GRATEFUL DEAD LIVE PLAYLIST A TRANSCENDENT SONIC EXPLORATION

This week I've gathered a handful of my favourite Grateful Dead live tracks to create an eight-song two hour playlist of transcendent sonic exploration, meandering guitar lines, mindnumbing bass lines, rich vocals and layered percussive textures.

I confess that I am not a deep-diving, bootleg trading, obsessive Deadhead. I am familiar enough with their work to make educated observations but claim no authoritative mastery of their catalogue.

These performances are taken from four live albums that should be considered essential to any serious record collection. Hardcore fans would likely thumb their noses at some of these choices (and lament the inclusion of too many covers), but I am attempting to walk the line between accessibility and exploration, so please indulge me with a bit of latitude.

Each song is between 12 and 16 minutes in length, with the exception of the glorious performance of Dark Star (clocking in at over 31 minutes).

Cornell 5/8/77

Recorded live at Barton Hall, Cornell University in Ithaca New York, this is considered by many Deadheads to be the greatest show the band ever played. Some even use the term “Holy Grail” when describing it.

Pacific Northwest '73-'74

This collection includes six shows from Portland, Seattle and Vancouver (two in each city). It's a 19-CD box with over twenty hours of music and stunning original art by West Coast artist Roy Henry Vickers. Bucket list material, here.

Sunshine Daydream Concert (Veneta, OR 08/27/72)

This is the complete concert that was immoralized in the Sunshine Daydream film. Containing celebrated performances of Casey Jones, Sugar Magnolia, China Cat Sunflower and Playing in the Band, the two tracks that stand above all others are Bird Song and Dark Star.

Europe '72

Although the Europe '72 triple vinyl was the original release that everyone seemed to own, devoted collectors can now purchase a mega box set with all 22 shows from the tour on 73 CDs. Oh, to dream…

PLAYLIST:

Truckin' (London, 5/26/72)

Perhaps the band's bestknown song, this version is spirited and joyful.

Here Comes Sunshine (PNE Coliseum, Vancouver 6/22/73)

Composed by Jerry Garcia with lyrics by Robert Hunter, the song was inspired by the great Vanport, Washington flood of 1949.

Not Fade Away (Cornell 5/8//77)

This Buddy Holly cover was in the band's setlist for decades.

Fire on the Mountain (Cornell 5/8//77)

This was composed by Dead percussionist Mickey Hart with lyrics by Robert Hunter.

Dancing In the Street (Cornell 5/8//77)

This Marvin Gaye-penned song was a hit for Marth & the Vandellas in 1964. The Dead made it their own in the 1970s.

Morning Dew (Cornell 5/8//77)

Composed by Canadian folk singer Bonnie Dobson, the Dead loved this song and played it often.

Bird Song (Veneta, OR 8/27/72)

Composed by Jerry Garcia with lyrics by Robert Hunter, this song was originally written as a tribute to Janis Joplin.

Dark Star (Veneta, OR 8/27/72)

Although technically written by Hunter & Garcia, many historians credit the song to all of the band members including Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, Ron Pigpen McKernan and Bob Weir. It is a collaborative exploration that was a little different each time they played it.

If you take a couple of openminded hours and listen to these tracks on good headphones you'll get a sense of what the Grateful Dead is all about. Guitar players should be particularly intrigued.