Short-lived and with only a limited output, this five-piece bluegrass band nevertheless helped spread the gospel of this extraordinary genre via the famous coattails of its most notorious member: Jerry Garcia. However, they were no novelty act. Breakdown is the second posthumous release culled from a series of 1973 concerts in San Francisco. At a robust 70 minutes, the album flows like a complete live set, featuring scrumptious musicianship and harmonious camaraderie. Much better than the eponymous debut from 1975--and a perfect second volume companion to 1996's equally worthy That High Lonesome Sound--Breakdown features covers of greats Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs, originals by the band's guitarist Peter Rowan, fiddler Vassar Clements and banjoist Garcia. A must own for any fan of acoustic music and a great primer for bluegrass neophytes. --Greg Emmanuel