Reviews: Grateful Dead Road Trips and other vault releases

This is a review of the Grateful Dead Road Trips series, as well as other GD Vault releases since 2006. You can read my review of the Dick’s Picks Series and other live releases up through early 2006 in these two threads:


My review of the Dick's Picks series

Grateful Dead - reviews of official live and Vault releases


These reviews are just a quick synopsis of highlights (and some lowlights). For full tracklists of these and all official releases, refer to this site:

Grateful Dead Family Discography


To read more about these shows (and all GD and GD-related albums), check out this excellent thread:

Grateful Dead album by album thread


Now on to the reviews….



Road Trips

RT 1.1 – Nov ’79 – 4.5 stars

I can’t get enough of late ’79, and this is a wonderful kickoff to the series. Dancin>Franklin’s, Estimated>He’s Gone>Jam, and a very long Terrapin>Playin (almost as good as the one from 12/28).

Note, this was mastered from a cassette tape running at a slightly slow speed. I didn’t notice it until someone else brought it up, but it doesn’t bother me.


RT 1.2 – October 1977 – 3 stars

Highlights: Let It Grow, Sugaree, and one of my all-time favorite versions of Wharf Rat

Lowlights: Help>Slip>Franklin’s Tower (very sloppy), and a Scarlet>Fire that never achieves lift off.

The rest of the set is ok, but I think there’s better to be had from late ’77.

Major omission: St. Stephen from 10/15 – an all-time version for sure.


RT 1.3 – 7/31/71, 8/23/71, 8/6/71 – 5 stars

The band was ON FIRE in the summer of ’71, and this fine release is as good of an example as any. Compiled from the “Houseboat Tapes” (see DP 35), these soundboard recordings sat unheard for over 35 years. Disc 1 is from Yale Bowl 7/31 and Disc 2 from 8/23. The bonus disc is made up of highlights from 8/6 plus some from 8/4 and more from 7/31. Major highlights include Dark Star (with a Feelin’ Groovy jam), NFA>GDTRFB>NFA (with a Darkness Jam!), Hard To Handle (from 7/31 and the legendary one from 8/6), and the 40+ minute sequence of The Other One>Me and My Uncle>Other One>Wharf Rat. A must-have release!


RT 1.4 – 10/21-10/22/78 – 5 stars

Released at the same time as the Egypt ’78 package, it’s like hearing two different Grateful Deads. Whereas Egypt was lackluster, these Winterland shows sparkle with energy and focus. The real treat for me is the jam on disc 1 from 10/21. After some neat first set highlights we join "Got My Mojo Working" in progress, and their mojo was sure workin' that night. After a 10 minute workout they launch into a very intense "Other One" - one of the best of the era. The following "Stella Blue" is one of the most beautiful I've ever heard, maybe second only to the one on the So Many Roads box set (from 4/21/78). Thank goodness someone managed to tape this from the audience because the board tape cuts toward the end, so they were able to "patch" in the missing music from the AUD tape. "Sugar Magnolia" closes things out in rockin' fashion. Compare these two songs to the Egypt performances and it's like night and day.

Disc 2 (from 10/22) doesn't top the previous night's performance but they still play very well, and with lots of energy.



RT 2.1 – 9/19-9/20/90 – 4 stars

The Sept 90 MSG run is one of the greats of the era, with 9/19-9/20 being my favorites. From 9/19 - Playin>UJB>Let It Grow. From 9/20 - Truckin>China Cat>Rider, Dark Star>Playin’ Reprise out of Space. Overall, a well-compiled set of highlights, though I wish they could have somehow worked in the Help>Slip>Frank from 9/19.

RT 2.2 – 2/14/68 – 5 stars

For the 32 glorious minutes of That’s It For The Other One through the end of the Spanish Jam, all is right with the universe.

Other highlights include Alligator>Caution (large chunks of which were in the final mix for Anthem), plus some previously uncirculated goodies from January ’68. The more 1968, the better.

Caveat emptor – there is a gap between the end of New Potato Caboose and Born Cross-eyed. Previously circulating tapes patched this but for this RT they faded it out and back in again.



