Standard disclaimer: When reviewing any Grateful Dead release at this point, it needs to be noted that a lot of the truly great shows from the band have already been professionally released. (If you are new to the band, check out RtBE's Beginners Guide to The Grateful Dead Part's one and two.) With their vast back catalog on archive.org and all of their previous releases, the band's selections are running thin when it comes to must own, professionally released concerts.
That said, the band still release shows because rabid fans (RtBE included) will listen to everything they put out. So let's dive in...
Standard disclaimer: When reviewing any Grateful Dead release at this point, it needs to be noted that a lot of the truly great shows from the band have already been professionally released. (If you are new to the band, check out RtBE's Beginners Guide to The Grateful Dead Part's one and two.) With their vast back catalog on archive.org and all of their previous releases, the band's selections are running thin when it comes to must own, professionally released concerts.
That said, the band still release shows because rabid fans (RtBE included) will listen to everything they put out. So let's dive in...
Standard disclaimer: When reviewing any Grateful Dead release at this point, it needs to be noted that a lot of the truly great shows from the band have already been professionally released. (If you are new to the band, check out RtBE's Beginners Guide to The Grateful Dead Part's one and two.) With their vast back catalog on archive.org and all of their previous releases, the band's selections are running thin when it comes to must own, professionally released shows.
That said, the band still release shows because rabid fans (RtBE included) will listen to everything they put out. So let's dive in...
Standard disclaimer: When reviewing the Dave's Picks series, and really any Grateful Dead release at this point, it needs to be noted that a lot of the truly great shows from the band have already been professionally released. (If new to the band, check out RtBE's Beginners Guide to The Grateful Dead Part's one and two.) With their vast back catalog on archive.org and all of their previous releases, the band's selections are running thin when it comes to must own, professionally released shows.
That said, this series still exists for a reason, obsessive fans (like RtBE) will always listen to anything from The Grateful Dead as Dave and his team continue to unearth rare gems.
Standard disclaimer: When reviewing the Dave's Picks series, and really any Grateful Dead release at this point, it needs to be noted that a lot of the truly great shows from the band have already been professionally released. (If new to the band, check out RtBE's Beginners Guide to The Grateful Dead Part's one and two.) With their vast back catalog on archive.org and all of their previous releases, the band's selections are running thin when it comes to must own, professionally released shows.
That said, this series still exists for a reason, obsessive fans (like RtBE) will always listen to anything from The Grateful Dead as Dave and his team continue to unearth rare gems.
Standard disclaimer: When reviewing the Dave's Picks series, and really any Grateful Dead release at this point, it needs to be noted that a lot of the truly great shows from the band have already been professionally released. (If new to the band, check out RtBE's Beginners Guide to The Grateful Dead Part's one and two.) With their vast back catalog on archive.org and all of their previous releases The band's selections are running thin when it comes to must own, professionally released shows.
That said, this series still exists for a reason, obsessive fans (like RtBE) will always listen to anything from the band as Dave and his team continue to unearth rare gems.
2023 was a strong year for the Dave's Picks. As stated before, when reviewing the Dave's Picks series, and really any Grateful Dead release at this point, it needs to be noted that a lot of the truly great shows have already been professionally released. The selections are running thin when it comes to must own, professionally released shows.
That said, this series still exists for a reason, it continues to unearth rare gems like this release, which is the best of the four releasedthisyear. Dave's 48 contains the full show from November 20, 1971, at Pauley Pavilion UCLA in Los Angeles, California and a single disk from October 24, 1970, at Kiel Opera House in St. Louis, Missouri.
December 9, 1979 @ Kiel Auditorium St. Louis, Missouri
*** out of *****
Covering the Dave's Picks series, and really any Grateful Dead release at this point, it needs to be noted that a lot of great shows have already been professionally released. The selections are running thin when it comes to must own, professionally released shows. Even this year the band released the huge Here Comes Sunshine box set and stand alone 6/10/73 monster show, which really is must hear.
