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Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks, Vol. 22: Lake Tahoe, CA, 2/23-24/68 Audio CD

A fair review of the Grateful Dead "Dick's Picks, Vol. 22: Lake Tahoe, CA, 2/23-24/68" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Grateful Dead reviews here, or go back to the Grateful Dead tabs.

Grateful Dead Band: Grateful Dead
Title: Dick's Picks, Vol. 22: Lake Tahoe, CA, 2/23-24/68
Rating:
Release Date: 2004-08-31
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Viola Lee Blues 2: It Hurts Me Too 3: Dark Star 4: China Cat Sunflower 5: Eleven 6: Turn on Your Love Light 7: Born Cross-Eyed 8: Spanish Jam 9: Morning Dew 10: Good Morning Little Schoolgirl 11: That's It for the Other One: Cryptical Envelopment/The Faster We ... 12: New Potato Caboose 13: Alligator 14: China Cat Sunflower 15: Eleven 16: Alligator 17: Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks) 18: Feedback

Where they came from
High powered, shorter Rolling Thunder jams, though they have not perfected them yet--still a work in progress. Logs a major turning point in the Dead's evolution into an Acid-Jam band. Good show but way down on my proiority list of Dead CD's to have. E. G. China Cat Sunflower is in its early incarnation played in the key of E) Excellent as historical document of one of America's best bands ever! I recommend Twop From the Vault over this for 1968 Dead. . . but anything from 1972-1974 first and foremost!.


An excellent snapshot of the Dead's evolving sound!
The songs are not quite as stretched out and dreamy as they would be a year later - this is especially noticeable on later concert staples like "Dark Star" and "China Cat Sunflower". This is the sound of the Dead about halfway between the recording of their first studio album and the release of Live/Dead.

The expanded lineup, which now includes Tom Constanten on keyboards and Micky Hart on drums, is beginning to outgrow the old arrangements and textures. A lot of material from Anthem For The Sun is in this set. I have really enjoyed finding this lost jewel.

The sound quality is excellent. The mix leaves a TEENSY bit to be desired - the vocals are fairly buried most of the time - sometimes nearly inaudible. It sounds like the only vocals that made it onto the tape are what leaked into the instrument mics from the monitors. That being said, this is pretty much the mix you would have heard if you'd been standing right in front of the stage during the performance. Concert sound back in those days was such that if you wanted to hear both the instruments AND the vocals, you needed to sit about 30 rows back or more. Any closer than that and you were just going to hear one or the other.


Historically Relevant, but Musically Disappointing
But newcomers should be warned that the sound is a tad raw, the arrangements a little scattered, and the vocals hit and miss. For hard-core Dead fans, this Pick is a nice addition to your collection, showcasing the band's late 60's development. There is nothing about this collection that really makes my spirit soar like many of the later picks.


Recommended With Reservation
That having been said, this leaves a bit to be desired in terms of sound quality. I don't like to knock any Dick's Picks from this early in the Dead's career, because I wish they'd release more. The performances are great, especially the Phase I version of "Dark Star" (a mere year later it had morphed into a 20-minute free-jam, but it was still almost at the original tempo here). All too often, however, the vocals are all but inaudible. This isn't just one or two tracks; it's throughout. And it's a shame, because otherwise this is a heck of a show. For Deadheads it might still be worth it, just to hear the nice, early mix of psychedelia and blues crunch. Just be aware of what you're getting goin' in.


A laid-back but solid show
It's difficult to know where to begin, especially considering the fact that the band went through so many different musical phases during their long career. From the point of view of a relative newcomer, the plethora of official live recordings released by the Grateful Dead can be daunting, to say the very least. There is also a lot to choose from, so what you choose should depend entirely on which period in the band's career you prefer, simply because each phase in the Grateful Dead's musical evolution is quite different. I have always enjoyed the psychedelic material, which leads me to this review.

'Dick's Picks 22' is a fantastic entry in the series. It comes from quite early in the band's career, when The Dead still feels the need to acknowledge their roots, whilst also tentatively beginning to explore new territory with the epic jams that would soon become their trademark. At this point, improvisation and jamming has not yet reached the heights of excellence that it would reach in later years, but it is still wonderful to hear.

This particular show has a loose, relax feel. It is intense in places, but most of the time the band is content simply to meander along. This is not a bad thing, however. There's plenty of warmth, colour and melody, which gives the show its own special appeal. The music does not attempt to be confrontational. It's the subtlety and myriad of different shades in the music that makes it special. Just listen to the fantastic versions of 'Spanish Jam' and 'China Cat Sunflower'. In my opinion, the Grateful Dead's original material is what makes this album great; only the covers slightly let them down. Musically, it sounds incredibly natural and I think that's what the appeal of this album is.

One more thing, some other reviewers have complained about the roughness of the sound here. It is a little rough but it's not enough to worry about. The vocals are lost in places and the sound is probably not as clear as on other releases, but it has character. It's not crystal clear, but that's irrelevant. It doesn't make any difference to the listening experience. I wouldn't qualify it as 'bad', by any means.

In summary, 'Dick's Picks 22' is a really great quality show and a worthy addition to your collection.
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