Dark Star > Sittin' On Top Of The World > Dark Star > Me & Bobby McGee (26:46 total) 10/21/71 Chicago from Dave's 3 bonus disc. I don't always enjoy a song stuck inside a Dark Star, but when I do, it's Sittin' On Top Of The World.
If you're going to box up those two, throw in the night before (4/17) for a complete and nutritious meal. Birdsong in the first set, epic Shakedown to kick off the second set, a sweet UJB out of space and the mother of all Baby Blues to send us out into the night.
I was in Boston Garden 9-25-91 when they did That Would Be Something. I was very excited! Coming out of Space, I heard that unmistakeable guitar riff, immediately thought Beatles. Took me a few seconds to realize what it was. Was a memorable moment for me, in what was a very memorable run of shows.
Keith is loud and fluid in that mix, with that janglish piano sound. A really beautiful version of "Dark Star".
Today, I am getting antsy and cannot wait for the new Spring 1990 box set to arrive. First box set I've ever pre-ordered. First time I've ever spent over $200.00 on a box set. So I am listening to the first show from the previous Spring 1990 box (which I missed), which is 3-16-90, Landover, MD. Great energy, a ferocious Minglewood early in the first set. Now I'm even more excited for this new one!
May 26, 1972, Strand Lyceum, London, from the Complete Europe '72 trunk (#0645) Possibly the greatest show of this incomparable 22-show run? They're massively in the zone, fantastically entrained and in sync with an air of slightly exhausted triumph. Garcia, ridiculously sharp. Pigpen is awesome and it's a heart-breaking show because this is nearly the end (his last concert appearance was only three weeks later at the Hollywood Bowl). His organ playing on this show adds a layer of groove and soulfulness that harkens back to primal Dead and would never be heard again after he was gone, and this is its swan song. In the CD liner notes David Gans calls the band "braided, leaderless, questing" — I reckon they never flowed better than this night.
Hell, while you're at it, throw in Providence from 4/15/82; my first show. I just opened a sealed copy of this one (bought here) about three hours ago. Great mix on that one. It's almost a shame that so much of this second set is on E'72. I would imagine that fans who try to minimize duplication might steer clear of this show as a result. A really cool moment near the end of the first set is where the crowd starts clapping and stamping out the intro to Not Fade Away and obligingly, the band plays a strong Note Fade--> Road--> Not Fade to close the first set. Something must be going right when they close a '72 first set (or any first set) with that combo. As for best of the tour? It certainly is consistently strong. I guess I have some bigger highlights from other shows, such as 4/8, 4/24, 4/26, 5/7, 5/10-11, etc., but perhaps 5/26 is the most consistently strong. One show that flies under the radar a bit is the opener on 4/7. While not a top show from the tour, there are two stand-outs: on China Cat Sunflower, Phil is clearly enthusiastic about being in England and he is absolutely all over the place on this. Then at the end of the show, Bobby and Pig have a nice call and response on the reprise of Not Fade Away.
When I first received my Europe '72 box set, I started listening to each show in order (I took me several weeks to get through the whole tour). I return to this beautiful tour over and over again and I focus primarily on the second sets, on the extended jams. The 26/5/72 "Truckin'>The Other One>Drums>The Other One>Morning Dew>The Other One>Sing Me Back Home" is certainly one of the most extraordinary moments in Dead history, but it's not the only one of that tour, so I can't say which was the best of the 21 shows (plus the appearance in "Beat Club). The shows in Paris, Germany and Holland are amazing too, and so are those in Denmark, and the one in Luxembourg! I have said it many times before in this forum, but I insist: I never get tired of this tour, there's something special about it, and that damned box set is a treasure I truly cherish.
Listening to disc two of Steppin' Out. Europe 72 "Good Lovin'"s are among the few long Pigpen tracks I can enjoy. I hadn't noticed there is a WRS Prelude tuning before "Black Throated Wind" on this CD.
I usually against compilations, but I thought that one (along with Garcia Plays Dylan) were just great. Those continue to get playback by me. My recent listening has been the From Egypt With Love Road Trips. Probably haven't listened to this since a few months after the original release. I remember being underwhelmed, but this is quite an enjoyable set. Great Other One!
I love the live version of "If I Had The World To Give" featured on the bonus disc. I'm not very fond of that Road Trips volume, though.
Same here. I was surprised to see 'Good Lovin'' is something like 20 minutes long -- doesn't feel like it at all.
I think I set high expectations for each new release and for those that don't meet them, I just kind of move on. But I find that those marginal releases can be quite enjoyable down the road just picking them randomly and throwing them on for some casual listening when i have time.
11/20/78, the third and final one, is a good one go here http://db.etree.org/lookup_show.php?shows_key=1128 and click on "view archive" for 95660
The Other One is outrageous. The whole set is fun: Stella Blue, a very un-'77 Scartlet> Fire and the US Blues might be favourite ever version (more so than the windmill Jerry one from the following month). I usually am disappointed by encores but this one is special. Whatever they inhaled/swallowed/snorted during Drums made for a very exciting post-Drums that night.
I really enjoy that Road Trips (including the If I Had the World to Give mentioned above, with Bob using his slide to great effect during the outro jam, the Cleveland one is also excellent; don't think I ever heard what I think is a third and only other live version). Doubt it will happen since this Road Trips already came out, but it would be nice to get a box of that whole From Egypt with Love run someday. Heck, it's already been named. Edit: just checked, and the other IIHTWTG version was Red Rocks, 8/30/78. Unlike the July run, I've never heard any of the shows from the August one.
It's probably been 10 years or more, but I'm listening to selections from 5/10-11/78, aka DP 25. These were some of the first shows I traded for, but I was underwhelmed with them as a pick for a potentially momentous 25th Dick's Picks installment. Not tremendously compelling tracklist-- due to the era for favorites like Eyes and Bertha, and because "double Chuck Berry and Werewolves encore" is never a personal selling point -- but I'm enjoying about 1:45 of it plenty well, more for good performances of some 1st-set favorites and the Scarlet>Fire.
Today/Tonight it was time to dip my mind into the swirling waters of... PRIMAL DEAD I threw on night two of the Trip & Ski shows from Kings Beach Bowling Alley in Lake Tahoe, CA, Feb. '68 (DP 22). "Caution/Feedback" just now finished and I am just amazed and stunned - what an intense ride for my ears and soul. Whether the attendees at this show happened to come straight or strange, they all left experienced. For sure...whew. I now need something to calm me down and prepare me for sleep. Hmm...Nick Drake sounds good. Made to Love Magic it is.
Been Listening, and digging, Dicks Picks Vol. 31. Great show and recording. Keith's keyboards are really present on this release. Stand out tracks, for me, are China that rolls into a mediocre Rider. Around and Around is spectacular as is Loose Lucy, Weather Report Suite, although this song dissolves into what most haters of the dead refer to random sounds. But the first half of this song is great. He's gone is another outstanding version as is trucking. These guys were on fire this evening.
Ollin Arageed on Rocking The Cradle. The Dead aren't exactly known for their pioneering work in the field of African rock, but this is like Tinariwen 20 years early.