Customer Reviews

Dick's Picks, Vol. 8: Harpur College, Binghamton, NY, 5/2/70

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are a handful of Dick's Picks I ration out to myself on a schedule. Volume 8 is so special, so fulfilling, I only let myself listen to it once every two years. Any more frequently than that and it would lose the element of surprise, that amazing feeling of discovery.

The first disc is an acoustic set. The band sounds great, even harmonizing like professionals. Following a nice "Friend of the Devil," the crowd shouts out their requests to the band. Jerry settles the crowd: "Relax, man. We've got you all night." And, just like that, we are all held. We can get into a comfortable space and just enjoy. We can enjoy the Dead hitting on all cylinders at a period of time when they were great at getting intense and spacey, but also starting to reign it in a little bit more and bring in a little more of the roots music sound that would characterize American Beauty and Workingman's Dead, their two best studio albums, which were just on the horizon at the time of these shows.

The first set is worth the price alone, but discs two and three are their electric set for the night, following the New Riders. I would have enjoyed having the New Riders material released with it for a more authentic feel of the night, but you can't have everything. But electric Jerry on the second and third disc is absolutely tremendous. Jerry's solos increase a couple notches in intensity during "The Other One," wrapped in a "St. Stephen," "Cryptical Envelope" (times two) followed by a "Cosmic Charley" that some rank as the best version ever. We also get to hear Pig doing his best James Brown, still with a spirited "Dancing In The Streets," the multiple climaxes of "Morning Dew" and "Viola Lee Blues," topped with the always cozy closer, "We Bid You Goodnight."

It is a feast for the autonomic system. The whole band is playing with a rough, raw intensity, which kicks up the listener's sympathetic tone. But Jerry, searing and soaring all the way, also manages to find those dreamy, cosmic places which, in turn, boosts the parasympathetics. So the whole package together increases your arousal and alertness while at the same time relaxing you. The only other things capable of doing that are yoga and nicotine. Nicotine's bad for you, at least in its more convenient delivery systems. And- yes, I know this goes against conventional wisdom- but I've always suspected yoga is bad for you too. Too gristly or something. I don't know, let me think about that one and get back to you.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: They weren't always good let alone great, but when they were great, nothing could be better. This Dick's Pick is everything that was right about the Dead when they were in their prime and having a solid night. Happy Birthday to me.

I own almost all of the Dick's Picks series, and I can honestly say that this is my favorite by far. It was recorded at a small college in New York in 1970, when they had, in my opinion, their best lineup (Pigpen was still there in full force, and Donna was nowhere to be found.) The show opens up with an amazing acoustic set featuring the best versions of some Dead classics that you will ever hear. ("Don't Ease Me In", "I Know You Rider", "Dire Wolf", "Black Peter", and "Deep Elem Blues" are some of the highlights. For those only familiar with popular Dead songs, great versions of "Friend of the Devil" and "Uncle John's Band" are also present.) This first set is absolutely flawless - rarely will you hear the Dead this on-target and synchronized. But as if that wasn't enough, they come back on the second disc with a nearly 40-minute Cryptical Envelopment that begins with St. Stephen, encompasses Drums and The Other One, and ends with Cosmic Charlie. They follow that with the best version of Casey Jones they've ever done. Period. On Disc Three Pigpen shines with his bluesy version of James Brown's "It's A Man's World" that goes on for almost ten minutes. A wonderful version of "Morning Dew" follows (but honestly, have you ever heard a bad version of this song?) The spotlight of this disc, however, and perhaps of the whole show is the blistering "Viola Lee Blues" that rises to not one, not two, but three crescendos, and eases down with a rather lengthy "We Bid You Goodnight" - they go through the song about two times because the crowd just won't let them leave, and after hearing this show, you can't blame them. If you even remotely like the Dead, I cannot recommend this album enough. I own lots of Dead, but this one gets played more than any of them. It shows them at their absolute best and most versatile. This is some of the best music you'll ever have the privilege of hearing.

