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The Grateful Dead

The Music Never Stopped (Live)

Music

Sound

Grateful Dead The Music Never Stopped

Label: Rhino Records

Produced By: The Grateful Dead

Engineered By: Dan Healy, Betty Cantor-Jackson, John Cutler, Owsley Stanley, Kidd Candelario

Mastered By: Jeffrey Norman

By: Abigail Devoe

June 18th, 2025

Genre:

Rock Jam Band

Format:

Vinyl

No, Not The Movie: The Grateful Dead Sling 6-LP “The Music Never Stopped” Compilation

One of the least likely people to “get on the bus” buys a ticket, in the form of Rhino’s 6-LP “highlights” compilation.

Aside from American Beauty, I’d always seen the Grateful Dead as the worst American rock-and-roll had to offer. Oversaturated, meandering, and uber-merchandised. To me, they weren’t so much a band as they were a brand. It wasn’t until a recent dive into avant-psych statement Anthem of the Sun that I “got it.” Suddenly, I was able to see past the tie-dye and bleary-eyed, syrupy-sweet nostalgia. I’d finally struck gold; the feeling I’d always heard about from Dead Heads. There’s no one word in the English language for it, but artist Bill Walker called it “The Beast.”

Feeling enthusiastic – even a little tolerant of noodling – I bought my $150 bus ticket in the form of Rhino’s The Music Never Stopped box set. (No, it’s got nothing to do with the movie.) At least one song on this six-LP collection represents each show on the limited-edition Enjoying The Ride. At 60 pieces and an eye-watering $600...I’ll take the budget route, thanks.

I was curious to hear how “The Beast” held up over the four decades represented on The Music Never Stopped. I was looking for exactly what this collection is: a sampler. Getting off the bus at each era, dipping my toe in, maybe even getting into the groove. Then hopping back on and riding to the next spot. From the jump: having this perspective is key to getting something out of The Music Never Stopped. Newbies and completionists will enjoy this ride.

If there’s any one way to describe the Dead, it’s consistently inconsistent. They admitted as much! It’s not so much about the destination, it’s the journey there. This principle extends to The Music Never Stopped. Twenty venues are represented – many soundboard recordings previously unreleased – and just as many sources between them all. As far as recording fidelity goes, this is a bumpy ride! Some numbers are captured spectacularly; like this set’s closing suite from the Capitol Theatre and the fabled “Betty Boards.” Other moments lean into the naturalistic.

The toughest listen was “Doin’ That Rag” from the Fillmore West. I understand the significance of The Carousel to the Dead canon, and won’t argue its place here. But oof. It’s like we were too square to get into the party and are stuck listening through the bathroom door! “Playing In The Band” is always going to be finicky. Only one of Donna Jean’s ad-libs here made me fly out of my seat. Keith sounds like he’s got a sock over his mic. Such a controversial number is a bold choice for disc one, that’s for sure! The jarring sonic shifts might be easier to swallow with chronological sequencing. It’d feel like opening the bathroom door into a fabulous incense-scented time machine. With the limitations of the vinyl format, this dream sequencing is impossible. One side of a record can handle a maximum 24 minutes of music. Because of this, the Greek Theatre suite of “Scarlet Begonias,” “Touch Of Grey,” and “Fire On The Mountain” is forced apart; split between two sides of a disc.

“The Beast” took many forms over the years: from bluesy roots to a disco-prog turn, to the brass-infused mega-lineup of “Deal” from the Shoreline Ampitheatre. All of two tracks into this set, one of my oldest qualms with the Dead came up: “Why has everything got to be so slow?” (The answer is written in green and wrapped in paper, but the question still stands!) A sluggish “Althea” seriously messes with the pacing of side one. This issue evens itself out deeper into the set, with a pleasantly fast “Estimated Prophet” into “Eyes of the World” from Red Rocks. Overall, The Music Never Stopped is very ’80s-heavy. It’s far from a comprehensive overview of the band’s history, even if there is a deliriously echo-soaked Warlocks tune. The peach-pantsuit-sounding keyboards of “Scarlet Begonias” won’t be everyone’s cup of tea and they certainly aren’t mine. Having Brent Mydland on this instrument and so prominent in the mix didn’t help. Are the Dead on the Weather Channel or something? The drums are fabulous on “Grey,” though; dull in tone but punchy.

