Skeletons from The Closet: Best of Grateful Dead [Warner Bros.] in Bloomington, MN

Skeletons from the Closet
has been long-lived as a
Grateful Dead
primer, though it was superseded by
The Very Best of the Grateful Dead
in 2003. Fans of the band's live show have noted that
Skeletons
only contains two live tracks from a band whose live shows are its strongest suit. Still,
remains a good introduction to the band's early -- and arguably best -- work, and is also a great disc for the casual fan. Favorites include
"Truckin',"
"Sugar Magnolia,"
"Friend of the Devil,"
and
"Casey Jones,"
classic tracks taken from 1970's
Workingman's Dead
American Beauty
. The disc also includes a couple of early
Bob Weir
jewels,
"Mexicali Blues"
"One More Saturday Night,"
and an edited version of
"Turn on Your Love Light"
by
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan
. The disc offers several selections from
the Dead
's early albums, including
"The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion),"
"St. Stephen,"
"Rosemary."
The tracking order of the songs isn't always chronological but it does have a natural flow, with the possible exception of the high-powered
"Love Light."
While most new fans will opt for
,
-- for longtime fans -- will always be a great disc for a lazy Sunday afternoon. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.