Chris Robinson Brotherhood – Betty’s S.F. Blends, Volume One (2013)

Known for their free-flowing and eclectic live shows, the Chris Robinson Brotherhood released Betty’s S.F. Blends, Volume One, a limited edition quadruple album exclusively on vinyl on November 23, 2013. Nearly 2.5 hours of stripped-down cosmic rock and roll that bears witness to the fact that vinyl was truly the way to have experienced music back then — and still is today, at least when it contains music such as what’s on these discs.
The 4-LP set consists of 19 songs that were culled from the band’s epic five-night run in San Francisco in late 2012 by Betty Cantor-Jackson, the primary sound engineer and producer for the Grateful Dead from the ’60s through the ’80s, and who recorded, engineered, produced, and mixed this release.
With five nights of performances to choose from — a total of 96 songs in total — the care taken to make sure that not only the “best” performances made their way onto the albums but also make certain that the songs kept up with the necessary time lengths and tempos is supremely evident. As you roll through each side of each album, there is a sense of listening to one long wonderful performance night that leaves you with a slight sense of yearning and wanting just that little bit more.