Dylan & the Dead is a collaborative live album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, released on February 6, 1989 by Columbia Records. The album consists of seven songs written and sung by Dylan, with the Grateful Dead providing accompaniment. The album was produced by Jerry Garcia and John Cutler.
Dylan & the Dead was recorded in 1987, during a successful stadium tour of the same name, that featured the two artists performing separately and together. Songs from two of the Grateful Dead's performances from the tour are documented on the album and video View from the Vault IV, and one of the tour-rehearsal songs is on the album Postcards of the Hanging.
Though ultimately poorly received, the album initially sold well, reaching No. 37 on the Billboard charts in the U.S., No. 38 in the UK, and earning a Gold certification in the U.S.
In 1992, a bootleg of the first concert of the tour was released under the title "Orbiting Uvula". It includes the first-ever live performance of "Queen Jane Approximately", the first live performance of "John Brown" since 1963, and the first live performance of "Chimes of Freedom" since 1964.[1]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | C–[4] |
| MusicHound |  [5] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
Despite strong initial sales, the album was poorly received by critics. Rolling Stone stated that the record "makes you wonder what the fuss [over the tour] was about", although they did have some kind words for several of the tracks.[6] Writing for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau said that what Dylan "makes of his catalogue here is exactly what he's been making of it for years—money".[7] Amazon.com's Steve Appleford lamented that "if these were the stadium tour's best performances, pity anyone who actually sat through one of these concerts with a clear head."[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine's review for AllMusic was particularly harsh, giving it one star out of a possible five, and calling it "quite possibly the worst album by either Bob Dylan or the Grateful Dead" and "a sad, disheartening document".[9]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recorded | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Slow Train" | Bob Dylan | Foxborough, Massachusetts on July 4, 1987 | 4:54 |
| 2. | "I Want You" | Dylan | Oakland, California on July 24, 1987 | 3:59 |
| 3. | "Gotta Serve Somebody" | Dylan | Anaheim, California on July 26, 1987 | 5:42 |
| 4. | "Queen Jane Approximately" | Dylan | Eugene, Oregon on July 19, 1987 | 6:30 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recorded | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Joey" | Dylan, Jacques Levy | Foxborough, Massachusetts on July 4, 1987 | 9:10 |
| 2. | "All Along the Watchtower" | Dylan | Anaheim, California on July 26, 1987 | 6:17 |
| 3. | "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" | Dylan | Anaheim, California on July 26, 1987 | 6:51 |
Personnel
Musicians
Grateful Dead
- Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals, production
- Mickey Hart – drums
- Bill Kreutzmann – drums
- Phil Lesh – bass guitar
- Brent Mydland – keyboards, vocals
- Bob Weir – guitar, vocals
Production
- Guy Charbonneau – engineering
- John Cutler – production, engineering
- Joe Gastwirt – mastering
- Herb Greene – photography
- Rick Griffin – art direction
- Gary Hedden – engineering
- Peter Miller – engineering
- David Roberts – engineering
- Billy Rothschild – engineering
- Chris Wiskes – engineering
See also
- List of Grateful Dead covers
References
- ^ Olof Björner at www.bobsboots.com
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Dylan & the Dead". AllMusic. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ Robert Christgau review
- ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 371. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
- ^ Fricke, David. Dylan & the Dead review at Rolling Stone
- ^ Christgau, Robert. Dylan & the Dead review at RobertChristgau.com
- ^ Appleford, Steve. Dylan & the Dead at Amazon.com
- ^ Dylan & the Dead at AllMusic