The Music Never Stopped’s first stand-out moments come on disc two. The Dead spin “Hard To Handle” out into an eight-minute Phil Lesh and Bob Weir-driven romp; bookended by the gruff country-blues stylings of Pigpen McKernan. Of course I enjoyed this, I’m parked squarely in the Phil Zone! Pulled from the twilight of the Fillmore East’s life, “Hard To Handle” oozes charisma. You can tell the guys adored this venue. Even the occasional flubbed change is a blast to listen to. The selected recording of “Wharf Rat” from Madison Square Garden is this compilation’s truly brilliant moment. Up until this, I was skeptical of this collection’s “highlights” billing. Jerry’s bruised, strained voice gives new dimension to lyrics telling of an aged man at rock bottom. When he vows he’ll get back on his feet someday, we believe it. Aching freedom. The guitar solo breaks against the docks, shining through the dark. Though his voice was betraying him, his hands would not. It’s perfectly imperfect, genuinely moving.

Disc five delivers a boisterous “Truckin’” with positively bizarre drum fills and squiggly melodies often punctuated by exclamation points! An agile tempo change steers it into “Smokestack Lightnin’,” an homage to Pigpen and the era “Truckin’” came from. Bob is no Pig, but he gives it the old college try, and you just can’t argue with this arrangement. “Lightnin’” digs its heels into the ground as it stomps, doing its best to kick up some dirt like the good-old-days. Having an entire side of a disc devoted to one venue – with two “Not Fade Away”s from the same night, no less – certainly piqued my interest. Notice how easily the Dead could slip from one tune into another, like shedding a jacket off their shoulders. “Not Fade Away” tumbles effortlessly into “Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad.” The “Not Fade Away” reprise is giddy, like the curtain call at the end of a smiley, sweaty performance. The final side of The Music Never Stopped captures a band navigating being a five-piece for the first time in four years, feeling their way towards their “saloon-band” phase. Though this was far from the end of their history, it’s an optimistic end to our route.

I’ve always appreciated the Dead’s eye for design. From the very beginning, they’ve had stunning artwork. Justin Helton and “Once Upon A Time” did a fabulous job with the Music Never Stops illustrations and design. The chunky-black-lined, classically “Dead” cover illustration features almost all their iconography: the skull, “American Beauty” roses, and subtle red-white-and-blue. The disc labels carry on the same rainbow theme from the cover. Each one sports red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple variations of the bus-in-the-mountains illustration. I set box the lid upside-down on my table as I flipped through the little booklet; a fair guide to which songs came from which shows and when. My heart sank as I thought I’d somehow ruined the lid on my table. Upon looking closer, I found the “spots” are, in fact, an embossed effect mimicking scuffs on wood. Where other design elements fall short, this attention to detail is nice.

For a six-LP set, I am seriously let down by the liner notes. The 12-inch format certainly allots the space for a larger booklet with lots of photos – or at the very least inserts with David Lemieux and the Owsley Stanley estate’s essays! CD buyers lucked out on this front.

When all is said and done, I do still prefer the weirdo musique concrete-meets-acid freak Dead. I was holding out for some representation on this set, but to no avail. It’s a shame the powers that be continually snub this band’s most interesting and experimental era. I can jive with some of the less dated material, but this selection of shows is odd. There isn't much replay value here. Whatever central theme The Music Never Stopped has is obscured by its poor sequencing. I’m still thankful for the ride this set took me on, though. It’s a road map of what eras to check out, which to avoid, and some new favorite spots to hide away in. Thanks to this set, I discovered a recording that moves me as deeply as the original mix of “That’s It For The Other One” did.

I’m not “enjoying the ride” just yet – that’s a bold statement. But as a wise, if likely stoned, man once said: “Once in a while, you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.”

