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Blues For Allah (Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered) album cover
Grateful Dead* – Blues For Allah
Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab – MFSL 2-483
Series: Gain 2™ Ultra Analog 45RPM 180g Series –
Format: 2 × Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered, 180g, Gatefold
Country: US
Released: 13 Dec 2019
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock, Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Tracklist
Show Credits
A1a Help On The Way 3:15
A1b Slipknot! 4:03
A2 Franklin's Tower (Roll Away The Dew) 4:32
B1a King Solomon's Marbles 1:55
B1b Stronger Than Dirt Or Milkin' The Turkey 3:25
B2 The Music Never Stopped 4:35
C1 Crazy Fingers 6:38
C2 Sage & Spirit 3:04
D1a Blues For Allah 3:21
D1b Sand Castles & Glass Camels 5:24
D1c Unusual Occurances In The Desert 3:48
Companies, etc.
Mastered At – Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Pressed By – Record Technology Incorporated
Manufactured By – Rhino Entertainment Company
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Grateful Dead Productions
Copyright (c) – Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Inc.
Published By – Ice Nine Publishing Co.
Recorded At – Ace's
Credits
Bass, Vocals – Phil Lesh
Cover [Cover Paintings] – Philip Garris
Drums, Percussion – Bill Kreutzmann
Engineer – Dan Healy
Engineer [Assistant Engineer] – Rob Taylor (4)
Guitar, Vocals – Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia
Keyboards, Vocals – Keith Godchaux
Mastered By – Krieg Wunderlich
Mixed By – Dan Healy, The Grateful Dead
Other [Production Assistant] – Betty Cantor, Bob Matthews, Brett Cohen, Ram Rod, Steve Brown
Other [Special Thanks] – Frankie, Joe Winslow, Otis, Rondelle, Steve Barncard*
Percussion, Other [Crickets] – Mickey Hart
Producer – Dan Healy, The Grateful Dead
Vocals – Donna Godchaux
Notes
Limited edition of 4,000.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Barcode: 821797248815
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Jerry Garcia -Gesang, Gitarre
Bob Weir - Gitarre, Gesang
Phil Lesh - E-Bass, Gesang
Bill Kreutzmann - Schlagzeug
Mickey Hart - Schlagzeug
Keith Godchaux - Keyboard
Donna Godchaux - Gesang
Die Aufnahmen erschien erstmals am 01.09.1975 bei Grateful Dead Records als GD-LA494-G.
Für ihr achtes Studioalbum zog es Grateful Dead Ende Februar 1975 nach Kalifornien in das private Tonstudio von Bob Weir, wo "Blues For Allah" in gut zwei Monaten entstand und schließlich im September desselben Jahres erschien. Das Album ist aus verschiedenen Gründen etwas anders und dadurch sogar noch ein wenig faszinierender als die Vorgängeralben. So hatten zum einen Grateful Dead vor den Aufnahmen eine fast zweijährige Auftritts- sowie Studiopause eingelegt, zum anderen kehrte der Perkussionist Mikey Hart wieder zur Band zurück. Ein weit wichtigerer Punkt dürfte allerdings sein, dass diesmal nicht bereits erprobte Bühnensongs eingespielt wurden, sondern die Band das Material erst gemeinsam und anscheinend mit sehr viel Freude entwickelte. "Blues For Allah" gehört zu den gewagteren Alben von Grateful Dead. Experimentell und voller Energie bleibt es dabei allerdings dennoch ausgeglichen und abwechslungsreich. Herausragend "Franklin's Tower" mit seinen leichten Reggae- und Blueseinflüssen, hervorragend relaxed ebenso "Crazy Fingers", jedoch ist es müßig einzelne Stücke hervorzuheben, sind doch alle Songs echte Volltreffer. "If You Get Confused, Listen To The Music Play" ist die lakonische Empfehlung von Grateful Dead-Sänger Jerry Garcia und ein wahrlich weiser Rat. Mit der nun erschienenen MFSL-Ausgabe ist dem Label wieder einmal eine im audiophilen Sinne endgültige Edition gelungen. Von den originalen Bändern durch Altmeister Krieg Wunderlich remastert, bei RTI mit 45UpM auf zwei 180g-schwere Vinylscheiben gepresst, klingt "Blues For Allah" besser als jemals zu vor. Nicht zögern also, denn das Album ist auch noch limitiert!
Das Album kommt auf zwei 45UpM-Vinylscheiben in antistatischen Innenhüllen im Klappcover und ist auf 4.000 Exemplare limitiert sowie fortlaufend numeriert.
Titel:
A1a: Help On The Way
A1b: Slipknot!