RT 2.3 – 6/16 and 6/18/74 – 5 stars

Two great shows distilled down to two discs (three with the bonus). From 6/16 – a very exploratory Playin’, and a killer (I mean killer!) Eyes>Big River. From 6/18, a monumental jam of Let It Grow>Other One>It’s A Sin Jam>Stella Blue, and another great Eyes of the World.

RT 2.4 – 5/26/93 – 4 stars

I can still hear the collective groaning when this was announced (say what? 1993? WTF?) Well if they’re going to pick something from this era, 5/26/93 is a good choice. The Playing In the Band is one for the ages. It holds it’s own against any era, yet also serves as a sad reminder of what could have been had everyone in the band managed to keep firing on all cylinders. Other highlights include Picasso Moon>Fire On the Mountain, China Doll, and Shakedown Street. Unique sequence of Cassidy>UJB>Cassidy from 5/27 2nd set.


RT 3.1 – 12/28/79 – 4.5 stars

Highlights abound – Fantastic Terrapin>Playin, a very long Sugaree, a lovely High Time, a stormin’ Music Never Stopped, and a very good post-drums sequence of UJB>Miracle>Bertha>Good Lovin. The bonus disc from 12/30 features a very nice Scarlet>Fire>Let It Grow.


RT 3.2 – 11/15/71 – 5 stars

Another great show presented in its entirety. Dark Star>El Paso>Dark Star in the first set. Second set features an amazing NFA>Jam>GDTRFB>NFA. The bonus disc is stunning as well, with another great Other One split by Me & My Uncle as the main highlight.


RT 3.3 – 5/15/70 – 4.5 stars

The acoustic songs really shine here - highlights for me are Uncle John’s Band, Cold Jordan, The Ballad of Casey Jones, A Voice From On High, Long Black Limousine, I Know You Rider, plus Pigpen’s performances of She’s Mine and Katie Mae. The electric sets are typical excellent 1970 Dead. That’s it for the Other One and Dark Star are great as always, but by the end of the second electric set it sounds like the band is running out of steam. This is understandable after playing two shows (plus the New Riders), and all this after a gig the night before in Kirkwood MO. Speaking of the gig before, the bonus disc from this show (5/14) features one of my favorite jams, including a very fierce New Speedway Boogie, and a wild NFA>Lovelight.



As Bob Weir would say, thank y’all. We’re gonna take a short break and we’ll be back in a few minutes…..






…. Now on to the other vault releases:



Live at the Cow Palace – 12/31/76 – 4.5 stars

One of the best shows of 1976. Set 1 closes with a Playing in the Band that sounds more like 1974 than 1976. Second set highlights include Eyes>Wharf Rat>Good Lovin (with a short Here Comes Sunshine quote), Scarlet, Morning Dew, plus a killer Help>Slip (but no Franklin’s alas).

The bonus disc is an excellent sampler from various 1976 shows, including another fine Scarlet Begonias, and Playing in the Band split by Supplication


Three From the Vault – 2/19/71 – 4 stars

There are a plethora of “new songs”, some of which sound like they are still being worked out at this stage. Highlights include Easy Wind (last time performed), Wharf Rat (2nd time performed), The Other One, and Bird Song (1st time performed). Probably the best show of this run from 2/18-2/24, though all are worth tracking down.


Winterland 1973 – 11/9-11/11/73 – 5 stars

11/9 doesn’t have a “big jam” like the other two but there are still many highlights, including Eyes>China Doll, Playing in the Band, Here Comes Sunshine, Weather Report Suite, They Love Each Other, and a beautiful To Lay Me Down.

11/10 features an enormous Playin sandwich (Playin>UJB>Morning Dew>UJB>Playin) This is the first of three times they would serve up this sandwich, the others being 11/17/73 and 3/23/74 (which was released as DP24)

11/11 – Unbelievable Dark Star>Eyes (with a Mind Left Body jam thrown in). Grateful Dead music from this era doesn’t get much better than this.