Dave's Picks 47: December 9, 1979 @ Kiel Auditorium St. Louis, Missouri is not in that same orbit, but it is a fine little show from an era from which Dave has released a few shows already. Nothing earth shattering here, just an OK-to-good night of Grateful Dead music, which is pretty damn fine anyway you slice it.
Dave's Picks 46: Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, California 9/9/72
**** out of *****
It is really hard to find a bad Grateful Dead show from 1972. Almost every night saw the band "on" and some nights found them soaring to the highest peaks of their history. Dave's Picks 46 goes to one of the strongest months of that heavily toured year, September, and delivers; 9/9/72 from the Hollywood Palladium.
The band, Jerry Garcia – lead guitar, vocals Bob Weir – rhythm guitar, vocals Phil Lesh – bass guitar, vocals Bill Kreutzmann – drums Keith Godchaux – keyboards Donna Jean Godchaux – vocals, were clicking on a very high level and the sound on this release from all involved, is pristine. If anything, the vocals are pushed a bit too far in front so slightly missed notes or harmonies standout more than on old tapes. It is really amazing the work Dave Lemieux and his team put into cleaning up the sound, and the unreal job Owsley Stanley did originally recording this show.
This night begins with a fairly tame, yet professionally delivered first set, par for the course for September '72. Opening and closing with Chuck Berry covers, in-between showcasing a gorgeous "Sugaree" that has a deep bass, "Tennessee Jed" with nice guitar work from Jerry and an average "Bird Song" that, even when not the set highlight, is always welcomed. Speaking of set highlights, that would easily be "Playin' In The Band", the group kicks in from there and the tune really seems to spark the inventive playing and energy for the rest of the night.
The second set starts with an excellent version of the classic pairing "China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider" and Godchaux's keys, along with Garcia's inventive guitar lines (especially over the second half) shines bright throughout. Keith's playing also highlights a cool version of "Friend of the Devil", a song that the band didn't always deliver in the live setting. The CD aspect of Dave's Picks can be frustrating as disk 2 contains the end of the show, but reprogramming it is a must for this night as Disk 3 (the middle of the second set) is where the magic truly happens.
The raw and semi bluesy "He's Gone" starts the proceedings with languid playing from all involved before segueing into an top notch version of "Truckin'" that features weeping, bended notes from Garcia. The tempo kicks up for the song which rambles on winningly before dropping into a brief "Drums" segment before "The Other One" begins.
While the show has been 'solid to pretty good' at this point, "The Other One" presented here is worth the price of this release alone. It captures everything that makes the Dead special in the thirty five minute run time as it begins with wild, blazing energy before moving to tripped out spacey noise/free form playing. Things then shift towards melodic and sweet sounds at the end of the journey; in a year full of amazing versions of this song, this one needs to be heard and ranked accordingly.
"Stella Blue" is a blissful way to come down from that adventure and "El Paso" is oddly placed by Weir, but fine. The show wraps with a high energy version of "Casey Jones" and an even better spin through "Sugar Magnolias" which features Donna Jean and Weir yelling out their sunshine day dreams.
An upbeat "One More Saturday Night" wraps it up and while not as amazing as other nights this month (9/3, 9/21, 9/24) Dave's Picks 46 certainly holds it's own and with this outstanding version of "The Other One", it a must own for Deadheads.
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Support the artists and peep some video below (not official audio from Dave's 46):
The most recent entry to the series, Dave's Picks 45 drives that train back in time to October 1st and 2nd 1977 for back to back shows at the Paramount Theater in Portland, OR. 1977 is a beloved year in Grateful Dead history with many official live releases, however most releases focus on earlier in the year (excluding the excellent Road Trips Vol 1 #2). These October shows give hints as to where the band was going in 1978, namely, more revved up songs.
The final Dave's Picks of 2022 goes back to summer of 1990, just like the final Dave's Picks of 2021. Spring and Summer 1990 were the last consistently top notch tours of the Dead's career and archivist David Lemieux has made the most of them.
