**** Without a Net by the Grateful Dead – No Drugs Necessary to Enjoy This!

First, of all, I am not much of a dead head. I have never seen them live. I don’t do drugs. However, this is a really good concert. Phish is better, but the Grateful Dead was a good prototype. There is more to Without a Net than just humdrum scatterbrained sound. The Grateful Dead are definitely talented, and their improvisational skills shine through on Without a Net. Is this the Dead’s best? I’d have to say, “No.” However, this one is up there as being one of their better efforts.

What interested me in this disc was the Grateful Dead’s inclusion of “Eyes of the World” on the band’s greatest hits compilation from the Arista Years. I later learned who Branford Marsalis was, and that would happen to be that he has been one of the most influential musicians ever; captured in this song on saxophone. I figured that since Eyes of the World was so good on the Greatest Hits compilation that it would be worth it to pick up a copy, and I figured right. I can’t say that is true for some of the other albums by the Dead.

I have to admit Jerry Garcia’s voice sounds rather worn out, no doubt due to drug use. However, the voice does have a bit of charm to it.

Another highlight is the Grateful Dead’s version, “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo,” which at times is quite emotionally evocative, at least for me, though I have never crossed the Rio Grande, or any of those other rivers.

This is a stand out disc from the Grateful Dead’s mediocre Arista years. It is good from start to finish though I would hesitate to call it great. This time period may be compared to the Rolling Stones releases late in their career, where the disc usually has one good song, and yet the Dead put out a really good album. However, this disc stands out from this time period as being worthy of purchase.

What is really great about Without a Net is that I have had it since High School, probably 1996 or so, and it still entertains me.

*****The Kindness of Strangers by Spock’s Beard – Excellently Written Prog That Isn’t Showy

A part of the reason why people who aren’t musicians listen to music that is not good (the popular junk that is on the radio) is because progressive music is often quite showy, especially prog metal.  Usually, half of the prog in prog it that it is about the guitar solos.  If you are looking for solos that will wow you, there aren’t any on The Kindness of Strangers.  The music doesn’t even rely on high speed licks.  What makes this prog in my opinion is that the song writing is superior.  Someone could probably pull this album out from the shelf 500 or 1,000 years from now and would still find it as enjoyable as I am as I write this review while listening to the album.

The songs are beefy on the song craft, very catchy, very diverse, and very mature.  It is easy to listen to a lot of Spock’s Beard and not grow fatigued.  This isn’t children’s music though the content is not over the top with risqué topics.  It would appear that Neal Morse has been a champion of wholesome music even before he became Christian.

Really, the hardest part about listening to an album like this one from Spock’s Beard is that it is extremely good music - catchy, hip, etc. - music, but despite being so awesome it never got popular.  Neal Morse is to music is as, Vincent van Gogh is to art.  If you ask me, this is every bit as good as the ever more popular Phish.  However, I don’t believe the front man, Neal Morse, would put up with the drug use that Phish puts up with at their shows.  However, why Neal Morse isn’t nearly as big as Phish perplexes me.

If you like this one, I encourage you to check out the Flower Kings, Phish, and Transatlantic.  Of course there are other good similar progressive acts, but I will keep my list short, but I would put this music also in the same category as the Gypsy Kings, Soulive, Jimmy Smith (really the organ stands out), and Medeski Martin Wood.

So what do I think of most when I listen to this cd?  I think of song craft that is awesome from start to finish.  I also think of organ, because the Neal Morse is a vocalist/organ player.  However, while he does stand out as the front man in Spock’s Beard, the whole band comes across as awesome.

The hardest part of listening to this band is when Neal Morse converted to Christianity, and formed the Neal Morse band, which played Christian music that was absolutely terrible.  I think of the song that said, “In the name of Gd you must die,” which was supposed to be mocking the idea of slaying someone in the name of Gd, but that song never came across as was intended, and it ended up sounding like Neal Morse was serious about happily slaying people for fun in the name of religion.  Once on his Christianity binge he broke up Transatlantic, and Spock’s Beard.  Now, I am glad that he is back and into with Transatlantic.  I am also sure he would not hesitate to put out a new Spock’s Beard at some time in the future.