Music Specifications

Catalog No: R1 727540

Speed/RPM: 33 1/3

Weight: 180 grams

Size: 12"

Source: Digital

Presentation: Multi LP

Comments

  • 2025-06-18 07:46:10 PM

    PeterG wrote:

    A thoughtful and well done review--thanks

  • 2025-06-18 09:27:00 PM

    Michael Weintraub wrote:

    I'm a Deadhead, so naturally I winced a time or two reading this. But honestly, it's fair and well-written and frankly it confirmed what I'd already been thinking about this set. The full collection is overkill, and the six-disc just seemed a mishmash (I also agree that Brent Mydland's keyboard playing was frequently annoying).

    I think the best way to collect the Dead on vinyl at this point is to choose some of the full shows (or sometimes even multi-day runs) from an era that you enjoy and get a few of those. Their sound does change somewhat drastically over their very long run, and I certainly like some iterations better than others. Some of the Dick's Picks and Dave's Picks sound really terrific, especially the ones directly from the Betty boards.

    My favorite quote about the Dead is from legendary promoter Bill Graham, with whom they shared a particularly close relationship. He said, "They're not very good at what they do, but they're the only ones doing it." To me, it was something worth doing.

  • 2025-06-18 10:49:12 PM

    Bigmule wrote:

    Thanks for the review, it’s always nice to see a dead album pop up for review!

    I’ve been a deadhead so long that their songs resonate with me like a listening to old campfire songs, so I appreciate their ongoing changes over the years.

    I think after Pigpen died, the direction of the band totally changed, some for better, some for worse.

    If you haven’t seen any iteration of the band live over the last 50+ years it is difficult to wrap your head around their music. I wonder if others may feel the way I feel about NASCAR, I have a hard time watching it on tv, but I hear if you attend one event you’re hooked…so who knows???

    The dead were way ahead of their time with embracing technology, direct ticket sales, and marketing their brand.

    The big Europe 72 cd box set, was my last purchase, and most releases after that seemed like cash grabs, and also agree that Dave’s picks and Dicks picks are some of the best performances and sound quality…the Plangent Process is a cool technology, but is contradictory to AAA vinyl, if that matters to some.

    I enjoyed the review. Thanks!

    • 2025-06-20 09:36:09 PM

      Abigail Devoe wrote:

      Glad you enjoyed the review. I haven't replied to comments here yet but since you mentioned NASCAR I had to - I grew up with it! You're totally right. Have always found it interesting how the Dead are seen as a relic of the past when they had the capacity to be so advanced. Maybe someday Dave will acknowledge us Primal Dead fans and Anthem-oxa appreciators, but I'm inclined to believe he'll release every single show from '77 first.

      • 2025-06-24 05:49:06 PM

        Steve T wrote:

        I am Deadhead AND a dedicated Nascar fan, which I do not find inconsistent. Both are acquired tastes, although with the Dead that taste could be acquired in one night at one of the many shows between 1971 and 1978, if properly altered. And of course there is nothing like actually going to a Cup race. Both Nascar and the Dead could/can have long stretches which can drag a bit and not be particularly exciting or interesting, only to come around the bend and explode into something extremely interesting and exciting. For both Nascar and the Dead that excitement often comes later in the second half of the show for the Dead and the third stage for Nascar. In other words, what comes before is often a set up for what comes later and if you invest the time and attention can be well worth it. Given that the full set of Europe '72 shows have been released (what I consider the best tour ever for the Dead, largely because Pig was still there really making an effort despite being quite ill and they were stuck with the same equipment for the whole tour and really, really refined their sound, unlike any other tour where the band and especially Jerry and Bob and Dan Healy (the sound man at the time) would change some part of their rig for every show), I for one hope that every single show from both 1977 and 1973 are in fact released. I agree with you about Brent. The other problem going into the 1980's is that the Dead really got into too much cocaine when touring (read Bill's great book) and things were never quite the same. But those shows from 1971 through 1978 were, in my opinion, the Dead at their best.

  • 2025-06-18 11:49:53 PM

    Ronan O’Gorman wrote:

    Thank you for your review, I have enjoyed the Grateful Dead since 1976, when I bought the double LP Steal Your Face. The tunes were great but the sound left a lot to be desired! I have really enjoyed the band on the subscription service Dave's Picks; they are complete shows and the sound is consitently excellent. I believe that every year up to Jerry's death death is represented. I hope you find a show (available at DISCOGS), that grabs your attention.

