Well it’s Friday night and time for some Grateful Dead. This tribute CD was released in 2000 and produced by David Gans, longtime Grateful Dead associate. Only 4 tracks were recorded especially for this collection, the others were live recordings or previously released recordings. A few band members saind they were not Deadheads or fans in the liner notes while Henry Rollins called them the greatest live band ever. Live performances of Bob Dylan singing “Friend Of The Devil”, Elvis Costello singing “Ship Of Fools/It Must Have Been The Roses” and an impromptu studio recording by The Patti Smith Band of “Black Peter”, the night of Jerry’s death are very cool. There are two acapella covers of “Black Muddy River” and “The Golden Road (Of Unlimited Devotion)” by The Persuasions and The Bobs. Henry Rollins does an almost unrecognizable electronic and Metal version of “Franklin’s Tower” that I had on an EP of his band Wartime. “High Time: is from the cast of a musical based around Grateful Dead songs called Cumberland Blues. “Uncle John’s Band ” is played by The Stanford University Marching Band. “Dark Star” an instrumental by The David Grisman Quintet featuring mandolin, guitar, bass, flute and percussion is an interesting take. Leftover Salmon play a parody of “Fire On The Mountain” called “Pasta On The Mountain” making up their own words. According to the liner notes the marijuana growers in California called their crops pasta. This marks the end of my various artists collection although I have many more tribute CDs but it’s time to start on the M’s.