Date: 12/7/68
Venue: Bellarmine College, Louisville KY
Sound Quality: B+ (better than expected)
CDs: 2
Other Notes: There's a cut halfway through Death Don't Have No Mercy, and it picks up at the beginning of The Other One. Theres also a cut halfway through He Was a Friend of Mine that picks up during the beginning of It Hurts Me Too. There are no lyrics to the Eleven the band abruptly just stops playing it.
Overall: The obvious draw to this show is the only known live performance of "Rosemary", but the real gem here once you listen to it is the masterpiece-version of New Potato Caboose in the first set. Its got the same feel as Two From the Vault, and even has a loose "Minute Waltz" jam in there. Good stuff all around, and a solid 15 minutes long. The Dark Star is primitive, but Jerry's on and it's a reasonably tight version. St Stephen is sloppy.
Rosemary is muffled. Jerry sounds like he's whispering, or that he doesnt really know the words and is mumbling. The Morning Dew is played at typical 68 breakneck speed, and the overall effect suffers as a result. I recommend this one. Theres also great filler with some cool Carousel radio ads thrown in there.
Date: 3/1/69
Venue: Fillmore West
Sound Quality: A
CD's: 2
Other Notes: Miraculous
Overall: For my money, this is "the show" from the Live Dead Fillmore swing of '69. From the opening note of Cryptical, it's got a special feel that's almost indescribable. The Other One rages - my favorite version from '69. The Cryptical Reprise meanders nicely, and eventually drops into one of the final versions of New Potato Caboose. This Caboose rocks - Phil is ever-present. The vocals are a little shaky, but that's Phil for you. Doin' That Rag and Cosmic Charlie end Set 1. The Cosmic Charlie is played at a frenetic pace - Speed Metal!
After an introductory Dupree's -> Mountains, the second set brings up an archetypical Dark Star. This is the most edgy star of the 4 from this run. It doesn't carry the simple elegance of 2/27/69's masterpiece, but is more of an aggressive statement. The band plays the tune, and not vice versa. After a spirited Stephen, the boys embark on a jamming oddyssey with the Eleven. If you ask me, this is the definitive version. Jerry's lightning fast leads are wonderful, and this version ends after just 8 or so minutes. An energetic Lovelight ends the set. The Hey Jude encore is for completists only, the performance is woeful.
Date: 3/22/69
Venue: The Rose Palace, Pasadena
Sound Quality: B
CD's: 1
Other Notes: This is a pretty washed-out SBD, and this may be the complete show.
Overall: Not a particularly strong performance for the Dead. The Dark Star is really short - the jam section between verses is more like something from late '68 than early '69. There's also a big cut between St Stephen and the Eleven that detrects significantly from the continuity. I'd love to hear a clean SBD of this to re-assess, but as of right now I don't highly recommend.
Date: 10/25/69
Venue: Winterland Arena
Sound Quality: A
CDs: 1
Other Notes: Steven Stills sits in on Vocals and Guitar during Lovelight. This is not the whole show.
Overall: Phenomenal performance. This Dark Star is cosmic and utterly enjoyable. It's one of the Top 5 from '69 - hands down. The dovetailing and unpredictable nature of this Star makes it stand out from its peers, and the space between the first and second verses contains the first ever "Feeling Groovy Jam".
The St Stephen -> Eleven are rock solid, and the Lovelight is standard fare, with Steven Stills lending some vocal and guitar help. Pig's vocals are way down in the mix, unfortunately.
Date: 05/15/70 (early)
Venue: Fillmore East
Sound Quality: A
CDs: 2
Other Notes: Circulates with the New Riders of the Purple Sage early set.
Overall: This is a classic tape, complete with Acoustic Set, New Riders set, and a short Dead electric set. The acoustic set is reasonably long, and the highlights are definitely The Rub, I Know You Rider, and a tight New Speedway Boogie. The electric set is very short (they played again that night). Easy Wind is quite possibly the quintessential version, with a manic jam in the middle. Pig is on. The Cryptical -> TOO -> Cryptical -> Cosmic Charlie is quite well played the reprise almost comes to a complete halt before they rip into Cosmic Charlie. Attics of My Life is embryonic not one of their better performances, and a shell of the classic version from 6/7/70. The Minglewood encore is bizarre - Bob screams the lyrics.
Date: 5/24/70
Venue: Newcastle-Under-Lyme, England
Sound Quality: B+
CDs: 2
Other Notes: The sound quality is muddy at points, especially during Lovelight.
Overall: Pretty solid show, and a rare '70 SBD. The first hour is pretty non-descript: nothing too wild happening until they unleash a classic Dark Star. I'm very partial to this Dark Star - the pre-verse is nice and elegant, and there's a long Tighten Up Jam at about the 13 minute mark. It's one of the longest ones I can remember hearing.
