1989_reviews.txt

Rated as:

Audio: A-E
A: Fantastic sbd
B: Reasonable soundboard, Fine aud; no complaints, I did not really notice
C: Some flaws somewhere
D: Sounds bad
E: Unlistenable

Show:
A: A stone cold classic             (old 5.0)
B: A great show                     (old 4.5)
C: Good show                        (old 4.0)
D: An average show                  (old 3.5)
E: Below average, not reccomended   (old 3.0)
F: Don't listen to this again       (old <3.0)

Highlight:

A: Stunning beauty
B: Shining star
C: Great version
D: No real highlight

05-02-89
    Sound is a little boomy. The ultra-matrix was actually dirtier. First set sounded decent but nothing really hot. Second set has Jerry ballad pre-drums (Standing On The Moon), that felt strange. The jamming feels very sleepy. Not helped with space > I Will Take You Home > He's Gone. Weird setlist, and the show didn't do a lot for me, especially compared to the 79 shows I just finished. The Dew at the end saves the day, really.
    Audio: C Show: E Highlight: C

06-02-89
    Playful jam, short NFA inti a firey Sugaree to start - that's the way to do it! Eases off though, and the first set ends with an underwhelming T.Jed. The second set unfortunatly continues in the same vein. It's professional but a little boring. The Other One is wasted as a non-jam vehicle and Bobbys Lovelight is not as good as Pigpens.
    Audio: B Show: D Highlight: C

07-02-89
    The back of this is pretty painful, with low energy, out of tune guitars and a dodgy setlist. Not inspiring at all. Compared with 79, the lows of this year seem a lot lower.
    Audio: B Show: E Highlight: D

10-02-89
    Annoying mild phase on the audio. Well, it's annoying for a while, then it's SERIOUSLY annoying. You can skip everything up to Let It Grow where somebody, thank god, turns it off. It's not present in the aud tapes though, very weird. Finally something decent in the Playing jam. Also Wharf Rat is a decent version. Rest of show is otherwise below average.
    Audio: D Show: E Highlight: D

11-02-89
    The good: great sound. Features Airto and Flora guesting - are they the best guests the Dead ever had? Rare Eyes post drums. The bad: this is the second I Will Take You Home and I dislike it already, especially into drums! The first set is the best set so far this year, the Bird Song is especially fine. Estimated leads to a real space, and then it all kicks off in drums - a great version! Post drums is ok but less interesting.
    Audio: B Show: C Highlight: B

12-02-89
    This is the longest first set - it goes all the way into drums! With only a 6-minute Other One post drums (how badly this song has fallen!), that means essentially there is no jamming at this show. Ah - that's why - Dylan joins pre-drums and adds nothing. except for a verse of "Stuck Inside Mobile"! The highlight though is Spencer Davis' appearence for the first set ending. Post drums is a bit of a mess. Dylan finally brings something - a touch of energy, perhaps? - for the Heavens Door encore. Must have been fun for the band.
    Audio: B Show: D Highlight: C

27-03-89
    The Fire On The Mountain got some raves online but nothing really stood ouot for me, which as a whole is largely true of the entire show. Except when the songs are obviously joined, there seems a heck of a lot less flow here compared with 79. This is especially true with post drums. Whereas before it might be lower energy now it seems a few songs thrown together. Weir Lovelight has none of the fun of older versions.
    Audio: B Show: E Highlight: D

28-03-89
    An actual "not bad" show. Helped by a decent setlist, a non-lazy post drums and nothing real bad throughout. It lacks a real highlight except the usual pre-drums slot, here being Playing > Foolish Heart, but overall it's not a bad show and a step-up from the average so far this year.
    Audio: B Show: D Highlight: D

30-03-89
    Bird Song is an excellent song for the era, along with Jack Straw, so getting both in the first set is a good start. There's a pretty long He's Gone but it takes far too long to get to the interesting parts. Nice Stella Blue after drums but outside a few bits of fun, there's nothing in particular to excite at this show.
    Audio: B Show: D Highlight: D

31-03-89
    Another I will take you home - why is always in a premier jam spot? Nothing that special at this show, except that most of the setlist is decent and the higlight is definitly the Morning Dew near second set end. I find these latter-day versions to be superior to the 70's ones. The fact that this hits near the end makes the sound sound more above average than it really it though.
    Audio: B Show: D Highlight: C

02-04-89
    Nothing bad, nothing special. I wouldn't describe it as boring because that's going too far, I did enjoy the show and it would have a good party but it certainly had nothing of real interest in it. The Shakedown to oprn the 2nd set was the best song, but not really a standout version. Post drums is 6 five minute songs.
    Audio: B Show: D Highlight: D

03-04-89
    Decent first ends with Brent's best song, and Jerry plays very well during the end section. Second set has a decent setlist but it feels like they are playing more by numbers. There's a lack of emotion and adventure in these shows and they are somewhat "too perfect". I prefer my GD at the boundaries of falling apart or where the emotions take over, which is why the Blow Away here is the highlight.
    Audio: B Show: D Highlight: C

05-04-89
    4 songs all ending with "Blues" in the first set explains why we get a first set US Blues. Overall a decent first set; in some ways, these first sets are better than the second sets - although that's maybe because the second sets lack a sense of adventure (and drums/space is often a lack of adventure in the first place!). This second set is actually not bad, although again it lacks a highlight. Despite this, no obvious flaws, a pleasing setlist and a nice surprise in the encore, this whole show is slightly better than recent ones.
    Audio: B Show: C Highlight: D

06-04-89
    There's an interesting change in Playing > Built To Last and the Bird Song isn't bad. But on the whole this seems a little low energy, no real fire in the jamming, there's another I Will Take You Home, the Aroundx2 is almost insultingly flat and the guitars are out of tune for the end. Skip!
    Audio: B Show: F Highlight: D

08-04-89
    This seems to continue the trend of slightly underwhelming shows. There's really no long jams, in fact barely any jamming at all outside of a peep just before drums (and not all the time), some of the tunes are slightly questionable or not really played with gusto, and it all lacks some spark of adventure. Sure a tune hits a bit harder sometimes, but it's all a major step down from '79. This show, like others, kinda sails by without causing offence, like decent background music. Where's the spark?
    Audio: B Show: E Highlight: D

09-04-89
    It takes some time to get there but this is finally a show that manages to end with some decent energy. The Other One is still far too short but shows some attitude, and the rest of post drums is also good. Dodgy last Louie Louie adds little but in general this is a reasonably decent show. Not so much a fan of Phils bass sound this era though, his dynamic range seems truncated and it lacks distortion sometimes.
    Audio: B Show: D Highlight: C

11-04-89


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