Steppin’ Out With The Grateful Dead: England '72 I'll never forget hearing this stuff for the first time. I was transfixed. This release contains some of the greatest recorded music ever, by anyone, anytime. 4 discs of greatness, with each one raising the bar fuhrur (...and just when you thought that things just cannot get better than you are hearing). This Lovelight from Bickershaw is easily one of my favourites. Good Lovin' = likewise. NFA stretch (editing and all) is incredibly intense. And I need to make justice to this TOO>El Paso>TOO>Wharf Rat. This is a mind bending performance. A top drawer, surreal rendition. That segue from El Paso back to TOO always gets me. 4th disc, well yeah. Gun to my head easily top 3 Dark Star, and over the top Sugar Magnolia>Caution, easily the best one ever performed (Caution in '72 ? Hell yeah!). Intensity of this whole stretch is almost unbearable. Well I really can't say anything new that others didn't already mention. To say this is essential beyond description is still an understatement. Desert island release in every department. Overall rating: 5/5
Postcards of the Hanging - I picked it up in a store not long after its release, I didn't know about the bonus disc until I just read it on Wikipedia. I always liked Weir's Dylan covers - the first time I heard the song Desolation Row by anyone was on the GD Hour. I said to myself 'this has to be a Bob Dylan song,' and sure enough when Gans came on he mentioned it. (Baby Blue was another that I heard via the GD before I heard the original, and possibly Maggie's Farm and Queen Jane. I went out and bought the first two electric Dylan albums not long after hearing that Desolation Row on the radio.) I was less than floored by this comp when I got ahold of it. I had not heard their version of She Belongs to Me, so that was nice, but other than that I thought they did a relatively poor job selecting the versions. They played a lot of these songs in the 90s too, maybe they just didn't want to have to cut Vince and Hornsby a check? Also Baby Blue from 66 or 69 would have been cool. Also St. Stephen in 94.
For me, owning Steppin' Out makes Europe 72 obsolete. I was actually able to procure this via normal means, rather than Discogs. They did a stellar job compiling this release to 'match' a normal concert, albeit extended. As for Rockin' Pneumonia, I'm glad to have it.
Totally agree with all points especially The Other One->El Paso and Dark Star. Normally I don't care for the El Paso excursions in a TOO or Dark Star, but the return to TOO here is totally worth it. They are absolutely just raging that return. The 4th disc is also one of my all time favorite sequences of Dead music. The first time I heard it was from a DAT copy that David Gans circulated after broadcasting on the old Grateful Dead Hour show in the late '90s. Totally blew me away and still does every time I listen to it. That jam between DS and Sugar Mags popped up a few other times but so beautifully played this time. And then the Caution, love when it gets all quiet and then Phil just rips that riff bringing it all back. Gotta mention the beautiful yet haunting Comes A Time as well. After debuting in '71 they really nailed it down with the '72 performances. So much great music on this set from start to finish perfectly sequenced for a compilation set. Must have in any Dead collection.
Steppin' Out is one of my very favorite archival releases too....for all the reasons already cited and much more!
I didn't go in depth review here, but needles to say, all performances found here are top drawer. Sitting on Top of the World - yowza! UJB - perfect! (listen to Billy). I could go on and on. And Brokedown Palace... This is the one for me. A perfect landing pad after one of the most mind blowing music sequence ever. This rendition in this context always gets me. In a tears down your face kinda way. Seriously. Like I said, this release is a desert island stuff in every regard.
Am I the only one who sold Steppin' Out when I got the trunk? (Partly regret it because I know the mix is different).
I'll put a positive spin on it - think of all the amazing Grateful Dead shows you already have and how much joy you get from listening to them. Now, realize you still have yet to buy their best ever show. So much to look forward to.
If I had to pick one E72 release to own (other than the trunk), this would be the one for me. Heck, if I had to own one non-box GD release, this would be a strong contender.