Rocking The Cradle: Egypt 1978 – 2 stars (one for the music, one for the footage)

1978 was a wildly erratic year – some shows were brilliant (2/5, 1/22, 10/21, 11/24), some were a bit sloppy yet fun to hear (4/12, 5/11), and some, like the Egypt shows, were terrible. There are few highlights - Ollin Arageed>Fire on the Mountain is interesting, and the footage on the DVD is nice to have, but the less said about this release the better. I know the Egypt trip was historic and all, but there’s a reason these shows sat unreleased for 30 years, and it should have stayed that way. YMMV of course.


To Terrapin – Hartford ’77 – 5/28/77 - 3.5 stars

The final show from one of the greatest tours in GD history. It doesn’t quite hit the highpoints from other shows on this tour, but still nice to have. Highlights include a 21-minute Sugaree, and a second set jam of Playin>Terrapin,>Drums>NFA>Wharf Rat>Playin.

Winterland June 1977 – 6/7-6/9/77 – 5 stars

Another box set of three Winterland shows. Set 1 from 6/7 includes beautiful versions of Peggy-O and LL Rain, and a smokin’ Music Never Stopped (1977 was a great year for this song). Set 2 has a great pairing of Terrapin>Morning Dew (see also DP 3 5/22/77).

6/8 is my favorite of the three shows, thanks to the stupendous 2nd set featuring Estimated>Eyes>Drums>The Other One>Wharf Rat>NFA>GDTRFB>JB Goode. Standouts from set 1 include Sugaree, Jackaroe, and Lazy Lightning>Supplication.

6/9 – amazing 2nd set featuring a titanic Help>Slip>Franklin’s Tower, plus Estimated Prophet>St. Stephen>NFA>Drums>St. Stephen>Terrapin Station>Sugar Magnolia. Whew!

The bonus disc from 5/12 is amazing as well, particularly the 2nd set sequence of Terrapin>Playin>Drums>NFA>Comes a Time>Playin.


Crimson, White, and Indigo – I have this, but haven’t watched or listened to it in its entirety yet, so no comment at this time.


Download Series


DL 1 – 4/30/77 – 4 stars

Excellent Scarlet>Fire, unique sequence of St. Stephen>NFA>Stella Blue>St. Stephen. The extra material from 4/29 is great – Sugaree, Scarlet, and Goin Down the Road Feeling Bad.


DL 2 – 1/18/70 – 3.5 stars

Very good early 1970 show - Mason’s Children, Good Lovin, Dancin’, Lovelight


DL 3 – 10/26/71 – 3 stars

Shows from this tour are always welcome, though this one pales somewhat in comparison to others. The main highlight here is the Truckin>Drums>Other One

DL 4 – 6/18/76 – 4 stars

St. Stephen>NFA>St. Stephen>Eyes>Drums>Wheel, plus Sugaree, Crazy Fingers, Mission in the Rain. Also includes material from later that month – Scarlet, Playin>Wheel>Playin. We need more from June ’76!

DL 5 – 3/27/88 – 4 stars

The pre-drums of Sugar Mag>Scarlet>Fire>Estimated>Eyes is one of the best of the era. Other highlights include Dear Mr. Fantasy, To Lay Me Down, and Let it Grow. Dig the Miles Davis “So What” jam before Sugar Magnolia.


DL 6 – 3/17/68 – 5 stars

More primal Dead from early ’68 – killer That’s It For the Other One>New Potato Caboose, China Cat>Eleven>Caution.


DL 7 – 9/3 – 9/4/80 – 3.5 stars

From 9/3, Half-Step>Franklin’s, Sailor>Saint>Jam.. The second set from 9/4 smokes – Supplication Jam>Estimated>Eyes>Drums>Other One>Wharf Rat>GDTRFB>Good Lovin’


DL 8 – 12/10/73 – 3.5 stars

Truckin>Nobody’s Fault>Eyes of the World, Sugar Magnolia split by GDTRFB. First Peggy-O.

