Welcome back to the Tapers' Section, where this week, like last week, we'll immerse ourselves in Grateful Dead music from 1971 and 1972. It's odd how it happens like this, where we'll have a few weeks of 1980s music, then a few weeks of 1970s music. Regardless, there's loads of good stuff in the vault, so we expect we'll keep hopping around forever like this.

Our first selection is from Austin, TX on 11/15/71. We have played you the big second set piece from this show before, which oddly consisted of NFA>GDTRFB>NFA, albeit one of the finest renditions of that medley in the band's history, but the really big jam from this concert occurred, equally oddly, in the first set, Dark Star>El Paso>Jam>Casey Jones. Definitely different to find a first set Dark Star, but it works well attached to a couple of first set tunes.

From a shade over a year later, on 11/17/72 in Wichita, we have the big second set sequence of Truckin'>Drums>The Other One, Brokedown Palace. This is one of the most powerful Other Ones in a year of many very fine Other Ones. They get deep without getting unfocused.

Lastly this week is another Fall 1972 second set jam centered around The Other One, this one from 11/22/72, also in Autsin, TX, like our first selection this week. This jam consists of He's Gone>Truckin'>The Other One>Bass Solo>Jam>The Other One>Stella Blue. . Yes, another Truckin'>Other One, but if you compare it to the previous jam from five nights earlier, you'll really hear how different Grateful Dead shows could be.

Next week we have music from 1973, 1979 and 1980, so be sure to stop back and check it out. As always, we encourage you to write with questions and comments about the Tapers' Section, or anything else. The e-mail address below should find me.

David Lemieux
vault@dead.net