Grateful Dead: Wake Of The Flood (1973)

 

1973 saw several big changes for the Grateful Dead. Sadly, the world lost Pigpen in March, at that cursed age of 27. With him went a sizable portion of their song rotation, but that freed up a lot of setlist space, for the band to stretch out elsewhere. Also, their contract with Warners was fulfilled with the release of Bear’s Choice and the band was launching their own label, Grateful Dead Records (and the Round subsidiary, for solo releases). 

The Dead’s maiden release as an indie band was this fantastic, diverse set of songs. Recording solely on their terms, the band sounds relaxed here, as they dish up future classics such as “Eyes Of The World”, “Stella Blue”, “Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo”, and “Row Jimmy”. Those songs are ones that would never leave rotation and “Eyes Of The World” is a top five contender, for sure. 

Elsewhere, we are treated to the one and only Keith Godchaux song, “Let Me Sing Your Blues Away”. Co-written with Robert Hunter, this is one of the most obscure songs in the catalogue, and was only performed six times (all in September 1973). It’s a bit of a goofy song but it’s got a fun vibe. 

The Dead invoke the Beatles for “Here Comes Sunshine”, which kicks off side two splendidly. This song quickly became a monster on stage, and then swiftly disappeared from rotation for two decades, before making a spectacular return on 12/6/92. This song coulda/shoulda been a hit. 

Lastly, we have Bob Weir’s contribution, the extended, multi-sectioned “Weather Report Suite”. This was not only Bob’s most ambitious work but one of the most complex songs in the band’s entire canon. And it is spectacular. The third part, “Let It Grow”, went on to be a standard in the repertoire until the end, and usually lent itself to some of their most impressive jamming. But it is best when taken as a whole and even though this was even more epic as a live number, this studio version is pretty great. 

The Dead would release two more albums on their own label while at the same time flourishing in what was arguably their greatest period as a live band. I love this era so much.