If there's any one comfort that fans of the Grateful Dead have taken since the passing of Jerry Garcia in 1995, it's that there is no lack of material the remaining members of the band have to choose from for future releases. Just one year ago, Deadheads got a wonderful present in the box set So Many Roads (which I swear we'll get to), and now they follow it up with a four-disc collection culled from their last stand at the legendary Fillmore East,

Ladies And Gentlemen... The Grateful Dead is meant to be a snapshot of those five days in 1971, not the definitive release. (If I read correctly, there was talk about putting together a second collection from these dates. Maybe, if legal beagles can stop barking at each other, they can finally include the songs featuring the Beach Boys.) But it is an interesting portrait of what it must have been like to have been in the audience for this historic run, and it shows the peaks and ebbs of a typical Dead show at this time.

Described in the liner notes by Blair Jackson as probably the last tour keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan undertook in good health, the writer is presented with an interesting challenge: how do you describe nearly five hours' worth of music in just a few paragraphs? After all, this was one of the most exciting times in the history of the Dead. They were riding the popularity of Workingman's Dead and American Beauty, and you hear the magical energy when songs like "Ripple" and "Cumberland Blues" are presented to the New York crowds. (And is it me, or did I detect Garcia slipping a little bit of "High Time" into "Wharf Rat"? What was behind that?)

Yet this was the Dead in transition - in more ways than just adjusting to life without drummer Mickey Hart. In their early days, the Dead relied on such popular staples as "Good Lovin'" and "Hard To Handle" in their sets. Now, they seemed to want to draw a balance between their early days and their growing popularity. For every "In The Midnight Hour," there was a "Bertha"; for every "Second That Emotion," there was a "Uncle John's Band" and "Casey Jones". It's an interesting combination, and not an unpleasant one.

Ladies And Gentlemen... The Grateful Dead has some nuggets which should be welcome additions to anyone's collection. There are now so many live discs out that I'd hate to say that some of these tracks are making their first official appearances (and Arista's site is no help at all), but this is the first time I recall seeing tracks like "Sing Me Back Home" and "Ain't It Crazy (The Rub)" on something other than a dubbed cassette.

Admittedly, this collection is piecemealed together from five days' worth of music, but there are times when the Dead lower the energy level, almost as if to let the audience cool down. Sometimes, it's when Garcia takes the vocals ("Morning Dew," "Wharf Rat"), sometimes it's Pigpen's turn ("It Hurts Me Too"), sometimes even Bob Weir gets in the act ("Dark Hollow").

The only disappointment? Well, there's one personal choice (I liked later renditions of "Bird Song" better than the original key it was played in), but "Dark Star" seems to be a little looser than expected, especially in Garcia's vocals. I guess this would also be called a personal choice, since every Deadhead worth their weight in salt has their own favorite version of "Dark Star".

I still prefer hearing Dead shows in their entirety without any songs cut out - but there are enough trader tapes on the market that could make that wish of mine come true in a heartbeat. As it stands, though, Ladies And Gentlemen... The Grateful Dead is a pleasant collection that is sure to make any Deadhead's day. For the newcomer, it's a bit much, though it's a pretty accurate picture of how the Dead were in concert back then. (Memo to Dennis McNally and the archivists over at Grateful Dead Productions: Might I suggest trying to put out the Dead's last show at the Fillmore West next? That was an incredible performance.)

2001 Christopher Thelen and "The Daily Vault". All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Grateful Dead / Arista Records, and is used for informational purposes only.

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