Disco de Grateful Dead: “Fillmore East: April 1971”

With Pigpen still in fine form and a multitude of new songs, this actual recording looks similar to many a "dream set" this reviewer has imagined over the years. First and foremost, all of Pigpen's signature tunes are here together on one recording for the first time. Where else can you find "Lovelight," "Next Time You See Me," "King Bee," "Good Lovin'," "Hard to Handle," "It Hurts Me Too," "Alligator," and my personal favorite, "Midnight Hour," all on one excellent quality recording. This concert marks the perfect combination of raucous rock n' roll and free-flowing jams that took center stage about three years after the Fillmore East concert. I could go on to list off great song after great song, or I can simply say that IT IS ALL HERE. This is desert island Dead for sure. If you love the group or if you've never loved them before, this is the album to buy.

Every Deadhead has thier personal favorite live Dead show. Maybe you were at a particular show and the recording brings back fond memories. Maybe it was a highlight of your favorite band line-up. Or maybe it has that one Jerry solo that makes your hair curl. This show however stands out as perhaps thier finest recording ever commercially released. I know it's a pretty ballsy thing to say, but one listen and you'll be carting this 4 disc set around with you wherever you go. First, the quality of the recording is flawless. The mix is perfect, it doesn't have that flat "soundboard" sound some of the Dead's tapes have. There's a real presence to the mix, like you can locate where everybody is just by listening. But that's just the beginning. The versions of the songs are some of the finest I've ever heard. Jerry's "Second That Emotion" is amazing. The jam in the middle of Pig's "Too Hard To Handle" is some of the best blues ever played by anybody. Bobby's version of "Me And My Uncle" is actually inspired. I could easily go on & on about every song in this collection, but I'd be wasting your time. Even if you think you don't need another live Dead album, you've GOT to have this one. (I actually haven't played a Dick's Picks in about a month!)

I am disapointed by the previous reviews of this box set which documents the final shows at the Fillmore in 1971. These CDs offer insight into one of the bands greatest runs at one of their greatest venues. Now if you've never heard any live grateful dead before, I'd actually recommend starting with "Live Dead," "Dick's Picks Four," or "Two From the Vault." For those who are acquainted with the band in a live setting, these shows are must have. By '71, they were mixing their full-blown psychedelia of the 60's with solid originals off American Beauty, Workingman's Dead, etc. So with this compilation taking the best of five nights, there's plenty to choose from. The last night of the run is widely considered an all-time top show, and the quality here is superior to bootleg versions that any one might find. The Jam>GDTRFB with a Saint Stephen tease is simply awesome. The biggest suprise for me was the third CD, which is incredible, possibly even stronger than the forth. It is from the 28th and consists of a mind-blowing Dark Star>Saint Stephen>NFA>GDTRFB>NFA. The reason I am giving only four stars, as opposed to five is the mediocrity of sections of discs one and two (when compared to the latter two.) But if you enjoy live grateful dead, be sure to pick this set up!

If you don't have a bootleg tape collection, how often do you get to hear a hopping version of Pigpen's Aint't It Crazy? Or an electric Dark Hollow (yes.. it works!)? Or Cold Rain and Snow brought to a new level as part of a second set grouping? Like never, except in this exceptional 4 cd set. True, not everything works (Truckin' should NOT open a first set!) but most does. And with only 1 drummer and Pigpen on part-time duty, Bobby steps up and plays some of his tightest and clearest guitar ever.His singing is in top form as well, sounding young and smooth. The mood of the whole set is very unrushed, so all of Jerry's rifts stand out clearly. All your favorites are here somewhere, so no need to list all the songs. Buy the set, and enjoy one of the more uniques Grateful Dead recordings out there.

OK, OK. I'm a fanatic. I have 800 Dead shows on tape, including all five from the Fillmore East run from which these four CDs were culled. I have all 18 Dick's Picks -- well, EVERYTHING. I still bought this CD, despite having it all on tape, because it's nice to have some good stuff to throw in the CD player. I wasn't prepared for the fantastic job of sequencing that was done on this. OK, no Duane Allman or Beach Boys (all of whom made cameos during this run), but what's here is essential Dead. If some starry-eyed newbie asks what the Dead were like, this is a great CD to introduce him or her to the band. Most of the '60s Acid Trip classics are here, Pigpen is caught in truly spectactular form just before he began the decline that led to his death two years later, and spread among everything are the country-folk classics that came from the American Beauty/Workingman's Dead sessions. CD 3, with a Dark Star>St. Stephen>NFA>GDTRFB>NFA is awesome. The whole 4-CD collection is great from beginning to end, and beats the heck out of the much more expensive 5-CD "So Many Roads" box set that came out a year or so ago. This is a must-have for any Deadhead, or anyone who simply appreciates truly awesome music. Buy it, then do yourself a favor and enjoy some newer music and pick up the 6-16-00 Katowice, Poland, live CD by Pearl Jam. Between the 6 CDs, you'll be home-bound with headphones stuck to your ears for several days!