(FORTUNE Magazine) – "You had to be there" is the phrase to keep in mind when listening to any recording of the Grateful Dead. Their music--lazy, meandering, unfocused--rarely makes for exciting albums, and unless you remember how much fun they obviously had playing for their adoring fans, it's hard to believe that they did in fact transcend their mediocre musicianship and lousy singing. The latest release from the Dead's massive archive, Fallout From the Phil Zone (two CDs, $21), is no exception. There's a reason these tracks, selected by Dead bassist Phil Lesh, remained unreleased. Even though they were recorded over 30 years, a certain blandness runs through all these live tunes, from the Dead classic "Box of Rain" to a cover of Bob Dylan's "Visions of Johanna." In fact, the most interesting parts of this album are the audiences' yelps of delight, reminding you that if you didn't catch the Dead in concert, you'll probably never get it.

--Ed Brown