GRATEFUL DEAD - Beyond Description (1973-1989) (2004) 12 x CD, HDCD, Reissue, Remastered / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Beyond Description (1973-1989) is a companion set to 2001's 12-disc box The Golden Road (1965-1973), which collected all of the Grateful Dead's albums for Warner Bros, adding bonus tracks to each album, along with a double-disc collection of early pre-Warner recordings called "Birth of the Dead" for good measure. Beyond Description picks up the story after the Dead started their own label with 1973's Wake of the Flood and runs all the way to 1989, when they released their last studio album, Built to Last. Like The Golden Road, each album here is enhanced with bonus tracks, running the gamut from as little as three (on Built to Last) to has many as 16 (a full-length bonus disc added to 1980's live acoustic Reckoning), but there's nothing quite as enticing as "Birth of the Dead." Indeed, "enticing" is not a word that's frequently associated with the albums in this collection. Even among Deadheads, these records, with a couple of noteworthy exceptions, aren't highly regarded, and the additional studio outtakes, demos, and live tracks don't necessarily help matters either; after all, if the foundation is shaky, it's hard to add an expansion. That's true here. It's certainly nice to have this material excavated, particularly for legions of dedicated fans, but none of the bonus tracks are revelatory. None of them offer a new perspective on the album, nor are there any lost gems here (not even the version of "Good Lovin'" sung by producer/Little Feat leader Lowell George on Shakedown Street qualifies as a hidden treasure). Instead, the bonus material ranges from the merely pleasant (the bonus discs on the live Reckoning and Dead Set), to the somewhat interesting (an early take of "China Doll" on Wake of the Flood), to the forgettable (most of the studio outtakes), to the actively irritating (a long acoustic demo of "Weather Report Suite," tedious jams on Blues for Allah). It's material that fans will hear once and file away, next to their large collection of Dick's Picks discs. Conversely, the individual albums featured in Beyond Description do pack some surprises. Certain records live up to their reputations -- Wake of the Flood remains one of their strongest, moodiest affairs, From the Mars Hotel is an underrated record, In the Dark is an assured comeback -- but others sound both better and worse than they did in memory. In particular, Go to Heaven, while far from their best, sounds much better than its reputation suggests -- it may not be much of a Dead record, but it's warm and well-crafted, a good fusion of the Doobie Brothers and Little Feat. Built to Last, however, is an outright embarrassment, a rushed sequel to In the Dark constructed with overly slick synthesizers and cavernous drums that sounds even more dated than the disco cuts scattered throughout Terrapin Station and Shakedown Street (neither of which sound inspired, but are fascinating in their tentative attempts to streamline the Dead). Ultimately, it matters little whether the albums themselves are all that strong or weak -- this is a package for the diehard, the one who will buy the bad albums just to complete his collection. In that regard, Beyond Description is every bit the equal of The Golden Road -- the remastering is good, the packaging has been assembled with loving care, the liner notes are solid. It's all enough to make this a necessary library piece for truly dedicated Deadheads. by Stephen Thomas Erlewine  