Clickable 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 1 (1973-12-19 Tampa, released 1991-10-31) Dick’s Picks 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 3 (1977-05-22 Pembroke Pines, released 1995-11-07) Dick’s Picks 4 (1970-02-13, 14 New York, released 1996-02-23) Dick’s Picks 5 (1979-12-26 Oakland, released 1996-05-30) Dozin' at the Knick (1990-03-24 Albany (mostly), released 1996-08-29) Dick's Picks 6 (1983-10-14 Hartford, released 1996-10-07) Dick's Picks 7 (1974-09-09, 10, 11 London, released 1997-03-04) Dick's Picks 8 (1970-05-02 Binghamton, released 1997-06-14) Fallout from the Phil Zone (Various, released 1997-06-17) Terrapin Station Limited Edition (1990-03-15 Landover, released 1997-09) Dick's Picks 9 (1990-09-16 New York, released 1997-10-19) Live at the Fillmore East 2-11-69 (1969-02-11 New York, released 1997-10-28) Dick's Picks 10 (1977-12-29 San Francisco, released 1998-02-26) Dick's Picks 11 (1972-09-27 Jersey City, released 1998-06-09) Dick's Picks 12 (1974-06-26 Providence, 1974-06-28 Boston, released 1998-10-15) Dick's Picks 13 (1981-05-06 Uniondale, released 1999-03-05) Dick's Picks 14 (1973-11-30 Boston, released 1999-06-18) Dick’s Picks 14 (1973-12-02 Boston, released 1999-06-18) Dick's Picks 15 (1977-09-03 Englishtown, released 1999-10-18) So Many Roads (Various, released 1999-11-07) Dick's Picks 16 (1969-11-08 San Francisco, released 2000-03) Dick's Picks 17 (1991-09-25 Boston, released 2000-04-28) View from the Vault 1 (1990-07-08 Pittsburgh, released 2000-06) Dick's Picks 18 (1978-02-03 Madison, 1978-02-05 Cedar Falls, released 2000-06) Ladies and Gentlemen (1971-04-25...29 New York, released 2000-10-10) Dick's Picks 19 (1973-10-19 Oklahoma City, released 2000-10-23) Dick's Picks 20 (1976-09-25 Landover, released 2001-01-23) Dick's Picks 20 (1976-09-28 Syracuse, released 2001-01-23) Dick's Picks 21 (1985-11-01 Richmond, released 2001-03-20) Dick's Picks 22 (1968-02-23, 24 King's Beach, released 2001-06) View from the Vault 2 (1991-06-14 Washington DC, released 2001-06-08) Nightfall of Diamonds (1989-10-16 East Rutherford, released 2001-09-25) Dick's Picks 23 (1972-09-17 Baltimore, released 2001-10-16) Dick's Picks 24 (1974-03-23 Daly City, released 2002-02-11) Postcards of the Hanging (Various, released 2002-03) Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead: England '72 (1972-04, 05 England, released 2002-07-09) By Concert Date Various (released 1994 and 1995 on Grayfolded) Various (released 1997-06-17 on Fallout from the Phil Zone) Various (released 1999-11-07 on So Many Roads) Various (released 2002-03 on Postcards of the Hanging) 1968-02-23, 24 King's Beach (released 2001-06 on Dick's Picks 22) 1968-08-24 Los Angeles (released 1992-05 on Two from the Vault) 1969-02-11 New York (released 1997-10-28 on Live at the Fillmore East 2-11-69) 1969-11-08 San Francisco (released 2000-03 on Dick's Picks 16) 1970-02-13, 14 New York (released 1996-02-23 on Dick's Picks 4) 1970-05-02 Binghamton (released 1997-06-14 on Dick's Picks 8) 1971-04-25...29 New York (released 2000-10-10 on Ladies and Gentlemen...) 1971-10-31 Columbus (released 1995-03 on Dick's Picks 2) 1972-04, 05 England (released 2002-07-09 on Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead: England '72) 1972-04-26 Frankfurt (released 1995-09-26 on Hundred Year Hall) 1972-09-17 Baltimore (released 2001-10-16 on Dick's Picks 23) 1972-09-27 Jersey City (released 1998-06-09 on Dick's Picks 11) 1973-10-19 Oklahoma City (released 2000-10-23 on Dick's Picks 19) 1973-11-30 Boston (released 1999-06-18 on Dick's Picks 14) 1973-12-02 Boston (released 1999-06-18 on Dick's Picks 14) 1973-12-19 Tampa (released 1993-10-31 on Dick's Picks 1) 1974-03-23 Daly City (released 2002-02-11 on Dick's Picks 24) 1974-06-26 Providence (released 1998-10-15 on Dick's Picks 12) 1974-06-28 Boston (released 1998-10-15 on Dick's Picks 12) 1974-09-09, 10, 11 London (released 1997-03-04 on Dick's Picks 7) 1975-08-13 San Francisco (released 1991-04-15 on One from the Vault) 1976-09-25 Landover (released 2001-01-23 on Dick's Picks 20) 1976-09-28 Syracuse (released 2001-01-23 on Dick's Picks 20) 1977-05-22 Pembroke Pines (released 1995-11-07 on Dick's Picks 3) 1977-09-03 Englishtown (released 1999-10-18 on Dick's Picks 15) 1977-12-29 San Francisco (released 1998-02-26 on Dick's