The Grateful Dead / Europe '72 Vol. 2 (2011)

This sequel to the Dead’s triple-live long player Europe ‘72 is another chapter in the GD saga, and another commercial release of treasured vault material from a band with enough vault material to keep the CDs rolling out for at least another 50 years. If you’re not a bootleg collector, then this release (especially when taken after digesting the aforementioned predecessor) is a good cross-section of the Dead’s set first overseas tour. While the sound quality is excellent and the sequencing is even good, I prefer to listen to the 'original' Europe '72 for reasons I feel hard pressed to explain. Admittedly, I once had an embarrassingly large collection of Dead tapes so none of this material is new on me. I guess over the years, so many vault releases down the road, I've moved on from the knee-jerk reaction of, "wow, this sounds great compared to my supposed 2nd gen copy!" When I turn on a CD like this, I just hear a good quality rip of some shows that I've long been familiar with on tapes. So please don't be put off by my lukewarm reception, because the Dead were always better in 1972 and this is no exception. In fact, if you're totally new to the Dead, then I recommend you start here because the tracks represent what they did best: country, blues, and mind bending instrumental psychedelia. You don’t have to be a Deadhead to enjoy the record, either, it should appeal to a wide audience, at least a wide audience of classic rock listeners. None of these tracks appear on the predecessor, and all of them are welcome additions to the document. Notably, a '72 “Dark Star” finally sees the light of day. Gems from the first the first disc showcase the band’s transition into the short-song format introduced in 1971, cuts that demonstrate the band’s willingness to shed the ‘inaccessible’ label while proving that they hadn’t lost their any of their improvisational prowess. Also included are two Pigpen tunes, “Chinatown Shuffle” and “Next Time You See Me,” as well as a handful of other live staples. Pig's numbers were always my favorites, and 1972 was his last tour. Before I get too nostalgic, take a look at that cover. See? Ice cream kid is back!