The Grateful Dead - Two From The Vault (4LP)

Following on the heels of Light In The Attic's vinyl LP release of One From The Vault comes the next in the trilogy of From The Vault releases by the Grateful Dead. These releases are distinguished from the more abundant Dick's Picks series in that Dick's Picks are "direct from the soundboard" recordings, while the From The Vault series were professionally recorded on multi-track tape and then mixed down (decades) later for release.

Recorded live at the Shrine Auditorium (Los Angeles) in 1968, this is the worldwide vinyl debut release of this legendary show featuring the 6 piece line-up of Pigpen, Garcia, Weir, Lesh, Kruetzmann, & Hart, freshly remastered in 2014 by Joe Gastwirt for maximum mind expansion. 9 dynamic songs on 8 sides of wax, this show has previously only been available on CD; this is the first ever vinyl LP release!

Five songs weigh in around the 15-minute mark, while 3 others touch down close to 10 minutes - this is the Dead at their most improvisational while still retaining the Blues-Rock roots of the "Pigpen" years.

The band is able to achieve - if not arguably surpass - much of the same energy that drove the versions which became indelibly stamped into the psyche of the counterculture, as well as Deadheads world wide. Two from the Vault is a fun ride, as well as a glimpse into the immense improvisational talents of the Grateful Dead in the late '60s.