Grateful Dead - Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead: England '72

A sonic theophany!

It was this music that convinced me there is a God. Such exalted musical perfection is simply inconceivable without Love and Power from on High. A stunning testamony to the fact that popular music can be art, and a magnificent demonstration to the power of that art to bring us glimpses of the Great Beyond. December 4, 2007

The Dead at the top of their game

To kick off with a cliche: if I could take one CD to a lonely island, it would be "Europe '72". Ever since it was released, it has been a steady companion, which in 35 years never lost its musical power, creativity, poetry, joy of life, spirituality, humanism, and incredible craftmansship of these six musicians at work. "Steppin' Out" is a wonderful and welcome addition to the Dead's official live album of their legendary European tour. After their arguably two best studio albums, "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty" and before losing Pig Pen and Keith Godcheaux who have never since been adequately replaced, the Dead were at the top of their game when they crossed the Atlantic, and "Steppin' Out" is the best proof of that. Garcia's and Weir's vocals have never been better. Their guitar dialogues are downright telepathy. In the band's most complex compositions like "Jack Straw" or "Uncle John's Band" the Dead are as self-assured and tight as in rockers like "Big Railroad Blues" and in the jams of "Truckin'" and "Dark Star"... and it is sheer Rock'n Roll magic to listen to Pig Pen leading the band through "Good Lovin'" and "Turn on your love light". In short: "Steppin' Out" is a great contribution to the Grateful Dead legacy and their musical universe. December 3, 2007

Another Great Live Document

This 4 cd set is superbly recorded and the band is fearless. It is also poignant, as this was the last overseas tour that Pigpen played. Listen to him perform here, and you'd never know.

Oh yes, some great jams too. April 24, 2007

"Some Folks Look For Answers, Others Look For Fights..."

Steppin' Out (along with Hundred Year Hall) is probably the greatest example of how powerful the Dead were in 1972. This set contains, in my opinion, the greatest Dead lineup, minus Mickey Hart.

What is actually great about this set is that fans of the early Live/Dead era stuff or fans of the Post-Pigpen years will get the best of both worlds, here. You get Pigpen's B3 organ, Soulful Voice and astounding harp blowing wrapped up with Keith Godcheaux's stinging grand piano (he used the Helpinstill piano pickup system, that's why the piano always had somewhat of an electric feel to it, which you couldn't get with microphones; piano players and/or Helpinstill enthusiasts, take note).

Steppin' Out contains so many definitive Dead moments that were never released. Disc 1 and 2 contain superb performances of the shorter songs, especially "Greatest Story Ever Told", "Deal", "Black-Throated Wind", and "Playing In The Band". Speaking of "Playing In The Band", I really think that this is the best version that the Dead had ever done of the song. I really don't think that any hour-long jams that this song bookended after 1974 really captured the essence of the song, as well as this version does.

Speaking of hour-long jams, the "Truckin'-Drums-The Other One-El Paso-The Other One-Wharf Rat" jam on Disc 3 is the true defining moment of this set. However, "Dark Star-Sugar Magnolia-Caution (Don't Stop On The Tracks)" on disc 4 is just as deserving of the same title. But the only problem I have with it is that Donna Jean Godcheaux doesn't get up and harmonize on the "Sunshine Daydream" section with Bob Weir. She did that so well when you heard it on "Europe '72" (although I read that Donna's part was later added during studio overbuds for "Europe '72", so that answers my question). After mayhem of "Caution", Disc 4 and the entire experience in general, ends with the best closing song ever imaginable, "Brokedown Palace". It just sums up everything that has been experienced throughout the duration of the set.

Getting down to the musicians, Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh's lead guitar-bass guitar interplay has never been performed so well, especially in the cerebral modal crosstalk throughout "The Other One" and "Dark Star". Whenever Jerry plays low notes on guitar or Phil plays high notes on bass, they sound so similar, it's almost impossible to tell them apart. Bob Weir's solid rhythm guitar has never sounded so rich and full and hasn't since (during the tune up between "Ramble On Rose" and "Black-Throated Wind", he plays the opening guitar lick from "Weather Report Prelude", which makes you wonder what other things they may have needed these tapes for). Billy Kreutzmann's drumming is just so solid , especially on "Drums" where he rings in "The Other One" in true rhythmic splendor. Along with Kreutzmann, McKernan's random moments of backup percussion (tambourine [audible on "Deal", "Jack Straw", "Wharf Rat", and "Black Throated Wind"] maracas/shakers ["Sugar Magnolia", and "Playing In The Band"], guiro ["Uncle John's Band"]) really does at least make up for parts that were originally played by Mickey Hart in the studio. Still the double drumset crosstalk is sadly absent, and in a way was never the same again after Hart's departure and return, being that both Hart and Kruetzmann changed their drum sounds and styles radically after 1972.

Basically to summarize, any body who even likes the Dead a little bit, should get this set just to here really good live versions of their short songs, but any devoted Dead fanatic who followed the band in it's later years, but couldn't get over to England in time for the recordings of these shows (or you weren't born yet), should get this for the metaphysical/psychological rush of musical mayhem that is the jams, that encapsulate the ends of discs 2, 3, and 4.

The Dead sound very powerful, yet very natural. In later years, they would expand their stage setup with so much percussion equipment and amplifiers that the music seemed to become less original and astounding. This is why, in many respects, this was The Dead at their pinnacle, with Pigpen on his way out and Keith and Donna on their way in. Pretty much the only thing that could've made this better would've been a surprise appearance by Mickey Hart, but unfortunately that was never to be (at least with Pigpen still in the group).

So please, do yourself a favor and buy the album. I promise that a fan of The Dead on any level will love it. March 25, 2006

Greatness

Judging solely on the basis of DARK STAR, Steppin' Out
is a no-brainer 5 stars. If you program for Dark Star plus
the two OTHER ONE tracks, you have a full hour of brilliant
jamming with a bare minimum of vocals. Now you may wonder,
the Rockin' The Rhein release, ALSO from 1972, ALSO has a
long DARK STAR that is over-the-top fantastic; so the question
becomes: is the 1972 Steppin' Out DARK STAR different enough from the 1972 Rockin' The Rhein DARK STAR to justify purchase?
Hell yes!!! In fact, it's COMPLETELY different! To my ears,
Jerry's guitar tone throughout Steppin' Out has a much sharper tone to it...I'm guessing it's because he was using a Stratocaster
guitar? Anyway, the long DARK STAR tracks on Steppin' Out and
Rockin' The Rhein are very different jams...both GREAT.
Also, if you search around, Steppin' Out has some definitive
vocal tracks as well...Sugaree, Deal, Ramble On Rose, Comes A Time, Brokedown Palace, etc., and after all, I believe it's best to buy Grateful Dead CDs for favored "definitive" tracks you program for, rather than playing the CDs from start to finish. Incidentally, Steppin' Out has some cool pictures in the little book. No "touch of gray" in Jerry's hair here! August 10, 2005

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