DL 9 – 4/2-4/3/89 – 3 stars

These shows aren’t bad, but nothing earthshaking. Good Shakedown Street and Foolish Heart


DL 10 – 7/21- 7/22/72 – 4 stars

The centerpiece here is a great Truckin>Drums>Other One>Comes A Time. Other highlights include Bird Song (from 7/22) and two excellent versions of Playing in the Band (7/21 and 7/22).

DL 11 – 6/20/91 – 3 stars

Good Bird Song from 6/20. The bonus material from 6/19 is better – excellent Scarlet>Fire, Other One>Stella Blue

DL 12 – 4/17/69 – 3.5 stars

Dark Star>St. Stephen>It’s A Sin>St. Stephen>Lovelight, plus That’s it for the Other One. Caution starts out smokin’ but alas they stop playing after a minute due to curfew.


A Night at the Family Dog – 2/4/70 – 2.5 stars

Good setlist, but the overall performance sounds lackluster and unfocused. The bonus material from 10/5 and 12/31 isn’t much better.


11/5 and 11/6/79 – 3.5 stars

The meat of 11/6 (Terrapin>Playin) was previously released on RT 1. 11/5 has an awesome second set with Eyes of the World >Estimated Prophet>Franklin’s Tower. Get the AUD recording for this show, which I think sounds much better than the SBD.




That’s it for the other ones….. enjoy and discuss!

 

Cool. Thanks for pulling all of these links together. I have previously read your reviews of the Dick's Picks releases.

 

Very helpful, thanks!

 

wow....great work!

 

Woo hoo, been waiting for this thread.

 

Thanks Mike, I love the stars. I've missed a few (DP, DL, RT) along the way (particularly downloads due to bad net) but your combined threads make it clear that I still have some serious musical bizniz to catch up on. ("Honey, are we below our limit on the credit cards yet?")

 

Thank you Mike! I have been enjoying your thoughts on GD releases for years and this was a highly anticipated list!

RT 1 (Nov. '79) was the first one I bought and it has always left me a little cold. The Shakedown is pretty fantastic but the rest doesn't deliver what I thought it would. Perhaps I just wasn't ready for the sound of '79. I will have to go back and listen again as this is the least played of all the Dead I have.

RT 1.2 Oct '77 - kind of a bummer to hear it's so lame, especially after such highs from May and June.

RT 2.3 '74 is indeed KILLER material from start to finish. The sound EXPLODES and Bill sounds fantastic on drums. This release actually made me appreciate, and even love, DP31 and realize just how amazing the Summer '74 tour was.

Cow Palace - the more I listen to this, the more fantastic it is. Great sound, great playing, just awesome!

I've said plenty about the June 77 Winterland box but I want to mention again that the bonus disc on there is indeed fantastic and some of my favorite Dead of all time.

Again, great list Mike....you need to write some kind of book with even more detailed reviews. Your thoughts on the music are always dead on.

 

Nice work, Mike!!

 

Thanks for the reviews, Mike - I've been hesitant to jump into the Road Trips series, but maybe I'll need to after reading your thoughts -

 

RT 1 (Fall '79) and the accompanying downloads (11/5,6/79) all run VERY slow (~2% or 35 cents), slow enough that not only is the pitch very flat but the tempo is noticeably slowed as well. It just can't help the musical enjoyment any.

Fall '77 is less than great only because of what came before. It (the time period and the Road Trips) is still better than almost everything that comes after. Interestingly, the 12/28/79 show is one of the later shows which certainly stands out.

 

Notable as the first show since 1967 with only Bill on drums.

Yes, I heard this Playing on the Grateful Dead Hour when I started becoming a serious fan of the group, and it was one of the main things that made me think the group still had great music left to play. Sadly, it began to seem like false hope only a year or so later. BTW, another similar jam took place a month later after "Terrapin" at Deer Creek.

Some big sections of this show are on Anthem too.

 

Thanks for your work! Your Dead reviews ought to be sticky threads here! I frequently revisit them when looking for shows to get.

