Grateful Dead – The Music Never Stopped Review

Nearly four hours of live material make up The Music Never Stopped. A treat for any dedicated Grateful Dead fan, and ultimately, a brilliant example of their decades of quality live performances. Consider the magic of the mood heard throughout, the Deadheads dedicated enough to piece their life around the band. All of that adds to the occasion heard throughout The Music Never Stopped, a thrilling and satisfying selection from the Enjoying the Ride boxset. Those who listen to The Music Never Stopped are likely better suited to the entire boxset, but this is at least a taster session of what the band offers on the sixty-song compilation. Not everyone will buy the ticket for that particular ride, some will opt for the readily available, streaming service highlights. If there were anyone unconvinced or interested in hearing just how magnificent Grateful Dead were as musicians, here are four hours of proof.  

But most will know this already. What The Music Never Stopped affords is a more nuanced showcase of these skills. The opening, title track, is a mood-setting masterclass filled with the roaring, post-psychedelic tones that would dominate Grateful Dead’s stage shows. Hour after hour of instrumental jamming, and it’s a thorough treat. Tape quality featured throughout this live album is mixed, but most, if not all, of the songs included, are wonderful. Strong performances all the way through from three decades worth of work. You can hear who the band were trying to emulate, which musicians they were putting their psychedelic, jam session-like live impression on. Crucial for any jam session, though, especially those compiling decades of work, is finding the fine line between segues and clarity. The Music Never Stops is an apt title, as there is barely a break from Grateful Dead. But there is enough time between each song to note a different show, a new decade.  

Fire on the Mountain and Lazy Lightning are wonderful together. Two different shows but here is the smartest part of The Music Never Stopped at play, it sounds like the same performance. Supplication sounds like a thrill, one of those songs where it’s as fun to listen to as it is, presumably, for the band to play. Fantastic playing from across the years, that’s all The Music Never Stopped offers, and nothing less than the hits. Not only are the instrumentals consistently brilliant but the phenomenal vocal work of a song like Estimated Prophet is a truly brilliant moment. One of many songs which hammers home the quality of Grateful Dead as a touring band. They were more comfortable on stage than they were in the studio, and as much can be heard on The Music Never Stopped.  

Steady work in the latter stages, the groovy, enjoyable sway of Brown-Eyed Women for instance, is vintage Grateful Dead. Long and winding instrumentals are the main draw of this. Those who enjoy a tremendous, instrumental jam, are well served here. Skilful playing where each musician complements one another’s abilities. It’s the fundamental of quality live performance and Grateful Dead were always capable of presenting that. You can hear enough of that on The Music Never Stopped, which feels a bit redundant given how Enjoying the Ride offers more of this for those who like it. You can never have too much of a good thing, especially if the good thing in question is Jerry Garcia and the band riffing for hours on end. A tremendous experience, well worth a listen. Test the waters, sure, but The Music Never Stopped is just scratching the surface of an ultimately brilliant, wider release.