Picks 10) 1978-02-03 Madison, 1978-02-05 Cedar Falls (released 2000-06 on Dick's Picks 18) 1979-12-26 Oakland (released 1996-05-30 on Dick's Picks 5) 1981-05-06 Uniondale (released 1999-03-05 on Dick's Picks 13) 1983-10-14 Hartford (released 1996-10-07 on Dick's Picks 6) 1985-11-01 Richmond (released 2001-03-20 on Dick's Picks 21) 1989-10-16 East Rutherford (released 2001-09-25 on Nightfall of Diamonds) 1989, 1990 (released 1991-11-01 on Infrared Roses) 1990-03-15 Landover (released 1997-09 on Terrapin Station Limited Edition) 1990-03-24 Albany (mostly) (released 1996-08-29 on Dozin' at the Knick) 1990-07-08 Pittsburgh (released 2000-06 on View from the Vault 1) 1990-09-16 New York (released 1997-10-19 on Dick's Picks 9) 1991-06-14 Washington DC (released 2001-06-08 on View from the Vault 2) 1991-09-25 Boston (released 2000-04-28 on Dick's Picks 17) This week: 1990-06-16 Mountain View (released 2002-07-15 on View from the Vault 3) Next week: 1978-05-10 New Haven (released 2002-07-20 on Dick's Picks 25)
View from the Vault, Volume 3 Recording date: June 16, 1990 Recording location: Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA Release date: July 15, 2002 (I’ve seen release dates ranging from July 15 through October) Recorded by: Dan Healy Disc 1 First set: "Let the Good Times Roll" > (Sam Cooke) – 4:52 "Truckin'" > (Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir) – 10:06 "Touch of Grey" (Hunter, Garcia) – 7:30 "Mama Tried" > (Merle Haggard) – 2:35 "Big River" (Johnny Cash) – 5:52 "Friend of the Devil" (John Dawson, Hunter, Garcia) – 8:06 "Cassidy" (John Barlow, Weir) – 6:21 "Big Boss Man" (Luther Dixon, Al Smith) – 7:24 "One More Saturday Night" (Weir) – 5:23 Disc 2 Second set: "China Cat Sunflower" > (Hunter, Garcia) – 10:39 "I Know You Rider" (trad., arr. Grateful Dead) – 5:44 "We Can Run" (Barlow, Brent Mydland) – 5:50 "Estimated Prophet" > (Barlow, Weir) – 13:07 "Terrapin Station" > (Hunter, Garcia) – 15:20 "Jam" > (Grateful Dead) – 15:16 "Space" > (Grateful Dead) - 11:49 Disc 3 "Drums" > (Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann) – 4:12 "China Doll" > (Hunter, Garcia) – 6:45 "Sugar Magnolia" (Hunter, Weir) – 9:57 Encore: "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (Bob Dylan) – 7:37 Bonus tracks from October 3, 1987: "Hey Pocky Way" (Joseph Modeliste, Arthur Neville, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter) – 6:17 "New Minglewood Blues" (Noah Lewis) – 7:36 "Candyman" (Hunter, Garcia) – 7:51 "When I Paint My Masterpiece" (Dylan) – 4:39 [a] "West L.A. Fadeaway" (Hunter, Garcia) – 7:34 "My Brother Esau" (Barlow, Weir) – 4:26 The third entry in the Vault series of videos (and soundtrack CDs) contains a show from the middle of 1990, and it contains a couple of real surprises. The first set starts with a not-uncommon opener, Let the Good Times Roll. The band sounds relaxed, just rolling along with an easy groove. But then they blast into Truckin’, a completely unexpected treat this early in the show. And then Touch of Grey is another unexpected and fun track. We’re off to a great start here. The rest of the set is much more standard (although very well played) with the expected highlights. Friend of the Devil is fine with good solos from both Brent and Jerry, and Cassidy has a little exploration. Big Boss Man is a nice surprise and Saturday Night contains some fine Jerry leads. It’s time for the set break. The second set starts in highg gear with China Cat Sunflower; it’s lively, but midi-haters won’t like the long transition jam as it’s full of (tasty) alternative Jerry sounds. I Know You Rider is explosive, and it’s clear that the band has the magic tonight. Brent gets a turn with We Can Run, but it doesn’t quite fit after what we just heard. The heart of the show starts with Estimated Prophet. There are some crazy Bob vocals, and the final jam gets quite out there at times, but Jerry keeps his playing relatively straight yet relentlessly interesting. This is a great version. Eventually Jerry strums the opening chords to Terrapin Station. It feels a little slow in the middle. But the majestic ending just doesn’t want to end, and keeps going around. It sounds as if it’s heading into Drums, but the rest of the band (especially Jerry and Phil) don’t want to leave yet, and instead they dive into an