<span>Disc 1</span>
<span class="post-b">Продолжительность</span>: 41:55<br>
<span class="post-b">Треклист</span>:<br>
01. Santy Anno <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:15)</span></span><br>
02. I Got A Home In That Rock <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:46)</span></span><br>
03. Oh, Mary Don't You Weep <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:31)</span></span><br>
04. All My Trials <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(4:01)</span></span><br>
05. I Was Born Ten Thousand Years Ago <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:12)</span></span><br>
06. Blow The Candles Out <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:02)</span></span><br>
07. Rake And A Rambling Boy <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:31)</span></span><br>
08. Trouble Mind <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:11)</span></span><br>
09. Brown's Ferry Blues <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:51)</span></span><br>
10. Jesse James <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(4:13)</span></span><br>
11. Down In The Willow Garden <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:48)</span></span><br>
12. Lonesome Road <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:39)</span></span><br>
13. Railroad Bill <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:17)</span></span><br>
14. The Wagoner's Lad <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:00)</span></span><br>
15. Katie Cruel <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:40)</span></span>
<span>Лог проверки качества</span>
<pre class="post-pre"><br>foobar2000 1.3.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1<br>log date: 2018-05-13 14:34:04<span class="post-br"><br></span>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>Analyzed: Jerry Garcia / Before The Dead (Disc 1)<br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<span class="post-br"><br></span>DR Peak RMS Duration Track<br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>DR8 -3.41 dB -13.92 dB 2:15 01-Santy Anno<br>DR9 -2.75 dB -17.25 dB 1:46 02-I Got A Home In That Rock<br>DR7 -2.93 dB -13.14 dB 3:31 03-Oh, Mary Don't You Weep<br>DR11 -2.18 dB -16.34 dB 4:01 04-All My Trials<br>DR10 -2.58 dB -14.85 dB 2:12 05-I Was Born Ten Thousand Years Ago<br>DR9 -3.26 dB -13.90 dB 2:02 06-Blow The Candles Out<br>DR9 -4.27 dB -15.63 dB 1:31 07-Rake And A Rambling Boy<br>DR10 -2.72 dB -15.13 dB 3:11 08-Trouble Mind<br>DR12 -1.55 dB -17.17 dB 2:51 09-Brown's Ferry Blues<br>DR10 -1.51 dB -13.24 dB 4:13 10-Jesse James<br>DR11 -1.15 dB -14.92 dB 1:48 11-Down In The Willow Garden<br>DR9 -2.74 dB -14.53 dB 2:39 12-Lonesome Road<br>DR10 -1.89 dB -14.63 dB 3:17 13-Railroad Bill<br>DR13 -2.31 dB -19.89 dB 3:00 14-The Wagoner's Lad<br>DR12 -1.28 dB -17.25 dB 3:40 15-Katie Cruel<br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<span class="post-br"><br></span>Number of tracks: 15<br>Official DR value: DR10<span class="post-br"><br></span>Samplerate: 88200 Hz<br>Channels: 2<br>Bits per sample: 24<br>Bitrate: 1312 kbps<br>Codec: FLAC<br>================================================================================<span class="post-br"><br></span></pre>
<span>Disc 2</span>
<span class="post-b">Продолжительность</span>: 65:54<br>
<span class="post-b">Треклист</span>:<br>
01. Cannonball Blues <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:02)</span></span><br>
02. Little Birdie <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:17)</span></span><br>
03. Sally Goodin <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:06)</span></span><br>
04. Hold The Woodpile Down <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:32)</span></span><br>
05. Legend Of The Johnson Boys <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:10)</span></span><br>
06. Shady Grove <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:48)</span></span><br>
07. Sweet Sunny South <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:13)</span></span><br>
08. Man Of Constant Sorrow <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:26)</span></span><br>
09. Band Introductions <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:12)</span></span><br>
10. Roving Gambler <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:46)</span></span><br>