November 2, 1969 Family Dog, SF CA and December 26, 1969 at McFarlin Memorial Auditorium University Park, Texas
**** out of *****
The eye grabbing headline to this most recent Dave's Pick release is that this music comes straight from Owsley "Bear" Stanley personal stash. The tapes were found by archivist David Lemieux in the "banana boxes" that had sat untouched for years in the groups vault. The release covers two shows in late 1969 (November 2, 1969 at the Family Dog and December 26, 1969 at McFarlin Memorial Auditorium in University Park, Texas) as the band moved from their acid test phase of Live/Dead into the acoustic based, song focused, cosmic cowboy years of Workingman's Dead and American Beauty.
Dave's Picks 42 Winterland, San Francisco, CA 2/23/74
*** out of *****
As stated in past Dave's Picks reviews, the collection has already released lots of classic shows. Case in point, the following night (2/24) of Dave's Picks 42 was released earlier in this series as Dave's Picks 13. While that earlier release is a better show, Dave's 42 does offer a lot of good music on the three disks, plus a bonus disk of the previous night (2/22) for good measure.
Things take a while to truly kick into gear for the band (Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals Donna Jean Godchaux – vocals Keith Godchaux – keyboards Bill Kreutzmann – drums Phil Lesh – bass, vocals Bob Weir – guitar, vocals) on this evening as a tepid version of "Around and Around" starts the show. This is only the second gig the band played in 1974, but already their slower, jazz based style, which would come to define the year is in place, just check out this almost too relaxed version of "Dire Wolf".
While the sound from almost fifty years ago is impeccably presented by audio archivist David Lemieux, that is not to say the night didn't have it's issues as microphones cut out during both "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Sugaree". The almost complete Wall of Sound was working out the kinks and with the ability to skip these songs it is probably best to start the show with "Mexicali Blues" as the pirate ship (displayed on the cover art) gets righted and starts strongly sailing from here on out.
"Here Comes Sunshine" is a show highlight and in the conversation of best ever version from the band as the interplay and blues jamming soars with the full group truly finding their way. The rest of the first set features solid (if slightly reserved in 1974 fashion) fan favorites "Jack Straw", "Deal" and a "Greatest Story Ever Told" set closer which features a smoking guitar solo from Garcia; after a shaky start, the band wraps up the first set confidently.
The languid playing keeps babbling along as "Row Jimmy" begins set two but the other show highpoint arrives quickly as Garcia weepily weaves his way through the complete "Weather Report Suite" with fantastic playing behind Weirs vocals and strong bass lines from Lesh, leading into a funky/jazzy jam in the "Let It Grow" section before the band moves into a gorgeous "Stella Blue". This half hour of music is restrained and fluid and very representative of the year to come.
Oddly they then move into a jarring "Big River" trying to kick up the tempo after the laid back jams, but the set never truly kicks back into gear until an upbeat "Truckin'". This leads into drums from Kreutzmann and a very spacey and dissonant version of "The Other One" which falls completely apart while also giving a preview of songs to come, jamming on "Slipknot!" which had yet to been played live. With both this exploratory jam and a solid version of "Eyes of The World" which follows, Garcia and Lesh seem to be leading the charge while speaking to each other through the music.
The band seemed a bit off to wrap up this show ('74 in general is not known as the most rocking time for the band) as "One More Saturday Night" and "Casey Jones" are alright at best, but the encore cover of "Johnny B Goode" (put frustratingly on the second disk) features some fiery solo work from Garcia as the group wraps up the night at their home base Winterland.
This Dave's Picks comes with a bonus disk of material from the previous night which was the first of the '74 tour. The band was finding their way with the sound of their almost complete wall and their footing as a band back on stage.
There is not a lot worth seeking out, a passable version of "Black Throated Wind" with rich bass textures, a very rickety "China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider" are both just OK at best, but the disk was clearly included because of the very cool version of "Playing in the Band". The group locks in and jams swimmingly with Garcia's guitar work blazing into a mid song twinkling that was actually the first teases of "Slipknot!" as he makes magic on the fretboard.