Wake Of The Flood    
1-1    Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo    5:42
1-2    Let Me Sing Your Blues Away    3:15
1-3    Row Jimmy    7:11
1-4    Stella Blue    6:22
1-5    Here Comes Sunshine    4:37
1-6    Eyes Of The World    5:16
1-7    Weather Report Suite: Prelude/Part I/Part II (Let It Grow)    12:42
- Bonus Material -    
1-8    Eyes Of The World (Live)    17:02
1-9    Weather Report Suite (Studio Acoustic Demo): Prelude/Part I/Part II (Let It Grow)    12:36
1-10    China Doll (Studio Outtake)    4:02
Grateful Dead From The Mars Hotel    
2-1    U.S. Blues    4:37
2-2    China Doll    4:09
2-3    Unbroken Chain    6:45
2-4    Loose Lucy    3:23
2-5    Scarlet Begonias    4:19
2-6    Pride Of Cucamonga    4:16
2-7    Money Money    4:21
2-8    Ship Of Fools    5:22
- Bonus Material -    
2-9    Loose Lucy (Studio Outtake)    4:41
2-10    Scarlet Begonias (Live)    9:09
2-11    Money Money (Live)    4:20
2-12    Wave That Flag (Live)    5:34
2-13    Let It Rock (Live)    3:19
2-14    Pride Of Cucamonga (Studio Acoustic Demo)    4:24
2-15    Unbroken Chain (Studio Acoustic Demo)    6:21
Blues For Allah    
3-1    Help On The Way / Slipknot!    7:18
3-2    Franklin's Tower    4:32
3-3    King Solomon's Marbles Part I: Stronger Than Dirt / Part II: Milkin' The Turkey    3:25
3-4    The Music Never Stopped    4:35
3-5    Crazy Fingers    6:38
3-6    Sage & Spirit    3:04
3-7    Blues For Allah / Sand Castles & Glass Camels / Unusual Occurrences In The Desert    12:33
- Bonus Material -     
3-8    Groove #1 (Instrumental Studio Outtake)    5:42
3-9    Groove #2 (Instrumental Studio Outtake)    7:32
3-10    Distorto (Instrumental Studio Outtake)    8:10
3-11    A To E Flat Jam (Instrumental Studio Outtake)    4:35
3-12    Proto 18 Proper (Instrumental Studio Outtake)    4:16
3-13    Hollywood Cantata (Instrumental Studio Outtake)    4:14

Terrapin Station    
4-1    Estimated Prophet    5:35
4-2    Dancin' In The Streets    3:30
4-3    Passenger    2:48
4-4    Samson & Delilah    3:30
4-5    Sunrise    4:05
4-6    Terrapin Station Part 1: Lady With A Fan / Terrapin Station / Terrapin / Terrapin Transit / At A Siding / Terrapin Flyer / Refrain    16:10
- Bonus Material -     
4-7    Peggy-O (Instrumental Studio Outtake)    4:42
4-8    The Ascent (Instrumental Studio Outtake)    1:58
4-9    Catfish John (Studio Outtake)    4:40
4-10    Equinox (Studio Outtake)    5:14
4-11    Fire On The Mountain (Studio Outtake)    6:25
4-12    Dancin' In The Streets (Live)    16:17
Shakedown Street    
5-1    Good Lovin'    4:51
5-2    France    4:03
5-3    Shakedown Street    4:59
5-4    Serengetti    1:59
5-5    Fire On The Mountain    3:46
5-6    I Need A Miracle    3:36
5-7    From The Heart Of Me    3:23
5-8    Stagger Lee    3:25
5-9    All New Minglewood Blues    4:12
5-10    If I Had The World To Give    4:50
- Bonus Material -    
5-11    Good Lovin' (Studio Outtake) 4:54
Featuring – Lowell George
5-12    Ollin Arageed (Live)    6:30
5-13    Fire On The Mountain (Live)    13:41
5-14    Stagger Lee (Live)    6:36
5-15    All New Minglewood Blues (Live)    4:34
Go To Heaven    
6-1    Alabama Getaway    3:37
6-2    Far From Me    3:39
6-3    Althea    6:52
6-4    Feel Like A Stranger    5:06
6-5    Lost Sailor    5:54
6-6    Saint Of Circumstance    5:40
6-7    Antwerp's Placebo (The Plumber)    0:39
6-8    Easy To Love You    3:39
