), the original "Mars
Hotel" television spot, a demonstration of multi-camera and
multi-track audio mixing, and an extensive photo gallery. The
picture is remastered from the original film negative in High
Definition, and the original audio has been fully remastered in
Dolby Digital 5.1 channel and 2 channel audio.
Soundtrack - The
Soundtrack is a 5 CD set featuring selections from 10/16/74 through
10/20/74, mastered in HDCD from the original 16 track, 2"
analog reels. The six hour, 40 song Soundtrack fills in the gaps
from the Movie and its bonus footage, featuring 20 unreleased
tracks.