Compared to other recent Dave'sPicksreleases, even others from 1974, this one comes up a bit short as a full show though the highlights ("Here Comes Sunshine", "Weather Report Suite" > "Stella Blue" the "Playing in the Band" from the bonus disk) should be heard by all fans. That said, almost any Grateful Dead is good Grateful Dead in RtBE's book, so give it a whirl.
May 1977 is the most famous month in Grateful Dead history. One of the bands most beloved shows happened then, box sets have been released from this month, multiple special releases have been spotlighted, along with multipleDick's Picks, including the first Dave's Picks which was the show the night before this current release. Archivist David Lemieux stated that this show was almost his pick for the first release in his series, and feels it holds up to any shows from this historic month.
While it comes close and is well played, overall it ends up slightly lesser than most of those nights from that glorious time. One of the things about May '77 is that the band (Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Phil Lesh – bass Keith Godchaux – keyboards Donna Jean Godchaux – vocals Mickey Hart – drums Bill Kreutzmann – drums) is in peak, tight form, but things are not that experimental and do not shift that much from night to night. Sure the band is super in sync and playing strongly but is every night worth owning? Maybe.
Dave's Pick 41 first set is almost an inverse of a lot of '77 first sets with "The Music Never Stopped" opening the show, instead of closing the set and "Bertha" wrapping things up instead of kicking things off. The start is strong with Godchaux's piano and Garcia's guitar leading the charge before a mellow, drawn out "Sugaree".
"Mama Tried" has pristine vocals from both Weir (and Garcia supporting) while the flow is a bit off with mid-set "Deal" feeling out of place. Things improve with Lesh's sliding bass on the punchy "Passenger" and the rhythmic pumping "Brown-Eyed Women". "Looks Like Rain" finds Weir and Donna Jean trading vocals expertly and while Donna could be off some shows, this show proves when she was clicking with the band it could be glorious vocally.
"Sunrise" along with all of her backing vocals make this show one of the best performances Donna was ever a part of live with the Grateful Dead. An upbeat and slightly groovy "Jack-a-Roe" has more energy than usual while "New Minglewood Blues" might just have the best solo work from Garcia in the whole first set.
All of Dave's Picks have excellent production/sound and 41 is no exception, the opening notes of set two find "Samson and Delilah" ringing out gloriously as Lesh and Garcia have a musical conversation over the pounds of the Rhythm Devils. One of the highlights of this whole show arrives with a beautiful version of "High Time" accented with great piano work from Godchaux, but things go off the rails with a disco beat version of "Big River". Archivist Lemieux also supplemented this show with the missing "US Blues" encore from Dave's Picks 40, breaking up the flow.
The original show continues with a quicker than normal "Terrapin Station" and a syrupy "Estimated Prophet" which again finds Donna vocally on point. The most exploratory song of the whole evening arrives after some drum work with "Not Fade Away", this version is unique and wanders, but can be a bit aimless at points during the seventeen minute run time. Donna again sounds fantastic supporting the band during the set ending "Around and Around" while a sweet encore of "Uncle Johns Band" is always well received.
Taken in a vacuum, Dave's Picks 41 is a fine example of the bands playing during one of the best months in their long and storied career. Positioned against other releases from that month, it is somewhere towards the back of the pack of May 77. That is not to say it is not worth hearing for fans and newcomers alike as anything from that glorious month is top notch stuff from the good old Grateful Dead.
Dave's Picks 40: 7/18-19/90 Deer Creek, Noblesville, IN
**** out of *****
The Grateful Dead were having a late career renaissance at the end of the 80's and the beginning of the 90's with the band riding a surprise MTV hit into selling out arena's around the country. The group has already captured this live era on Without A NetandDozin' at the Knickduring their playing days and then released two full box sets of their Spring 1990 tour after Jerry Garcia passed away. Safe to say the band enjoys this time period with Bob Weir even stating, "For my money, this was our hottest era."
The hotness kept rolling into the summer of 1990 before things were forever altered when keyboardist Brent Mydland died from an overdose on July 26th 1990. Dave's Picks 40 captures two complete shows (minus one encore) from just a few days before Mydland's death and prove that the glory of Spring '90 was still riding high through the summer months.
