I've been listening to a lot of versions of Dark Star as I make my way through every show from 1969. 6-14-69 which I've just heard is one worth checking out. 1969 Dark Stars are not weird in the way 72-74 versions are, but this one manages to be kind of out there without really breaking the frame (as often happened in versions with Keith.)
Some great ones: 11/11/73 4/8/72 2/2/70 2/24/74 12/12/69 5/11/72 9/21/72 I'd love to get the 5/23/72 & 5/25/72 shows one day on disc but out of print
9/19/70 (a history of musical evolution in<10 minutes after the first verse) 3/23/72 (mainly for the hootenany (or is it a hoedown?) into groovy) 4/8/72 (not just for the improv out of the melt; this one is chock full of great moments) 5/11/72 (longest DS ever assuming one invokes the DS--> Drums--> DS = DS corollary) 9/21/72 (another monster truck pull at the end; Mind Left Country of Spain jam) 11/11/73 (Deep, exploratory but not as laborious as the reverse DS from Cleveland the following month)
A friend of mine that was also there just sent me soundboards of that show. Can't wait to check out that Dark Star. I assume Phil does the vocals?
As I work my way through every Europe 72 DS (they are ALL so good!), two questions have risen to mind, and I'm wondering if anyone here has answers. Forgive me if they've been addressed here or in other threads: 1) Is there any known DS where Jerry never even sings the first verse? In other words, fully instrumental but still distinctly DS? I know they eventually dropped Verse Two, but I'm wondering if they ever headed straight into the ether without landing back down again. 2) Does anyone know the longest pre-first verse jam on a DS? In '72, they often pushed the 15+ minute mark before working to the verse, but have there been times when they've gone even longer? Thanks for any info! And, for the sake of the original thread topic, I'll put in a shout-out for 5-23-72. Maybe not my all-time favorite, but it's been speaking to me lately and definitely an under-rated E72 DS.
I love 5-23-72 . It is definitely my favorite of the tour, I love the space jam/tiger breakdown in it, and it resolves into Morning Dew, which is always good for a few points in my scoring. The first verse continued to get pushed back (as a rule) throughout 72-74. 12-6-73 I think is one that goes 20+ minutes before the verse. 2-24-74 is another where the verse occurs about 20 minutes in. There are quite a few Dark Stars with no vocals. 12-5-71 is an early example. Also 6-23-74, 6-28-74, and 7-25-74 are all famous examples of wordless Dark Stars. Finally, there is at least one in the 90s that is second verse only, as the first verse only was played in the previous show.
Thanks for the reply! I'm not as well-versed in 73-74 Dead, so I will be seeking out those versions you mentioned. More space to explore!
If you like 72 check out 2-15-73, 6-10-73, 11-11-73, 2-24-74, 9-10-74 as well. Also Archtop and Dahabenzapple made some good picks on the last page or so of this thread.
6/17/91 also had several instrumental teases of a Dark Star, but it was never played. None of them were long enough to really call it an instrumental version though.
FWIW that one is called 'Dark Star Jam' in Deadbase, and there's a note that the second part 'Jam' has a 'Dark Star' theme.
In addition to what @ianuaditis posted, 11/30/73 has a ~9-minute jam out of WRS that is distinctly DS in my mind (and includes a Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring quote from Jerry at 0:59-1:03). The similar segment from 6/28/74 that he mentioned is only four minutes long (10:30-14:30 of the jam out of WRS), so that's a tough call. The track is simply entitled "Jam," but consists of 27:53 of: 5:00 Mind Left Body Jam-->10:30 Dark Star Jam-->14:30 Jazzy/Funky Jam-->24:00 Melt--> US Blues But since Dark Star was always happening, I guess Dark Star it is (at least 10:30-14:30 is). 12/5/71 is a great one, and it contains a Me and My Uncle that meanders quite fantastically back into DS.
Thanks for the additional info, Archtop! I do have the 11-30-73 Dick's Picks, so I'll have to pull that one out again. I do remember it being labeled "Dark Star Jam" but I haven't listened to it in a while. Definitely will check out 12-5-71 ASAP. I'm enjoying the recent 12-7 Dave's Picks, so I need to explore more of that run. As a relatively late convert, there is still so much music to be heard...
You know....they might of traded verses, come to think of it--- phil + bobby, on it. but it was Weir who was the memorable part. He holds this one note out, with his voice, for a really long time....it got intense.
Actually I watched the video of this that I somehow acquired just the other night. They do trade verses at the end, Trey->Phil->Weir. I remember the part you're talking about, coming back from the jam. Trey and Phil both sing a verse, and you can almost see Weir thinking "Jesus Christ, these two guys just cannot sing" so he goes for it on his verse ("Lady in velvet"). The other two are cracking up in the background because they know he's right. I hadn't watched it for a while, and what I forgot was that while there were various jam opportunities in the set, where Trey really went for the roses was not DS or Viola Lee, but St. Stephen. That show pretty much had my dream setlist, though, only missing "New Potatoe Caboose" to make it the perfect sendoff.
Even though it wasn't as evolved as it would become, I enjoy the '68 versions where Pigpen plays that repeating, hypnotic organ riff continuously. It serves as an almost "mantra"-like base for the others to improvise on. The rendition on Two from the Vault is a great example (also the October one from the '68 30 Trips show).
