Rolling Stone review: Wake of the Flood
James Pablos
Wake of the Flood
By Jim Miller
January 3, 1974
The music on Wake of the Flood is ample, full and carefully rendered.
The album boasts nearly 25 minutes of it per side, the recorded sound
is crisp and the finished product bears the marks of care in
craftsmanship. The band, remarkably, has even transcended a certain
studio thinness that characterized such prior efforts as American
Beauty and Workingman's Dead.
The new songs, mostly by Hunter-Garcia, cover an eclectic range of
styles, from tripping good-timey tag rhyme ("Mississippi Half-Step
Uptown Toodeloo"), to hot psuedo-Jr. Walker syncopatin' ("Let Me Sing
Your Blues Away"), to Pollyanna, Beatley vibrations ("Here Comes
Sunshine"), to modishly scalloped R&B geetar ("Eyes of the World").
Happily, Jerry Garcia's pedal steel playing has improved; and his
mercurial leads can occasionally be darting, dapper and decorative (as
on "Eyes").
But despite an impressive stylistic smorgasbord, slick overdubbed
production and the best intentions in the world, to my ears this band
still sounds generally sick, usually woozy, and often afflicted with
perpetual head cold, twinges of sinus trouble, you name it. The poor
bastards still can barely sing.
And that's not all! The lyrics on much of Flood plumb new depths of
dull-witted, inbred, blissed-out hippy-dippyness. "Wake up to find
that you are the eyes of the world/Your heart has its beaches, its
homeland and thoughts of its own/Wake now, discover that you are the
song that the morning brings/The heart has its seasons, its evenings,
and songs of its own." Jonathan Seagull would blush.
Those who admire the Dead already will surely find this new album
eminently admirable, also. In many ways, it's one of their most finely-
wrought efforts. Thus, Flood will hardly subtract from the Dead's hard-
won popularity, let alone their chartered countercultural niche.
Besides, in this dark age of rampant waste, who can knock modest,
wholesome craft? Even if it does come from a bunch of professional
amateurs
gwazoo
My vinly had poor audio quality, virtually no high end. Wasn't this
the first of their private label and distribution system?
gratefuljoe
Wake Of The Flood - Grateful Dead (Grateful Dead GD 01) This album was
widely
bootlegged. The bootleg version does not have the price on the spine
(0598)
printed in color.
http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/archive/index.php/t-158392.html
James Pablos
> My vinly had poor audio quality, virtually no high end. Wasn't this
> the first of their private label and distribution system?
The reviewer must have had a different mix. Also, I would never in a
million years have described "Eyes" as an "R&B" song.
Mark-T
> The Grateful Dead
> Wake of the Flood
> By Jim Miller
> January 3, 1974
>
> The music on Wake of the Flood is ample, full and carefully rendered.
> the marks of care in craftsmanship.
> The band, remarkably, has even transcended a certain
> studio thinness that characterized such prior efforts as American
> Beauty and Workingman's Dead.
What is studio thinness?
Mark
Ray O'Hara
"Mark-T" <mar...@lycos.com> wrote in message
news:3bf2e5a3-e37e-4447...@f39g2000prb.googlegroups.com...
the reviewer clearly likes pop songs with a hook.
the reviewer probablly loves "Dirty deeds done dirt cheap" or what ever the
name is.
>
> Mark
yoker
"Beatley vibrations"
Laugh out loud on that one.
I love this album.
Edwin Hurwitz
<944a92f3-0c39-48cc...@ea4g2000vbb.googlegroups.com>,
James Pablos <james....@gmail.com> wrote:
> Besides, in this dark age of rampant waste, who can knock modest,
> wholesome craft? Even if it does come from a bunch of professional
> amateurs
Best part of the review.
James Pablos
> the reviewer clearly likes pop songs with a hook.
How could you review that album and not mention WRS? Or Stella Blue?
highgreenchilly
Seriously. This is one of my favorite studio albums. Great tunes.
Wicked cover art as well.
the felonious kidd
Note the date:
> January 3, 1974
> And that's not all! The lyrics on much of Flood plumb new depths of
> dull-witted, inbred, blissed-out hippy-dippyness. "Wake up to find
> that you are the eyes of the world/Your heart has its beaches, its
> homeland and thoughts of its own/Wake now, discover that you are the
> song that the morning brings/The heart has its seasons, its evenings,
> and songs of its own." Jonathan Seagull would blush.
Consider for a moment that the top of the charts in 1973 was Tie A
Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Ole Oak Tree and the pop music world was
coming off a month, December 1973, in which the three number one songs
were:
Top of the World - The Carpenters
The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce
Sorry to drag up those unpleasant memories. I'm sure Jim Miller was
much happier in October '73 when Cher was at the top with that lyrical
masterpiece "Half-breed". Dull witted indeed.
Mark-T
> > My vinly had poor audio quality, virtually no high end. Wasn't this
> > the first of their private label and distribution system?
>
> The reviewer must have had a different mix. Also, I would never in a
> million years have described "Eyes" as an "R&B" song.
That song gets into a tape loop in my head, more
than any other song, from any source.
Anybody have a cure for that syndrome?
Mark
Tarp Skidoo
<41d90b22-496e-42fc...@r28g2000prb.googlegroups.com>,
Mark-T <mar...@lycos.com> wrote:
I treat earworm by whistling the theme song to 'I Dream of Jeannie'.
James Pablos
> Anybody have a cure for that syndrome?
hair of the dog, baby.... it's the only cure.
try this one on for size:
http://www.archive.org/details/gd1994-09-29.sbd.unknown.1815.shnf
DanPopp
Cure: Sing, "My baby does the hankie pankie" over and
over................
Neil X
Try listening to Phish's "Meatstick" for 5 minutes. It will be the
only thing going through your head for the next month.
Peace,
Neil X./
mjd
chrissakes I can here those pieces of crap in my head like it was
yesterday... thankfully we had Quadrophenia, Goats Head Soup, etc. to
balance things out...
3jane.
>
> > That song gets into a tape loop in my head, more
> > than any other song, from any source.
>
> > Anybody have a cure for that syndrome?
>
> Try listening to Phish's "Meatstick" for 5 minutes. It will be the
> only thing going through your head for the next month.
I saw the first ever Meatstick, only seen it once since-to this day
it's one of my absolute favorite Phish tunes.
dabassguy1
it's one of my absolute favorite Phish tunes.
I once saw Meatstick played in four straight shows I attended.
Sick of the Meatstick, Put away the meatstick, Don't take out the meatstick
time.
It better now that's its been 12 years since then.
J
Neil X
It is ridiculously addictive. Have you listened to the 6/7/11 show
from Mansfield? After Meatstick, it is teased multiple time in Run
Like an Antelope and Suzy Greenberg. Absolutely ridiculous.
Peace,
Neil X.