The Grateful Dead is a band that always will be in American history as a band that took the main concept of what rock was supposed to be and molding other forms of music into it like jazz, blues, reggae, folk, bluegrass, and country. This album, Blues For Allah, is a wonderland of sound that will engross even a novice listener. The opening song, "Help On the Way/Slipknot!" combines a funky beat with a huge instrumental that shows off guitarist Jerry Garcia's awe-inspiring improv skills. It then transforms into the song "Franklin's Tower" which is another feel-good hippie tune. The instrumental "King Solomon's Marbles" is an acid-jazz freak-out, while another instrumental, "Sage and Spirit", is rhythm guitarist Bob Weir's melodic journey into other instruments. Another noteworthy song is "The Music Never Stopped" featuring a female vocalist and a great Garcia solo. It all ends with the stoner-like "Blues For Allah", a 12-minute sound exploration focusing more on effects and wierdness than musicianship and lyrics. Seeing as how this whole album was recorded without any preconcieved ideas on the fly, it shows that the Dead have an uncanny ability to make their ideas blend together into a stew of tasteful music.

Great Brit rock. Just buy it!