An In-depth Guide to the Music of the Grateful Dead on Tape, Vol. The Compendium is several things simultaneously. Which shows are the real keepers and which are the real clunkers and which fall somewhere in between is discussed in great detail in The Compendium.
Reviews follow which discuss the music in greater detail.
These reviews vary greatly in length, and somewhat in caliber, but are overall downright excellent discussions of the tapes and the shows they were created at. An eye for quality was clearly maintained throughout this 756 page work. The reviews themselves are generally short synopses of the tapes and the effects they had on at least the reviewers' synapses, though a few of the Dead's more significant shows or tapes are discussed in longer essays.