Dick's Picks, Vol. 8: Harpur College, Binghamton, NY, 5/2/70

Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks, Vol. 8: Harpur College, Binghamton, NY, 5/2/70

Dick's Picks, Vol. 8: Harpur College, Binghamton, NY, 5/2/70
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Music CD Cover

Artist: Grateful Dead
Edition: Music CD
Format: Limited Edition, Live
CD Release Date: 2000-07-11
Music Label: Arista
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. Don't Ease Me In - Grateful Dead, Traditional
  2. I Know You Rider - Grateful Dead, Traditional
  3. Friend of the Devil - Grateful Dead, Garcia, Jerry
  4. Dire Wolf - Grateful Dead, Garcia, Jerry
  5. Beat It on Down the Line - Grateful Dead, Fuller, Jesse
  6. Black Peter - Grateful Dead, Garcia, Jerry
  7. Candy Man - Grateful Dead, Garcia, Jerry
  8. Cumberland Blues - Grateful Dead, Garcia, Jerry
  9. Deep Elem Blues - Grateful Dead, Traditional
  10. Cold Jordan - Grateful Dead, Traditional
  11. Uncle John's Band - Grateful Dead, Garcia, Jerry
Music CD 2
  1. St. Stephen - Grateful Dead, Garcia, Jerry
  2. Cryptical Envelopment - Grateful Dead, Garcia, Jerry
  3. Drums - Grateful Dead, Hart, Mickey
  4. The Other One - Grateful Dead, Weir, Bob
  5. Cryptical Envelopment - Grateful Dead, Garcia, Jerry
  6. Cosmic Charlie - Grateful Dead, Garcia, Jerry
  7. Casey Jones - Grateful Dead, Garcia, Jerry
  8. Good Lovin' - Grateful Dead, Resnick, Arthur
Music CD 3
  1. It's a Man's Man's Man's World - Grateful Dead, Brown, James [1]
  2. Dancing in the Street - Grateful Dead, Stevenson, William
  3. Morning Dew - Grateful Dead, Dobson, Bonnie
  4. Viola Lee Blues - Grateful Dead, Lewis, Noah
  5. We Bid You Goodnight - Grateful Dead, Traditional

Free Music Notes for Dick's Picks, Vol. 8: Harpur College, Binghamton, NY, 5/2/70

Free Music Review: Use Sparingly
Hit: 5 Stars


There are a handful of Dick's Picks I ration out to myself on a schedule. Volume 8 is so special, so fulfilling, I only let myself listen to it once every two years. Any more frequently than that and it would lose the element of surprise, that amazing feeling of discovery.

The first disc is an acoustic set. The band sounds great, even harmonizing like professionals. Following a nice "Friend of the Devil," the crowd shouts out their requests to the band. Jerry settles the crowd: "Relax, man. We've got you all night." And, just like that, we are all held. We can get into a comfortable space and just enjoy. We can enjoy the Dead hitting on all cylinders at a period of time when they were great at getting intense and spacey, but also starting to reign it in a little bit more and bring in a little more of the roots music sound that would characterize American Beauty and Workingman's Dead, their two best studio albums, which were just on the horizon at the time of these shows.

The first set is worth the price alone, but discs two and three are their electric set for the night, following the New Riders. I would have enjoyed having the New Riders material released with it for a more authentic feel of the night, but you can't have everything. But electric Jerry on the second and third disc is absolutely tremendous. Jerry's solos increase a couple notches in intensity during "The Other One," wrapped in a "St. Stephen," "Cryptical Envelope" (times two) followed by a "Cosmic Charley" that some rank as the best version ever. We also get to hear Pig doing his best James Brown, still with a spirited "Dancing In The Streets," the multiple climaxes of "Morning Dew" and "Viola Lee Blues," topped with the always cozy closer, "We Bid You Goodnight."

It is a feast for the autonomic system. The whole band is playing with a rough, raw intensity, which kicks up the listener's sympathetic tone. But Jerry, searing and soaring all the way, also manages to find those dreamy, cosmic places which, in turn, boosts the parasympathetics. So the whole package together increases your arousal and alertness while at the same time relaxing you. The only other things capable of doing that are yoga and nicotine. Nicotine's bad for you, at least in its more convenient delivery systems. And- yes, I know this goes against conventional wisdom- but I've always suspected yoga is bad for you too. Too gristly or something. I don't know, let me think about that one and get back to you.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: They weren't always good let alone great, but when they were great, nothing could be better. This Dick's Pick is everything that was right about the Dead when they were in their prime and having a solid night. Happy Birthday to me.




Dick's Picks, Vol. 8: Harpur College, Binghamton, NY, 5/2/70 Poster

One of the best-known bootlegs in Dead history checks in as the eighth installment in the Dick's Picks series. In 1970, the band began to rein in their experimental tendencies and overtly acknowledge their debt to old-time blues and folk. Their two studio albums from that year reflected this new direction and they also started to open their shows with acoustic sets featuring Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir. This May 2 show from Binghamton, New York's Harpur College showcases both sides of the Dead. It's interesting how nicely acoustic Dead originals like "Dire Wolf," "Black Peter," "Cumberland Blues," and "Uncle John's Band" (all four from the soon-to-be-released Workingman's Dead) fit next to traditional blues tunes like "Deep Elem Blues," "I Know You Rider," and "Don't Ease Me In." The remainder of the set reverts to the frenetic, far-reaching electric Dead, highlighted by stirring readings of James Brown's "It's a Man's World" and the old jug tune "Viola Lee Blues"--both stretched to their gills and featuring Pigpen's coarse vocals and Garcia's bold guitar work. --Marc Greilsamer

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