Even someone with a passing interest in Grateful Dead will find songs of interest on Birth of the Dead. From an opening Gordon Lightfoot cover to a worthy collection which closes out the compilation, this gem of a release needs more eyes on it. You would be hard-pressed to find a better collection of songs from the early years, the odd moments of Grateful Dead in their periods of transition. If they can bring Early Morning Rain through with such confidence, what else can they do? Birth of the Dead offers a tremendous stretch of strength for the band, whose deep cuts and archival tapes are as strong as their best-known works. That much is clear from the instrumental overlap found throughout these songs. Grateful Dead were never defined by the popular genres of the time, but their interest in those tones and subsequent overhaul, can be heard throughout Birth of the Dead.
Classic songs like I Know You Rider and Mindbender are given that early ‘60s instrumental style. For Grateful Dead, it’s more of a steady foundation to showcase their flair for guitar solos and clanging percussion. Caution (Do Not Stop on the Tracks) is the muddy, growling sort of blues The Rolling Stones would make their own. Grateful Dead could do it too, and did so with a tremendous, pre-acid drop flair. That first section of Birth of the Dead has a sound similar to The Animals and The Byrds. Not a blur of the two, but certainly a bridge between the pair. It’s a nice middle ground to find yourself in, and though Grateful Dead would go on to provide much more than this, it’s an interesting first hour of listening. You Don’t Have to Ask is the best example of this. A straight-shooting rock and roll piece with a lighter touch and a lack of the psychedelic turn which would define the band in their later years.
Both The Autumn Sessions and The Scorpio Sessions are a fantastic listen for those interested in the early years of the band. Fire in the City serves not just as an excellent, upbeat instrumental but as a strong end to the in-studio work. What follows is a tremendous selection of early years performances from the stage. Viola Lee Blues is a fantastic, building song where the repetition of its keyboard is mania-inducing, and the instruments around it react accordingly. A blowout of sorts and a welcome start to the latter pieces. Keep an ear out for the Bob Dylan cover, It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, a staggering interpretation of the song from a man they would tour with frequently in the years to come. Catchy and consistent work is what the band offers across The Live Sides.
What Birth of the Dead provides is what fans must get used to. Rummaging through the archives is not a definite for every artist. We should be lucky the keys to the archives of Grateful Dead are in good hands, because it means releases like this will be common over the next few decades. Improvements in tech, uncovering new mixes of all-time great performances, it’s an inevitability. Birth of the Dead is an excellent place to start for those wanting to work chronologically. Blues-y works in the latter stages of the album win out, and what began as a collection of early years covers ends as a comfortable, instrumental jam. You can hear Grateful Dead realise the length of the song, the space it allows them to create in, is their biggest draw. Birth of the Dead is a fantastic place for new fans of the band to dig in deep.
