This week, the Tapers' Section is the place for you if you like Grateful Dead music from September 1972, which we expect you do. If not, you're welcome to come along for the ride and we're sure you'll hear something you dig.

Our first selection this week is from 9/21/72 in Philadelphia, music that is part of the final Pick of the Dick's Picks series, Vol. 36. We have a couple of the mid-sized jams from that show, Playing In The Band, He's Gone>Truckin. When this second jam didn't go into a monstrous Other One, where a He's Gone>Truckin' of the era usually went, you knew something was in store for later, and the Dark Star>Dew that came later sure proves that true.

Our next selection from 9/23/72 in Waterbury, CT, is a cool little sequence featuring a couple of rarities. The music, Baby Blue, Cryptical Envelopment>Drums>The Other One>Wharf Rat, features one of only three versions of Baby Blue played between 1970 and 1981 (the others were on 9/26/72 in Jersey City and 2/24/74 at Winterland), and the only Cryptical of 1972, and the final version until its return in 1985. As you know, we like to play not only historical anomalies here, but we try to give you as much historical background on these anomalies as we can. If you'd ever like clarification on any of our selections, feel free to write to the email address under my name, below.

Our final selection this week is also from Waterbury, CT, on 9/24/72, and features a bit of a unique sequence, Dark Star>China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider. There's a cut on the master reels at the end of the jam, so our apologies for that. But, the part that IS there sure is good.

Please stop by again next week, when we'll have loads of music from 1976, plus a little taste of 1989. Email address below, which you're encouraged to write to with questions or comments.

David Lemieux
vault@dead.net