Worth every star
Dick's Picks Vol. 1972 was a fantastic year for the Grateful Dead: the springtime Europe '72 tour, the two keyboard attack of Pigpen on organ and Keith Godchaux on piano, Pig's vocals and some of the best group mind playing of the Dead's career. 23 is from a later show in the year after Pigpen quit mid year for health reasons, he died in 1973 from a hemmorage brought about by his excessive consumption of alchohol. While there are other shows with better versions of individual songs and the jamming isn't as stellar as some of the as yet unreleased shows from this banner year, there's a definite character about this DP 23 that makes it a must have Pick. For one thing every song is played very well, no phoned in performances for this show. The playing is tight and dynamic. But what really sets this show apart is it's sense of organic flow. Whether in the individual songs themselves or the between song transitions, there is a palpable organic unity to the Dead's playing. The Grateful Dead group mind is very much in evidence. Which makes for a subtle experience, and takes a couple of listens for the excellence of this show to sink in. At first I wasn't overly impressed, a very good, if not great show is what I thought. However with repeated plays I came to realize just how good a show DP23 was. Thats "show", the thing has to be heard and judged in its entirety. As a show, as a unified and here's that word again, organic entity, DP 23 is outstanding. Now I generally prefer the sound of earlier shows in the year because of Pigpen's vocals and organ, but until the Dead release the Springfield Creamery Benefit show from 08/27/72, DP 23 is the best (officially released) post Pigpen show from 1972 we are likely to hear. High quality recording and playing, what more could you want?.
Ummm... can we say overrated?
Quite unfortunately, however, the actual music isn't as stellar as one would expect. I really like the cover of this album; both how it looks and how it alludes to Poe's epic poem "The Raven" (quite appropriately, seeing as the featured concert took place in Poe's hometown of Baltimore). Don't get me wrong; it's good, but definately not mind-blowing in the way Dick's Picks 12 and 16 are.
Disc 1: Fairly boring versions of relatively commonplace and unexciting songs. "Friend of the Devil" and "Sugaree" have yet to reach the heights they wouuld achieve in 1977. "China Cat Sunflower" and "I Know You Rider" are always fun, but this rendition has neither the depth of the Dick's Picks 12 version nor the tightness of the Go to Nassau recording. The only highlight is the relatively rare "Bird Song," which allows the band to stretch out and jam just a bit. 2/5
Disc 2: The first set ends on an okay (but not extremely mind-blowing) note. "Playing in the Band" stretches out but doesn't get to anyplace exceptional (go to archive. org and download the 2/26/77 concert if you want to hear a REALLY stellar version of that song). Some may find the "Casey Jones" enjoyable, but I think it drags a bit. Then the second set starts and things begin to look up. "Truckin'" sounds like it has potential to seugue into something and start a really neat jam (like on the Englad '72 box set or Dick's Picks 12) but it just. . . stops. The other songs are all some of my favorites, but they're all fairly common, so better versions exist of all of them. "Mississippi Half-Step" is probably the most interesting song on this disc just because the arrangement is different from its usual one. 3/5
Disc 3: "He's Gone" is fairly typical. . . not the best or worst version of the song, but still pretty good. Then, the moment we've all been waiting for: a 40-minute "Other One!" This (along with "Bird Song" and "Sing Me Back Home") was the main reason I got this CD to begin with. Yes, it's just as epic as you'd think and goes all sorts of places. . . but it doesn't make up for the extremely tedious material on the other two discs. Then there's "Sing Me Back Home. " I thought this was going to be some kind of cool jam-fest type thing because of its length and that I was going to be in for a rare treat. . . but it's really one of the worst songs I've heard the Dead do. Jerry takes a neat solo at the end, but that one solo isn't necessarily worth sitting through the rest of the song. The other two songs are typical Dead staples; as with pretty muche everything on this album, there are better recordings out there. 3/5
Bottom Line: This isn't really that amazing of a show. I suppose this album might be enjoyable for someone who hasn't heard these songs millions of times, but there are lots of better picks out there. .
Disc Two is in the Zone!
The first disc is nothing special, a standard first-set. This is an excellent late-'72 Pick, from Baltimore in September, about 5 months after the European tour. The band is energetic, but hasn't taken flight yet. The best song is "Bird Song," which flaps its eerie wings and takes a few leaps upward, and yet doesn't escape gravity. The worst moment comes on the segue from "China Cat" to "I Know You Rider," when Garcia and Weir get totally out of sync -- it's terrible, I don't know how anyone could consider this a high-quality performance. The "Rider" vocals are intense, which seems to me to indicate their frustration at having botched what is often a sublime moment.
