Brown-Eyed Woman / The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down / Beer Barrel Polka
Jack Straw
Ramble On Rose
Weather Report Suite
Wharf Rat
Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
Track Listings (6) - Disc #4
Playing In The Band
Jam
He's Gone
Truckin'
Stella Blue
Morning Dew
One of the odder collections in the Dick's Picks series, this four-disc set includes most of the music played on the first and last nights of a three-night run at Boston Music Hall in late fall 1973. With Donna Godchaux of... more »f the road to give birth, the band was back down to a quintet, and they're mostly found here in a mellow and airy vibe. Many of the tunes are taken at slower tempos than some fans may be used to--with the exception of "They Love Each Other," which is done here in a seldom-heard peppy style with additional verses that didn't make the final cut. There's some duplication of material as well, though you can't argue with any of the performances. --Marc Greilsamer« less
One of the odder collections in the Dick's Picks series, this four-disc set includes most of the music played on the first and last nights of a three-night run at Boston Music Hall in late fall 1973. With Donna Godchaux off the road to give birth, the band was back down to a quintet, and they're mostly found here in a mellow and airy vibe. Many of the tunes are taken at slower tempos than some fans may be used to--with the exception of "They Love Each Other," which is done here in a seldom-heard peppy style with additional verses that didn't make the final cut. There's some duplication of material as well, though you can't argue with any of the performances. --Marc Greilsamer
CD Reviews
Whelmed, Wildered, and Gruntled
My Uncle Stu | Boston | 07/31/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"When picking a bootleg or dick's pick, it's usually the set list that gets me excited, motivates me, helps me pick what I want to listen to. But of course that's a little bit of a decoy. Any song the Dead play can be miraculous if it is one of those magical nights, and any song can be demoralizing on one of those other nights or an off set. The real sign of a good show is when I'm under-whelmed by the set list but find myself surprised at how absorbed I get in the show. Listening to the beginning of disc 2, from the November 30th, '73 night I assume, when I found myself really captivated by a Here Comes Sunshine into Weather Report Suite parts one and two (not among my top fifty favorite dead songs), I knew this was a special show. The Dark Star, Eyes, and Sugar Mag were icing. Disc 3 has another patch with a Weather Report Suite into Wharf Rat, from a few nights later, and it's not a problem. We also get a great Disc 4, with Playing in the Band dissolving into a particularly spacey jam, holding tension but staying afloat. That feeling again: Relax, I know it seems confusing, but the band is here absorb the confusion and spin some threads to the multi-pronged signposts of gratification, which doesn't mean anything in particular but they are still playing, so it must, don't worry, they've been here before, just keep listening and you'll emerge out the other side no worse for wear. Good stuff. These were mellow outings for the Dead, but it's a little bit of a lazy couple of shows, with chunky pauses and directionless noodling at times, but good music for getting lost and found.
Not the greatest, not the most exciting, but nice entrancing ambient Dead.
Also, Donna is not there for these shows, evidently on maternity leave. Besides the absence of her annoying wailing, perhaps her absence also freed up the band to broader the spacey jams into new places. I know I pick on Donna, but she deserves it, her singing is really, really bad, and it is very embarrassing that the Dead let her sing for as long as they did. Her voice mars the best years of the Dead's playing, so to have a live CD from the Donna years, minus Donna singing, is a treat. Deadheads should buy this CD just to support the release of more from this all too short Donna-less interval.
"
One of the best Dick's Picks
Ross James Browne | Atlanta, Georgia United States | 02/28/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The versions of Weather Report Suite are alone worth the price of admission on these discs. There is also a really killer version of Morning Dew. This is a great Dick's Pick for people who can actually appreciate the slower stuff by the Dead, and you have to appreciate the slower stuff in order to be a true Deadhead."
One of the best Dick's Picks releases, if not the best one.
doick | US | 03/21/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's 1973, it doesn't have Donna, it's not awash in synthesizers and MIDI technology, Jerry's voice is crisp and clear, and it's 4 discs, for less than 25 bucks. You can't go wrong with this."
A good one.
