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GRATEFUL DEAD
Dick's Picks, Volume 26 (Grateful Dead)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale
Favorite eras, favorite sets, favorite songs, the range of topics for (usually) friendly contention between Deadheads is seemingly endless. A lot of it has to do with where along the 30 year route an individual got on the bus, and that's probably why this 26th entry into the Dick's Picks series of releases from the legendary Grateful Dead tape vaults stacks up as among the very best in my opinion. My first Dead show was just a few months before this material was recorded, and it's still my favorite period for the band. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan was at the top of his game, Tom Constanten was occupying the keyboard chair and the collaboration between Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter was beginning to produce classic numbers that would be part of every Deadhead's dream setlist for decades to come.
Some of those classics are presented here, among the highlights offered from a 4/26/69 show at Chicago's Electric Theater and the complete show of the following night at Minneapolis' Labor Temple. Who among the band's fans can resist a 26:37 "Dark Star" with T.C. on the keys? Or 36 minutes of Pig rapping and roaring his way through "Lovelight," sandwiched around an hour of classic jams? Those are the goods from Minneapolis. The Chicago set offers pre-release performances of some of the best of the then-upcoming Aoxomoxoa, along with the rarely performed "I Know It's A Sin," with Pig covering Jimmy Reed as only Pig could.
If you don't like the Grateful Dead at all, there's probably nothing here that will change your mind, but if you ever liked the Dead even a little, there's plenty here that will delight you.
Track Lists:
Disc One: Dupree's Diamond Blues>Mountains Of The Moon>China Cat Sunflower>Doin' That Rag * Cryptical Envelopment>The Other One>The Eleven>The Other One>I Know It's A Sin * Turn On Your Lovelight>Me And My Uncle>Sitting On Top Of The World
Disc Two: Dark Star>St. Stephen>The Eleven>Turn On Your Lovelight * Morning Dew
[Pick this up at store1.dead.net.]
© 2002 - Shaun Dale