Over the Edge and Back

The snarling grooves of "Angola" on Over the Edge and Back signal the intent of Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart for the last quarter century: to create a global percussion orchestra that merges electronics with rhythms from around the world. Hart could have opted for a seamless conceptual album, moving from the impressionism of "Temple Caves" from Planet Drum and "Compound" from the Apocalypse Now Sessions to the power-trance grooves of "Angola" (Supralingua) and "Udu Chant" (Planet Drum).

Instead, Over the Edge and Back is a sampler that also includes tracks from his vocal album, Mystery Box, that ranged disjointedly from the R&B of "Where Love Goes (Sito)" to the Robert Hunter-penned "Down the Road", both heard here and sounding lost. Skip those, however, and you’ll hear Mickey Hart’s rhythm fantasies.

Over the Edge and Back goes all the way back to his 1976 album with the Diga Rhythm Band with "Sweet Sixteen", an ecstatic whirl of tuned percussion and hand drums that still sounds as vibrant today. The album concludes with a previously unreleased track, "Call To All Nations" from the Opening Ceremonies of the 100th Olympiad in Atlanta in 1996. A surreal compression of global music that traverses the world, it’s Mickey Hart’s vision of a 21st-century percussion orchestra summed up in about five minutes. --John Diliberto

Label: Unknown
Studio: Rykodisc
Released: 2002-04-22
Format: Audio CD