Road Trips Volume 1 - Number 3

More Lost and Found From the Hot, Hot Summer of’71 on this Two-Disc Set!

If you’re up on your Dick’s Picks releases—and we know you are—you’ll recall that Dick’s Picks 35, released in 2005, featured some smokin’ performances from the summer of 1971. The master reels from which it was culled, long believed to have been lost, had turned up miraculously on a houseboat owned by the parents of former GD keyboardist Keith Godchaux, discovered more than 30 years later by Keith’s brother, Brian, and son, Zion. And Keith had these masters because the band wanted him to be able to hear their most recent tour in preparation for his taking the piano seat that fall. It was quite a find, to say the least—the Grateful Dead world equivalent of uncovering a new royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

So imagine our surprise when two years later, under completely different circumstances, even more great, previously uncirculated master tapes from the summer of ’71 turned up unexpectedly. Surely that was a sign, too, that this music needed to come out and be shared with all of you. Which brings us, happily, to Road Trips Volume One, Number 3. This release offers up the brightest of these recently discovered gems: Disc One is taken from the famous show at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, July 31, 1971, anchored around an out-of-this-world “Dark Star” and a version of “Not Fade Away > Goin’ Down the Road” that also includes a short “Darkness, Darkness” jam. Hot stuff!

The material on Disc Two is from the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago about three weeks later—8/23/71 (the following night, 8/24, was spotlighted on DP35)—and its big highlight is probably the very jammed out version of “That’s It for the Other One,” which in my humble opinion stands with the best they ever played (yes, even ones from the Fillmore West box). Spread across the discs you’ll also find outstanding versions of “China Cat > Rider,” “Uncle John’s Band > Johnny B. Goode,” “Wharf Rat,” “Sugar Magnolia” and lots more. Like the DP35 performances, these are a Phil-lover’s-delight, with massive bass on almost every track—careful if you’re driving or operating heavy machinery when you crank up these CDs!

As usual, these master soundboard recordings have been mastered in HDCD, and each package includes a cool booklet with an essay about the music (by yours truly in this case) and plenty o’ rare photos from the period.

So…You know the drill: click here for a complete track listing, and click here to order your copy today!

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turned up?

One would imagine that these songs are the only salvagable ones from those reels on the houseboat. What probably happened is that the techs managed to extract from those reels many more songs than were originally put out on DP35. This has to be the case because Jerry gave Keith the entire box of shows from that year to listen to. And when looking at the dates, it is obvious that they are from the same find.

But this is what Road Trips should be all about: shows which have only a few surviving songs. These taken and combined together for a compilation release is a way to put out product that might never see the light of day (as whole shows do not exist from this period other than San Diego and Chicgo).

And I must say that the San Diego show from DP 35 is probably one of the best released put out by the Dead since the death of Jerry..

Carry on; good work.

Greg SC

I found the reels

I am the one who found the reels, where doesn't matter, but I gave them to Lemieux just as he was packing up the reel to go to Rhino. These are not from the house boat and I have been siting on them for 18 months waiting for this. Thank god Rhino has decided to put them out. wait until you hear them - they sound unbelievable for their age and how they were stored. TO all of you, you are welcome to be able to hear this great music.

Mediocre Release Party Selections

David,

Who's picking out the selections for the listening party? You need to throw in a major highlight or two to make for a truly satisfying party. How about Dark Star, The Other One, or H2H? There were no highlights put up for the Winterland '73 listening party either. What's the deal here? Why are you guys holding back? You know what we like.

GC

HouseAttic tapes?

DigitalRBB

Did you find them in your attic? If so, do you have Barton Hall?

Greg SC

The Earth will see you on

The Earth will see you on through this time......

China Cat -> Rider

Not too shabby a preview track......! Check it out!

listening party

avatar

sounds great...thanks for sharing the music!!!

Sugar Magnolia quality issue?

Is it my speakers on the computer, or does Sugar Magnolia suffer from audio damage on the tape? It is hard for me to tell, but my speakers break up badly on the high notes.

Greg SC

Dick's Picks #35

Dick's Picks #35 is no longer available on CD (per web site). Is there anyway to order this on CD?
Also, Road Trips Volume 1, Number 2 was excellent. The bonus disc is a disc I constantly listen to. Number 3 should be excellent.

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