Grateful Dead's reign as the quintessential rock and roll jam band is everything that you could ever hope for in a touring and recording unit. And their shine is in their live shows. But if anyone were to think that the kings of live rock are dinosaurs, one need only to recognize the continual revamps of their albums, the success of the Dead clone, Phish, and the reformation of The Dead, albeit by a truncated name to show respect to departed icon, Jerry Garcia. Also, Rhino is diligently working to completely update everything that this band has produced including the superlative live “Europe ‘72”.

“Europe ‘72”, in the days of vinyl, was issued as a beautifully packaged 3LP trifold album. There weren’t many bands that got that treatment and the applied expense given The Dead. But Warner Brothers Records knew they had something special and they were not wrong. Give this set a listen and you’re immediately struck by the cohesiveness of the band.

Every member of this sizeable band were so melded that they became the figurative ‘one’. The rhythm section complimented the guitars, the keyboards blended like a smoothie, and the vocals…well. If I sound like a Dead fan, you’re right but consider the mass of Deadheads who have traveled extensively to attend as many of the shows as was possible. Needless to say, The Grateful Dead symbolizes the art of a show.

“Europe ‘72” encapsulates a time of great clarity for the band. Pigpen, a popular mainstay of the band was still around. The Dead themselves were as expansive and as perfected as they were ever going to get. Popularity was at an all time high. It was an excellent time to tour Europe and to treat the growing Euro audiences to the Dead’s legendary shows and mellifluous styles. “Europe ‘72” is the capture of that trip. What it has become is a documented legend, showcasing the essence of rock and roll.

The songs on this album are culled from the many shows, 22 of them, that they played throughout Europe. The songs themselves are storied, having come from the best albums of The Dead leading up to this point.

Featuring the classic “Truckin’” in a gargantuan jam lasting 13+ minutes that is overshadowed in time only by the included bonus track, “Good Lovin”. That tune clocks in at 18 ½ minutes. Like old fine wine, no one needs to rehash the quality of tunes like “Jack Straw” or “Ramble On Rose”. In fact, there is no reason to explore the songs on this live set. If you’re a Dead fan, you know this album, you revere it; you already know every dusty trail leading from track to track. You already know its worth and importance.

But for those that do not know The Grateful Dead and want to, you need only have a deep appreciation for music and understand the concept of a jam with its heightened approach to musical nirvana. The Grateful Dead provides that. But what needs to be explored is the quality of this expanded and remastered set. Does it meet our expectations and, better yet, does it convey the beauty of “China Cat Sunflower”? Does it create a new audio experience of “Hurts Me Too” and “Morning Dew”? The answer is yes. Emphatically yes.

This new treatment comes from the house of Rhino, whose interest is to revitalize the old classics, infusing them with greater audio quality and digging up buried treasures to construct a collectible new package; one that would make the creators proud.

“Europe ‘72” is a gem brought back to life by Rhino. With quality remastering and the unearthing of extra bonus tracks from the ’72 Euro sessions, this package should be high up on your purchase list. The gatefold package replicates the original LP trifold as closely as is possible. The face of the discs themselves brings back a sense of déjà vu with a nod to old classic WB logo. Additionally, the seats of the CD placeholder contain original art. My only complaint is in the gluing of the included booklet to the digipak gatefold. The back bubbles and looks tacky. But this does not detract from the overall great job that Rhino put into this labour of love.

The bonus tracks are great and merge themselves effortlessly into the overall album. There are 7 tracks including the before mentioned “Good Lovin” (2 versions). Those tracks alone are worth a disc all by themselves. If they issued them as “More Europe ‘72” they would have been important enough to investigate and to add to your library. However, you don’t have to get them that way. Instead, Rhino put them all together in a fantastic set. You win!!

As Garcia said in the accompanying booklet, “The future is a journey. The way we do stuff is not to make plans. We take the hands that’s dealt us.” Good advice from a sage. Did I just say sage? Yes. I did.

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The Grateful Dead

Europe '72

Released: March 21, 2003
Origination Year: 1972
Time: 70:52
Tracks: 24
Produced by: Grateful Dead
Reissue Produced by: James Austin & David Lemieux
Engineered by: N/A
Remastered by: Joe Gastwirt at Oceanview Digital, LA
Style: Live
Format: CD
Enhancement: Remastered
Label: Rhino/Warner
Website:
www.dead.net

Cumberland Blues
He's Gone
One More Saturday Night
Jack Straw
You Win Again
China Cat Sunflower
I Know You Rider
Brown Eyed Woman
Hurts Me Too
Ramble On Rose
Sugar Magnolia
Mr Charlie
Tennessee Jed
The Stranger (Two Souls in Communion) *