The first set offered from 7/18/90 is by far the weakest of the four presented here, but it is not a complete lost cause. After a rickety "Help on the Way > Slipknot! > Franklin's Tower" start, which had a few sound issues (and a loud and proud Phil Lesh on bass) Mydland takes over for a electro keyboard led "Easy To Love You". Things chill out during mellow offerings of "Peggy-O" and "When I Paint My Masterpiece" before set highlight "Cassidy" finds the best clicking between all the players on the upbeat jam.
The band keeps that energy through the set break for the spritely opening combo "China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider" as the second set puts to bed any doubts after a lack luster opening frame. A passionately delivered "Looks Like Rain" from Weir before a thunderous "Terrapin Station" proves this era of the band had real power. Terrapin leads to a unique sounding jam and interplay before the gremlins in the machine start warping with sonic waves in "Space" and an exploratory "Other One", both freaking out the fans with trippy vocal effects/glitches.
A monstrous "Morning Dew" with huge drums from Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart around Garcia's soaring guitars and screams wraps up the set while an excellent "The Weight" from The Band acts as an encore for the group; a dynamite second set rescues the first with playing and shenanigans that recalled the Dead's early days.
The next night is also included in this set and it finds the band in better form from the start. "Jack Straw" has Lesh's loose bass sound flowing through the opener while Mydland's solo on "They Love Each Other" is smile inducing. Weir takes over and leads a strong version of the band's take on Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" and Garcia matches the effort with stout playing and singing on the dripping "Row Jimmy". "Picasso Moon" rock's with an 80's flair before an "Althea" which could rival the best the band has played and a smoking "Promised Land" concludes a great first set from the band.
The second just kept on moving in the positive direction with an electro squawking version of the dark "Victim or the Crime" which the band slinks away from into the upbeat strumming of "Foolish Heart". Things really locked in after that as the group wove through the trio of "Playin' In The Band" > "China Doll" > "Uncle Johns Band" with grace and charm. The "Playin'" allowed Garcia to turn his guitar into a flute with midi effects while Lesh held down the deep bass before "China Doll" saw Garcia dig deep for stirring vocals while Brent shone bright throughout "UJB"; this three song jaunt is a highlight run on this release.
The "Drums">"Space" segment runs long and semi-interesting while "All Along The Watchtower" was hitting shredding highs from Garcia, before he made an odd abrupt down shift into "Black Peter" This version actually gathers up some rocking energy at the end, as if Garcia knew the crowd and the band wanted to keep the vibe soaring, so they wrapped up with a pumping version of "Not Fade Away" to finish an excellent late career show from the Dead.
While fall 1990 through Summer 1995 had a few nights when the band brought it all together or were inspired, the truth is when Mydland died soon after the nights presented here, something seemed to end for The Grateful Dead. This era and Dave's Picks 40 in particular are one of the last exciting moments when Brent was in his element with the rest of the band and things were bright and flowing.
Back in 2018 we discussed Dave's Picks in length, it was the first time we were reviewing a release in this series and wanted to correctly place it in the context of the Dead's music/official releases. Now Dave's Picks has gone on longer than its predecessor Dick's Picks and choosing what to release is probably a difficult task.
Like that review back in 2018 the newest Dick's Picks release comes from 1983, not the most banner year for the band. There is also a reason that 9/2/83 Boise State University Pavilion, Idaho show was released as Dave's Picks #27 and 4/26/83 Spectrum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was held until Dave's Picks #39 years later; the Boise show is simply better.
That's not to say there aren't interesting moments, exciting playing and things worth checking out on #39 but overall the average listener is not missing much if you skip this release. For the completists and Dead Heads they already know that the cassette tapes of the early to mid 80's make for some different sounding shows. Dave Lemieux and his production team did the best job they could but at various times sounds shift and things get a bit warped.
