If Grateful Dead<\/i> \u2013 the previous release and second live album from Jerry Garcia and crew \u2013 marked the end of the second phase of the Grateful Dead\u2019s career, the triple-live set Europe \u201972<\/i> was a transition album for them. If you will, you could consider this disc the only recording (at the time, anyway) of Grateful Dead Mk II.V.<\/p>\n
The reasoning for this declaration is that the band was going through a major lineup change. It was difficult enough for them to have lost the services of Mickey Hart the year before, but they knew that Ron \u201cPigpen\u201d McKernan\u2019s health was in serious decline. So, while he was still with the band, they brought in the husband and wife team of Keith and Donna Godchaux (on piano and vocals, respectively), to further develop the band\u2019s sound.<\/p>\n
So, what Europe \u201972<\/i> ends up being is another collection of tracks that, for the most part, hadn\u2019t been released as studio recordings, intermixed with some favorites of the Deadheads. It also serves both as a farewell for McKernan (who would pass away the following year) and a stylistic change, as Keith Godchaux stuck with the piano as his keyboard of choice, eschewing electronic instrumentation.<\/p>\n
This set is, of course, legendary in the eyes of Deadheads. I made the mistake of buying this as the very first Grateful Dead album I ever owned, not being properly schooled in what The Dead were about. Back when I was sixteen, I simply wasn\u2019t ready for what I experienced. But once I understood just who The Dead was and what this set truly captured, I understood that it was a wonderful live set.<\/p>\n
Kicking off with an explosive version of \u201cCumberland Blues,\u201d I truly don\u2019t think I\u2019ve heard a version since then where Garcia\u2019s guitar playing was any hotter or when he sounded more like a rock god with the licks he was playing. There\u2019s a reason this particular version has remained one of my favorite Dead performances ever. Likewise, the one-two punch of \u201cChina Cat Sunflower\u201d and \u201cI Know You Rider\u201d proves that these tracks were meant to go together like ham and eggs.<\/p>\n
In fact, two-thirds of Europe \u201972<\/i> contain some of The Dead\u2019s greatest work to that point. \u201cJack Straw\u201d might not be a barn-burner like \u201cCumberland Blues,\u201d but its gentle opening that builds up into a crescendo of power is a combination that just works well. Likewise, tracks such as \u201cBrown Eyed Woman,\u201d \u201cTennessee Jed,\u201d \u201cRamble On Rose,\u201d and \u201cYou Win Again\u201d just crackle with power, even if they\u2019re more of a bluesy romp or a country-laced stroll.<\/p>\n
McKernan gets his chance to stand in the spotlight one more time with his takes on \u201cHurts Me Too\u201d and \u201cMr. Charlie,\u201d the latter being quite possibly one of his most underrated performances. Keeping in mind that I\u2019ve never considered myself in the \u201ccult of Pigpen\u201d in terms of the Dead\u2019s history, it\u2019s his performance on \u201cMr. Charlie\u201d that does make me think his contributions to the group were sadly minimized in his final years with the band.<\/p>\n
It is interesting to note, though, that the reissue of this disc (originally part of the box set The Golden Road<\/i>) features significantly more music that has McKernan fronting the group. I haven\u2019t quite warmed up to \u201cThe Stranger (Two Souls In Communion),\u201d one of the legendary \u201clost\u201d Dead songs that never got significant play, but it does have its charms that make me want to explore it further. The second CD in the set features a 30-minute \u201cPigpen\u201d showcase with a medley of \u201cGood Lovin\u2019,\u201d \u201cCaution (Do Not Stop On Tracks),\u201d and \u201cWho Do You Love\u201d before the medley works its way backwards back into the close of \u201cGood Lovin\u2019.\u201d I can\u2019t say that the inclusion adds anything to the original album, but it does fit well with the overall vibe.<\/p>\n
The worlds of The Dead past and future do struggle to coexist on Europe \u201972<\/i>, and this isn\u2019t really a negative. The experimental side of the Dead \u2013 last heard in its glory on Live\/Dead<\/i> \u2013 is present on \u201cEpilogue\u201d that leads out of a great version of \u201cTruckin\u2019\u201d and \u201cPrelude\u201d that leads into \u201cMorning Dew.\u201d I\u2019m not completely sure if Keith Godchaux had found his place in these free-form jams at this stage, since there is what feels like a little more musical confusion than was normally in what Deadheads have come to know as \u201cSpace,\u201d but it\u2019s not unpleasant, either.<\/p>\n
Astute readers might note that one of my biggest complaints about Grateful Dead<\/i> was that it didn\u2019t have the feel of a live album with breaks between the tracks. While they\u2019re present on Europe \u201972<\/i> as well, here they\u2019re almost expected, as the listener knows they\u2019re not listening to a full concert but rather snapshots of the band\u2019s tour across the continent.<\/p>\n