Wake of the Flood (1973) [Grateful Dead]

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Wake of the Flood was an album that had been missing from my Grateful Dead collection for quite some time, but that was somewhat intentional as I was waiting for that 50th Anniversary Edition. Something I'm also doing with From the Mars Hotel, by the way, but I'm hoping for a slightly nicer release. Two demos and a handful of live songs... Give me an Aoxomoxoa, Anthem of the Sun or Workingman's Dead release in terms of extras! That aside, it is of course the original studio album that matters most. An album that goes in a different direction than Workingman's Dead and American Beauty and that is of course mainly due to the switch in keyboard player. Exit Pigpen, enter Keith Godchaux and that change is mainly clear in Let Me Sing Your Blues Away. The only song ever on a Grateful Dead studio album that is sung by Keith and unfortunately I don't like it that much. A feeling that I have a number of times with Wake of the Flood. I often find Here Comes Sunshine quite cringeworthy live and the studio version is not much better than that. What is left then? Fortunately, still a lot! Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo is a great opener and I've always had a huge soft spot for Row Jimmy with that tempo change at the end, although there are countless live versions that make this studio version pale in comparison. It's also nice to hear the complete Weather Report Suite and with Eyes of the World and Stella Blue you also have two phenomenal songs that always do well with me. Wake of the Flood is seems like a bit of a disappointment, but that may also be because it is crammed between Workingman's Dead and Blues for Allah. The next studio album would be my favorite studio album by these gentlemen (and lady). I'm curious what kind of 50th Anniversary that will be, I've had the regular version for a long time, but I can see myself (just like with Workingman's Dead) going overboard if it concerns a good bonus.

Tracklist:

  1. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo
  2. Let Me Sing Your Blues Away
  3. Row Jimmy
  4. Stella Blue
  5. Here Comes Sunshine
  6. Eyes of the World
  7. Weather Report Suite


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