All the Years Combine

Description

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 Garcias heart did, what the band left behind is the next best thing to being there in the third row, courtesy of the groups unorthodox decision to record all of their concerts. Meaning that its possible to follow the bands 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.InAll the Years Combine: The Grateful Dead in Fifty Shows, Robertson listens to and writes ecstatically about fty of the bands most important and memorable concerts in order to better understand who the Grateful Dead were, what they became, and what they meantand what they continue to mean.Praise forAll the Years CombineYou do not need to drop acid, get high, or be a Deadhead to enjoy Robertsons long strange trip Through the authors research, knowledge, passion and critical analysis you will gain new insights about this unique group.David McPherson,Toronto StarRobertsonwriting at full, heart-exploding tiltcharts the course of the greatest American band (yes, I said it), from their humble start to their humbling end through capsule reviews of 50 shows. This is a glorious book, full of setlists and anecdotes and clear-eyed love.Robert J. Wiersema,Toronto StarRobertson has written an ideal companion for the devoted Deadhead while charting intimidating territory for the curious books like this one help enshrine (the music) with the reverence it deserves.Michael Strizic,Literary Review of CanadaRay RobertsonsAll the Years Combineis part love letter, part band history, and part geeked-out rant showing whyand howDeadheads really talk (and feel) about their favorite band.Peter Conners, author ofGrowing Up DeadandCornell 77Ray weaves short stories around fifty showsand altogether they tell the story of the The Grateful Deads timeline.Karim Kanji,Welcome to the MusicRay Robertson walks listeners through the endless thicket of music. At points, his crackling prose froths over into hyperventilating superfans rantsan approach that befits a band with such a passionate following. Sometimes more is more.SpinImpressively insightfully informative, exceptionally well organized and thoroughly reader friendly in presentation,All the Years Combine: The Grateful Dead in Fifty Showsis a must read history for the legions of Grateful Dead fans.Midwest Book ReviewAuthor Ray Robertson delves into a staggering fifty Grateful Dead shows in his new collection embark on a wild trip with Robertson and follow the trajectory of one of live musics most groundbreaking acts.Gabriel Sigler,Bad Feeling MagazineDelightfully genre-fluidpart critique, part review, part biography, part journalism.Ashwinin Gangal,Palo Alto WeeklyIf life were a Grateful Dead concert, Chatham author Ray Robertson would be its philosopher archivist.Dan Savoie,519 MagazineAll the Years Combineis a fast, enlightening read but it is also something to savor, like one of the Deads notorious hour-long jams.Kevin Wierzbicki,Anti MusicThere 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.M. Sarki,The Rogue Literary SocietyAs any Deadhead worth their weight in hemp and LSD will tell you, theres nothing like a Grateful Dead concert, and the author capably demonstrates the good, bad, and ugly elements that followed the band around for decades A must for devoted Deadheads.Kirkus ReviewsThe great thing about this book is that if you know the Grateful Deads music, its a hum-along, sing-along tome His summaries of Dead concerts often display elements of verve, invention and colour in the telling Robertsons other object is correctiveto change the focus of the Grateful Deads legacy in our culture. And in this, he succeeds admirably.Winnipeg Free PressThis collection celebrating fifty concerts by the Grateful Dead shows them to be tougher and more complex than you might think meticulous readings of the bands concerts (alongside track listings) are impressively extensive but crucially they also build a surprising picture too.Louder Than WarAll the Years Combineis a superb book.Shannon MacLeod,The Miramichi ReaderAll the Years Combineis perhaps the first truly great book chronicling The Grateful Dead through the bands live shows And for the Grateful Dead live neophyte the book provides a roadmap, a guide, a place to start and finish and explore the music while you read. And for these reasons,All the Years Combine, much like the music it heralds, transcends.Frank Valish,Under the RadarOne of Canadas most prolific writers one thing thats always made Rays work stand out is how he seamlessly blends his favourite music into his prose, whether its fiction or non-fiction.Jason Schneider,Roots Music CanadaA fascinating chronicle of the bands history told in a series of essays.Ottawa CitizenFascinating and provocative.David Gans, Tales from the Golden Road on Sirius Satellite RadioAuthor Ray Robertson put[s] it all in perspective.Greg Prato,Ultimate GuitarRobertson tell[s] the story of one of the most loved and bewildering bands of all time.Trevor Wilhelm,Windsor StarPraise for Ray RobertsonsLives of the Poets (with Guitars)On North American shores, writing about music and its cultural spin-offs has largely been defined by the snarky authority ofPitchforkand trash-talkin teardowns ofVICEgiving birth to the new, new cool. Whereas those writing for music publications in Britain, although still cheeky, offer far more in the way of literary craft, storytelling and historical insight compared to the brash Americans. Ray Robertson, a Canadian novelist, aligns himself closer to the British tradition reinforcing that smart, lively prose and a bit of wit go a long, marvelous way. One part ofLives of the Poetsis a record guide revealing these undiscovered treasures, the other is Robertsons gift of spewing out stories that simply shame most rock n roll writers into the hacks they really are.Beat RouteLives of the Poets (with Guitars)should come with a warning label: May cause significant increase of spending on music. Readers are strongly advised to avoid record stores within 72 hours of reading. There is much to love and admire aboutLives of the Poets (with Guitars). Robertson brings a discerning ear and keen passion, a sly sense of humour and a deep sense of philosophical questioning to each of these pieces. [It] is a powerful book and one to which music fans are likely to often return.Toronto StarRobertson toils for a higher purpose: to reveal the transcendent, enduring qualities of the artist and their importance to society. He establishes his intentions in the introduction: One wants to convey in words what it is that makes for a musically-transformed, more-alive human being. With this collection of essays on 13 remarkable figures, Robertson leaves no doubt about the success of his endeavor.Elmore MagazineCrossing a number of musical genres, Robertson is often effusive in his praise, but consistently provides a stirring rationale for the strong emotional impact that each artist elicits with their music Robertson offers the whole picture, warts and all. In doing so, he honors the music of artists who have enriched his lifeand opens the door for his readers to experience the same magic.Blues Blast MagazineRobertson brings a good ear and plenty of critical insight to essays aimed at helping readers discover new favorites or hear more familiar music from a fresh perspective.Kirkus Reviews