The opening "Shakedown Street" (oddly the first one to appear on a Dave's Pick release) is a prime example as Phil Lesh's bass drops bombs about 3/4ths of the way through that shake speakers but his low end can get completely lost in the mix on other songs. The other noticeable oddity is the deterioration of Jerry Garcia's singing voice (also mentioned when reviewing #27) as some of his vocals are rough. However, his lead guitar playing can still be sharp and cutting, see his blazing solo work on "Mexicali Blues", his skittering take on "Let It Grow" and "Morning Dew" which also has plenty of those Lesh bombs throughout.
It is not just Jerry though, the normally strong Brent Mydland, whose 80's injection was much needed, seems tired vocally here, even when he gets to play the rare "Maybe You Know" a Spencer Davis Group inspiredtune filtered through an 80's time warp. On the better side of things is Bob Weir, vocally on point throughout the show from a pumped up "New Minglewood Blues" through a damn good combo of "Throwing Stones" > "Not Fade Away" Weir carries the tunes flowingly.
The best musical passage arrives in the form of the "Shakedown Street" jam, the grooving "Men Smart, Women Smarter" which finds Jerry and Brent trading freaky licks and a dynamite "Help on the Way" > "Slipknot!" > "Franklins Tower" trio whose transition through the middle passage and final movement is fraught with danger and warbling on the edge; thrilling stuff.
This release also has a hefty chunk of bonus material from the previous night at the Spectrum with the second half of that shows second set represented. After a better than normal "Space" segment where the drummers Billy Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart stay out to participate, the 4/25 show delivers a cool "Wheel" > "Playin' in the Band Reprise" combo along with some rocking upbeat numbers including a jacked up "Going Down The Road Feeling Bad" and the "Satisfaction" encore, but the whole offering is a bit rickety at times.
Also included are two songs from the 4/15/83 Rochester War Memorial show. "He's Gone" finds both Jerry and Brent in better voice while the rare "Little Star" is a psychedelic wandering with "Spoonful" teases, feeling like it could have been apart of the "Lost Sailor" > "Saint of Circumstance" saga.
Overall not a must hear offering from the band, and there are better official releases from this era of the, Dick's Picks #6, Dave's Picks #27, but it is always worth checking in on the Grateful Dead.
On this day 48 years ago, the Grateful Dead played a show that has now become the 38th entry in the ongoing Dave's Picks series. This was an early part of the Fall 1973 tour, when the band was excited about their upcoming Wake of the Flood album which would be released a month later. The night in Nassau Memorial Coliseum captured here was the second night of the tour which would find the Dead criss crossing the country, playing some excellent shows to wrap up a very productive year for the band.
The Long Island event kicked off with a cooking "Bertha" as the band seemed locked in from the get go, in fact this is one of the shows where the first set outshines the second in all aspects. The show overall is a bit unique for the band during this time period as it doesn't contain any of the big jam vehicles from the group. No "Playin' In The Band", "Dark Star" or "The Other One" but the players just make the most of the songs presented. In particular Bob Weir and Phil Lesh are especially on their game this evening as Bill Kreutzmann pushes the beat while Keith Godchaux twinkles the ivories.
As always Jerry Garcia leads the way and brilliant versions of "Sugaree" and "Row Jimmy", his guitar and voice primed, ring out strongly. Clear crisp versions of tunes like "Tennessee Jed" and "Jack Straw" solidify the early section of the show with Weir delivering a gutsy "Looks Like Rain". As always Dave Lemieux and the Dead team have delivered top notch audio quality for the listening public as all of the songs vibrate beautifully placing you in the Coliseum on this night with the best seats in the old barn.
The highlight of the show as a whole happens at the end of the first set as "Weather Report Suite" complete with "Prelude" drips gorgeously out into the air delivering over fifteen minutes of blissful emotion, being played live for only the second time ever. Not to be outdone a "Eyes Of The World" drips, mellower then other versions, but still strong before a sorrowful "China Doll" shows off Garcia's wizardry with a slow ballad, ending a strong set.
