Exclusion was a word rarely used in Grateful Dead world - so in April 1972 when it came time to decide who was and who wasn't joining the band for their spring tour of Europe the answer was simple - 'Everyone goes.' So off to Europe the extended Grateful Dead family went - forty-plus posse of band members, family, friends, the New Riders and even an LSD chemist named Bear. The triple-LP live album Europe '72 was released to recoup the expenses of this European vacation that Warner Brothers had fronted, and to also debut a slurry of new songs that they couldn't get down in a studio proper. A healthy musical snapshot of an ever-evolving band beyond description.