11. Ground Speed <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:28)</span></span><br>
12. Pig In A Pen <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:15)</span></span><br>
13. Standing In Need Of Prayer <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:09)</span></span><br>
14. Flint Hill Special <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:00)</span></span><br>
15. Nine Pound Hammer <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:42)</span></span><br>
16. Handsome Molly <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:19)</span></span><br>
17. Clinch Mountain Backstep <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:18)</span></span><br>
18. Think Of What You've Done <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:40)</span></span><br>
19. Cripple Creek <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:24)</span></span><br>
20. All The Good Times <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:07)</span></span><br>
21. Billy Grimes, The Rover <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:42)</span></span><br>
22. Boys, My Money's All Gone <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:38)</span></span><br>
23. Run Mountain <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(4:11)</span></span><br>
24. Sugar Baby <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:52)</span></span><br>
25. Sitting On Top Of The World <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:37)</span></span>
<span>Лог проверки качества</span>
<pre class="post-pre"><br>foobar2000 1.3.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1<br>log date: 2018-05-13 14:33:37<span class="post-br"><br></span>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>Analyzed: Jerry Garcia / Before The Dead (Disc 2)<br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<span class="post-br"><br></span>DR Peak RMS Duration Track<br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>DR15 -0.35 dB -19.25 dB 3:02 01-Cannonball Blues<br>DR11 -0.05 dB -13.97 dB 3:17 02-Little Birdie<br>DR14 -0.19 dB -16.79 dB 2:06 03-Sally Goodin<br>DR11 -0.06 dB -13.78 dB 3:32 04-Hold The Woodpile Down<br>DR14 -0.15 dB -16.73 dB 3:10 05-Legend Of The Johnson Boys<br>DR12 -0.03 dB -15.99 dB 2:48 06-Shady Grove<br>DR12 -0.03 dB -15.41 dB 3:13 07-Sweet Sunny South<br>DR15 -0.74 dB -20.40 dB 2:26 08-Man Of Constant Sorrow<br>DR17 -5.78 dB -27.59 dB 1:12 09-Band Introductions<br>DR11 -1.16 dB -13.33 dB 3:46 10-Roving Gambler<br>DR10 -1.18 dB -12.84 dB 1:28 11-Ground Speed<br>DR10 -1.22 dB -13.24 dB 2:15 12-Pig In A Pen<br>DR11 -1.12 dB -14.66 dB 2:09 13-Standing In Need Of Prayer<br>DR10 -1.24 dB -13.76 dB 2:00 14-Flint Hill Special<br>DR10 -1.13 dB -13.01 dB 2:42 15-Nine Pound Hammer<br>DR10 -1.17 dB -13.11 dB 2:19 16-Handsome Molly<br>DR10 -1.35 dB -13.06 dB 1:18 17-Clinch Mountain Backstep<br>DR10 -1.17 dB -12.84 dB 2:40 18-Think Of What You've Done<br>DR10 -1.22 dB -13.03 dB 1:24 19-Cripple Creek<br>DR10 -1.13 dB -13.05 dB 3:07 20-All The Good Times<br>DR11 -1.22 dB -13.21 dB 2:42 21-Billy Grimes, The Rover<br>DR11 -1.25 dB -13.80 dB 1:38 22-Boys, My Money's All Gone<br>DR10 -1.32 dB -13.66 dB 4:11 23-Run Mountain<br>DR11 -1.57 dB -14.70 dB 3:52 24-Sugar Baby<br>DR12 -1.18 dB -14.92 dB 3:37 25-Sitting On Top Of The World<br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<span class="post-br"><br></span>Number of tracks: 25<br>Official DR value: DR12<span class="post-br"><br></span>Samplerate: 88200 Hz<br>Channels: 2<br>Bits per sample: 24<br>Bitrate: 1402 kbps<br>Codec: FLAC<br>================================================================================<span class="post-br"><br></span></pre>
<span>Disc 3</span>
<span class="post-b">Продолжительность</span>: 42:39<br>
<span class="post-b">Треклист</span>:<br>
01. Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:25)</span></span><br>
02. Jerry's Breakdown <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:08)</span></span><br>
03. Standing In Need Of Prayer <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:38)</span></span><br>
04. Muleskinner Blues <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:23)</span></span><br>
05. Saturday Night Shuffle <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:05)</span></span><br>
