Everybody's looking at Ron. Her photos are excellent. I've posted them a couple of times in the Grateful Dead photo thread
The last couple of days, I've been listening to the complete 2/13 and 2/14/70 shows, a much better experience. Some of my favorite bits are left out of the Dick's Pick, but the sets also just have better pacing and flow. The earlier releases weren't really harmed by Dick's slicing and dicing--as albums, they even might have flowed better with his sequencing--but with DiP 4, I think his edits cut the flavor too much. I may never listen to DiP 4 again. Maybe it would've been impossible at the time to get the Bear's Choice material to put out the complete dates separately, but maybe that should have been reason enough to hold off on the release. IDK, now that everyone can hear the complete shows, are people still glad that this comp exists? If you're reaching for one official live release from 1970, is this still the go-to pick?
I’m not it’s too sure, Dick’s there’s so many Picks great shows 8 to Pick from. I Harpur couldn’t even hazard College a guess!
I've been saying for years that I would love to see "An Evening With The Grateful Dead 1970" box/release complete with Acoustic/NRPS/Electric Dead sets.
Man I have one copy of that, an audience tape I think from Capital Theater or somewhere, that was spine-tingling! Never heard a comparable version again.
Looking forward to revisiting DP5. I remember not liking it a whole lot due to Brent's singing. But I have since warmed up to his voice. Haven't heard it in ages.
Dick's Picks 4, listened yesterday, but didn't have a chance to write it up until now. Had to work while listening, so couldn't fully focus, but did play it on the main system for the first time in a while, and I know this one well anyhow. Bought this one pretty much immediately on release. Although these shows were in circulation, all that I had from them was a 90-minute cassette which was pretty much completely filled with the 2/13/70 Dark Star>That's It for the Other One>Lovelight sequence, which I'd first obtained circa '86-'87 relatively early in my tape collecting days. And of course I had Bear's Choice (no bonus tracks for that one were available yet). So I was pretty excited to get an upgrade of what I had, and to hear more. Also excited not to have a tape flip in the middle of The Other One. Other than a classic, all time Dark Star, perhaps standing with 2/27/69 or even above as one of the best and certainly most seminal versions, the first disc highlight is Dancin', a nicely jammed version although not as strong as 5/2/70, which we'll be discussing in a few weeks. These early China Cat>Riders are good fun, but for me that pairing doesn't really blow me away until starting in '72. (Kind of like how Sugaree really went to another level post-hiatus). The Zacharle intro is good fun, and everything else on Disc 1 is played decently but not mind-blowing. Disc 2 starts with one of my favorite versions of That's It for The Other One, not quite as good as all or most of the versions from the Feb-March Fillmore West '69 run, but close, and it has a different, perhaps more aggressive. Was Garcia playing the sunburst strat at this run? If so, maybe the switch from the SG to the strat accounts for part of the difference, but the band were in a different place, evolving fast in those days. I think the Lovelight is pretty strong and feels much shorter than its 30 minutes. Nice cool groovy jam at around the 16 minute mark. Not quite as exciting as the two songs that preceded, but a fine way to end the set. And then Disc 3 is also massive. The Alligator is short but sweet, and the drum solo is too long, but the Not Fade Away is very hot, as typical for '70, and it's always fun to hear Mason's. I'd gotten tapes of 12/28/69 Hollywood, FL and 1/10/70 San Diego circa '87-'88, so was familiar with the song (which I really like), but not this version when DiP 4 was released. I don't know if I've ever read or heard the reasoning for not including it on Workinman's, other than something had to go in order to fit on a single LP, but it also seems like a bit of a throwback to the more ornate songwriting style of Aoxomoxoa, so would have been a bit of an outlier on Workingman's. Anyway, it's a shame it was so short lived and never revived, and the transition into Caution is nifty. This is probably my favorite version of Caution, a beast that will lay waste to anything in a five mile radius. Feedback in this case is pretty mellow, and acts as kind of a come down and transition into We Bid You Goodnight, which gently sends us on our way. An obvious choice for an official release, and I'm glad Dick and the powers that be got to it pretty early on, although like many here have said, I would love to see these shows released in full someday, along with 2/11/70 with its epic guest-filled jam sequence.
#4 is straight-up essential. This is the release that really pushed me into loving pre-'72 GD with that raw, earthier sound.
Found a second hand copy of DP4 for 40 bucks, along with DP1 for 30. I figured, why not. Even if they ever release 2/13 and 2/14 in full, DP4 is still a great listen.
Dick's Picks Vol 4 is essential for Dark Star>The Other One>Lovelight and Caution>Feedback. They're some of the best moments of 1970 live Dead. "The Other One" is probably my favourite version and "Dark Star" is a sure top 10 version. I've heard much better versions of China Cat>Rider and NFA though. The popularity of this release is probably inflated because it came at a time when great live releases from the archives were still a new thing.
DP4 is the first release we have covered where I was luke warm after the first listen in years. I just didnt think it was that good and the "flow" wasnt there. But then I put on Dark Star and The Other One on headphones, loud, in the dark, and I remembered why I loved this so much back when it came out. This is my favorite Other One and Jerry's guitar makes me smile every single time. Excited for 5 which I have never owned until two days ago.
