Customer Reviews

Dick's Picks, Vol. 16: Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, 11/8/69

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

11/8/69. Quite simply, this is my favorite installment of the Dick's Picks series. I've had this since Grateful Dead Merchandising originally released it (in 2000) and it just keeps getting better with age.

First off, skip disc one. It is of no consequence whatsoever. It was included solely for the purpose of appeasing those people who will not buy a release unless it's a complete show. Disc One has annoying sonic problems all over it and the music goes nowhere.

Now here is where this release becomes great. In my opinion, Disc 2 and Disc 3 of #16 are the two best discs in the entire Dick's Picks series (which goes up to #24 now). Also the sonic problems of disc one disappear.

From slightly after the first verse of Dark Star all the way through to the end of Disc 3 this is phenomenal Grateful Dead. The Dead at their best.

Phil and Jerry are all over this release. It's a rare occurence when one of the Grateful Dead's best shows of all time actually becomes an official release. Dicks Picks 16 is one of those occurences.

I will say this though..... no, this release isn't for everyone. If you aren't much of a fan of 1968, 1969, and 1970 Grateful Dead then this cd will probably not convert you, as it will still be too heavy. If you prefer the sing-along AIko-AIko Grateful Dead of the middle and later years then this isn't the release for you.

The music on this Pick gets wild and wooly, beautifully thunderous and melodically caucophonous. In other words, if you tend to gravitate more towards tame, polished releases such as Without A Net then you may not like this cd. The band just really goes for it on this Pick, there is no holding back and obviously they blew alot of minds that night. I wouldn't be surprised if many of the people who were actually at this show still consider it to be the best Grateful Dead performance they ever attended.

Oh one more thing, the Lovelight at the end of Disc Three is from the previous night, 11/7/69. This Pick is an epic Grateful Dead release.

I have 17 of the Dick's Picks sets, and this one ranks first or second for me. I am a fan of the 1960's version of the Dead, and their sound began turning a corner only months after this show, when they became more acoustic and Bob Weir started in more with the "cowboy" songs.

Forget what the last reviewer said about Disc 1 - the beginning of the show has many great things going for it. Pigpen is in top form on Good Morning Little Schoolgirl. Casey Jones CRANKS in this version that came before the studio release of Workingman's Dead. The other songs from that upcoming album are a little sluggish, but China Cat / Rider is very interesting in that it includes Tom Constanten's keys. Good Lovin and Cumberland Blues end the disc on a high note.

The last two discs don't need a breakdown; it's all the Dead in top form.

All in all, this is peak Grateful Dead in its 1969 incarnation, and if you like that era, you can't go wrong. I also highly recommend Dick's Picks 22, Kings Beach Bowl in February 1968, as the earliest and possibly most energetic form of the Dead ever captured on tape (though that one really does have some technical anomalies, but I don't care).

Here my friends is what we have been waiting for. Between the late sixties and early seventies the Grateful Dead could be as good in concert as any rock band. Dick's Picks Vol.16 is an example. CD 1 is a stumbling run through of mostly new songs that clearly were a work in progress. CDs 2 and 3 are non-stop high voltage crackling dangerous rock and roll that veers very close to Varese and Stockhausen at points and Coltrane like open ended jazz at points but is always good old Grateful Dead and that ain't bad. This one is killer.

I must admit the first time I played this I was not to impressed, then I played it again 3 years later and was blown away. As the years went by I collected all 34 Dicks and all other releases. This is great music, I love CD 2 the best. This set fully demonstrates the bands ability to blend songs easily, as they would continue to do for 35 more years. Anyone slamming Vol. 16 needs to listen with a great pair of headphones and remember that this was in 1969. This is also a historical must for any true Dead Head. Look for more releases from the flower power years in the future. Above all keep an open mind when playing this slice of history. Keep Jamming.
Dead Head Phil on the East coast.