06. Pike County Breakdown <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:44)</span></span><br>
07. The Little Sparrow <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:25)</span></span><br>
08. We Shall Not Be Moved <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:42)</span></span><br>
09. Deep Elum Blues <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:16)</span></span><br>
10. Will The Weaver <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:13)</span></span><br>
11. Truly Understand <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:20)</span></span><br>
12. Long Black Veil <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(4:28)</span></span><br>
13. The Man Who Wrote <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:38)</span></span><br>
14. Foggy Mountain Top <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:13)</span></span>
<span>Лог проверки качества</span>
<pre class="post-pre"><br>foobar2000 1.3.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1<br>log date: 2018-05-13 14:33:08<span class="post-br"><br></span>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>Analyzed: Jerry Garcia / Before The Dead (Disc 3)<br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<span class="post-br"><br></span>DR Peak RMS Duration Track<br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>DR11 -0.02 dB -13.69 dB 3:25 01-Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms<br>DR12 -0.01 dB -14.88 dB 2:08 02-Jerry's Breakdown<br>DR11 -0.02 dB -13.79 dB 2:38 03-Standing In Need Of Prayer<br>DR10 -0.01 dB -13.49 dB 3:23 04-Muleskinner Blues<br>DR13 -0.04 dB -15.75 dB 2:05 05-Saturday Night Shuffle<br>DR12 -0.04 dB -14.28 dB 1:44 06-Pike County Breakdown<br>DR10 -0.04 dB -13.26 dB 3:25 07-The Little Sparrow<br>DR12 -0.01 dB -14.38 dB 2:42 08-We Shall Not Be Moved<br>DR11 -0.01 dB -13.93 dB 3:16 09-Deep Elum Blues<br>DR11 -0.01 dB -13.51 dB 3:13 10-Will The Weaver<br>DR12 -0.01 dB -13.85 dB 3:20 11-Truly Understand<br>DR13 -0.01 dB -16.91 dB 4:28 12-Long Black Veil<br>DR12 -0.01 dB -14.16 dB 3:38 13-The Man Who Wrote<br>DR10 -0.01 dB -12.65 dB 3:13 14-Foggy Mountain Top<br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<span class="post-br"><br></span>Number of tracks: 14<br>Official DR value: DR11<span class="post-br"><br></span>Samplerate: 88200 Hz<br>Channels: 2<br>Bits per sample: 24<br>Bitrate: 1374 kbps<br>Codec: FLAC<br>================================================================================<span class="post-br"><br></span></pre>
<span>Disc 4</span>
<span class="post-b">Продолжительность</span>: 71:25<br>
<span class="post-b">Треклист</span>:<br>
01. Barefoot Nellie <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:41)</span></span><br>
02. She Is More To Be Pittied <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:26)</span></span><br>
03. Noah's Breakdown <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:18)</span></span><br>
04. Who Will Sing For Me <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:07)</span></span><br>
05. Salt Creek <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:18)</span></span><br>
06. Jody's Hornpipe <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:51)</span></span><br>
07. Rosa Lee MC Fall <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:31)</span></span><br>
08. John Hardy - Closing Theme <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:25)</span></span><br>
09. Katie Kline <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:17)</span></span><br>
10. Walkin' The Dog <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:09)</span></span><br>
11. Paddy On The Turnpike <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:10)</span></span><br>
12. Love And Wealth <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:19)</span></span><br>
13. Sourwood Mountain <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(0:45)</span></span><br>
14. If I Lose <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:16)</span></span><br>
15. Homestead On The Farm <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:20)</span></span><br>
16. Stoney Creek <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:23)</span></span><br>
17. Salty Dog Blues <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:28)</span></span><br>
