Disco de Grateful Dead: “Dick's Picks, Vol. 3”

This record made my world stop! I've been listning to the Grateful Dead since I saw them live in '95. Of all of the shows that I've heard I am convinced that this was the night that God Himself touched Jerry Garcia on the head with his finger. "Eyes of the World" on disc two all the way through "Walk Me Out In The Morning Dew" is the finest music that I have ever heard in my entire life. This set changed my outlook on life. It made me realize that music is more than just sound. It is an expression of life itself. The sound is alive and crackling with energy. I've listened to disc two more than 100 times and I know I keep finding something that I've never heard before everytime!

This is a slice of 1977 Dead from the month of May. On that tour, the band performed a series of powerful shows that were captured on tape for the band by Betty Cantor. These shows were stashed in a trunk for years, until they were found by a kind soul who then made them available to the band and the Deadheads. And what a find they were. This show comes from that era, and upon listening, you can hear the full, swaggering sound the Dead was laying out at that time. The whole band seems to be having fun and they play and sing with confidence and creativity.

It's not the complete show from this night in Florida, but with a first set that opens with a fluid, stomping Music>Sugaree and closes with a ripping Help>Slip>Franklin's, you get more than your money's worth on Disc 1 alone. Disc 2 builds quickly and springboards from a robust 1977 Estimated Prophet to four straight Jerry songs. A blissful, fully explored Eyes Of The World, then into a majestic Wharf Rat, before ending up somewhere halfway in the middle of Terrapin Station - which they pull off effortlessly - before segueing perfectly into the showstopper, Morning Dew. Deadheads will recall the famous Cornell show from 2 weeks before and the awe-inspiring Dew Jerry and the boys produced that evening. While not quite the equal of Cornell, the peaks they reach from a near silent start in this version are no less stunning.

The third installment in the "Dick's Picks" series of live Grateful Dead recordings captures the band in peak form during the much-acclaimed year of 1977. This two-disk set includes a number of the '77-era chestnuts in heavy rotation at the time(The Music Never Stopped, Sugaree, Lazy Lightning/Supplication), as well as a stellar Help on the Way=>Slipknot!=>Franklin's Tower that showcases Garcia's inimitable guitar style at it's finest. The Estimated Prophet=>Eyes of the World=>Wharf Rat=>Terrrapin Station=>Morning Dew is worth the price alone. And essential addition to any fan's collection.

I'm the type of person who likes all sorts of music, the type who can talk to anyone about music no matter what their tastes, including rap, house, rock, acoustic, you name it. I think that the end of the second disc is perhaps the most beautiful piece of music I have ever heard, from Estimated Prophet all the way through Morning Dew. I was once driving home to Massachusetts from Canada, in the Vermont Green Mountains as the sun was setting one summer, and tears came to my eyes when I heard the last guitar solo during Morning Dew. However, the last few songs has it all: exhiliarating moments, innumerable beautiful moments, thought-provoking lyrics, and music influenced from everything from reggae to classical. Thank you for the music, it is truly beautiful!!

In many cases, you have to overlook an occasional ragged vocal or missed musical cue in order to mine those nuggets of pure inspiration that mark many Dead concert performances. This pick, however, stands out as a nearly flawless snapshot of the band at its concert best. The musicianship is extremely crisp and tight throughout, and the sound quality is fantastic. The second CD is particularly choice, weaving several of my favorite songs into a magical tapestry of this band playing at its very best. This is clearly one of the top two or three of the DP series.