Disco de Grateful Dead: “Dick's Picks, Vol. 1”

Initially, DPs were not entire shows, but only excerpts of shows. In some ways this is a better approach and DP # 1 is a good example of how enjoyable a cd of the highlights only can be. Of course, the truest of true DHs will take exception to this and they have their point -- they want the historical record, every drop of blood please, warts and all.

Anyway, this two disc DP was recorded in December 1973 around the time of the Wake of the Flood album. We find our heroes commencing with a great Here Comes Sunshine that is indicative of the entire first cd -- full of energy and rocking in a way that the Dead sometimes did not produce on any given night. Energized versions of Big River and Miss. Half Step follow. Ms. Godchaux is not present on this night and we are treated better for it as PITB is easy on the vocals resulting in a 20 minute, stripped down jamming affair all the way.

The only surprising down note is on a fairly un-energized and pretty mediocre He's Gone to start the second cd. It's a great tune, but not a great performance here, but thereafter the energy returns as the boys knock out great versions of Truckin, Nobody's Fault and an Other One Jam to knock your socks off -- with an incredibly spacey interlude before performing possibly the most powerful Stella Blue that I've heard.

All in all a fast paced and auspicious start to the DP series --the vocals are spot on (mostly) and Jerry sounds great on guitar. Highly recommended.

By 1973 the Dead had developed a sound system for their live shows that not only provided clear and wonderfully defined sound for their audience but also,for the first time,real quality sound for the musicians on stage.How typical then of the Dead that when they could finally hear each other they actually LISTEN to each other.This results in some almost telepathic group playing that some reviewers have described as noodling. For me the lyrical inventiveness and delicate interplay of the music in this set is quite dazzling and is one of my favourite Grateful Dead releases.

This is sinewy,thoughtful music with the musicians stretching out into the silences between the sounds to find new forms of music.

It is true that the tempo on these tunes is sometimes a little slower than earlier versions but sometimes you want a thunderstorm on a hot summers night and other times the rays of sunlight through the trees on a spring afternoon and who can really say one is better than the other?.

Five reasons to buy this record: 1. The absolutely gorgeous 16-minute Here Comes Sunshine which opens the first disc. The gentle interplay between Garcia, Weir and Lesh reaches telepathic levels. 2. A lengthy, nervy Playing In The Band where Weir's rhythm guitar really shines. 3. A fast and furious Truckin' which emerges out of He's Gone -- the gearshift between them is one of my favourite segues. 4. A ghost-like Stella Blue, with Garcia in particularly tender voice. 5. Keith Godchaux. His piano-playing here is nothing short of superb: complex, jazzy, constantly shifting in mood (sounds like Keith Jarrett at times, and you know that's a good thing). Grateful Dead tours were like wine; some were always better, more highly sought after than others. As the last gig of 1973, one of the band's very best years, the first in the excellent Dick's Picks series proves to be vintage indeed.

I love every song on this album. Disc one has the dreamy "Here Comes Sunshine", "Mississippi Half Step", "Weather Report Suite" and a version of "Playing in the Band" that ends with a jam, extending it to twenty-one minutes. Disc two is one long jam that goes from the sad "He's Gone" to the the upbeat "Truckin'" to the blues with "Nobody's Fault But Mine" to the trippy "Other One" to a version of "Stella Blue" that makes you want to cry. And the Dead, never to leave their fans feeling down, end with the Chuck Berry hit "Around and Around". You must get this!!!

I have to agree that this is not the finest of the "Dick's Picks" series (currently up to number 11) but it certainly deserves a 4 star rating, and it's a "must have". This is a great introduction to real, honest, live Greatful Dead --- that's actually been engineered pretty nicely right off the original soundboard masters. Dick's Picks are an awesome documentary of the music that the band was really all about, live music. Now... for the truly "Deadicated"... get this one and the other 10 volumes (all 4 & 5 stars)... they'll really "steal your face right off your head"!!!