27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Among the Best Live Dead, December 23, 2005
I recently made one of those listmania lists, my favorite live Dead, and I found myself listening to these CDs for the first time in awhile. I had forgotten how good they are.
My favorite era for live Dead, if I had to pick one, would be the mid to late 70's, when it seemed all the different threads that formed their music were at their best. The music was folksy, bluesy, jazzy, and psychedelic. I could do without Donna's wailing, but that's out of my control, best to tune it out. I think '76 and '77 may have been the years when they were at their most consistent, if you were going to hear a show selected randomly from those years you had a good chance of hearing great music. Contrast that to the end of the Brent era, a time when Jerry himself said they just running on inertia (though worse was yet to come), when the Dead were fully in the "one in three" mode. It always angered me that they didn't feel more obligated to perform well on all nights given the prices for tickets. I know the point of the show was hanging out in the lot, indulging in the things heads indulge in, and dancing ecstatically with your bothers and sisters. I certainly get that and had plenty of good times based on that alone. But there was nothing like those nights when they turned on, when whatever they were doing was working, when it seemed Jerry was playing just to you.
These shows are evidence that, even during their deflated era, they still had those moments. And when they were on, when they were brilliant, they were astonishing and there was still nothing better. This set, compiled from three consecutive shows, shows the late Brent-era Dead at their best, from the songs selected, the group interactions, the solos, the timing, and the overall arc.
I wish I was there. I wish I could be at any show again for that matter, even one of their more disappointing shows was still way more fun than anything else you can do with your clothes on.
Disc 2 may be the single best CD of live Dead I own. Playing in the band --> Uncle John's Band --> Lady with a Fan --> Terrapin --> Mud Love Buddy Jam --> Drums --> Space. Nothing is rushed, but it doesn't take long to build. And then the transcendent moments keep coming, each one seeming more glorious than the last. If you are Phil fan, you'll get great Phil bombs from the bass, and Jerry's solos are soaring and buoyant, peak after peak after peak.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Our love will not fade away...., October 6, 2004
Great album, especailly the wheel through we bid you good night on disc 3. Great crowd interaction that would bring a tear to any dead fan's eye and make you especially miss Jerry. Recorded in the 1990's the crowd could sense the end and gave back their years of love and appreciation. It is better then any live band and Dave Mathews fans especially should see how a real jam band does it.........
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Dead's very best, May 30, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Dozin at the Knick (Audio CD)
Having been to over a hundred shows and owning five times as many shows on tape, I've got to say that this disk brings me as close as possible to actually 'being' at a show as I've ever heard. This is one of those rare times when the Dead are at their peak musically and techincally (with respect to the recording equipment). I highly reccomend this to anyone who wants to know what it was like to go to a show. If I could only have 5 Dead disks, I would choose this one, Dick's Picks #1, Dick's Picks #3 (truely amazing), For the Faithful (also called Reckoning), and American Beauty (not a live show, but a classic). Definately a *MUST HAVE* for any deadhead!
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