6-9    Don't Ease Me In    3:13
- Bonus Material -    
6-10    Peggy-O (Studio Outtake)    5:49
6-11    What'll You Raise (Studio Outtake)    4:08
6-12    Jack-A-Roe (Studio Outtake)    4:51
6-13    Althea (Live)    8:17
6-14    Lost Sailor (Live)    6:42
6-15    Saint Of Circumstance (Live)    6:35
 
Reckoning    
7-1    Dire Wolf    3:20
7-2    The Race Is On    3:00
7-3    Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie    6:28
7-4    It Must Have Been The Roses    6:59
7-5    Dark Hollow    3:51
7-6    China Doll    5:21
7-7    Been All Round This World    4:14
7-8    Monkey And The Engineer    2:55
7-9    Jack-A-Roe    4:14
7-10    Deep Elem Blues    4:54
7-11    Cassidy    4:34
7-12    To Lay Me Down    9:03
7-13    Rosalie McFall    2:54
7-14    On The Road Again    3:13
7-15    Bird Song    7:37
7-16    Ripple    4:27
- Bonus Material -     
8-1    To Lay Me Down (Studio Rehearsal)    9:12
8-2    Iko Iko    4:23
8-3    Heaven Help The Fool    6:18
8-4    El Paso    4:41
8-5    Sage & Spirit    3:14
8-6    Little Sadie    2:45
8-7    It Must Have Been The Roses (Alternate Live Version)    7:01
8-8    Dark Hollow (Alternate Live Version)    4:30
8-9    Jack-A-Roe (Alternate Live Version)    5:08
8-10    Cassidy (Alternate Live Version)    5:06
8-11    China Doll (Alternate Live Version)    5:52
8-12    Monkey And The Engineer (Alternate Live Version)    2:37
8-13    Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie (Alternate Live Version)    7:13
8-14    Ripple (Alternate Live Version)    4:37
8-15    Tom Dooley    3:33
8-16    Deep Elem Blues (Alternate Live Version)    3:42
Dead Set    
9-1    Samson And Delilah    5:06
9-2    Friend Of The Devil    7:31
9-3    New Minglewood Blues    4:44
9-4    Deal    4:34
9-5    Candyman    7:20
9-6    Little Red Rooster    4:33
9-7    Loser    5:55
9-8    Passenger    3:23
9-9    Feel Like A Stranger    5:44
9-10    Franklin's Tower    5:25
9-11    Rhythm Devils    4:02
9-12    Space    2:29
9-13    Fire On The Mountain    6:48
9-14    Greatest Story Ever Told    4:05
9-15    Brokedown Palace    5:47
- Bonus Material -     
10-1    Let It Grow    9:38
10-2    Sugaree    9:51
10-3    C.C. Rider    7:17
10-4    Row Jimmy    10:14
10-5    Lazy Lightnin'    3:25
10-6    Supplication    5:50
10-7    High Time    8:40
10-8    Jack Straw    6:17
10-9    Shakedown Street    10:42
10-10    Not Fade Away    4:50
   
In The Dark    
11-1    Touch Of Grey    5:47
11-2    Hell In A Bucket    5:35
11-3    When Push Comes To Shove    4:05
11-4    West L.A. Fadeaway    6:39
11-5    Tons Of Steel    5:15
11-6    Throwing Stones    7:18
11-7    Black Muddy River    5:58
- Bonus Material -    
11-8    My Brother Esau (Single B-Side)    4:17
11-9    West L.A. Fadeaway (Alternate Version, 1984)    7:08
11-10    Black Muddy River (Studio Rehearsal)    5:38
11-11    When Push Comes To Shove (Studio Rehearsal)    4:21
11-12    Touch Of Grey (Studio Rehearsal)    5:44
11-13    Throwing Stones (Live)    9:36
 
Built To Last    
12-1    Foolish Heart    5:10
12-2    Just A Little Light    4:42
12-3    Built To Last    5:03
12-4    Blow Away    6:09
12-5    Victim Or The Crime    7:33
12-6    We Can Run    5:30
12-7    Standing On The Moon    5:20
12-8    Picasso Moon    6:40
12-9    I Will Take You Home    3:45
- Bonus Material -     
12-10    Foolish Heart (Live)    11:31
12-11    Blow Away (Live)    12:02
12-12    California Earthquake (Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On) (Live)    5:59