Things become noticeably more relaxed, slower/sleepy and a bit less cohesive for the second set. Some interesting moments are "Let Me Sing Your Blues Away" which allows Keith to do a rare lead vocal and a messy "China Cat Sunflower" which recovers with a "Feeling Groovy" jam in the following "I Know You Rider". The best song of the underwhelming second set is "He's Gone", this show was played on Pigpen's birthday exactly six months after his death and there is a hypnotic spiritual quality to this jam that speaks to something higher as the band delivers the languid tune.
The encore picks back up that vibe as a gorgeous "Stella Blue" and and a succinct "One More Saturday Night" wrap up a mixed bag of a show. After so many official releases, not every one is going to be in the best-ever category and while there are certainly many better official releases from this 1973 Fall tour (Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings, Road Trips Vol 4 No 3) this offering is pleasant, relaxed listen.
Dave's Picks 38 is far from vital, except for completists, but it is always worth checking in on the outfit night in and night out to see what they are up too, especially during 1973, a very fruitful year in their long career.
The 34th selection of the Dave's Picks series of Grateful Dead live releases has already seen the shows most famous part released previously, but there are other aspects of the full 6/23/74 show from Jai-Alai Fronton in Miami, FL that are certainly worth experiencing, starting with the dynamic cover art.
1974 saw the Dead break out the Oswley designed Wall of Sound speaker system and the fidelity of this release is amazing as each player can clearly be heard; audiophiles will swoon at the sound captured here. The Wall did occasionally deliver virtual bleeps and glitches (even outside of the "Seastones" experiments captured between sets) and that was evident during the opening "Ramble On Rose" but the crisp capturing can be astounding in different passages such as the skittering guitar, drums, bass and keys delivered throughout "Jack Straw".
The band was in it's one drummer, jazz rock phase with a lineup of: Jerry Garcia – lead guitar, vocals Bob Weir – rhythm guitar, vocals Phil Lesh – bass guitar, vocals Donna Godchaux – vocals Keith Godchaux – keyboards Bill Kreutzmann – drums. While a tune like "Cumberland Blues" is usually played with an upbeat folk country pacing, this version drifts more into much slower styling around Garcia's lines.
The first set contains a few rarities but the Garcia lead numbers like "Let It Rock", "To Lay Me Down" and "China Doll" are more sluggish than effective. The Weir sang efforts like "El Paso" and especially the experimental version of "The Weather Report Suite" allowed Garcia to focus on his enchanting playing, and throughout this set that is what he did best. The early highlight effort is an all-time version of "Black Throated Wind" as Kreutzman's drum work leads the band while Weir sings with restrained style over the sashaying lines from Garcia and Godchaux.
The second set starts with the band just noodling around (the way Lesh incorporated into his Phil and Friends shows in the 2000's) and the looseness here benefits the cool version of "Ship of Fools" which sails out of the jamming. Keith's electric keyboard work shines brightest on this version as the slow languid playing is a precursor to the 1976 style the band would move towards.
Unfortunately that slow pace kills "Black Peter" before Weir tries to energize things with a mid set "Around and Around". Garcia then opens the notes of a famous "Dark Star" whose transitions and free form flow were released on career spanning So Many Roads box set. The song threatens to drift off into the ether but Bill and Phil direct the band directly into a "Spanish Jam" based on Miles Davis Sketches of Spain's "Solea".
This is the jolt the players needed as they seamlessly work out one of the best versions of "U.S. Blues" the band ever played, ending an impressive half hour musical journey. Things aren't over though as a very sweet "Uncle John's Band" contains dynamite solos from Garcia, a joyous "One More Saturday Night" and a ragged encore of "Casey Jones" to wrap up a wide ranging night of tunes from the band.
Fans may have had copies of this popular show already, but a Bonus Disk was also included in the release from a lesser known show, the previous night. The selections and the sound again is excellent, with particular highlights on Bill's drumming and Keith's keyboard work.
The opening expansive "Playing In The Band" wanders and is long on jazz interplay for almost a half hour displaying an excellent group dynamic. That syncopation keeps flowing on the "China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider" combo which just may be the highlight of this whole release, an all-time version of this historic pairing that is adventurous, loose, and magical.