The CD really showcases the multiple talents of the Dead. The first CD is the acoustic first set of the concert. It features a guest apearance by marmaduke. The highlights of this CD is "...Rider" and "Uncle John's Band". Disk 2 is the electric Dead. St. Stephen is an excellents version that goes into a short "Cryptical" into a nice "other one" back into a longer "cryptical" and then into a nice "cosmic charlie". This CD is one of the best I have ever heard. Disk 3 does good covers of "Man's World" and "Dancin in the Streets". "morning dew" is kinda typical but still nice. "viola lee blues" is the best version I have ever heard. They do a great job in the song building of to the climax of "goodnight". All in all a great show that showcases the Dead's great talent to go from one extreme to the other in music.

The middle disc on this set stands out as one of the best single discs of Dead music ever, with a 40-odd minute St. Stephen >Cryptical Envelopement > Other One . Jerry's Guitar on the Other One will send you on a cosmic journey to another planet. The first disc is also solid, with a very unique acoustic jam covering many of the great tunes from Workingman's Dead. Wish I could've been there. Maybe in another life I'll pay a visit to that particular, magical time and place.

I was a freshman at Harpur College in the Spring of 1970, and I went to this show. It was my first Dead concert. The first set was all acoustic, and even though Working Man's Dead and American Beauty were out, many in the crowd seemed unprepared for the acoustic set. They kept yelling things like "Get it on, man!" and Jerry and the boys had to ask them to calm down and be patient---the electric stuff would come later. But on this CD you can hear some early first live performances of many songs that have long ago now become Dead standards. It's worth getting the CD for these tracks alone.

They also introduced a new group called "The New Riders of the Purple Sage," whose album would be released later that year, and whose personnel were still sketchy enough that Phil had to play bass, Garcia pedal steel, and Kreutzman drums. It was still magical stuff, and one of my disappointments about this CD is that none of those songs were included. Oh, well, not to worry.

Because still, it was a 6-hour concert of at least 3 sets, and this CD has given us a generous sampling of what went on that night. For years after, Garcia used to say this concert he remembered as at or near the top of his list for best Dead concerts ever. This CD is a must for the Dead collector just for the historical significance of the concert alone. But the music itself is a rare example of early Dead onstage genius in the still-young, still raw and vital days of the band's psychedelic heyday. Highly recommended.

This show in 1970 took place in between two events that shook America: the US invasion of Cambodia in a war that was supposedly winding down and the National Guard killings of four students during an antiwar protest at Kent State University in Ohio. The Grateful Dead took the stage on May 2, 1970 not only with the knowledge that the audience was restless almost to the point of riot but that their job as a band was to take that potentially negative energy and transform it into one hell of a good time. Like the best Dead performances from any time of their thirty-year traveling medicine show and carnival, they did! The acoustic version of the traditional (and Dead standard)"I Know You Rider" has as much energy as any electric version they ever did. With a crowd eager to burn off their energy via an all-night dance-a-thon, it was up to Jerry Garcia and the boys to provide the music.

The first set is an acoustic marvel. Beginning with a bouncy version of "Don't Ease Me In," the musical trip wanders into the aforementioned "I Know You Rider", where Jerry's licks blend beautifully with the rhythm guitar backing of Bob Weir and the always sound bassman Phil Lesh. Stepping back, the outlaw ballad "Friend of the Devil" is rendered with a conviction much like many of America's youth believed themselves to be in the US of 1970. A bouncy "Dire Wolf" follows as the boys beat it on down the musical line to the an evocative "Black Peter" that brings the pain of death to the concert floor. Five more songs--including two from the Dead's masterpiece Workingman's Dead and two traditionals: Deep Elem Blues and the bluegrass gospel piece "Cold Jordan" finish out the set. That's when the fun really kicks in.

The remainder of this three-cd set starts of with a ripping "St. Stephen" and ends an hour and a half later with "We Bid You Goodnight." The highlights in between include Pigpen sounding like a male version of Etta James in "It's A Man's World" and a take of the post-apocalypse song "Morning Dew" that acknowledges the pervasive feeling of that week that the end might have been near. The lead guitar work of Garcia on this tune and the version of "Viola Lee Blues" that follows it goes straight to one's spine as the notes do not send chills so much as they become part of the nervous system--it's as if the music and the listener are one: something that happens rarely in any musical performance but, when it does, nothing else compares.

Which is perhaps the best way to describe this recording: nothing else compares.

