GRATEFUL DEAD Road Trips Vol.2 No.3 - Wall Of Sound (2-CD)

Dead chronicler Dennis McNally's liner notes to this road trip are a must-read. It succinctly describes how Bear's vision of a distortion-free sound system morphed into a 641-speaker monster (there's a great picture of it in the booklet) that took three trucks to transport and five hours to set up, nearly bankrupting the band and causing them to retire from touring for nearly two years. But it was truly a unique sonic achievement that, as McNally puts it, "allowed the band to go places they could only dream of."

The two concerts included on this 2-CD set, 6/16/74 at the State Fairgrounds in Des Moines and 6/18/74 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, illustrate this beautifully: With such a loud PA, the band was able to play more quietly, which enabled them to play with increasing subtlety and complexity. The "Eyes of the World" from Des Moines is simply incomparable, and the medley of "Weather Report Suite"/"Jam"/"The Other One"/"It's a Sin Jam"/"Stella Blue" from Louisville is unique. This trip is a treasure, available for the first time in regular music stores!