All the Years Combine: The Grateful Dead in Fifty Shows

by Ray Robertson

A Grateful Dead concert, Ray Robertson argues, is life. Like life, it can be alternately compelling and lackluster; familiar and foreign; occasionally sublime and sometimes insipid. Although the Grateful Dead stopped the day Jerry Garcia’s heart did, what the band left behind is the next best thing to being there in the third row, courtesy of the group’s unorthodox decision to record all of their concerts. Meaning that it’s possible to follow the band’s evolution (and devolution) through their shows, from the R&B-based garage band at the beginning, to the jazz-rock conjurers at their creative peak, to the lumbering monolith of their decline. In  All the Years The Grateful Dead in Fifty Shows , Robertson listens to and writes ecstatically about fifty of the band's most important and memorable concerts in order to better understand who the Grateful Dead were, what they became, and what they meant—and what they continue to mean.

Genres: Music

240 pages, Paperback

Published November 7, 2023

About the author

Ray Robertson is the author of six novels including Moody Food and What Happened Later, a finalist for the Trillium Book Award. He has also published a collection of nonfiction, Mental Hygiene: Essays on Writers and Writing. He is a contributing book reviewer for The Globe and Mail.

Robertson lives in Toronto.

Reviews

[jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

ray robertson’s all the years combine (not to be confused with the video box set of the same name) is one impassioned fan’s take on the grateful dead’s fifty(-one) finest concert performances. at first, admittedly, the notion of reading about a fellow follower’s favorite live shows may not sound like much fun, yet robertson’s takes are immensely gratifying — especially given his strong opinions, obvious devotion, and spirited prose.

covering the entirety of their musical career, all the years combine spans some three decades, from an early gig in 1966 to jerry garcia’s final show in 1995. the dead famously recorded nearly every single one of their 2,300+ concerts (apparently there’s a reward offered for any audio recording or video footage of their march 17, 1970 show with the buffalo philharmonic orchestra) — and they’re available online for free listening. robertson, of course, highlights some of the band’s most famous gigs, but also selects some less obvious performances for which he makes compelling cases.

with a robust knowledge of the dead’s extensive catalog, robertson parses each performance’s unique elements (often down to a particular song’s singular expression), situating each particular show and setlist among its broader context (noting personnel changes, personal struggles, tour elements, commercial and financial difficulties, etc.). beyond mere fan tribute or itemized recollection, all the years combine captures the essence of perhaps the greatest touring act of all time, expertly enumerating the many-splendored joys of hearing the dead live.

which is what this book is about: who the grateful dead were, what they became, and what they meant—musically. and continue to mean. i also believe that listening to the grateful dead will make you a better person. not just a more knowledgeable listener, but a happier, more enlightened human being. “look lovingly on some object,” the zen student is advised. “do not go on to another object. here, in the middle of this object—the blessing.” if you hang around the numinous long enough, don’t be surprised to find magic in your muesli. be grateful. that’s what art does.

4.5 stars

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

An outstanding look at historic Dead shows. This is a book about 50 important shows, not necessarily their 50 best. Very interesting, and the book got better as it went on into the later years. Robertson knows his Grateful Dead, but it's also apparent that he is not a an of the drummers.

[M. Sarki · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the fall of 1968 as Jerry Garcia’s and Phil Lesh’s instrumental abilities were increasing, as well as their musical ambitions, Bob Weir’s and Pigpen’s were deficient. Garcia called a band meeting to attempt to ease the two stragglers out of the band.

…And here’s what’s so Grateful Dead about the entire thing: the meeting ended, and no one knew for sure if they were still in the band, not only Weir and Pigpen, but anyone else in the group…it is quintessential Dead: ignore the problem, in the hope that it will either go away or resolve itself. The plus side of this is that the Dead didn’t worry about following organizational policy (they didn’t have any) or being consistently professional (they prided themselves on embodying the opposite) or keeping their eyes on the prize (psychedelics had taught them that worldly success was mostly a distracting illusion). On the debit side, the Grateful Dead might have been real-deal ambassadors of such 60’s ideals as free love, cheap drugs, and free-form rock and roll, but they could also be downright juvenile when it came to managing everyday human relationships…

Bob Weir took some music lessons and eventually developed into an original and effective rhythm guitar player. Pigpen, on the other hand, was indifferent to the new improvisatory material and also unwilling to practice his instrument. He became bitter and soon developed a serious liver problem that ended his life much too young.

…Listening to the band’s shows through the years, it’s striking how garrulous Garcia could be amidst like-minded Heads in a reasonably sized venue, particularly since, after the band started playing to larger and less-discriminating audiences in less and less-suitable venues (hockey rinks and, later, football stadiums) he’s almost entirely—and very conspicuously—silent…

Ray Robertson has written a rather wonderful book here, especially for another Deadhead like me who came to the band later in life and specifically because of Jerry Garcia. I wasn’t aware of this connection between the writer and myself. There is a huge amount of useful information collected in this book. And it was written as a serious criticism with love and affection and a large portion of honesty and humor thrown in for good measure. I realized early on that I could have lifted numerous entries and included them in this review. But I believe readers would be better served by reading them for themselves.

[Jack Stirner · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the Years Combine by Ray Robertson is a must-read for any die-hard Grateful Dead fan. Robertson describes in detail 50 of the most important Grateful Dead shows in chronological order. Robertson shares what he believes to be most influential and groundbreaking about 50 different concerts, while subsequently providing an in-depth history of the band's extensive musical catalogue. It's made very apparent in the book that Robertson is very knowledgeable about the Grateful Dead and often provides insightful information regarding the band. Despite being a knowledgeable figure, Robertson tends to present his opinions as fact. Furthermore, the formatting of this book is horrendous. Robertson wrote this book as if he were talking to a friend, not to an audience of readers. Robertson tended to ramble on a lot in this book, and it made reading some of the chapters painful. This book is perfect for any Grateful Dead fan or anybody who is interested in learning about one of the biggest rock bands of all time.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Yes, it's 50 shows from the Grateful Dead with commentary. No, this is not all gushing rose-colored glasses praise. Robertson has a critical ear and a writing style that made this reader feel like he was in the room with me giving me his nuanced opinion about why Bob Weir should stop playing Mama Tried and El Paso and which second set of which late 70s/early 80s show really cooked and which one was a slow simmer. I think the best part for me, though, was that Roberston included history with each concert write-up and it quickly became bleak after 1978. Having said that, he hits the nail on the head as to what makes their late 60s/up-to-77/78 sets so special. Surprisingly excellent read.

[Stevejs298 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I almost gave him 1 star for referring to Dead & Company as a "Dead cover band with three former members." It doesn't seem like he's been to any of their shows. In fact, it's not clear that he ever saw the Grateful Dead. The author does seem to have a musical background and understands something about playing instruments and musical timing. But, at the end of the day this is just one listener's list of shows they think have some significance and their opinions on the quality and caliber of those shows given what they like and don't like about the Grateful Dead's music.

[Mike Ely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably best for the Dead Heads out there. Excellent career progression and recap through 50 setlists and shows. There is quite a bit of insight within the show reviews. And with the tapes online, the reader can pick and choose shows to listen too and see if they agree with the author's assessment. Fun book for any Dead fan.

[Enid Wray]

Perfect for Dead Heads.

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me access to an early digital review copy (even though I missed posting this way back then...).

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly cromulent bit of Deadanalia...

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting way to look at the history of the band, but we get it dude you're not a big fan of certain tunes. You don't need to mention it every time one comes up in a set list.