The Dead had billed their October 20, 1974 show as the last Grateful Dead show ever, believing that they had explored all the space they could as the Grateful Dead. However, wiser minds soon prevailed, and they were in the studio again starting in January of ’75 to work on a new album. For the first time, the band actually wrote and fine-tuned the music for an album in the studio setting. What emerged, of course, was Blues for Allah, probably the band’s most experimental album. The studio sessions, which extended into the early summer, also allowed the boys to develop a new sound, partly encapsulated on the album but encompassing so much more than a single recording could capture. As Jerry explained, they were “creating styles” as opposed to what they had done before, which was “synthesizing other styles.” This new sound – and especially the jamming they did under its spell – was darker and more melancholy, attempting to comprehend and manipulate time itself. The Dead seem to be plumbing the essence of it here as they prepare for the SNACK benefit two days later. Of special interest are the middle three middle tracks where the band jams Stronger than Dirt into and out of Blues for Allah. The interplay between Jerry and Phil stand outs, particularly, as they create some intricately intertwined jams.