The Grateful Dead, destined eventually to sell the most concert tickets of any musical act in American history, started out very small. This show offers a great snapshot of the band touring the college circuit in early 1970, when they were actively blurring the lines of "popular" music by playing a blend of country-western, folk, bluegrass, r&b, and, of course, their raging, complex, psychedelic-friendly music that falls into a category all of its own.

This gig is widely regarded by fans as one of the best concerts the Dead performed. Pick this up and enjoy the boys in their prime.

I don't see it as a SUPERLATIVE show, like most of the other reviewers here. My idea of a superlative show is the one on Dick's Picks 16. And I have some complaints, even beyond the mono sound on Discs 2 and 3 - the missing segment from "St. Stephen", and why the omission of this night's "Cold Rain and Snow"? Even breaking it in half across Discs 2 and 3 would be better than just pretending it's not there. Heck, the liner notes refer to it as one of the best songs played that night.

For whatever reasons, and they may be good ones for all I know, this is what we have and it's pretty good for a start. Disc 1 is an acoustic set that's quite nice, really a nice selection of material performed well. Disc 2 is good stuff and the version of "The Other One" here is one of the best I've heard - Jerry rides the crest of a wave of sound and stays on top.

Disc 3 is the most unusual of the three discs. The first two numbers are decent R&B jams, with Pigpen really leaning into "It's a Man's World" giving it his best James Brown. He falls a bit short of James in the vocal department but it's nice to hear someone try so hard. The Dead are looser than usual. They then do a nice "Morning Dew", really as perfect a version as I've heard, and then a decent "Viola Lee Blues".

The show is unique in a few respects, and has some excellent versions in it. So it's fun and despite fidelity limitations if you like the Dead you'll probably enjoy this.

The live recordings of Dick's Picks 8 are taken from 5/2/70, a transitional year for the Dead. The first CD is an emotional acoustic set. Garcia and Weir both sing passionately, especially on "I Know You Rider," "Black Peter," "Cold Jordan" with David Nelson and Marmaduke, and "Uncle John's Band." The chunky fusion of acoustic rythms that Weir and Garcia produce really make you move. Another great aspect of the acoustic set is that you hear all on-stage dialogue between the band and audience, giving the listener the precious feeling of really being there. The second CD starts in late on a classic "St. Stephen". As you can see from the setlist above, this set is exploratory, and best of all, really, really fun. The second CD ends with an utterly amazing "Good Lovin'." The jam eventually fades into another"drums" and very slowly with the suddle lead of Garcia, explodes back into some good old singing by Pigpen. The third CD continues the consistancy of DP8. First, Pigpen releases some emotional singing with a James brown cover, and then the band jumps into "Dancing In the Streets," another fun one. The "Morning Dew" into "Viola Lee Blues" that follows is a Grateful Dead exploration like none other. With the crash and fade cymbals in the beginning, the Dead set the curious mood of the next half hour. The climaxes reached in Viola surpass almost any I've ever heard. The night closes with a "We Bid You Goodnight" that needs no labeling. So, I definitely reccommendtracking down this recording.

This slice of history comes from a time in the country when college campuses were a hot bed for alternative thinking. Early 1970 and the dead were touring collage campuses and drawing in fans at a rapid pace. This concert stands as a incrediable time in the history of music making. The 1st set is all acustic. You can hear the band telling the audience to mellow out and that "just relax we have you all night long." The fans were waiting to hear rip roaring electric rock and were very vocal about it. The songs are a tad sloppy but only a very picky dead head would really notice. The bass is very low in the mix almost non exsistant. Members of the New Riders of the Purple Sage come out to help play Cold Jordan,a great gospel song. The electric set start more than half way threw St. Stephen which must be because the original master tape was bad. There is some microphone feedback during the opening chorus of Good Lovin, which seems to put Pig Pen off a bit as it is sung with apprehension. There are some missed lyrics on Viola Lee Blues. So with all that said, Why is this one of the BEST concerts the Dead ever gave? The energy and passion is at a all time high. The boys were young and having alot of fun. The jams are intense, not pretty, like later in their career but mean,scary, and aggresive. This is not pretty music at least the electric portion. This is true blue 100% american hippie rock and roll. That being said if you are not a dead head but love rock and roll get this CD package you will love it. If your like the Dead it will be hard to find a package any better than this. This along with Dick Picks # 4 stand as a testiment as why the Dead were so incrediable.