Built to Last reflects the gentler & the kinder side of the Grateful Dead during their final years, a far cry from the psychedelic rock they belted out in their early years. There are few bands who have had such a long tenure and The Grateful Dead comprising of Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir (vocals, guitar); Brent Mydland (keyboards); Phil Lesh (bass); Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann (drums, percussion) have had a significant contribution for nearly 3 decades, starting from 1969.
Built to last kicks off with ’’Foolish heart’’, a delightful concoction of Weir’s vocals and Garcia’s swinging guitaring. This is followed with ’’Just a little light’’ highlights the hidden genius of Brent Mydland as a songwriter, and the captivating lyrics are a testament to that fact. This is followed by ’’Built to Last’’, the title song. I must admit that this is a rather exceptional piece of work. It helps highlight the ephemerality of things both material and otherwise. Consider a sampling:
’’There are times when you get hit upon
Try hard but you cannot give
Other times you’d gladly part
With what you need to live
Don’t waste your breath to save your face
When you have done your best
And even more is asked of you
Fate will decide the rest.’’
Those lines nearly sum up the essence of the song.
The next song on the album is ’’Blow away’’, and it tells a tale of love’s labour lost, albet in a satirical manner. Garcia’s guitars and Mydland’s keyboards cooroborate dedicatedly together to belt out a nice lively music on this. ’’Victim or the Crime’’ talks about Bob Weir’s tryst with narcotics and destiny, and is a brave attempt at self-redemption. The next song, ’’We can Run’’ is an uncharacteristically blunt environmental plea. Jerry Garcia’s weary and endearing vocals on the comfortable-sounding tune ’’Built to Last’’ and the even more affecting. ’’Standing on the Moon’’ however moves this album closer to the heart of the Grateful Dead aesthetic. It talks about priorities, and the last couple of lines accentuates this :
’’Standing on the moon
With nothing left to do
I love the view of heaven
But I’d rather be with you.’’
’’I Will Take You Home, ’’ a saccharine piece of work from keyboardist Brent Mydland and songwriter John Barlow, with a haunting tune ends the album on a strange note. Maybe it suffers for not having the distinctive chattering of Garcia’s guitar playing, which makes nearly everything on the album worth listening to.
All said and done, if you’re a Grateful Dead fan, you probably own this album already. If you’re new to Grateful Dead this album makes up for a quintessential addition to your expanding collection.