4-12-70: fillmore west, san francisco, CA.

the dead didn't play many shows in april 1970, and this run with the miles davis quintet serving as the opening act is clearly the highpoint. the downside of the 4-night stand is that, like many of the spring ’70 shows they taped, most of the reels were haphazardly lost or stolen. fortunately for us, a good deal of bear’s 7 inch half track reel master of the final night’s performance survived. harry ely’s fantastic stereo field recording fills in the gaps.

catching miles davis alongside the dead during this fillmore engagement must have been a total gas. davis’ appearance came close on the heels of the release of his groundbreaking double LP bitches brew, which represented another big artistic leap for the trumpeter. the band that he brought along comprising of chick corea on keys, bassist dave holland, soprano sax player steve grossman, drummer jack dejohnette, and percussionist airto moreira, was fully versed in this new music and stood the fillmore audiences on their ears. i’ve included youtube links of both the 4/11 and 4/12 performances here for evidence. trust me, they’ll blow your top.

the dead’s set opens with a lengthy and very laid-back version of good morning little schoolgirl, a tune they hadn’t dusted off since december of the previous year. after a bright and punchy casey jones, a slightly botched china > rider, and a rip roaring good lovin’, we’re treated to two mid set treats: the first electrified candyman, and a real slinky version of deep elem blues. two workingman cuts and the customary broken string announcement later, the band launches into the show’s centerpiece—dancin’ in the streets. the improvisational furry begins early; jerry and phil really play off of each other, hacking away at their strings with an energy that makes this excursion one of the more notable jams from 1970. without question, it rivals the tour de force they’ll lay down at harpur college a few weeks later.

the remainder of the evening is just as tasty. black peter and uncle john’s band are presented in fine form, with solid harmonies. it’s a man’s man’s man's world is also excellent; mckernan’s vocals are impassioned and garcia’s guitar work is slippery, and oh so funky. viola lee blues closes out the show, with pigpen back on organ. the sextet slides into the song with ease, their playing loose, but perfectly controlled. in due time the jamming is full-tilt, ablaze with what makes this tune so satisfying—a deliberate balance of rage and fervor. and like that, the retooled gus cannon jug band hit ends with a crash, followed by howls of gorgeous feedback.

miles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBlTjFf_eYE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4WXT_JgfTM&t=1637s

the dead end kids: https://archive.org/details/gd70-04-12.sbd.kaplan.3820.sbeok.shnf

12-29-68: miami pop festival, gulfstream park, hallandale, FL.

the last grateful dead performance of 1968 is a goddamn barnburner. they torch the place. the festival scene prevented the band from working through their usual trip, so everything is revved up to maximum speed, as you’ll hear immediately on the lovelight opener. pig is as riled up as a rabid hound and the septet storms through the first number like a band possessed. lesh introduces the next item on the bill “we once put this thing out as a single,” before the lads bore down into a shrieking 10-minute dark star that, unlike the lengthy jazzy peregrinations to come, is presented as a piece of slashing rock ‘n roll. from here, the mad unit skids into a rousing saint stephen, complete with the william tell bridge and a full-throttled bacchanalesque outro jam. the boys are warming up now and the eleven that follows hits you like a mattock in the skull. a drum solo airs things out for a moment, before an absolutely fervent other one > cryptical envelopment wells up and decimates everything in its path.

and then, a we bid you goodnight benediction because, unquestionably, it’s what’s needed. https://archive.org/details/gd1968-12-29.sbd.miller.80197.sbeok.flac16

5-10-72: het concertgebouw, amsterdam. 

11-8-69: fillmore auditorium, san francisco, CA.

much has been written about 1969 dead. it was a year packed with great performances, to say the least. discerning listeners point to a few essential tapes from the year, including the famed fillmore east dates w/janis joplin and her cosmic blues band, two remarkable evenings at the dream bowl, a number of fillmore west shows (highlighted by the late february and early march gigs that would grace the landmark double LP, live dead), three raging nights at the ark, two big rock pow wow shows at the seminole indian village in west hollywood FL, a handful of nights at the family dog and winterland arena and, of course, a much celebrated festival in bethel, NY. this list is far from being comprehensive.

a few years ago, i stumbled onto an essay by renowned taper jim wise about his relationship with dick latvala and a certain ’69 grateful dead recording. around the time the two met, latvala was pitching november 8, 1969 to john cutler and jeffery norman as the next dick’s picks release. the music was stunning, as was a flaw in the master recording—a continuous clicking sound throughout. dick left a 2-track recording he’d converted to DAT from bear’s 7-inch master reels with wise to see what he could do with the technical issues. wise went to work and was eventually able to remove the clicks from the right channel of the disc, resulting in the sound on the transfer you’ll hear on this archived recording. of course, the fidelity of the revamped sound was a hit with jeff norman too, as evidenced on dick’s 16.