    • 2025-06-24 05:29:13 PM

      Steve T wrote:

      Steal Your Face was supposed to be a compilation from the 10/74 retirement shows at Winterland (that funky old skating rink turned out to be one of the Dead's favorite places to play until it was torn down - the Dead even played the last show there - an all night extravaganza, with morning breakfast served for the deserving crowd). I attended those retirement shows and the closing show and the sound and atmosphere were fantastic. Everything was recorded and filmed at the retirement shows, but somehow the recorded sound got all mess up, although the sound of the movie itself is pretty good theater music thanks to Jerry. Anyway, the Dead were pretty much forced to release a record of the retirement shows, even though the sound is pretty awful. I once had a long conversation with Phil about Steal Your Face, wondering to him why it sounded so bad, and he clearly acknowledged that it was probably the worst sounding record the Dead ever released. In fact, I think he was pretty much ashamed of it. So the movie turned out great (again thanks to Jerry's months and months of hard work on it), but the released sound track was an embarrassment. Too bad, because those shows were absolutely great, especially the Friday and Saturday night shows that fall in San Francisco at Winterland.

  • 2025-06-20 12:38:10 AM

    Rob wrote:

    As a Deadhead (for nearly 45 years now), like Michael I also winced a bit when I read this review, but similarly think it's fair coming from a non-Deadhead. This particular release the "distilled set" from the larger box release, struck me as a particularly uneven mishmash that contained too many "tonal shifts" from cut to cut, akin to a salad made by throwing together everything in your fridge, willy-nilly. It's a poor representation of the Dead's potential next to a stack of alternative official releases. And- though I love many of their later-era shows- the bulk of the 80s and 90s cuts IMO just won't be peak expressions of their work (though nevertheless on their own merits there were many brilliant shows during those years).

    For casual listeners discovering the Dead (like the reviewer) who like American Beauty plus the vigor and creativity of Anthem, probably the best next stop among the classic releases would be Europe '72 (the original album, not the individual shows or whole box set- remember: for the casual listener!). Europe '72 is a very tight, high-energy collection of song performances, is very musically accessible, showcases the Dead's live approach to "Americana," and even has them spreading out a bit and showing their jazzy and spacey edges in the Epilog and Prelude. Beyond that, Workingman's Dead and "Ladies and Gentlemen..." would probably be my next recommendations. And of course if one is willing to get a little less casual (or more, depending upon how you look at it!), there's Live/Dead, and from there, as mentioned elsewhere, there's a multitude of possibilities from among the releases of the Dead's stronger individual shows. It's also helpful for a casual listener, if they get more into the Dead, to understand that like their albums, their lives shows broadly fall into a number of musically distinct eras for them- sequentially, between their start and their end, nine or so, depending upon how you slice it.

    • 2025-06-20 12:39:05 AM

      Rob wrote:

      Sorry, edited my first post, didn't realize the original would be kept, when I reposted!

      • 2025-06-20 12:40:46 AM

        Rob wrote:

        This comments section really needs 'edit' and 'cancel' options (or am I just not aware of them?).

        • 2025-06-21 01:08:01 PM

          bwb wrote:

          Not missing an opportunity to pile on, this comments section is probably the least functional currently on the internet. No preview, no edit, no markup, no ability to link other sites or upload pictures. so slow people hit enter multiple times thinking they didn't so we get multiple posts with no ability to cancel or delete.

          The content presented is some of the best, the comment section is definitely the worst.

          • 2025-06-21 01:13:13 PM

            bwb wrote:

            OH, and the 2 line visibility in the reply box means you can't see your entire response, so if you want to see what you are doing you have to compose your comment in another text editor and then paste it in.

            • 2025-06-23 11:26:54 AM

              Jeff Glotzer wrote:

              Actually, you can pull down the entire comments section by using the little 2 lines pull down feature on the bottom right corner of all text boxes here. Doh!

              I would like to see Malachi's instructions imbedded somewhere for the mark up features to work. It's way in the front of the posts from near the very beginning of the Tracking Angle re-birth.

              I'm not sure if I can even find it again, ugh!