Thread guide List of releases By Release Date One from the Vault (1975-08-13 San Francisco, released 1991-04-15) Infrared Roses (1989-1990, released 1991-11-01) Two from the Vault (1968-08-24 San Francisco, released May 1992) Dick’s Picks Volume 1 (1973-12-19 Tampa, released 1991-10-31) Dick’s Picks Volume 2 (1971-10-31 Columbus, released March 1995) Grayfolded (1968-1993, released 1994 and 1995) Hundred Year Hall (1972-04-26, released 1995-09-26) Dick’s Picks Volume 3 (1977-05-22 Pembroke Pines, released 1995-11-07) Dick’s Picks Volume 4 (1970-02-13, 14 New York, released 1996-02-23) By Concert Date Various (released 1994 and 1995 on Grayfolded) 1968-08-24 Los Angeles (released 1992-05 on Two from the Vault) 1970-02-13, 14 New York (released 1996-02-23 on Dick's Picks 4) 1971-10-31 Columbus (released 1995-03 on Dick's Picks 2) 1972-04-26 Frankfurt (released 1995-09-26 on Hundred Year Hall) 1973-12-19 Tampa (released 1993-10-31 on Dick's Picks 1) 1975-08-13 San Francisco (released 1991-04-15 on One from the Vault) 1977-05-22 Pembroke Pines (released 1995-11-07 on Dick's Picks 3) 1989, 1990 (released 1991-11-01 on Infrared Roses) This week: 1979-12-26 Oakland (released 1996-05-30 on Dick's Picks 5) Next week: 1990-03-24 Albany (mostly) (released 1996-08-29 on Dozin' at the Knick)
Dick's Picks Volume 5 Recording date: December 26, 1979 Recording location: Oakland Auditorium Arena, Oakland, CA Release date: May 30, 1996 Recorded by: Betty Cantor-Jackson Disc 1 First set "Cold Rain and Snow" (traditional) – 6:44 "C.C. Rider" (traditional) – 6:43 "Dire Wolf" (Garcia, Hunter) – 3:58 "Me and My Uncle"> (Phillips) – 2:59 "Big River" (Cash) – 5:59 "Brown-Eyed Women" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:20 "New Minglewood Blues" (traditional) – 7:41 "Friend of the Devil" (Garcia, Dawson, Hunter) – 9:37 "Looks Like Rain" (Weir, Barlow) – 8:14 "Alabama Getaway"> (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:58 "Promised Land" (Berry) – 4:26 Disc 2 Second set: "Uncle John's Band"> (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:14 "Estimated Prophet"> (Barlow, Weir) – 14:11 "Jam 1"> (Grateful Dead) – 6:01 "He's Gone"> (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:03 "The Other One"> (Weir, Kreutzmann) – 8:38 "Drums"> (Hart, Kreutzmann) – 6:03 Disc 3 "Drums"> (Hart, Kreutzmann) – 4:22 "Jam 2"> (Grateful Dead) – 6:03 "Not Fade Away"> (Petty, Hardin) – 11:52 "Brokedown Palace"> (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:49 "Around and Around"> (Berry) – 3:57 "Johnny B. Goode" (Berry) – 4:28 Encore - "Shakedown Street"> (Garcia, Hunter) – 13:52 "Uncle John's Band" (Garcia, Hunter) – 2:54 Dick’s Picks Volume 5 ventured into new territory in several ways. It was the first Brent release, and it was the first Pick to contain a complete concert. It is also one of a very few Brent-era Betty boards; if only the rest of the 1979 (and beyond) shows existed in this quality. The band blasts straight into Cold Rain and Snow, and despite some missteps, they’re clearly playing quite well. From there it’s a fairly typical first set, with the band engaged with the music and each other. There are several first-rate solos from Jerry, and Brent’s varied keyboard sounds give the music a very different feel from earlier officially-released shows. There’s a Bobby slide solo to get through in Minglewood Blues, and keep an ear out for a great version of Alabama Getaway. But this show is all about the second set. As Uncle John’s Band was playing, I just kept thinking about how fine it was. The band is tight, yet happy to let the song unwind in its own sweet time. The segue into Estimated Prophet is smooth, happening almost before the listener is aware of it. Estimated is a long and most enjoyable version. It turns into an unusual manic jam that lasts several minutes, a great example of the band’s unpredictability. It’s remarkable how this turns into a lovely, slow reading of He’s Gone, a complete change of pace. The Other One explodes out of the end, and the band is out of synch during the first verse and chorus. But they make up for it with the jamming - both between the verses and after the second verse - not long, but quite intense. Ten minutes of drumming (split between the second and third discs) leads into a free-form jam that’s not quite Space (the drummers don’t leave for most of it), but has that Space-like feeling, quite disorienting at times. It sounds like it’s heading into Miracle, but veers off into Not Fade Away. It’s a solid version, but another surprise awaits as it turns into Brokedown Palace (I think the first in two years), a brief respite before the rocketing finish of not one, but two Chuck Berry songs. The encore is a solid version of Shakedown Street that finishes up with the Uncle John’s Band conclusion. It’s a great way to end the show. Packaging is again quite basic - a simple folded insert with a couple of black-and-white photos. It may not be essential at the level of the last couple of Picks, but this release is a great introduction to the Brent years. It’s a consistently engaging listen, with a fine variety of songs and moods.
