So Many Roads (1965-1995) by
Grateful Dead
Awsome
Deadhead collecting has come a long way. An experience that was once
based in haphazard bootleg tape trading of complete single shows has
graduated to this: a fancy, cloth-covered, lovingly annotated five-disc box
set of live recordings, oddities, outtakes, and rehearsals spanning 30
years. The live cuts comprise the heart of this package, and they put you
right in the thick of things, presenting the Dead in pure, undiluted fashion,
warts and all. The Dead intelligentsia who produced the package--David
Gans, Blair Jackson, and Steve Silberman--have boldly chosen the most
interesting improvisations and most riveting examples of group synergy:
the Dead at their least accessible, but most ambitious and compelling.
There are moments where youll cringe at off-key harmonies or flubbed
chords, but there is always a payoff. At times, you can hear the band
desperately struggle through the verses just to get to the jam, where
redemption always awaits. Jerry Garcias wounded off-key moans on a
1984 version of Shakedown Street eventually give way to a wonderful in-

the-pocket funk workout; on a 1988 reading of Playing in the Band, Bob
Weirs botched lyrics are long forgotten when the band intensely teeters at
far-off edges just moments later. The problem with this approach is that
you lose context by considering performances outside of their natural
environment--the specific concerts that spawned them--but this approach
also opens up many options as well. For instance, there are sparkling
fusion-based jams from the early 1970s, examples of Garcia sparring with
Branford Marsalis and Bruce Hornsby in 1990, and an assortment of eye-
opening transitional instrumental passages and impromptu creations.
These moments of splendid spontaneity are what the band is all about.
Welcome rarities include early recordings driven by Pigpens searing blues
harp; a pair of studio outtakes from the Deads landmark 1970 sessions
featuring acoustic instruments and lovely harmonies; Pigpens R&B-
flavored Chinatown Shuffle and an arresting version of Merle Haggards
Sing Me Back Home from 1972; keyboardist Brent Mydland leading the
crew through the Meters Hey Pocky Way in 1989; and Garcia launching
into the Irish folk tune Whiskey in the Jar at a 1993 rehearsal, much to the
delight of his bandmates. A few of the oddities offer only historical value
and the final disc bogs down a bit by focusing on the Deads newest
unrecorded material, which, despite some worthy additions, cant match the
intensity of the live cuts. For courageous newcomers, the amazing
trajectory of the band is here to behold--from psychedelic blues and folk to
free-form odysseys to country-rock to jazz and funk to gritty heavy rock.
For those only familiar with the Deads radio-friendly songs, this is the other
side of the spectrum. --Marc Greilsamer
Personal Review: So Many Roads (1965-1995) by Grateful Dead
This is a great box set, get it now while you can, there will be no more.
This has the best Eyes of the world that I have ever heard, it is my favorite
GD song out. The last song on CD five is So many roads, Jerry sounds
tierd and seems to be fading away, it is awsome and heat breaking to
hear. A must for any fan.
Philip, TCBRN, Simpsonville, SC. 2006.
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