Vinyl Asylum

In the Dark

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This Post Has Been Edited by the Author

In Reply to: RE: Spinning: "In the Dark," Grateful Dead posted by creativepart on March 09, 2024 at 09:58:47

Glad you are enjoying some Grateful Dead. I don't consider myself a fanatic DeadHead, but I enjoyed the band during my college years and respect them tremendously. When I hear the term "Americana" I can't help thinking that the Dead occupied that space 50+ years ago.

When "In the Dark" came out in the mid-80s, I played it once and filed it away. After reading your post, I decided to spin it for a second time, 35 years later. It still sucks. Anyone who listens to this and thinks it represents what the band is about is misinformed. It's generally accepted that the Dead were best experienced in concert, and with a couple of exceptions their best records are live recordings. Of the dozen or so studio albums the Dead recorded, I would rank "In the Dark" at or near the bottom. Take away the GD imprimiture and it could be any mediocre group from that time. Musicianship is brilliant as always, but the production is graceless and the material is uninspired. It's really just a waste of time.

Sorry to sound so negative about a band that I really love, but I've gotta speak my mind.

. . . in theory, practice and theory are the same; in practice, they are different . . .

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