Grateful Dead – Built to Last Review

There is no greater irony than having your final studio album be a suggestion that the band would live on forever. Though Grateful Dead are arguably the pioneers of the psychedelic rock movement in the United States, their influence came not in the studio, but on stage. Their soft-rock finale, a bow out from the studio but not the stage, is a delicate release. Delicacy was never a speciality of the band that released some of their best works to counter rising debts, for the group that enlisted Bob Dylan as a guitarist for a messy, magical set of live shows. Built to Last may seem ironic, but there is a house of cards layer, too. The band were never built to last, and yet thirty years later, on they went. Their final studio album, barring The Twilight Zone soundtrack and the archival tapes, is a surprisingly solid piece of work.  

Groovy, guitar-driven pieces are what Grateful Dead offers here. It is a sweet continuation of the consistencies heard on Into the Dark. Where that album was a solid set of songs with a few standouts, Built to Last is identical in layout. Thematically, much lighter. Less consistent, but that may be because The Dead are reliant on catchy moments rather than fleshed-out meaning. A stark difference between the solid opening track Foolish Heart and pop-rock groans on Just a Little Light is a clear enough example. Grateful Dead being responsible for a light and breezy, easy listening experience feels like a waste of their talents. But they were certainly well-equipped to develop these charming tones. Built to Last is an instrumentally sound experience, and where the lyrics may be lacking, it is rarely the focus for these songs. There are still a few moments of heavy-hitting inspiration, though most of it comes as an attempt to sabotage the slower tempo.  

Victim or the Crime has junkies raging through the song, a band questioning what happened to itself. A standout moment for the album because it begins pushing against the soft-rock expectations. Hearing those glimmers of classic Grateful Dead is a treat, but it does not last long. We Can Run sounds a little closer to the lives Grateful Dead were leading. Running, hiding, but still with the camaraderie which defined their on-stage presence. Another solid spot for Built to Last, though a ways off their heyday. But to compare any artist to their heyday means to be disappointed to some extent. The band may have been aiming for a softer sound, but the tone and slower tempo of Standing on the Moon is truly underwhelming. A loved-up song with simple bars, simpler lyrics, and the consistency of grey paste. A very drab song which threatens to derail the project.  

But Grateful Dead are in luck, holding themselves together well enough to make Built to Last, their last studio album, a decent listen. Album closer I Will Take You Home is too hard a yank at the heartstrings, but it gets the job done. Grateful Dead says farewell to their audience, those listeners who wanted to hear The Dead but not see them. Tough, is the answer. Off to the archival tapes and never-ending live releases it is. Those twinkling last notes are a bit of a letdown, but ultimately, Built to Last is far better than it has any right to be. After a snooze-inducing set of albums, this and Into the Dark prove to be fitting moments from a band that were finding their best work on stage, not in the studio.