the tape is an odyssey. it is considered by many dead historians as one of the finest early performances by the band. i heartily agree. the true journey of the show begins with an elegant dark star, masterfully played and underscored by deeply ruminative improvisations. after the first verse, the ensemble drifts off into space before garcia wanders into a fantastically potent jam. lesh, the consummate opportunist, intricately shapes the dark star jam into a new theme and soon begins to hint at the other one. the momentum is indomitable and the musical interplay sets the band at a tremendous energy level. the transition into the other one is sudden and arresting; several compelling jams occur before the first verse, adroitly led by phil’s maniacal bass and some absolutely sinister guitar work by jerome. in time lesh hints at a caution theme, but garcia has other plans and soars back into dark star. phil isn’t done though, and leads the group into a surprising instrumental take on uncle john’s band. the short jam is ineffably joyful, and the uptempo interpretation is a perfect bridge to the final verse of dark star.

the remainder of the set is equally as satisfying. the saint stephen that arises out of the dark star suite is played to perfection, with a particularly torrid final jam. the eleven is next, and it is one of the few times the band has played the dark star > saint stephen > eleven trilogy since the introduction of the new aoxomoxoa material into their repertoire that april. this evening’s take on the eleven is sterling, offering a swath of deep improvisational territories. in time, lesh again has his way and steers the outfit into caution. the playing soon becomes downright psychedelic—combined with an ideal portion of distortion—before mckernan brings the band back to earth with a long and detailed vocal discourse. and if there hasn’t been enough twists and surprises, a rare main ten jam is introduced, explored, and discarded for a scorching caution reprise. the evening concludes with an extended feedback and a bittersweet and slightly out of tune we bid you goodnight finale.

in a year of incredible peaks, this show is one of the exceptional outings. it embodies the essence of 1969 grateful dead—roaring, pulsing, nefarious, and sublime. it’s easy to see why mr. latvala was so in love with this tape. queue it up and see for yourself. my only counsel is that you dial the volume up to an unreasonable level to ensure maximum enjoyment. https://archive.org/details/gd1969-11-08.sbd.wise.17433.shnf/gd69-11-08d2t02.shn

5/3/69: winterland arena, san francisco, CA. the dead play a saturday night show with jefferson airplane and afro-cuban percussionist mongo santamaria.

bear recorded everything in 1969. there was always a tape being made. something that could be played back and critiqued. the music would run through the soundboard and into his trusty nagra reel-to-reel. not only that, but in '69 he frequently taped shows on reels and cassettes at the same time. for some odd reason though, a soundboard of this winterland date doesn’t seem to exist in the vault. fortunately for us, george jackson was perched on the lip of the stage near the keyboard position with a sony 770, 7 ½ ips quarter track and two condenser mics. the result won’t go down as the greatest 1969 show in history, but it surely can be counted as one of the best audience tapes ever.

the quality of this tape eclipses the performance. the opening he was a friend of mine is absolutely gorgeous, although somewhat uneven. the other one suite that follows is pure energy, and is not to be missed. san francisco’s samurai seven assault the crowd with a complexity of sound that is their gestalt—fluid meters, incessant innovation, and opulent noise. garcia’s endless inventive guitar drives the various themes; his playing is at once fiendish, manic, and furtive. the cryptical reprise is elegantly drawn out and striking. from here they drop seamlessly into a fine early take on doin’ that rag. the boys really nail it and, even with the tune's abrupt chord changes and pacing, sound like they’ve been playing the aoxomoxoa number for years.

there’s nothing to regret here aside from the fact that the tape runs out way too early in the show. despite its brevity, it is a must recording for any collection.

https://archive.org/details/gd1969-05-03.139575.pcm.miller.flac16

7/31/71: yale bowl, new haven, CT.

for years the only way to listen to this show was via a marty weinberg audience recording. weinberg showed up at yale with 6 hours' worth of 5-inch reels in his pack, and recorded the whole affair at 7 ½ speed on his trusty Uher 4000L portable. in 2008, a vault release (as part of the road trips series) featured outtakes from the performance. part of weinberg’s tape was used to patch a flip in the dark star, which sounded quite good in context. three years ago, as it often does in grateful dead land, the soundboard finally reared its head.

