Post by Pete70s on Apr 4, 2006 13:28:50 GMT -5
Thought I'd pass a little time with an album review.. Gotta keep the Click on it's toes..... ;D
"Anthem Of The Sun"-Grateful Dead (1968)
1-That's It For The Other One
a. Cryptical Envelopment
b. Quadlibet For Tender Feet
c. The Faster We Go, The Rounder We Get
d. We Leave The Castle
2-New Potato Caboose
3-Born Cross-Eyed
4-Aligator
5-Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)
Now, I can't make any claims to being a Deadhead. I'm not really even a fan. But, I do appreciate a good record that is unique and well-produced, and offers something interesting.
"Anthem" is such an album, in that it is unlike ANY other album ever made (at least in the Rock era). For once, the Grateful Dead actually did something interesting, and if they'd broken up after this album, they STILL would have left an important legacy. It's pretty much the only album I really like by them.
After the commercial failure of their self-titled debut in 1967 (which consisted of conventional 3-minute songs), the band needed to make their second album THEIR way. Getting carte blanche from Warner Bros. records to do so (things like that were possible in those days), the band wanted to record their new songs with the energy and extended jamming of their live shows.
What they did was record an album that is half studio, half live. BUT, the unique thing here is that the live tracks were interwoven with studio tracks (many times within the same song!). There is almost no audience noise, so it's hard to tell what is live and what is studio. The parts seem to segue effortlessly into each other.
It's been said that the album was mixed "for the hallucinations", and it's easy to see why. The album was mixed from various tape sources, and the mix was actually "PERFORMED" as faders slid up and down, blending in and out of various recordings (similar to the way John Lennon produced "Revolution 9", only much more musical). It's an AMAZING headphone album, with a lot of unusual things going on in stereo, and a lot of different dynamics (quiet parts, noisy parts, scary parts..).
The opening track, a multi part suite, begins as a mellow folk piece before kicking into a live performance, which eventually disolves into a wash of (somewhat terrifying) psychedelic noise. It's almost like a car wreck you can't watch, but can't turn away from.. This noisy cacophany fades off as the next track fades in...
"New Potato Caboose" begins as a nice mellow accoustic piece, and is probably my favorite on the album. Very good melody.
"Born Cross-Eyed" is a short pop piece, the closest thing to a "conventional" song on the album.
Side 2 consists of only two tracks, the jug-band influenced "Aligator", which blends into an extended jam, segues into "Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)" which builds to an explosive climax as the track fades into a minute of quiet studio feedback which closes the album.
The unusual recording techniques used on this album left the band severely in debt to Warner Bros. The classic albums "American Beauty" and "Workingman's Dead" were quickie albums simply done to repay that debt. After that, they amassed this bizarre cult following that I never quite understood or cared much for.
Still, I love "Anthem".....
"Anthem Of The Sun"-Grateful Dead (1968)
1-That's It For The Other One
a. Cryptical Envelopment
b. Quadlibet For Tender Feet
c. The Faster We Go, The Rounder We Get
d. We Leave The Castle
2-New Potato Caboose
3-Born Cross-Eyed
4-Aligator
5-Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)
Now, I can't make any claims to being a Deadhead. I'm not really even a fan. But, I do appreciate a good record that is unique and well-produced, and offers something interesting.
"Anthem" is such an album, in that it is unlike ANY other album ever made (at least in the Rock era). For once, the Grateful Dead actually did something interesting, and if they'd broken up after this album, they STILL would have left an important legacy. It's pretty much the only album I really like by them.
After the commercial failure of their self-titled debut in 1967 (which consisted of conventional 3-minute songs), the band needed to make their second album THEIR way. Getting carte blanche from Warner Bros. records to do so (things like that were possible in those days), the band wanted to record their new songs with the energy and extended jamming of their live shows.
What they did was record an album that is half studio, half live. BUT, the unique thing here is that the live tracks were interwoven with studio tracks (many times within the same song!). There is almost no audience noise, so it's hard to tell what is live and what is studio. The parts seem to segue effortlessly into each other.
It's been said that the album was mixed "for the hallucinations", and it's easy to see why. The album was mixed from various tape sources, and the mix was actually "PERFORMED" as faders slid up and down, blending in and out of various recordings (similar to the way John Lennon produced "Revolution 9", only much more musical). It's an AMAZING headphone album, with a lot of unusual things going on in stereo, and a lot of different dynamics (quiet parts, noisy parts, scary parts..).
The opening track, a multi part suite, begins as a mellow folk piece before kicking into a live performance, which eventually disolves into a wash of (somewhat terrifying) psychedelic noise. It's almost like a car wreck you can't watch, but can't turn away from.. This noisy cacophany fades off as the next track fades in...
"New Potato Caboose" begins as a nice mellow accoustic piece, and is probably my favorite on the album. Very good melody.
"Born Cross-Eyed" is a short pop piece, the closest thing to a "conventional" song on the album.
Side 2 consists of only two tracks, the jug-band influenced "Aligator", which blends into an extended jam, segues into "Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)" which builds to an explosive climax as the track fades into a minute of quiet studio feedback which closes the album.
The unusual recording techniques used on this album left the band severely in debt to Warner Bros. The classic albums "American Beauty" and "Workingman's Dead" were quickie albums simply done to repay that debt. After that, they amassed this bizarre cult following that I never quite understood or cared much for.
Still, I love "Anthem".....
