Fire On The Mountain: Reggae Celebrates The Grateful Dead, Vols. 1 & 2

It's safe to say that most record collections that include the Grateful Dead also include at least a couple of reggae albums; the audiences for the Dead and reggae share a love for easy, loping rhythms and homespun harmonies, not to mention a countercultural bent. Never, however, has the connection between the Dead and reggae been made more explicit than on these two amazing collections of Dead covers; produced and released by the short-lived Pow Wow label in the mid '90s, these two volumes feature a Who's Who of reggae stars including "Toots" Hibbert, Culture, Joe Higgs, Steel Pulse, Mighty Diamonds, Judy Mowatt, Dennis Brown, Michael Rose, Ras Michael, Gregory Isaacs and many others performing a variety of Dead songs and songs associated with the band. And, although the liner notes (reproduced here) claim that none of the Jamaican artists were familiar with the Dead's music prior to these recordings, the 24 performances here include some definitive interpretations. Out of print for years and a real find!