18. Love Please Come Home <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:20)</span></span><br>
19. Make Me A Pallet On The Floor <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:27)</span></span><br>
20. Darlin' Allalee <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:18)</span></span><br>
21. In The Pines <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:15)</span></span><br>
22. Rawhide <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:32)</span></span><br>
23. Black Mountain Rag <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:12)</span></span><br>
24. True Life Blues <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:20)</span></span><br>
25. Medley <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:45)</span></span><br>
26. Drink Up And Go Home <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:05)</span></span><br>
27. These Men Of God <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(3:13)</span></span><br>
28. Roll On Buddy <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(2:11)</span></span><br>
29. Goodbye Old Pal <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:50)</span></span><br>
30. Back Up And Push <span class="p-color" style="color: #090098;"><span class="post-i">(1:10)</span></span>
<span>Лог проверки качества</span>
<pre class="post-pre"><br>foobar2000 1.3.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1<br>log date: 2018-05-13 14:32:43<span class="post-br"><br></span>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>Analyzed: Jerry Garcia / Before The Dead (Disc 4)<br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<span class="post-br"><br></span>DR Peak RMS Duration Track<br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>DR13 -0.46 dB -18.22 dB 3:41 01-Barefoot Nellie<br>DR14 -1.72 dB -18.77 dB 3:26 02-She Is More To Be Pittied<br>DR11 -1.18 dB -16.18 dB 2:18 03-Noah's Breakdown<br>DR14 -2.53 dB -19.09 dB 2:07 04-Who Will Sing For Me<br>DR13 -0.77 dB -16.08 dB 2:18 05-Salt Creek<br>DR12 -2.42 dB -16.71 dB 1:51 06-Jody's Hornpipe<br>DR12 -0.06 dB -15.26 dB 2:31 07-Rosa Lee MC Fall<br>DR10 -1.48 dB -14.97 dB 1:25 08-John Hardy - Closing Theme<br>DR10 -2.84 dB -16.39 dB 3:17 09-Katie Kline<br>DR9 -2.73 dB -13.97 dB 2:09 10-Walkin' The Dog<br>DR10 -1.79 dB -15.74 dB 3:10 11-Paddy On The Turnpike<br>DR10 -1.83 dB -14.63 dB 2:19 12-Love And Wealth<br>DR9 -1.54 dB -12.22 dB 0:45 13-Sourwood Mountain<br>DR11 -1.10 dB -14.63 dB 2:16 14-If I Lose<br>DR12 -1.01 dB -14.81 dB 2:20 15-Homestead On The Farm<br>DR12 -1.07 dB -15.78 dB 2:23 16-Stoney Creek<br>DR11 -1.01 dB -14.88 dB 2:28 17-Salty Dog Blues<br>DR12 -1.01 dB -15.44 dB 2:20 18-Love Please Come Home<br>DR11 -1.01 dB -14.42 dB 2:27 19-Make Me A Pallet On The Floor<br>DR9 -1.01 dB -12.84 dB 2:18 20-Darlin' Allalee<br>DR9 -1.94 dB -13.19 dB 3:15 21-In The Pines<br>DR8 -2.19 dB -13.18 dB 2:32 22-Rawhide<br>DR12 -1.97 dB -17.38 dB 2:12 23-Black Mountain Rag<br>DR9 -2.26 dB -13.36 dB 2:20 24-True Life Blues<br>DR10 -2.22 dB -14.21 dB 1:45 25-Medley<br>DR10 -2.75 dB -14.67 dB 3:05 26-Drink Up And Go Home<br>DR10 -3.13 dB -17.28 dB 3:13 27-These Men Of God<br>DR10 -2.17 dB -15.29 dB 2:11 28-Roll On Buddy<br>DR11 -0.46 dB -14.10 dB 1:50 29-Goodbye Old Pal<br>DR12 -0.25 dB -15.79 dB 1:10 30-Back Up And Push<br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<span class="post-br"><br></span>Number of tracks: 30<br>Official DR value: DR11<span class="post-br"><br></span>Samplerate: 88200 Hz<br>Channels: 2<br>Bits per sample: 24<br>Bitrate: 1402 kbps<br>Codec: FLAC<br>================================================================================<span class="post-br"><br></span></pre>
<span>Об издании</span>
