All Good Things:
Jerry Garcia Studio Sessions
After going through the Garcia box set All Good Things, we are left
very impressed; it is very, very well done. Garcia left behind a plethora of musical
treasures. Box sets are not cheap,
but if funds allow,
you will not be disappointed with this purchase.
The sonic
quality of the re-mastering is excellent, particularly Jerry's voice. The bonus music is
quite varied that ranges from jaw dropping to just ok. Pianist Nicky
Hopkins performed with Garcia in 1975 and is present on half of the
album Reflections. He is also featured on several bonus songs
and
they are a treat. The additional material from Cats Down Under the
Stars is gorgeous with Donna and Jerry singing their hearts out
and Keith throwing in beautiful melodic piano fills. The ten tracks
to round out Compliments is perhaps the best bonus
material from the box set. It is interesting how different the five albums
are from each other.
The booklet
that is included is great. It includes an overview of Garcia's
career as well as has separate commentary about each album and good
details of credits.
The six disc box set features all five original solo albums, plus 4 hours of
previously unreleased material. The original
albums reviews have been amended with coverage of the bonus material, as well as our
rankings, with Compliments getting the biggest
upgrade.
The Jerry
Garcia box
set package with the expanded bonus material, and book is
exceptionally well done. by Barry
Small
©
Grade A
Outtakes, Jams, and
Alternates review
The All
Good Things box set's sixth disc, Outtakes, Jams, and
Alternates was previously unreleased. Taken in context of the
whole box set, it is an excellent supplement.
The last
six tracks on the album are heard here for their first time, and
each has something special to enjoy. The two songs with the
longest instrumental sections are both from the Reflections sessions.
Listening to Jerry and Nicky Hopkins jam is a sure thrill, so it is
no surprise that "Hully Gully / Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu"
is our most treasured track on this disc. Track 11, "Hey Bo Diddley / Hide Away"
features Larry Knechtel on keyboards. On the "Hey Bo Diddley"
portion Jerry experiments with some guitar tone effects that don't
match blues material well. It
segues into the Freddie King classic "Hide
Away." It appears as an impromptu jam, and the
rendition is good. However, the song offers the potential for
explosiveness, and if they
had rehearsed the song, it would be a classic rather than an
interesting note.
The charm
of "My Sisters and Brothers" and "Accidentally Like a
Martyr" would be the singing. The former includes Donna Jean
Godchaux, and excellent live versions of this gospel song are
plentiful, including his live album Don't Let Go, and
the forthcoming live release Theater 1839.
Among the
first six tracks, the three songs from Compliments are quite
different renditions from the original versions, particularly
"Lonesome Town." This gorgeous version is acoustic based and
features David Grisman and Vassar Clemmons; sort of Old
and in the Way like, but with Jerry singing rather than Peter
Rowan.
The other
three songs do not reveal much from the original versions, but sound
great and add to the flow of the album. And in the later years when
this album can be bought individually it may have appeal to someone
who doesn't have the other albums. by Barry
Small
©
Grade B +
The
Jerry Garcia Studio albums
Garcia
1972
Compliments 1974
Reflections 1976
Cat's Under the Stars 1978
Run For the Roses 1982
Outtakes, Jams,
Alternates 2004