 

This one is my favorite of the titles listed. I'm a sucker for all their 1968 shows (I love 'Two from the Vault' as well), and this is probably the best of them all.

 

I had read all the reviews about Road Trips Vol. 1 No. 1 running slow so I never picked it up. While I was in NYC last week I popped into the Grateful Dead Archives exhibit at the NY Historical Society. They had all of the Road Trips for sale in the gift shop and so I said what the heck and picked it up. Even though it may run a little slow (cassette master) I can't really detect it and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it sounded after thinking it would be terrible. So glad I picked it up!

BTW - great list Mike!!!

 

Great list, thanks a lot! It looks like I'm still missing a lot of great releases. Looking at your ratings, I think I'll have to give RT 3.1 – 12/28/79 and RT 2.3 – 6/16 - 6/18/74 another listen. I've never been a big fan of these, but haven't heard them in a while.

 

Road Trips 2.3 Wall of Sound 1974 was a huge eye opener for me on just how fantastic 1974 Dead could be. It smokes from start to finish and the sound is fantastic. Highly, highly recommended.

Now I need to figure out which releases I need next. How does RT 1.3 compare to DP 35? It looks like they may have some overlapping material...or at least overlapping dates. The only '71 I have is Ladies and Gentlemen and I sometimes think that's all the '71 I need.

 

Ladies and Gentleman is fantastic, but you definitely need more 1971.

Between RT 1.3 and DP 35, I think the RT is the stronger of the two. While DP 35 has most of the stunning second set from 8/6, the rest of the package, while very good, doesn't quite measure up to the best stuff on RT 1.3. The only show common to both releases is 8/6/71, and even then, for RT 1.3 it's only on the bonus disc. You really need both.

Speaking of 8/6/71, find the AUD for that recording. While it's nice to have most of it now available as a SBD recording, the audience tape is just damn exciting to hear, and is still my preferred way to listen to this wonderful show (Probably a Top 10 show for me).

While you're at it, track down 8/14-15 from the Berkeley Community Theatre.

Like I said, they were ON FIRE in the Summer '71 (and the Spring, Fall, and Winter too)

 

The problem I used to have with 12/28/79 was that I was spoiled by 12/26. I think the first 45 minutes from set 2 of 12/26 is some of the finest playing I've ever heard, in 1979 or any year. My all-time favorite versions of Uncle John's Band and Estimated Prophet, plus the wild jam into He's Gone which then explodes into the Other One.....

Aside from Playing in the Band, nothing from 12/28 really comes close to that segment from 12/26 for me. Overall though, I think 12/28 might be a stronger show - the first set especially.

 

Is that the one with THE "Hard to Handle"?

 

Yes.

 

THE audience recording of THE Hard To Handle was also officially released on Fallout From the Phil Zone which is a most excellent compilation.

http://www.amazon.com/Fallout-Phil-...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1282786868&sr=8-1

 

Can you almost assemble most of 8/6/71 through DP35 and the RT 1.3 bonus disc? I always thought it was weird that DP35 didn't contain the 8/6 Hard to Handle and that 8/6 was never released on it's own.

 

Another vote for RT 1.3 here. It only has SBD's of Bertha, Mr. Charlie, Cumberland Blues, Brokedown Palace, & Hard to Handle from 8/6/71 set I (DP 35 has The Other One thru the end of the show from set II).

But it also has a good chunk of the 7/31/71 Yale Bowl show in SBD for the first time as well; this HTH is nearly as good the one from 8/6/71 (but I second downloading the 8/6/71 AUD & prefer this as well)...

 

The tunes from this show still outstanding & only on the AUD are PITB, Loser, Me & Bobby McGee, & Casey Jones from set I (though the last tune is made particularly great by the "Wooo Wooo" dude near the mic); St. Stephen & Truckin' from set II (as mentioned in my last post, DP 35's part of this show picks up mid-jam)...

 

Go to db.etree.org and find the entry for the soundboard of 8/6/71. Links to Lossless Legs and bt.etree.org for downloads are near the top of the page.

http://db.etree.org/shninfo_detail.php?shnid=96541