              • 2025-06-23 11:08:43 PM

                bwb wrote:

                Doh! so you can expand the box ! Everything else about this comment section is still pretty pathetic though

              • 2025-06-23 11:14:17 PM

                bwb wrote:

                comments

                hope I did that correctly since you can't edit, and you can't copy/paste the example from the link because it is an image, not text.

  • 2025-06-20 06:54:41 PM

    Jim wrote:

    Great read! I love your perspective as a “newbie”. Compilations ain’t where it is at -sometimes all get is the warts and not the “all”. And studio albums are not the nirvana you may be seeking. My advice: jump into live shows-they are everywhere to be found -from official to archive fan tapes. Pick an era and dive in. Sometimes you will get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right. I just listened to a stream of the album you reviewed while on my mountain bike the other day and tuned in that way it was a blast so I heard it differently than you did but that is ok and that “Hard to Handle”-Bad a** Jerry in spades.

  • 2025-06-23 12:05:27 PM

    Jeff Glotzer wrote:

    TBH, I think the 60-cd set would have been a better introduction... albeit very hard to justify for a newbie. 10 bucks a cd isn't terrible. But yeah, it's a lot. Glad you are going to touch a few of the other eras again.

    The slowness was a peeve of mind for years until I realized that's who they are, not Zappa or Hendrix. The Pig Pen era was indeed different and like another band altogether.

    The brand now is just a product of the times we live in. It has nothing to do with the band from then and really, back then, they were among the least commercial bands extant. They traded their cassettes and DATs for free. Sad how much is lost over the years...

    Jerry could have been a saint from God and I would agree if it was revealed to be true. In the 80's listening to punk and other classic music, I was never a Dead Head, but I completely respected what they did and how great they did it. Since Jerry's death, I just regret not being inundated with more Dead when he was alive. His detail and expression were the gossamer of the heavens.

    Just let the music wash over you and try not to judge anything until you've had a year of listening to it all. Sirius XM has 3 months of free use and 2 very nice Dead channels. All of the eras in bite-sized chunks with Dave thrown in there for fun. The sound is consistently impressive.

    All of the eras have something to bring to the heart. It just takes time and an open heart. Aside from the band, Jerry's playing is really pretty unequalled in his definition of expression- of his heart, mind and soul. His voice, too, is a gift from beyond. When it comes to the Dead, just sit back and let go.

    Oh and welcome Abigail! This joint needs energies of all types...

  • 2025-06-24 06:21:26 PM

    Will wrote:

    Thank you for your review, I found it an interesting read and made me think as I delved into this box set. I had been sitting on the fence too long thinking about the 60cd set - finding worthy unreleased tracks in itself is quite a feat, after what must be over 300 concerts having tracks officially released - and then it sold out, and I was then unsure about the value of the 6lp set, until Amazon had a pay in 5 option….

    On dipping into this set I have been struck how I am enjoying each individual performance I have listened too. Sure the sequencing is strange, and some tracks would not be my personal choice, but on each track, so far, they are on fire, maybe slow burning, but on fire, and I feel I am there at the concert.

    So I am then questioning the scoring of this release which I guess is the headline for non-Deadheads. And I get the scoring if you don’t know the tracks and therefore don’t get what these versions bring, but for me the performances captured here just grab me and shout enjoy - it’s a team playing its socks off, with the icing being JG’s guitar with Robert Hunter’s lyrical imagery and often aching vocals. The bottom line for me is that I find it as enjoyable and engaging listen, if not more so, than my ERC’s and my UHQR’s and my DGtOS’s and my..… which IMO is what it is all about.

    Obviously it comes down to how music grabs your soul, which is a very personal thing. I liken listening to the Dead to feeling I get from a fantastic Mountain Bike track, flowing along single track, through woods and then out into the open, flying down some rutted chalk descent, before a reflective climb, or watching a football team of friends so in tune with each other at their prime, all playing together and going forward, no fighting no posing, just playing forever - think Class of ’92.

    Oh, and I agree the '77 is rather well represented on vinyl and another '68 and '69 release would be appreciated - it took me a long time to "get" '77 and '90, but when you "get" it you are doomed :)