Jerry Garcia and David Grisman / Shady Grove (1996)

Before he was “Jerry Garcia” of the Grateful Dead, he was a guy named Jerry Garcia with a passion for folk music and a natural talent on the guitar and banjo. As the Grateful Dead exploded, Garcia continued moonlighting with his other interests. Here he teams up with longtime friend and equally capable 8-string slinging partner David Grisman to treat a batch of old American favorites on their respective acoustic instruments. The atmosphere is that of a laid back jam between friends, both players clearly enjoying their time together. Listen to Garcia’s aged vocal on “Dreadful Wind and Rain,” adding an appropriately spooky air to the song’s story. Instrumental work by both Garcia and Grisman is of a very high quality, as you’d expect from either or both of them, and their patience and playing styles complement one another nicely. Garcia’s 5-string frailing on “Sweet Sunny South” or Grisman’s work with the banjolin (a mandolin with a banjo head – a positively obnoxious instrument) on “Stealin’” are both standout performances. Detailed liner notes assist listeners in interpreting the history of each song. It’s a disc that I return to time and time again, worn out and renewed after staying on the shelf for a while. If you enjoy Shady Grove, I encourage you to enter the rabbit hole that is Grisman’s Acoustic Disc label of “100% Handmade Music,” where you’ll find plenty more of this fare to choose from.

10,000 Maniacs / MTV Unplugged (1993)

I first heard 10,000 Maniacs when I was young and a new kid named Dane moved in down the block. His parents were younger than mine and instead of having record collections laden with albums by the Beatles and Stones, they had a closet filled with cassette tapes of newer, different music that I had never heard. One afternoon we walked in the house and his mom was listening to the recently recorded 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged. The song was "Hey Jack Kerouac" and I was hooked. Dane made fun of me for complementing his mom's wimpy acoustic music, although neither of us had any idea who Jack Kerouac was.

The Maniacs' studio output is superb, but the Unplugged set does a fine job of capturing the group's grown-up essence on disc. Some of what they do here, mostly the cuts from Our Time in Eden, are not a whole lot different than their studio counterparts. But other arrangements are a major departure from the jangly, danceable college rock we're all familiar with. I think it's a change which works well, and one which reflects the mature polish of band's final studio album. A dark mood pervades the disc that is better suited to expressing the songs' lyrical content. The occasion has a heavy atmosphere, inspiring a bittersweet feeling somewhere between a graduation and a funeral. That inertia could stem from Merchant's impending departure, marking an end to the band and the era. Either way, the theme of farewell is underscored by a solemn but joyful delivery, as well as the audience's gratuitous appreciation between tracks which seems to say thank you and goodbye all at once.

The group is supported by a modest orchestra of vocalists, strings, and winds, plus the mandolin, pipe organ, and slide guitar. This diverse ensemble is arranged with a nod to sparse utility, never overpowering Merchant's vocals or overpowering the songs themselves. Sophisticated contours of the Maniacs' trademark folk-pop hybrid are brought to the fore and the best qualities of the songwriting - interplay between melody and lyrics, vocalist and instrumentation - are laid before listeners with stark new contrasts of impact and subtlety. Each song has different instrumentation so listening to the whole album is very engaging and never monotonous. Songs like "Hey Jack Kerouac" and "Because the Night" are rendered with fresh enthusiasm and a rich new aural textures. "Eat for Two" is finally given a musical treatment that is appropriate for its lyrics. The performances are patient and relaxed, allowing the music plenty of space to bloom. For a recording of a taped television appearance, the audio quality is surprisingly good, too. 

For writing on other Maniacal topics, I recommend Don Ignacio's 10,000 Maniacs page.
To purchase this album on the format of your choice, try hitting up a seller at Discogs.com