Godchaux and Lesh work out a solid "Eyes Of The World" before "Wharf Rat" finds Weir clanging through the Wall of Sound with rhythm guitar slams before a transition to "Sugar Magnolia" wraps up the bonus effort. This bonus disk is a joy and a great addition to the already great full show, possibly even topping the focused release.
Dave's Picks never disappoints and volume thirty four raises the quality of a much loved show from the bands Wall of Sound era. While not an unknown gem, 6/23/74 gives the listener the best seat in the house from a summer night exactly 46 years ago today.
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Support the band, buy the album and peep some video below:
(Not official audio)
Dave's Picks Vol 33: 10/29/77 Evans Field House Dekalb, IL
**** out of *****
1977 is one of the best years in Grateful Dead history. Some of their strongest shows were played during these 12 months as the band released Terrapin Station and solidified their set lists before the disco and eighties settled in. There are a ton of great shows from this year and Dave/Dick's Picks have already highlighted seven others (one famous show recently) from this year alone not including other releases and box sets). Dekalb now makes eight from Dave/Dick and it is yet another solid example of the band clicking at their peak.
The continuation of the Dave's Picks series (Dave Lemieux took over the Dick's Picks series started by Dick Latvala in 1993) proves how many nights The Grateful Dead were truly on and flowing. This is the fourth time a show from 1973 has been selected in Dave's series after four shows from 1973 arrived in Dick's original series, slotting in behind 1972 and 1977 respectfully rounding out the three best years of their career.
The most recent selection finds the band playing in one of their "home away from home's", the Philadelphia Spectrum. The band had recently lost one of it's original members as Ron "Pigpen" McKernan died earlier that month and the group was still feeling the loss on this night. Also of note Mickey Hart was no longer in the band leaving Bill Kreutzmann the lone man on the drums during this period and on this night he is the MVP of the show.
The thirty one tracks over three CD's are prime Dead as they start off with the rollicking "Bertha" to kick start the show with Jerry Garcia's fluid lines wrapping around Phil Lesh's upbeat bass bumps. Early highlights are a moving "Cumberland Blues" a Lesh vocal lead on the rare live version of "Box of Rain" and great take on "Me and Bobby McGee" lead by Bob Weir who also closes the set by singing "Playing In the Band", but this version does not reach the heights other '73 versions do.
A fine jolt of poetry and playing is rolled out for the "China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider" pairing and an excellent mid set "Stella Blue" beautifully shines giving Keith Godchaux (who is noticeably low in this mix) some space to roam around the piano, but the real reason for seeking out this release starts on the third CD as the end of this show is one for the ages.
The disk starts with a gorgeous version of "He's Gone", a heartfelt tribute to Pigpen, as the band winds it's way through adventurous and exciting musical passages. "Truckin'" picks up the pace with a tightly played version that should be in the all-time great conversation before things morph into the unknown.
When an official release from the band states "Jam" as a track, there is always a skeptical pause needed, but what flows out from the end of "Truckin'" is truly a jam in the best sense of the label. The playing is a melodic mix of blues and jazz interplay as Kreutzmann seems to be pushing the way forward before Jerry takes over, then approximately twelve minutes in Lesh steers the band into their version of "Spanish Jam" based around "Solea" from Miles Davis'sSketches of Spain.
Things then freak out back to the groups acid trip roots while winding down into a brief journey into "Dark Star", but for once that song singles the end of the experimentation, not the beginning. This sequence is a glorious collection of improvised communal playing which ranks with some of the best the band has ever produced. Stout versions of fan favorites "Sing Me Back Home", "Sugar Magnolia" and "Johnny B. Goode" end a truly memorable set of music.
It is hard to go wrong with any entry in the Dave's Picks series and Volume 32 is just another example of the bands, flexibility, durability and talent. Fans need to hear this show (if they haven't already), newcomers to the band can also very easily start here as this night in Philly has it all from the psychedelic folk'nicks as they pay tribute to a fallen brother with the best way they know how; great music.
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Support the band, buy the album and peep some video below (Not official album sound source):