Ross James Browne | 02/04/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I can't say that I agree with the lukewarm reviews of this volume of the DICK'S PICKS series. In some places, yes, it's pro forma Live Dead, but it's certainly no worse pro forma than, say, the SKULL AND ROSES album. In other cases, though, it's darn near transcendent. There are two versions of "Weather Report Suite" on here and the first one is mind-bogglingly great! This seques into a jam based upon "Dark Star" and then into a fantastic version of "Eyes Of The World" with Garcia playing some of his best guitar ever. The version of "Wharf Rat" included here is also a stunner. Where things get a little flabby is on Disc 1; this is a pretty faithful representation of the Dead's tendency to use the first set as a "warm-up" for more exciting excursions later in the show, and "Dire Wolf," "Mexicali Blues" and "Don't Ease Me In" particularly sound pretty rote here. But don't be deterred, there's some great(ful) Dead on this set which you won't be sorry you heard if you pick this up."
Boston Cream Pie shows
Ross James Browne | 09/02/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"SHORT REVIEW: collection is very good. I highly recommend them. Shows are sweet.LONG REVIEW: This is a really good collection. All the musicians are in fine form. As far as the criticism about the "playin in the band" version, both are very good, the second one being the better of the two IMHO. Practically flawless.Stand out disks: 2, 3, & 4, although 1 is not to go unnoticed. If you read concert description insert you will get a feel for where things were for the group at this time...as well as the 2(3) Boston shows themselves.Between the two shows, the 2nd one is tighter then the first, BUT NOT STIFF or BORING. The band can turn on a dime in the song changes for both second sets. They really have a smooth touch on the instruments, although a ragtimey syncopated rhythm feel is prominent throughout alot of the first set songs. Like I mentioned earlier...they are not stiff. Standout tracks: both WRS, the Jam sections, Sugar mags, 2nd Morning Dew, Wharf Rat, Missi 1/2 step,Beer Barrel Polka(flawless rendition), Brown-eyed women, DW, Ramble on Rose, both Playins, Truckin, & Stella. Oh...how could I forget...the Eyes was tops. Why does a band have to always play a speed metal set to prove something? Even some punk and metal bands have a sweet side to them when they are in the mood. (although i was too young to experience first hand) '73 was the year alot of bands did some slower orchestrated rock ballad stuff that was really good. "love reign o're me" or the "rain song". Both slow for Zep & the Who, but very instrumentally good songs. The rhythm sections were both ON. The same for these 73 Dead shows. Lesh & K are both ON. The band is very sharp, especially the 2nd show cds.Tape sound quality is excellent is some places, but some areas show age. However after repeated listening its nothing that gets in the way of the quality of the playing. Lesh is exceptional on the range of bass techniques and sounds he used. Together with Kreutzman, they are providing a show of their own on these discs. Very very impressive. Listen to Kreutz on the Truckin ending, going into Stella. Whooa nelly...Weir provides alot of jazzy rhythms, some smooth... some syncopated. Weir is shouting over-the-top on first show(his energy level is real up), but his WRS singing was sweet and ballady. Godcheaux runs the gamet on the keyboard, providing nice coloring, from ragtime to jazz to neo-classical styles. He is filling in all over the place (as someone mentioned earlier, while interacting with Weir, as well as Garcia, alot). Garcia has the sweetest sounding guitar playing & singing on these disks. I mean very very sweet soundin. He has alot of excellent long focused solos that range from medieval to country to jazz styles. His vocals are perfect(yes really, mostly for the 2nd sets and the 2nd show). The whole band plays to let you see/hear what their doin. Its an exceptional couple of shows to see this being done. I think it was done on purpose, especially when you listen to Lesh's talk with the audience before Merry go round/Beer Barrel segment. In my opinion I think it sets the tone for the rest of the show. Really neat how all this gets done improvisationally like it did, yet ,in conjuction with the reaction of the audience. Considering alot of people like the band for being a jam band, they showed alot of grace and intimacy on this collection. More than just pedal-to-the-metal. Shows are almost picture perfect, as far as rock shows can go, in incorporating other musical styles besides electric blues. IMHO, its shows like these, which enabled the band to accomplish the later stuff they did in the 77/78 tours. Especially going from soft ballads to aggresive/powerful crescendos, sometimes within the same song.I don't agree with everything this band plays, or says, or what they stand for, BUT....THESE shows are excellent. All in all, very good shows and good purchases.did i make my point yet?...enough babbling already...
simply stated...ENJOY with no mis- or (i hope) pre-conceptions.yanksta"
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1