Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks, Vol. 8: Harpur College, Binghamton, NY, 5/2/70
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Grateful DeadEdition: Music CD
Format: Limited Edition, Live
CD Release Date: 2000-07-11
Music Label: Arista
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Don't Ease Me In
- I Know You Rider
- Friend of the Devil
- Dire Wolf
- Beat It on Down the Line
- Black Peter
- Candyman
- Cumberland Blues
- Deep Elem Blues
- Cold Jordan
- Uncle John's Band
- St. Stephen
- Cryptical Envelopment
- Drums
- The Other One
- Cryptical Envelopment
- Cosmic Charlie
- Casey Jones
- Good Lovin'
- It's a Man's Man's Man's World
- Dancing in the Street
- Morning Dew
- Viola Lee Blues
- We Bid You Goodnight
Free Music Notes for Dick's Picks, Vol. 8: Harpur College, Binghamton, NY, 5/2/70
Free Music Review: One of the best there is...
Hit: 5 Stars
Short review for people who don't like to read: Buy this freaking album.
Full review: It seems the general consensus among most fans is that Dick's Picks Volume 4 is the best of the Dick's Picks series, with this performance being a close second (even Rolling Stone Magazine said this). Now, I want to make it clear that Dick's Picks 4 is an amazing album, with several performances that top the ones here; but even so, this album tops my list as the best in the series. What sets this album apart from most of the Dick's Picks is its inclusion of an acoustic set, which has a somewhat rare slowed down performance of I Know You Rider, sans the usual China Cat prelude. This set also includes killer renditions of Dire Wolf, Cumberland Blues, Deep Elem Blues, and finishes with my all time favorite Uncle John's Band (the acoustic guitars setting the perfect tone for the song). The entire acoustic set runs just under the one hour mark, and perhaps for any other band on Earth would pass as an excellent and complete performance/album. The Dead, of course, don't stop there... they start.
Disc Two kicks off the electric performance, and begins in the middle of Saint Stephen (which for me at least is only a minor annoyance). For a (very) short while, the electric set is great, but nothing special. After the drums, however, they kick off one of the greatest The Other Ones of all time. This performance is not only jaw-dropping, but also unique (which is saying something when you're talking about the Dead). Jerry's guitar has a different sound throughout this album, but it's highlighted on this song, which goes from spacey acidic jamming to hard rock (and back again) without you even noticing the transitions. Following this, the Dead perform the best versions of some of their staples you can find anywhere, especially the Cosmic Charlie, Good Lovin', and Dancing in the Streets. The highlight of the entire electric set (and album) however, is far and away the Viola Lee Blues. The song starts off normal enough, with its usual crescendos. This rendition, however, has a fairly unique third crescendo, spanning a much longer time-span that starts off as a nice melodic jam, and ends with what I believe is technically known as "rocking the **** out". All band members are scorching at the end of the third crescendo, especially Jerry, whose guitar here should be heard by anyone who doesn't think he belongs amongst the ranks of guitarists like Clapton or Page. The Viola Lee Blues ends with a short and untitled Feedback, before going straight into a typical We Bid You Goodnight, which feels amazingly quiet and soothing after the chaotic and searing previous track.
On a technical level, the acoustic set has a few problems here and there, but nothing that actually interferes with the performances (some songs on the acoustic set have lengthy pieces of time in between where you can hear them attempting to fix the problems as the audience yells impatiently). The electric set, however has no (noticeable) technical flaws, and the vocals throughout the album are crystal clear (which cannot be said for several other Dead performances).
Really, if you compare this album to Dick's Picks 4 (or almost any other Dead performance, for that matter), someone could easily argue why this album isn't the best. I, however, have to disagree, if for no other reason than the fantastic diversity of this album, and I'm not just referring to the contrast of the acoustic and electric sets. This album goes from slow to intense, melodic to random, happy to sad, Snow White to Alice in Wonderland; and not just in long suites or sets, this amazing musical buffet can often be found between two songs, and sometimes it's even contained within one. Because of its range, intensity, and utter brilliance, this album is ultimately ideal for either Deadheads or just anyone who doubts the Grateful Dead's musical ability. It is completely necessary for any collection.
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