Lovelight gets wild - Pig is in rare form, and the band follows suit with some tight jams. There's a subtle Darkness, Darkness Jam here as well. In light of the limited number of '70 SBDs we have, this one should be cherished.
Date: 09/20/70
Venue: Fillmore East
Sound Quality: B-
CDs: 3
Other Notes: The sound quality is disappointing in the electric set there are continual issues with the mix levels, and the sound often wavers in and out. The vocals are way down in the mix.
Overall: Well, here you have it. This is widely considered the best acoustic set the Dead ever played. It may very well be - it's gorgeous. The version of "To Lay Me Down" is other-worldly, just a beautiful piece of music. The acoustic Truckin' is really cool, and the New Speedway Boogie rips. I have no complaints with this set at all.
The electric set suffers from sound issues throughout - Attics of My Life, for example, isnt given its due because of the hiss and level issues. Easy Wind is strong, as is Caution. Both versions stand out, as does Big Boy Pete, a real rarity. The Caution is a full-blown, balls-out 20 minute version. Worth hearing, unquestionably.
Date: 12/6/71
Venue: Boston Music Hall
Sound Quality: A-
CD's: 3
Other Notes: There's some intermittent static in discs 2 and 3 on the drums and bass. Other than that this is a pretty clean board.
Overall: Very nice. I am not a huge fan of the late '71 versions of the Other One (as compared to E72 and beyond), but this one's an exception: it really cooks, and Jerry is dynamite. Other than Playing In the Band, the rest of this show is standard fare for late '71 (translated: Dead E72 standards played flawlessly, but no stellar jamming). The Playing In the Band is outstanding, as it includes an embryonic stretching out of the middle jam. This version's jam is essentially harmless, but it's a nice tight workout of the Main Ten jam. This is the best pre-E72 version I've ever heard.
Date: 7/21/72
Venue: Paramount Theater, Seattle
Sound Quality: C+
CD's: 3
Other Notes: This is a consistently poor-sounding SBD. It's a shame - some parts of this show are really nice.
Overall: Not much to say here other than I'd love to hear a cleaner version. There's a 22-minute Other One here that sounds quite nice, but the muffled Board doesn't give it its due. My best guess is that this is not up to par with 7/25 or 7/18 as far as the July '72 run goes, but everything's played solidly. The one thing I did notice was an abundance of Tuning between tunes - technical difficulties all over the place..........
Date: 9/16/72
Venue: Boston Music Hall
Sound Quality: SBD: A, AUD: C
CDs: 3
Other Notes: This is an AUD/SBD composite. The SBD provides Playing, Dew, and Dark Star -> Brokedown.
Overall: An otherwise average performance cannot be ignored due to the sizzling Dark Star in the second set. For '72, Playing in the Band and Morning Dew are both below standard. The meltdown at the end of the Dew is the shortest I've ever heard. The Dark star, however, is transcendant. It could be Top 10 material, undoubtedly. Some gorgeous jamming prior to the first verse gives way to the Tiger. If that isn't enough, the band falls into a bluegrassy jam after the Tiger that's just awesome. It's somewhat reminiscent of the jam from 9/21/72, but not exactly. From here they segue into the most perfect version of Brokedown Palace these ears have ever heard. What a phenomenal reading! Jerry just nails every verse, and the final "do-do-do" sequence is phenomenal.
Date: 10/9/72
Venue: Winterland
Sound Quality: A- (minimal hiss)
CDs: 3
Other Notes: Playing In the Band is cut at the reprise, and there's a small cut at the end of Truckin' (during the Phil solo)
Overall: Pleasantly surprising. I liked the first set a lot, especially the China -> Rider and Loser. We even get a "Sweet Susie" from Jerry during Loser! The first ever Box of Rain is on the shaky side Donna hadn't grasped that one just yet. The versions from November and December are superior. The Playing in the Band from the first set is ENORMOUS. Even with the cut at the end its a meaty 20-minute version, and the jam is excellent. This could be one of the better versions from a great, great year for that tune.
The second set opens with a "jam" thats essentially Grace Slick screaming incoherently for 3 minutes. He's Gone is tight and right, and the Truckin that follows is rockin'. Phil and Billy have a full 5 minutes to strut their stuff at the end, and they take full advantage. The Other One has to be the shortest of the year, hands-down. Ive got it clocked at a little over 10 minutes, which is puny compared to the 30+ minutes monsters from 2 weeks prior. As you can imagine, they keep it pretty close to the vest with this version, and it really never truly takes off. The Wharf Rat is average, and the show closes with a nice Sugar Mag to send everyone home with a smile!