extraordinary jam. The first half is largely driven by Bill and Mickey, with the rest of the band contributing. After this it becomes more of a band piece with Jerry taking a more active leadership role. There’s a short section which sounds like the tape running backwards (I’d guess an effect), and the drummers finally give up and leave the stage. So we get Space before Drums! And it’s a wonderful Space, exploratory and inventive. Drums starts seamlessly out of Space, a short version that doesn’t break the magical mood. Somehow the segue into a delicate (and unexpected) China Doll works perfectly. An unexceptional Sugar Magnolia rounds things out, and thus ends one of the most unique second sets of the Brent era. The Baby Blue encore includes a Jerry solo that feels different, and it’s a fine way to end this show. The filler from almost three years earlier seems a little bizarre (the entire next View entry would be from the filler’s year). It has a completely different mood, but is a fun slice of ‘87 Dead. Brent is great on Hey Pocky Way, Candyman has a short but fiery solo from Jerry, and Masterpiece careens along on the edge of control. Esau was very rare at the time and this was a welcome release of it. The CD packaging is very basic - a foldout insert with a very short essay on the music. Sound quality is very good. This is an excellent representation of the late Brent era. If you haven’t heard it, give it a spin, especially the second set. It’s full of jammy goodness.
View From The Vault, Vol. 3: 6/16/90, Shoreline Amphitheatre For the third View From The Vault soundtrack, we’re given another Summer ‘90 show (this time from Shoreline), with some choice filler from 10/3/87 at the same venue. After listening to Steppin’ Out for two weeks straight, it was jarring to jump straight into this, which is not peak ‘72; it took my ears some time to re-calibrate. Notes & Highlights I assume the source is a Healy Ultramatrix, but it sounds to me more like a pure soundboard -- the audience is almost inaudible and it’s all a bit dry and sterile…will see if there are better sounding sources out there. A nice trio of tunes from the jump, with an unusual Good Times > Truckin’ > Touch opening sequence that finds the band in good form and hints that something out of the ordinary may be on the way. FOTD is a gorgeous slow rendition and Cassidy is well-jammed; then we’re treated to a rare Big Boss Man and Saturday Night, neither of which are the greatest versions I’ve heard, but are nevertheless a fun and surprising way to close the set. Despite some heavy-handed sax and flute midi in the transition jam, the opening China > Rider is a hot one and a good omen for the second set. We Can Run is the hokey bottom of the Brent barrel, but the rest of the set is very good and deviates from the established show template. An exploratory Estimated gets hairier than usual before resolving beautifully into a typically grand Terrapin...and then things get weird with a spacey 15+ minute improv session that maybe lacks the drive and focus of other post-Terrapin jams of this era, but is more exploratory and never boring. Like everyone, I expected Drums to emerge from it, but instead the drummers leave and we get Space > Drums (with the Beam!) -- how many times has that happened in the D/S era? I can’t think of many. The slightly ragged but perfectly haunting China Doll is an excellent choice out of the preceding madness, and the Baby Blue encore confirms we’ve just been treated to something special. ‘87 was a rocking year, and the filler gives us a nice taste of it. Pocky Way, Candyman and Masterpiece are particularly strong. This week was somehow the first time I’ve actually listened to this, and it’s certainly among the top handful of Summer ‘90 shows that I’ve heard (which is admittedly not everything). Not sure I'd call it essential, but I’m glad I finally got to it -- it’s certainly worth the time and deserving of repeat listens.
Agreed. This show was a nice surprise, when I finally got around to checking it out. I guess they weren't spending the money for multitrack recording for those summer shows. Too bad, because this one would really benefit from a stellar recording. I've posted this before, but I love One More Saturday Night as a first set closer. I wish they'd done that more often.