<span class="post-align" style="text-align: justify;">Among the buried treasures on Before the Dead, the most comprehensive collection of music Jerry Garcia learned and played prior to the formation of his most famous band, is a casual moment from 1961. At a 16th birthday party for his girlfriend, Garcia and his new pal and fellow would-be troubadour Robert Hunter are heard singing and playing traditional, non-pop tunes. After a version of the oft-covered blues "Trouble in Mind," someone at the party seems to shout out a request. "Me, play rock & roll?" Garcia responds dismissively. "No, it's never happened."<span class="post-br"><br></span>Of course, that musical U-turn would come to pass, but not before Garcia spent several years immersed in bluegrass and folk, playing in a succession of Palo Alto-area bands with oddball names like the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers. To date, only a small portion of the recordings he made with those combos has been released, making the multi-disc Before the Dead the deepest – and most educational – dive yet into Garcia's pre-Dead musical life. Right up to his death, Garcia would periodically revisit his bluegrass roots, from the wonderful but short-lived Old and in the Way to albums he made with mandolinist David Grisman. But Before the Dead reveals, in more detail than ever before, when and how that appetite began and why numbers like "Deep Elem Blues" and "Rosa Lee McFall," both heard here, made their way into the Dead's repertoire.<span class="post-br"><br></span>That birthday-party tape, long written about but never released in its entirety until now, introduces one of Garcia's earliest incarnations: the folkie. He wasn't alone in dismissing rock & roll at that point; before the Beatles, it was widely assumed the genre was toast, embodied by Elvis' smoothed-over, post-Army return. Vernacular music of all types was the new underground, and in keeping with the times, Garcia and Hunter come on like a Kingston Duo, heartily singing sea chanties and spirituals. In 1963 club recordings with his guitar-playing first wife, Sara, Garcia is a solemn folksinger, harmonizing with her on American and Brit folk tunes and singing an especially dour "Long Black Veil."<span class="post-br"><br></span>Before the Dead documents the way Garcia gradually shifted from guitar to banjo, although anyone expecting lengthy, jammy improvs on the latter instrument may be disappointed. Hints of the later Garcia emerge mainly in his droll between-song wisecracks (he intros Jimmie Rodgers' "Mule Skinner Blues" as "for the mule-skinning community" or calls one of his bands "the Slugs" instead of their proper name). But once he joined bluegrass groups, Garcia and his fellow singers and pickers were nothing if not earnest in their devotion to the genre. Playing with Hunter, early Garcia pal and future New Riders of the Purple Sage guitarist David Nelson, and pickers like guitarist Sandy Rothman and banjoist-guitarist Marshall Leicester, he and the musicians work hard at sounding mountain-authentic. Garcia's a cappella reading of "Man of Constant Sorrow'" won't be mistaken for a field recording, but it's not jejune collegiate folk either.<span class="post-br"><br></span>With rare exception – like a kazoo-speed "Brown's Ferry Blues" by Garcia, Hunter and Leicester – the music rarely exhibits the acid-folk looniness of the Holy Modal Rounders, who were taking a similar approach in New York during the same time. But there's no denying Garcia and his cohorts' seriousness of purpose. With the Hart Valley Drifters, driven by Ken Frankel's fiddle and banjo, Garcia and friends dive into obscure Earl Scruggs and Ralph Stanley songs. With the Wildwood Boys, Garcia unleashes a crisp, joyous banjo ripple on one his first originals, the instrumental "Jerry's Breakdown." By the time we reach his last and most limber band of the period, the Black Mountain Boys, Garcia's banjo playing is more assured (check out his solo on Bill Monroe's "Salt Creek") and the band's harmonies, as on a version of "In the Pines," sound as close to Appalachia as these Cali boys will get. Garcia's own solo vocals throughout the box don't have the sweet, insouciant sparkle that came with the Dead, but then, never again would he sound quite so unsullied.<span class="post-br"><br></span>At four CDs (or five LPs, for that old-school vibe), Before the Dead may be too overwhelming for newcomers. The set is crying out for one of those single-disc distillations that were simultaneously released with boxed sets back in the day. But given the ways the Dead could stretch out a song to a half hour or roll out triple LPs like Europe '72, this deluge of primordial Garcia makes a twisted sort of sense. And in retrospect, it adds another dimension to his journey: Maybe the rigidity of bluegrass made Garcia eager to bust out into more exploratory music.</span>