A2: Franklin's Tower (Roll Away The Dew)
B1a: King Solomon's Marbles
B1b: Stronger Than Dirt Or Milkin' The Turkey
B2: The Music Never Stopped
C1: Crazy Fingers
C2: Sage & Spirit
D1a: Blues For Allah
D1b: Sand Castles & Glass Camels
D1c: Unusual Occurances In The Desert
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Rezension:
Die Auszeit von der Bühne hatte der Band gut getan: Hochinspiriert und entspannt traf man sich in Bob Weirs Ace Studio, um die nächste LP einzuspielen. Jene wurde zwar das wahrscheinlich anspruchsvollste Werk in der ganzen ellenlangen Diskographie, spielt mit Funk-Elementen und dem Jazz von Miles Davis der semi-elektrischen Phase, klingt aber wie eben mal so aus dem Ärmel geschüttelt: Der federnde Groove läßt die hochkomplexen Harmonien wie selbstverständlich fließen. Jerry Garcias Understatement als Gitarrist wie als Sänger ist eigentlich mit Worten nicht beschreibbar, und das Rhodes-Spiel des Keith Godchaux ist ganz sicher nicht schlechter als das eines Herbie Hancock. Bob Weirs außergewöhnliche Musikalität zeigt sich vor allem im akustischen Instrumental "Sage & Spirit" – einer seiner schönsten auf Platte dokumentierten Momente, dabei basiert das Stück angeblich auf seinen 'Aufwärmübungen'… Nicht zuletzt läßt sich hier auch besonders deutlich nachvollziehen, was Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart und Bill Kreutzmann für eine Rhythmusgruppe waren! Einer der großen Höhepunkte im Dead-Katalog, der (einmal mehr!) sehr deutlich zeigt, welch Sorte Musiker in dieser Band zusammengefunden hatte. (1975/2019)
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1975 album marks Grateful Dead's rebirth, spiritualism and energy
Meticulously mastered from the original master tapes
Limited to 4,000 numbered copies pressed at RTI
Mobile Fidelity 180g 45RPM 2LP vinyl set features sublime dynamics, clarity and detail
"If you get confused, listen to the music play," counsels Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia on Blues for Allah. Surely, better advice has never been given. The band's only release during a self-imposed hiatus that lasted nearly 20 months, and the effort that witnessed the welcome return of percussionist Mickey Hart, the 1975 album marks the rebirth of a signature naturalism, spiritualism, and energy that had begun to fray because of ceaseless touring and financial pressures. And as experienced on this audiophile-caliber reissue, such inspired élan and elevated performance facets — embraced literally and figuratively on Bob Weir's hallmark "The Music Never Stopped" anthem — achieve transcendent heights.
Mastered from the original master tapes, pressed at RTI, and strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's 180-gram 45 RPM 2LP reissue possesses seemingly limitless dynamics, reference — grade presence, expansive soundstages, crystalline transparency, and a wealth of previously obscured information. Strongly informed by jazz themes and organic progressions, the album's arrangements unfold as a series of interlocking puzzle pieces that, together, comprise an adventurous landscape informed by compound structures, angelic harmonies, chiming tones, and brilliant colors. Every member's vocals resound with tube-like clarity and remain entirely free of artificial ceilings or unintended blurring.
The peerless transparency is reinforced by the chirping crickets on the title track, reggae-flecked crispness of "Crazy Fingers," and spinning-plate-on-a-stick rhythmic voodoo cast throughout by drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Recorded at Weir's intimate Ace Studios, Blues for Allah depicts the Grateful Dead returning to its collaborative roots: Entering the sessions with no preconceived ideas and letting inspiration move them brightly, resulting in improvised-meets-rehearsed compositions replete with varying time signatures, Middle Eastern motifs, and elegant scales. More than any other Grateful Dead studio record, Blues for Allah combines the ensemble's trademark exuberance with exacting precision and instrumental luster.
Side 1
1. Help on the Way/Slipknot!
2. Franklin's Tower
Side 2
1. King Solomon's Marbles
2. Stronger Than Dirt or Milkin' the Turkey
3. The Music Never Stopped
Side 3
1. Crazy Fingers
2. Sage & Spirit
Side 4
1. Blues for Allah
2. Sand Castles & Glass Camels
3. Unusual Occurrences in the Desert
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AAA 100% Analogue This LP was Remastered using Pure Analogue Components Only from the Master Tapes through to the Cutting Head
Mobile Fidelity - MFSL 2-483 - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl
AAA 100% Analogue - 4,000 Numbered Limited Edition -
Half Speed Mastered by Kreig Wunderlich from the Original Mastertape
The Grateful Dead- Blues For Allah is the Album by the legendary classic rock/jam band Grateful Dead.
The Music Never Stopped: Grateful Dead's Blues for Allah Marks a Return to the Band's Collaborative Roots: Soul-Nourishing 1975 Album Includes "Help on the Way/Slipknot!"
Mastered from the Original Master Tapes, Limited to 4,000 Numbered Copies: Mobile Fidelity 180g 45RPM 2LP Vinyl Set Features Sublime Dynamics, Clarity, Detail, and Presence
"If you get confused, listen to the music play," counsels Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia on Blues for Allah. Surely, better advice has never been given. The band's only release during a self-imposed hiatus that lasted nearly 20 months, and the effort that witnessed the welcome return of percussionist Mickey Hart, the 1975 album marks the rebirth of a signature naturalism, spiritualism, and energy that had begun to fray because of ceaseless touring and financial pressures. And as experienced on this audiophile-caliber reissue, such inspired élan and elevated performance facets – embraced literally and figuratively on Bob Weir's hallmark "The Music Never Stopped" anthem – achieve transcendent heights.
