There's no time like now for audiophile Deadhead fans! Audio Fidelity just released these two amazing reissues of Shakedown Street and Blues for Allah and five more Dead titles from Rhino and four from Mobile Fidelity are on the way!
First a little news. For those out of the loop, Kevin Gray and Accoustech had an amicable parting in Fall of 2010. Following this split, Kevin opened his own mastering studio, Cohearent Audio, equipped with his personally modded electronics including two Studer decks, one equipped with ATR heads along with custom made Class A, output transformerless electronics.
Now, I don't know what Kevin Gray was smoking at Cohearent Sound when he cut these Grateful Dead albums for Audio Fidelity but I want some of it. No stranger to the Grateful Dead, Kevin was responsible for the mastering of both the Audio Fidelity and original release of Blues for Allah. Both Shakedown Street and Blues for Allah are sonic knockouts for rock reissues, and the best work from Kevin and Audio Fidelity. Both Dead releases sound much better than Audio Fidelity's Donovan. Both new releases sound much better than Audio Fidelity's Deep Purple. And that's saying something I held both the Donovan and Deep Purple albums in high esteem! (Not to mention, light years better than Audio Fidelity's extremely disappointing sounding and Q/C afflicted Jethro Tull). What really differentiates Shakedown Street and Blues for Allah from the typical rock fare is the presence of a midrange and lack of edge. Heck, there's even some low frequencies as well as a sense of harmonics and dynamics on the Audio Fidelity pressing! What a concept!
Of course, the condition of the original master tapes has a great bearing ultimately on the sound of the reissue. Warner Brothers has more than any other studio, according to Kevin, gone to great lengths to preserve their master tape collection. After the Universal lot fire, Warner constructed a bank-like vault replete with inert gas, and temperature and humidity controls, to hold their precious and irreplaceable master tapes. And in stark contrast to many other facilities, the people in charge know exactly where each tape is, not to mention the history of every tape
copy in the vault. Kevin also confirmed in our conversation, that the tapes for both albums were in excellent shape—and unlike many tapes of its era--didn't require any baking (Kevin thought the recordings were done on Scotch 250, one brand that has held up better over time than the Ampex tapes).
While I wouldn't necessarily categorize myself as a hardcore "Deadhead" (I've attended my share of Dead concerts beginning with their appearance at Watkins Glen way back in 1973), these might not have been my first two choices for release. The Lowell George (of Little Feat and Mothers of Invention fame) produced Shakedown Street is somewhat schizophrenic but generally enjoyable. Of the two, Blues for Allah has slightly better sonics and isn't quite all over the map musically, but overall, I prefer the side one of Shakedown Street.
My two favorite songs on Shakedown Street are without question the rocking "Good Loving" and "Shakedown Street." Also not to miss is Mickey Hart's percussion work on "Serengetti." Side two is, given what the scope of what the Dead produced, eminently forgettable.
Standout tunes on Blue for Allah include side one's "Slipknot" and companion "Franklin Towers" with their absolutely immense soundstage along with on Side 2, "Sand Castles and Glass Camels" with its acid trippy, ethereal, out there sound.
Wouldn't it be nice if the other Dead rereleases turn out as good as the two Audio Fidelity discs?
From the Vinyl Vault - Tons and Tons of Good Music!
by Myles B. Astor
http://positive-feedback.com/Issue57/music2.htm
Grateful Dead: Shakedown Street, Producer: Lowell George; Engineer: Bob Matthews. Audio Fidelity AFZLP 120;
Blues for Allah, Producer: Grateful Dead; Engineer: Dan Healy. Audio Fidelity AFZLP121.
