Customer Reviews

Dick's Picks, Vol. 2: Ohio Theatre, Columbus, OH, 10/31/71

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is pretty much your standard Dead show fare with one exception: "Dark Star". Shortly into Dark Star, Jerry cracks open the void and leads his brethern through some of their most intuitive playing ever. It's all there: the Dead play with passion, color, texture and clarity. It is 23 minutes in a transcendent reality where the listener and the music are the same thing. It is too bad it is the opening cut on the album because the rest of this excellent show pales in comparison to the first 23 minutes of the best Dead zone ever.

This is one heck of a nice disc. The songs are all top notch, flow nicely into one another, and they just didn't want to stop playing. Yes, there are versions of each song on many, many other discs. One could argue that individually, each song isn't THE BEST version floating around. But taken together as a single set, it is awfully hard to beat. It'd be hard to find better music, without filler, on a single disc.

Okay, there's not a lot here, but what IS here is a stellar version of "Dark Star." Clocking in at over 24 minutes, it bears a strong and spacy resemblance to other versions for the first half but then goes into an up-tempo, funky jam in the second half. I've long been a believer that no "Dark Star" beats the Live/Dead version, but this one comes mighty close. If you're a fan of this song (and what Dead fan isn't?), then track this down somewhere. Well worth finding.

Well, I suppose that everyone has to have a favourite, and this is mine. The CD kicks off with one of the most melodic and interesting Dark Stars (with a little George Benson or Hugh Masekela thrown into the middle), and then it just keeps going. Going Down the Road (GDTRFB as they say) is also wonderful. If I was going to introduce anyone to the live sound of the dead, this would be the disk I'd share. Love the thing from start to finish, and don't we all just wish this music was still being created by these boys.

Although this is the only one-disc Dick's Pick, don't let that keep you from purchasing it. This is my favorite Dark Star, hands down. Jerry reaches unequalled peaks between the 10 and 15 minute marks. This is some really special stuff! Also, the themes explored in this Dark Star are very noticably mirrored in portions of the Dancin' in the Street" Jam from 5-2-70 (Dick's Pick 8). The Dancin' jam is a thousand times faster, which makes for a pretty cool contrast. Also of note is the big "rubbery crunch" of St. Stephen (to borrow a phrase, I think, from Blair Jackson), the seamless NFA > GDTRFB > NFA that they could do in their sleep at that time, and the way Bobby gives up his vocal chords at the end of NFA. I own all the Dick's Pick's and this one might just be my favorite (but that would be like picking a favorite child, wouldn't it?)

The only track I've really ever listened to on this album is the version of "Dark Star"...but this has to be one of the absolute best. The improvisation at the beginning is very subdued, working over the course of seven minutes to the first verse, and then the abstract improvisation begins; this one is amazing. I've always liked it how you can hear different band members "suggest" certain themes, and the democratic way the band as a whole accepts or rejects them. In several points near the start of this improv, Phil tries to suggest a few themes, but they are turned down in favor of a sunny, two-chord vamp with lots of opportunity for soloing. At the end, the band skips the second verse and goes straight into "Sugar Magnolia".

I'm surprised at the very small number of Dark Stars availible on the market - only about five or six, but all of them great. If you like "Dark Star", this disc is a must-have.

Let me start off by saying 1971 is not one of my favorite years for the dead (I much prefer 1970 or 1972) but this is BAR NONE one of my favorite picks ever, even if its only a single disc-er. The Dark Star is the main reason to own this, but the rest is nearly as good imo. The Dark Star starts off fairly standard but with more forceful and tight jamming from Garica and Lesh that usual. After the 1st verse the song builds for a few minutes and takes off into a spontaneous Jam that is one of the most riveting and upbeat moments in Dead history. The jam winds down into the Tiger jam and gets pretty introspective...then Weir suddenly starts playing the chords to Sugar Magnolia and moves us into a great early version of that classic, before Donna Jean had a chance to ruin it with her wailing (ugh). A decent St. Stephen is the low point (that song was really at its best in 1969) but then comes Not Fade Away>Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad. This is one of my very favorite pairings of these songs; Jerry is in true form during this moment, winding his way through another great and unique jam.

Another must-own pick along with volumes 4, 8, 11, 12, 16, 28, and 36

This is one of my favorite dead shows, mostly for the Dark Star. It is both meandering and concise; it never disintegrates into a puddle of cymbal splashes and bass pops as it was wont to do. Instead it charges through, including a sneak preview of the "Eyes of the World" jam. The other material is also strong, but to my ears, the Dark Star alone is worth the price, even if you are a casual fan who already owns Live/Dead.

I've been to over 50 Grateful Dead shows, own over 100 tapes and CD's and completely love the Grateful Dead. This is my favorite recording of all time.

I love being a new Deadhead because there is so much still to discover. This is the fifth Dead album I've bought and I just love it. The Dark Star here is just amazing, running the gamut from intricate fretwork to rolling surf chords. The 23 minute journey of this song is a road trip to freedom. The rest of the album is equally joyous. The other night I put the disc on before going to bed and the music just wrapped itself around my dreams. It was great! I wonder how that Halloween night in Columbus was for the fans who were there. Now to charge on through more of Dick's Picks.