Mastered from the original master tapes, pressed at RTI, and strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's 180g 45RPM vinyl 2LP set possesses seemingly limitless dynamics, reference-grade presence, expansive soundstages, and a wealth of previously obscured information. Strongly informed by jazz themes and organic progressions, the album's arrangements unfold as a series of interlocking puzzle pieces that, together, comprise an adventurous landscape informed by compound structures, angelic harmonies, chiming tones, and brilliant colors. Every member's vocals resound with tube-like clarity and remain entirely free of artificial ceilings or unintended blurring.
The peerless transparency is reinforced by the chirping crickets on the title track, reggae-flecked crispness of "Crazy Fingers," and spinning-plate-on-a-stick rhythmic voodoo cast throughout by drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Recorded at Weir's intimate Ace Studios, Blues for Allah depicts the Grateful Dead returning to its collaborative roots: Entering the sessions with no preconceived ideas and letting inspiration move them brightly, resulting in improvised-meets-rehearsed compositions replete with varying time signatures, Middle Eastern motifs, and elegant scales. More than any other Grateful Dead studio record, Blues for Allah combines the ensemble's trademark exuberance with exacting precision and instrumental luster.
Aside from Phillip Garris' iconic, award-winning cover art dubbed "The Fidder," nothing illustrates the album's cosmic magic to the hair-raising extent of the album-closing "Blues for Allah" suite. A requiem, dirge, call to harmony, and plea for peace, the atonal closing track remains a subtle albeit universal statement about the importance of unity and the destruction that comes with war, division, and conflict. Delivered via Robert Hunter's poetic lyrics and the band's mesmerizing playing, the messages and prayerfulness resonate with as much – if not more – depth today than they did decades ago. Try not to lose yourself in the repeated refrains, Garcia's guitar arpeggios, or the invitation to twirl led by Keith Godchaux's graceful piano.
Of course, much of Blues for Allah is itself a dance goosed by a flurry of beautiful fusion devices and quicksilver melodies. Witness the taut "Crazy Fingers" – a series of haiku – or the knotty medley "Help on the Way/Slipknot!/Franklin's Tower," an exercise in controlled flow, urgent purpose, and, finally, liberating relief that remained a live staple from the moment it was introduced onstage. Not to be outdone, the wordless and acoustic-based "Sage & Spirit" feels the way its name sounds while the acid-jazz twists of "King Solomon's Marbles" swing via Phil Lesh's power-line-thick bass notes.
A soul-nourishing salve, Blues for Allah enchants with equal parts mysticism and reality, imagination and common sense. Rolling Stone scribe David Fricke insightfully deemed it a way to "shake away the darkness" and head "back to the light." Let it shine on brighter than ever via Mobile Fidelity's deluxe analog reissue.
Bass, Vocals – Phil Lesh
Drums, Percussion – Bill Kreutzmann
Engineer – Dan Healy
Guitar, Vocals – Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia
Keyboards, Vocals – Keith Godchaux
Mixed By – Dan Healy, The Grateful Dead
Vocals – Donna Godchaux
Help on the Way/Slipknot!
Franklin's Tower
King Solomon's Marbles (Part I: Stronger Than Dirt, Part II: Milkin' the Turkey)
The Music Never Stopped
Crazy Fingers
Sage & Spirit
Blues for Allah (Sand Castles & Glass Camels, Unusual Occurrences in the Desert)
Grateful Dead - Blues for Allah - 45rpm 180g 2LP
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GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ is a proprietary cutting system built and designed by legendary design genius Tim De Paravicini, with consultation from one of MFSL’s founding fathers – Stan Ricker, an audio engineer responsible for many of MFSL’s most heralded past releases.
The GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system is comprised of a Studer™ tape machine with customized reproduction electronics* and handcrafted cutting amps that drive an Ortofon cutting head on a restored Neumann VMS-70 lathe. (*It is worth noting that independent studies have confirmed that the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system can unveil sonic information all the way up to 122kHz!)
First and foremost, we only utilize first generation original master recordings as source material for our releases. We then play back master tapes at half speed enabling the GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ system to fully extract the master’s sonic information. Our lacquers are then plated in a specialized process that protects transients in the musical signal. (Due to this process, there may be occasional pops or ticks inherent in initial play back, but as the disc is played more, a high quality stylus will actually polish the grooves and improve the sound). We further ensure optimum sound quality by strictly limiting the number of pressings printed for each release. These limited editions, in addition to being collectors’ items, ensure that the quality of the last pressing matches the quality of the first.
As you can imagine, all these efforts involve a tremendous amount of time, technology, cost and effort. The introduction of GAIN 2 Ultra Analog™ maintains Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s position as the world’s leading audiophile record label, where a passion for music with extraordinary sound quality matters most.
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Record Technology is a world class record pressing plant located in Camarillo, California. We have been operating since 1974, pressing for most audiophile record labels and for many quality minded independent and major record labels from around the world.
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