I have kind of the same feeling but mostly it is because the Dead with their long jams (many times longer than what one side of vinyl will hold) makes the Dead not really conducive to vinyl for live releases. Having said that I will say I broke down and got 2/28/69 on vinyl and despite the side flipping near the end of the show mid tracks all I can say is wow. This is the best I have ever heard this show by a long way. It was Plangent Processed which the original box and other fan releases are not which probably makes a difference. Regardless despite the side flipping hassles (and actual issues with flips due to length of jams) when I listened to this I thought to myself this is how the show was always meant to be heard. Just phenomenal how you can feel the ambiance of the music and venue on that vinyl. (Or at least how you can perceive to feel it)
Keith was a genius level player from most of 1972 through 1974. His accents on pieces like Wharf Rat & Morning Dew are the work of a magical mind that very sadly was destroyed by certain factors. Still great in 76-77 and by 1978 he was becoming a shell of what he was.
He was excellent in 1972, but still a bit restrained (curiously, some 1971 shows finds him playing more actively). In my opinion, his peak is 1973-1977. And, as @US Blues points out, in 1978 he sounds better with the JGB.
For sure 73 is his peak maybe just a bit more free and inventive than in 74. Very high level. I’m a long time listener to improvised piano within group contexts and Keith is a great addition to the band. Maybe it only would have worked that way as he isn’t a great soloist like most of the great pianists of that time or now - most of those are jazz musicians or involved in jazz related improvised music. So not sure he is in the level of Craig Taborn or Agusti Fernandez but those 2 are among the handful of greatest living pianists. But he is a pure improvisor which is a gift. The Dead at their peak had 4 of them in the band!!!
I just entered this Dark Star. First 2 discs are good, but disc 3 is absolute liftoff. You get a super smooth takeoff compliments of Billy dancing around. There is no need for seatbelt until roughly 7 minutes in as Phil introduces a propulsive bass line. What a beautiful box set. I can’t imagine streaming it would do it justice. Need a full fledged stereo system to really be locked in.
Lots of flipping, vocals really low down in the mix on side C I believe. The 2nd set doesn't flow well on vinyl. Its a really disjointed listen on vinyl.
I'm pretty much a Dead vinyl completist but I stayed away from that vinyl release. First I had the expensive boxset CD version, but that hasn't stopped me before. I looked at the tracklist and hardly any of the sides looked good. I simply wouldn't play it. The only other release like that was that Winterland '71 double vinyl they put out for RSD awhile back. That one also had no good sides.
I actually really still want the t-shirt that went along with it. Plenty of bootleg ones on Ebay but I want a legit Liquid blue one.
Finally back to the epic 46 minute PITB band from 5/21/74 as @budwhite says it never lags and it is simply munificent throughout. Wondrous long Re-Entry which is a hallmark of the great versions from 72-74.
Been a minute since I've listened but iirc it was only one song--Bertha--and not even the whole song. Unless I'm remembering wrong? I thought it was a neat to hear it that way, mistake and all, but I do remember some people grumbling about it at the time
That's the Elastic Ping Ping jam that begat KSM/STDOMTT. This is the most fully fleshed out version of the jam that has been officially released, with the resolution to A even showing up in embryonic form at 9:20. The genesis of this jam can be traced back as follows (official releases only): 4/8/72 - Dark Star; at 8:06, Phil briefly hints at the bass line from Wayne Shorter's Footprints; 4/11/72 - Truckin'; from 15:37-16:45, Phil gives a much more defined exposition of the Footprints bass line; 4/16/72 - Good Lovin'; from 14:48-15:22, Phil unexpectedly tosses in the Footprints bass line in 6 this time (opening the door for multiple meter interpretations of this theme in 5, 6, 7 and 8 as it became first a full band jam, and ultimately KSM/STDOMTT in 7); 11/17/72 (DaP 11) - The Other One; a ping pong jam crops up/in and out from 8:03-8:33 and then at 9:00 and 10:05; 2/26/73 (DiP 28) - Dark Star; another ping pong jam from 10:10-16:14. This one starts out in 5 and Phil switches it to 6 at 11:10; 2/28/73 (DiP 28) - The Other One; yet another ping pong jam from 4:42-6:00. This one is in 5; 6/24/73 (PNW box) - Dark Star; the ping pong jam starts at 6:40 but doesn't take properly, so Phil circles the wagons and starts it again at 6:51. Listen to his line from 7:07-7:20: he's quoting Footprints again, but now it is in the context of a developing composition. There are a handful of other occurrences that have not been officially released, but by late '73, this jam disappeared for a year and a half until resurfacing on 3/23/75 at the SNACK benefit.