This is a very strong show with a few flaws that for me prevent it from being a five star release. Criticisms other reviewers gave of the first disc are valid. It's somewhat weak due to the fact that many of the songs from Working Man's Dead were played here for the first time and are unpolished, but it's by no means unlistenable. China Cat/Rider, Schoolgirl, Mama Tried and Good Lovin' are all very good if not great. But to tell the truth I won't be playing that first disc as much as the other two. The second and third discs are simply excellent and more than make up for the slightly shakey first one. Jerry and company are on fire for a wonderfully spacey Dark Star which flows into The Other One. The jams are incredibly psychedelic and an amazing exemplar of the Grateful Dead "group mind" at work. There's a high level of improvisation and musicianship displayed throughout: Tom Constanten's keys and Pigpen's performances on Caution and especially Lovelight really up the energy level. I'd say that DP Vol.16 is well worth picking up for the second and third discs alone. Until the Grateful Dead commercially release the four Fillmore East shows from 2/27/69 to 3/02/69 during which most of Live/Dead was recorded, this is the best Dead from 1969 you're going to hear. If you like primal Dead, you'll love this set.

Since I wrote this review the Dead did release all four Fillmore shows on a limited 10 cd set that (of course) I didn't get. I've got boots of these shows but damn a remix/official release would be the holy grail. Find it if you can.

Ah, primal Dead. Pigpen. Constantin. "Dark Star" and "The Other One." This is it! I like some of their best work in the '70's, '80's and '90's, but it seems the Primal Dead era continues to hit me the hardest. You'll love it or you'll hate it.

Seriously, this is one of the most legendary of the traded bootlegs and to finally have it on a Dick's Pick with decent sound and no tape generation worries is a great thing. If you can't hear the magic in this set, particularly disc 2 then perhaps you're just not a Dead fan, or at least not a fan of their '60's pre-Working-Man's-Dead sound.

If you are a fan of that era and don't already have a good copy of this performance, then fear not. You'll love it.

The Dead, at the Fillmore West in late '69 ... you might expect a lot from this. And there's a lot here.

Disc 1, the first set, is song-oriented and features five of the tunes that were to be on "Workingman's Dead" next year. It's a decent set that alternates between Garcia's fragile pieces of Americana and some blues-based throbbing - and speaking of the latter, Pigpen fronting the band on a long "Easy Wind" is a definite highlight here.

Disc 2, containing the first portion of the second set, is mostly loose jamming based largely around the "jam" staples "Dark Star" and "The Other One". My first impression of this music was that it was a bit sloppy. On considered listening, that was the idea ... the jam is pretty magnificent, in that loose take-it-or-leave-it Grateful Dead way. Deadheads will certainly love it. We next get a bombastic "St. Stephen" and a solid version of "The Eleven". But wait, there's more ...

Disc 3, the rest of a very long second set that night, runs over "Caution" for about 30 minutes' worth of Garcia-fueled jittery blues jamming with some scary peaks. This goes into a wild "Feedback". Stupendous. The remaining time on the third disc is used to present a 25-minute "Turn On Your Lovelight" from the night before, intense as always. An excellent choice, as this tune can assist in bringing the listener back to the comfortable trappings of Planet Earth.

If you're familiar with the Grateful Dead's charms, you will enjoy this. If you're curious about their charms, this is a pretty good place to start. Fidelity is quite clear (courtesy of Owsley, the man whose LSD tablets helped to fund the band's early activities).

I'll try to make this short. The first CD is a great listen, but relatively mediocre. I'm only saying this because cd 1 does NOT prepare you for the sensational preformance that they put up in the next 2 discs. The second disc is pretty much one big jam, which is nothing short of stunning. The 3rd cd again, is, simply put, AMAZING. I still prefer "ladies and Gentleman" as a collection. However, I don't have a single Grateful Dead disc that is nearly as good as disc 2 on this show. A must have for all dead heads. For ppl who have no idea who GD are, then go with "Ladies and Gentleman....the grateful dead"

disc one contains the first preformance of several songs soon to be released on workingmans dead, the set is mostly sloppy but good morning little schoolgirl and good lovin are excellent, disc two makes the whole cd worth it, the continuing jam of dark star, the other one and uncle johns band jam is mindblowing, disc three has excellent preformances of caution and feedback but not as good as disc 2

I like Dick's Picks 26 from april '69 alot better than this. Disc 1 is a nightmare, and I usually enjoy at least half of the first sets of most shows, but this one just makes me cringe, "Dire Wolf" does NOT need to be 9 minutes long (or however long it is here, too damn long). Jerry's guitar sounds plunky and tone-less throughout the entire show, Contrast his guitar tone on here to Dick's picks 4, he is playing the same Stratocaster and amplifiers, and it is absolutely searing. But here it is dull and sustainless. Maybe it is just the recording, as the entire band sounds dull and plunky. It has it's great moments, as most all dick's picks do, but this one left me a bit cold.