the concert opens with a standout version of truckin,’ deftly played and loaded with clout. next, the boys break out a pair of first-timers. the sugaree is perfectly succinct; garcia’s tone is bright, with just the right amount of distortion and sustain. mr charlie is at its filthy best. pig’s raucous vocals and jerry’s badass, gun slinging guitar take this one over the top. the set continues in standard ’71 fashion with a rollicking mama tried, an extended version of big railroad blues, and an early, heavier, jam-free version of playing in the band. surprisingly, the moment the weir-barlow number ends, the lads launch right into dark star. a first set rarity, this one is a real doozy.

the piece begins with the quintet immediately plunging into the depths of the music—in the first few minutes they flirt with several ideas without settling on anything. as they begin the verse riff, garcia changes his mind and they wander off again on a little side-trip into the void, suspending the momentum to hew something else. in time, lesh nudges the theme once more and they drop into the first verse at the 10 minute mark. from here the ensemble gathers steam, forcefully pushing their way into the abyss. the space is menacing, and the jam that ensues is turbulent, eerie and raging. at this juncture, jerry is so energized that he sounds as if he might burst, but the band manages to channel their focus into a new melodic jam that slowly settles down, out of which the dark star theme returns. the musicians groove on the theme, introduce another quieter jam, and then garcia decides to abort the second verse, signaling the others to stop, and they blast right into birdsong instead. this is the first time the hunter-garcia tune is connected to another song, and the only time they ever joined it to dark star. the arrangement on this day is delivered confidently with a real rocked-out feel throughout. the pairing is certainly the apogee of the show and, unquestionably, rates as one of the most interesting improvisational excursions of the year.

the second set of the dead's ivy league visit is packed with the same vitality and ragged festivity as their first 100 minutes on the bandstand. along with a hefty supply of stage banter, a few highlights include a solid bertha, a fantastically charged china cat > know you rider with a unique bridge jam, a restrained, lilting sing me back home, the customary not fade away > goin’ down the road > not fade away, replete with tight, zesty rhythms (and a short, final foray into the short-lived youngbloods inspired darkness jam), and a heartfelt uncle john’s band > johnny b. goode double encore.

recorded by rex jackson and digitally transferred by mr. charlie miller, this afternoon in new haven is worthy of repeated listenings. hitch your ears to it and see for yourself. https://archive.org/details/gd1971-07-31.132730.sbd.miller.flac16/gd71-07-31d2t10.flac

8/14/71: berkeley community theatre, berkeley, CA. this pristine soundboard recording is loaded to the gills with great music. the performance, missing from the dead’s vaults, made it’s way onto the archive in april of 1997 when the brother of former GD staffer, bonnie parker, discovered a few rich sounding cassette tapes in a box of miscellaneous belongings he inherited from his sister after her untimely passing. the word is that the tapes were a gift to bonnie from jerry garcia. a damn nice office perk, to say the least.

much has been written about how the band loved playing in berkeley, and this night proves this in spades. everything the lads touch sparkles with energy from the opening bertha, to the johnny b. goode > uncle john’s double encore. stage banter abounds and phil’s bass is prominent in the mix—two aspects of 1971 grateful dead i’ve always adored. the first set is typical for the period; the tunes are presented with authority, including compact early versions of sugaree and playing in the band. other highlights include a lilting brokedown palace that is close to perfect. the three pig pen numbers are delivered with confidence and power, including a full-speed-ahead hard to handle that sizzles with mckernan verve.

what makes this night even more special is the set 2 appearance of MIT-trained biologist and electric keyboard specialist, ned lagin. lagin is most well known in grateful dead circles for his seastones work with phil lesh, not to mention a handful of way out bio-music intermission performances during the wall of sound era. lagin also sat in on a few other documented 1970-71 shows on both coasts, most notably the 2/18/71 gig at the capitol theatre when he accompanied the band for dark star, wharf rat, and candyman on the clavichord.

in a 2001 interview with david gans, lagin was chatting about his time with the dead and shared a tidbit about the august 14th berkeley gig: “when the band got into the truckin’ into the other one jam, pigpen waved me over to the organ and got up so i could sit in.” the outcome, as rapturous as the great bodhisattva departure, is one that would surely satisfy a good number of the ancient sages. the enlightened quintet throws down the lotus sutra of other one suites, beginning with one of the most engaging and powerful introductions, followed by a deep, polyrhythmic bridge jam, and an extremely tight climax. listening to the interplay amongst the musicians, it’s clear that the band was inspired by lagin’s presence, his inventive contributions and, most likely, some other radiant, guiding narrative.

recorded by betty cantor-jackson, with a digital transfer from the esteemed mr bill guarneri, this is a show that’ll set you straight. https://archive.org/details/gd1971-08-14.sbd.130871.MrBill.flac16

the following night's performance ain't half bad either: https://archive.org/details/gd1971-08-15.sbd.130890.MrBill.flac16