Built to Last - Grateful Dead Song Review

This is a pretty underrated Dead song as far as I'm concerned. It is not one I can ever remember anyone telling me they really liked, but I think it is a good song.

Some good things about Built to Last:

• It has a catchy melody and is built upon a good strong guitar riff
  
• It is a Jerry song
  
• It has Robert Hunter Lyrics (with prerequisite trippy lyrics references like got a cloud held by the breeze)
• The chorus lyrics evolve throughout the song
  
• Jerry's solos from everything on In the Dark and Built to Last were very lyrical and great
  
• It's a short and sweet first set song (usually)
  

Built to Last does have a kind of weak bridge (very predictable) and I don't like the last chord of the chorus. The second verse has some lyrics I don't like that much.

I like to hear this song because it is such a rarity (only played about 20 times from 1988 to 1990). I would generally prefer to hear this song over a first set tune like Ramble on Rose or even Tennessee Jed because it is succinct and rarer. However back in the 90s when I was seeing the Dead and actually at a show I probably would've preferred the more popular and common tracks from Europe '72.

Built to Last Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 7.4

Disclaimer: This is part of my review of every Grateful Dead song from A-Z. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion (and be sure to read my blog manifesto to understand a little more about where I'm coming from).