Great work from the team handling archival releasing from this everlasting, "monsters of rock!", band--[read brand].

The Grateful Dead are emblematic of the rock counter culture of four decades. 65 to 95.

While the turbulence in the parking lots of the last 7 or 8 hundred shows resulted in them not being asked back to Frost after 1989--by then they had Shoreline!

Whole tours sold out via Mail-Order ticketing. Chaos reigned outside but on stage at the center of the maelstrom, was a very wealthy band still finding some of what they were playing to be well worth their while.

There, on tour, the stage was always a place where the old and new met, and various differing arrangements and rearrangements happened from night to night.

These nine songs were culled from the many many attempts to present live versions of new songs written and/or performed in their last half decade, '91 to '95.

"Ready or Not"--the title refers to a line in the pre-chorus of Bob Weir's jaunty bounce, "Corrina"--could be one of the best albums yet to be released based on what's in the archives representing all the shows played during the band's very troubled last few years.

The songs are all well recorded and remastered perfectly by Grateful Dead Productions. Thanks David Lemieux.

A stealth release here at KZSU, where the focus has certainly moved away from the type of band they are represented to be, although that reputation is not so evident in this set, because of the somewhat sobering effect some of the music has, by comparison with earlier exploits. Here Album Oriented Rock, or so called AOR considerations are very clearly observed, and I would doubt less seasoned ears could hear the flavor of Dark Star from 1969 in these songs.

Already, this release from November of 2019, has has peaked at #172 on Billboard's U.S. top 200 sales chart, in December 2019.

Reviewed by Shiney Mike.

No FCCs

1. Liberty..(6:14) Mid tempo Americana, Jerry Garcia (who died Aug/9/1995) sings...'freedom, liberty...leave me alone, I can find my own way home"

2. Eternity..(10:10). Bob Weir ponders everything with an assist from Legendary Blues Songwriter, Willie Dixon... seems like it.

3.Lazy River Road... (6:54) Garcia sings, plaintive melody, simplicity and symmetry in a perfect Hunter set of lyrics...a jewel.

4.Samba In The Rain (6:44) Final Garcia era keyboardist/vocalist, Vince Welnick was formerly of The Tubes. He came to the rescue after the band suffered Brent Mydland's off tour overdose death, July 26th, 1990.
Vince worked with Lyricist Robert Hunter who passed away (9/23/2019) to create this bouncy gem. But is it really a samba?

5. So Many Roads (7:33) Jerry Garcia's gospel tinged last ballad. Written w Hunter as it started to become clear, the life he lived might be nearing it's completion after his two near death health lapses, for at least one of which, I know, he was treated at Stanford...

6. Way To Go Home (6:02) Sizzle and shizzle, 4 part harmonies, Lead by Vince, who died by his own hand 6/2/2006. Guess he knows now.

7. Corrina (15:27) Big groovy Bobby thing written with drummer Micky Hart and R. Hunter.
Cool long tail and echoing guitar leads.

8.Easy Answers--(7:00) Weir leads another questing piece clever building block changes, ascend until relieved by and with unexpected group vocals and even a section of high intensity call and response. Since '94 a studio version of this song actually does exist, [deep stored by the Zoo], it had been released by Bassist Rob Wasserman on his 1994 album called, simply: Trios.

9. Days Between (13:25) Saved the best for last-epic, final big second set ballad statement Stately and mysterious...a classical 14 line sonnet set to Garcia's late period vocal mumble/growl wails on over hill and dale, over the seas and through gardens and deserts. Incredible if you can find a place for it, it's so unique.