Date: 11/26/72
Venue: Civic Arena, San Antonio
Sound Quality: B first set has 3 tape generations, and the second set is very hissy.
CDs: 3
Other Notes: Despite the less-than stellar sound quality, this show is complete.
Overall: I've been waiting to get my hands on this for a while, and it didn't disappoint. The first set is nice the Bird Song has that "underwater" tone to the jamming, and Jerry teases Nobody's Fault during the final crescendo. Nothing too special other than Big RR Blues, which is played really fast to great effect. Cool.
The Playing in the Band to open Set II is a lot more spacy than the previous versions. It's the weakest version of this Texas swing, but who cares - it's still stellar. Brown-Eyed Women from this show might be the quintessential version - it's perfect.
Dark Star unfolds elegantly. Five minutes in, you know you're in for a special one, as Phil is clearly in hyperactive mode, and Jerry's making a concerted effort to keep up. This is a busy pre-verse, the interplay is mesmerizing. After the verse, it's all Phil and Billy for 5 solid minutes. This is a pleasant Phil jam - no Philo from what I can tell, but eventually he pushes the band into a wild, loose Feeling Groovy Jam. This is nothing like the ones they played between China Cat -> IKYR, it has way more momentum and urgency. It tumbles along until Jerry puts on the brakes and descends into the Tiger. Wow. The transition to Bobby McGee is nice, as is the rest of the show. Good deceleration to end with.
If I had to point to a Star that's similar, it'd probably be 10/18/72. Similar themes, and Phil's presence in both is remarkable.
Date: 12/10/72
Venue: Winterland
Sound Quality: B+ (for 3 tape generations, damned fine in my opinion!)
CDs: 3
Other Notes: Partial. Only the last 3 songs of the first set, and the entire second set, circulate.
Overall: Flashes of brilliance abound, but so do absolute flops. Lets start with Playing in the Band. This is a meaty 20 minute version of a song that peaked in a run just 2 weeks earlier, but you'd never tell from listening to the intro or outro. Bobby sounds very shaky, and the band is very unsure as it mucks through the structured part of the tune. Once the lyrics end, however, the typical late '72 "buzzsaw" jamming takes hold in a big way. The jam is awesome.
The second set is solid. A soaring China -> Rider gets things going, and then a stellar Truckin' gives way to one of those 30 minute Other One masterpieces from that era. This version is pretty non-descript and standard for the time, but that doesn't take anything away from its general brilliance. Fascinating listening to say the least. The show ends very shakily, including the single worst version of Ramble on Rose one would hope to hear. Its a train wreck.
All in all, I recommend this one. It probably falls in the middle when compared to its peers from late 72. I'd love to hear that Bird Song from the first set that doesnt circulate.
Date: 3/19/77
Venue: Winterland Arena
Sound Quality: A+
CDs: 3
Other Notes:
Overall: This has to be one of the Top 5 shows of '77, hands down. The second set is utterly phenomenal. The first set is average, but ends with a slick Estimated Prophet. Thats a very good harbinger of things to come, as the second set opens up with a tight Terrapin. Terrapin segues into a delicious Playing -> Samson -> Playing sandwich. Next up is a blissful hour of '77 Dead: Eyes -> Dancin' -> Wharf Rat -> Franklin's Tower -> Sugar Mag. All versions are raging, with the version of Franklin's being of particular noteworthiness. You cant go wrong here, and this show is sorely under-circulated. Highly recommended.
Date: 5/25/77
Venue: The Mosque, Richmond VA
Sound Quality: A+
CDs: 3
Other Notes:
Overall: A gorgeous example of May of '77 - this one stacks up favorably with all the other greats from this run. The first set is typically breathtaking, with a rousing Half-Step opener stealing the show. Jack Straw, Lazy Lightning -> Supplication, and Cassidy are also outstanding versions. Peggy-O is good, but not nearly the masterpiece from 5/7/77.
The second set kicks off with an epic Scarlet -> Fire. This one has the same type of feel as Cornell: a bubbling energy level coupled with precision licks and great direction. It's a true masterpiece. The rest of the set is good, and typical of the era. Wharf Rat is poignant, and The Wheel is outstanding. It fits in wonderfully with the rest of the set like a breath of Spring air. All in all, this is a wonderful listening experience.
Date: 10/28/77
Venue: Soldier's and Sailor's Auditorium, Kansas City KS
Sound Quality: A+
CDs: 3
Other Notes:
Overall: Not one of the bands stronger performances from late '77. The first set is about average for the period, although the Tennessee Jed and Lazy Lightning -> Supplication are sweet versions. The second set is way below board, and the jams are lackluster. Only "Not Fade Away" manages to mount an attack, and it falls a bit short. The highlight of this show is actually the sound quality in which it circulates wow. Pristine stuff.
