Possibly the greatest album the Grateful Dead never released, the recordings on this collection are nothing short of exceptional. The band sound much more like British blues rock stalwarts The Yardbirds and even early Rolling Stones. That these tapes remained unpublished and hidden in Owsley Stanley's vault for so long is remarkable given the enormous interest in and available volume of bootleg recordings of the Dead. The sound is also outstanding and even more surprising given the age and questionable conditions in which the tapes were stored. The precision and attack of the performances are rivalled only by the impressive quality of the recordings and mixes. How much of this was achieved with the current technology is unclear. No matter. The excitement present in these tracks will bewilder even the casual listener. Garcia's lead guitar (a hollow body Gibson which was his preference at the time) stands front and center with clarity and verve. Pigpen's (Ron McKernan) delivery dispels any doubt that he was a bluesman of unquestionable talent both in vocal range and harmonica skill. This is particularly evident in his highly emotive rendition of King Bee and Caution. Elsewhere, Bob Weir's vocals bear an uncanny resemblance to a certain Mr. Jagger in Not Fade Away with comparable persuasiveness. While the Grateful Dead's eponymous debut was different and interesting in its day, it did not sound great and also failed to convey the live experience of the band. The sound and style of that first album would quickly evolve into further experimental explorations and eventually lead to the more roots-oriented country blues of Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. These recordings offer a rich view of the band's earliest days - a brief period in which the band was as good if not better than any other electric blues outfit of the time but also on the verge of a major transition that would distinguish them from any other '60s blues-oriented rock band. All of this of course sounds even better on this limited edition (only 6600 were pressed) vinyl reissue - a much truer reproduction of how this music must have sounded when it was originally performed. The listener feels as if they have been transported back in time to 1966 and were fortunate enough to be present for the rehearsals and live performances that these tracks represent. The lacquers were also cut by the legendary Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering further raising the advantage of owning this collection on vinyl. It's a shame that only 6600 copies will be made available as these records are a must-have for any serious fan of the Dead and will no doubt justify the higher prices that will be paid to acquire them after RSD 2013 has come and gone. - Joel Smith

Wonderful collection of covers and rarities. Recording quality and mastering is phenomenal!