Completely Conspicuous 535: Built to Last

I'm joined by guest Phil Stacey as we discuss the final Grateful Dead studio album Built to Last. Show notes: - Recorded via Zoom - Built to Last released on Halloween 1989 - Jay had just graduated from college, Phil was a junior - Jay: Don't remember this album even coming out - Phil: It's not memorable - Felt like band was going through the motions - Brent Mydland dominated the album with four songs - He was suffering from depression; died a year later - Maybe Garcia and Weir didn't have enough good material - Fall '89 Dead shows are considered the band's last great run of concerts - Tried the same recording technique as previous album but it didn't work - Garcia said Mydland's songs were better - Final song is really bad - Phil: They had enough material to record another album - You can find version of them online - Garcia started getting into drugs again - Concert performances suffered - Band members started doing other projects - A couple of decent songs on this album - Mydland songs seemed like they'd fit in a different genre - Phil: He was good in concert - The Dead didn't need another hit album - Jay: At the end of this journey, have more of an appreciation for the Dead - Definitely some bad records - Can appreciate the live performances to a point - Jay: I respect the fanaticism of Deadheads; not for me, but that's okay - No more guilty pleasures; you like what you like Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.