Wake of the Flood

The Dead's first studio album after the arrival of keyboardist Keith Godchaux shows them making their first moves toward a more sophisticated sound and away from their primal psychedelic/folk beginnings. While tracks like "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" and "Row Jimmy" still showcase their rootsy early-'70s vibe, the jazz-influenced "Eyes of the World" and the epic "Weather Report Suite” show the band embracing a more harmonically and structurally complex approach, adding horns and other additional players to expand the Dead's already-rich sonic palette.