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Steppin' Out With The Grateful Dead: England '72
Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead Records, 2002
REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 10/27/2003
There is no doubt that the European tour the Grateful Deadundertook in 1972 was a magical one. If anyone has ever listened toany of the full shows from this period, you do have to admit therewas a feeling that something special was happening.
Yet one has to wonder how many times Deadheads have to bereminded of this. After all, two previous releases - Europe '72 and Hundred Year Hall - both were released to serve as audiokeepsakes. Now, just in case you haven't figured it out yet, thepowers that be have issued Steppin' Out With The Grateful Dead, a four-CD set coveringa series of shows recorded in England on this same tour.
It's the most comprehensive set to capture this period of theDead's history. Unfortunately, it's also the most bloated.
During what was essentially the final tour for foundingkeyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, this set turns quite a bit ofattention to times when McKernan stepped into the limelight and ledthe band through blues-soaked jams. At times, the moments capturedare something special, as heard on "Chinatown Shuffle" and "TheStranger (Two Souls In Communion)" - but when McKernan is givenfree reign and the jams stretch longer and longer, the weaker theperformances tend to be. Granted, I've never considered myself tobe in the "Pigpen" camp when it comes to favoring a specifickeyboardist in the Dead's history, but I can't justify 20 minutesof "Good Lovin'," when over half of that is sheer ad-libpadding.
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