Are we all agreed that "Go To Heaven" is the WORST thing the Dead ever did?
How about the Kieth And Donna album? Yeah, 'Go To Heaven' was pretty dire, as were the ones that followed. Mr Campbell mentions 'Shakedown Street' - for me it had its moments but didn't live up to the promise of having Lowell George at the helm (who took an instant dislike to the tinkerings of Mickey Hart) and a sleeve by Gilbert Shelton of Fabulous Furry Freak Bros fame. Also.....the bottom end had gone......I think the last studio LP that I thought was the business was 'Blues For Allah'.
After your brave honesty here I'll be honest...I think parts of Mars Hotel and Wake of the Flood amount to one decent album. Terrapin Station suite is fun after the pub and a funny roll-up but isn't classic Dead by any means. Agree on Shakedown Street - a lost opportunity, like Go To Heaven. Once Pigpen had gone it all got a bit jazzy for me..never liked Eyes of the World and all that era much. US Blues was about my favourite 73-74 "new tune". Yes, a few bits of Blues For Allah do the business.
I didn't even buy the Keith & Donna album and don't plan to! Keith was a fine pianist on Europe '72 but had Pig on organ to temper his jazzy piano purist ways (he wouldn't even play a Fender Rhodes let alone any organ to vary the sound a bit, hence he got the heave ho) and as for Donna..hmmm. (See also Linda McCartney). Brent Mydland was a far better choice for the Dead but by then there wasn't a great studio LP left in them. Phil Lesh in MOJO recently said that the public didn't realise how little there was left of the band in the last 10 years or so, with Garcia on the wane and not contributing nearly as much fine material for Hunter to lyricise.
But that's the funny thing about being a Deadhead, eh? I still love them to bits, wished I'd seen them and hopefully will if The Dead/Other Ones are talking about doing business again.
But come on Nick, you've now quoted two bits of negative press about Mickey Hart but not come clean as to whether you agree with my opinion that he was OTT window-dressing rather than essential, like a fifth wheel on the wagon...