With the release of The Strange Remain, the Other Ones have attempted to recapture the essence and emotion of Further Festival 1998. While the live two-disc release gives the listener an opportunity to hear the music, a bit of the feeling is lost. The Other Ones have moved on from the Grateful Dead, but the spirit of Jerry Garcia is still strongly felt. There is a mix of old and new with the sound of the Dead being very prominent. Whether a die-hard deadhead or someone looking to hear great music, this is a great addition to any music collection.
The first cd starts strongly with the well- known “St. Stephen”. The awesome fourteen minute “St. Stephen”/”The Eleven” jam session leads into other Dead favorites including “Sugaree”. Bruce Hornsby has found his place in the band and contributes a great rendition of “White-Wheeled Limousine”. Surprisingly, “Only the Strange Remain”, while instrumentally strong, is a weak addition. The first disc ends with Bob Weir leading the classic “Estimated Prophet”.
The classic Dead jam that fans have come to expect would normally incite intense emotion, taking on a life and style unique to each set, but the songs on the second disc fall short of the anticipated musical journey. They begin with a decent performance of the classic “Playing in the Band” and lead into primarily instrumental pieces including the Weir/Bill Kreutzmann composition of “The Other One”. The vocals contributed by Phil Lesh on “Mountains of the Moon” are close to pathetic. This leads into a disappointing, high-tempo version of the highly regarded and well-known “Friend of the Devil”. Although the second disc weakens in the middle, the closing “China Cat Sunflower”/”I Know You Rider” provides redemption.
The Other Ones will move forward and continue the unparalleled success of their legacy. The members will change and the music will be reshaped and while the spirit will never be the same, for the true fans it will never be lost.
+ steven september
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