All problems are left in the dust on Disc Two as the band achieves escape velocity with a 19-minute "Playing. " Garcia uses his wah-wah pedal to great effect, and the soaring energy is not lost for the rest of the show, but this disc especially is superb Dead, just what people say you have to hear them live to experience. They're flying, riding the wave, in the Zone! "Casey Jones" features Keith on boogie-woogie piano at the end, the best version of the song I've heard. Likewise the rowdy 12-minute "Truckin'," with Bill bashing away on the drums, certainly one of the best available recordings of the AMERICAN BEAUTY counterculture classic. "Loser," which was a new song at the time, is modified from the studio recording on GARCIA with a nice guitar riff. "Mississippi Half-Step," which wouldn't be recorded for nearly a year, sounds great, especially the coda ("across the Rio Gran-dee-o, across the lazy river. . . ").
On to Disc Three, an 11-minute "He's Gone" ends with a long, mellow jam, and then suddenly "The Other One" kicks in, leading to prime improvisation for 40 minutes. While not as intense as the great version on SKULLF**K, Garcia's soloing has a piercing, crystalline quality. In the spaciest section he uses the wah-wah again. Kreutzmann starts "Alligator" at one point with the cowbell, but it isn't pursued. That's the point the jam really ought to end, at about the 30-minute mark, but Kreutzmann starts a new rhythm and Garcia continues to solo introspectively for another 10 minutes. I'm not overly impressed with Merle Haggard's maudlin "Sing Me Back Home," but the band performs it slowly and with feeling -- Kreutzmann and Lesh deserve credit for maintaining forward momentum at such a slow pace. "Sugar Magnolia" is fine and strong, though Garcia blows a solo toward the end, perhaps discombobulated again as in the "China Cat/Rider" segue.
The closer "Uncle John's Band," one of my absolute favorite Dead songs, from WORKINGMAN'S DEAD, is fantastic, a great finish to a great show. When the a cappella chorus begins, after a pause, "Come hear Uncle John's band, playing to the tide. . . ," it sends chills down the back of my neck. This is a fine addition to the Dick's Picks series, and strong evidence that THERE IS (STILL) NOTHING LIKE A GRATEFUL DEAD CONCERT! .
9/17/72. Baltimore Civic Center. Baltimore, Maryland
This is a Pick that you jaded, longtime heads will be blown away by, as well as one you can use to turn someone on to the Dead. Disc One:
Promised Land (3:39), Sugaree (7:59), Black-Throated Wind (6:34), Friend Of The Devil (4:19), El Paso (5:11) ,Bird Song (10:55), Big River (5:22), Tennessee Jed (8:05), Mexicali Blues (3:57), China Cat Sunflower (5:18), I Know You Rider (6:16)
Disc Two:
Playing In The Band (18:48), Casey Jones (6:12), Truckin' (12:19), Loser (7:20), Jack Straw (5:22), Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo (8:38), Me and My Uncle (3:16)
Disc Three:
He's Gone (10:21), The Other One (39:07),Sing Me Back Home (10:50), Sugar Magnolia (9:25), Uncle John's Band (7:22)
Buy this Pick. Some of the Picks have a bunch of stuff I could take or leave but the Pick is worth it to me for this or that big jam, but Pick 23 has it all. You get excellent versions of several of the song-songs, and monumental explorations of the big jam vehicles.
The Birdsong is lovely though short, and the China > Rider is a great one. . . one of the best of the entire Dick's Picks series.
I don't have any of the Picks after #26 yet, and off the top of my head I don't remember what all concerts compromise Picks 27-32 so I can't speak of those right now, but from 1 through 26, the Playing in the Band on this Pick is the hands-down best of the series. If you don't care about anything else here but you're a fan of monster Playings, buy this Pick. The Loser just a few tunes later is another highlight of the set. . . truly a gorgeous rendition. Cap this all off with an epic exploration of The Other One that travels through many moods and rhythms and you got yourself one of the best Picks in the series.
This is also one of the best sounding Picks in the series. The sound is open and natural and the power of their tones shines right through. This Pick almost has the openness and airyness of the best audience recordings, but with the strength and presence of a soundboard.
Pick up this one, #19 (10/19/73) and #22 (2/23 & 2/24/68) and you have everything you need from this new batch of Picks.
.
You can see a complete list of all Grateful Dead discography, or go back to the Grateful Dead tabs
|
