While the Grateful Dead have only looked back to their Fall 1971 tour on two previous archival releases (Dick’s Picks Vol. 2 and Road Trips Vol. 3 No. 2), you can now count the just-announced Dave’s Picks Volume 3 as the third in the lineup. In Fall 1971, pianist Keith Godchaux was embarking on his first tour with the Dead, and, from the outset, his drastic impression on the band’s sound can be heard.
Dave’s Picks Volume 3 features the complete October 22, 1971 concert from the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago on two discs, with the addition of a third disc culled from the previous night’s performance at the same venue.
Coming only one year following the release of Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, the show features a mix of old and new (for the time) songs including “Tennessee Jed,” “Jack Straw,” “Mexicali Blues,” “Ramble On Rose,” “Comes A Time,” and “One More Saturday Night.” But the highlights of the box set come in the form of a 29-minute version of “That’s It for the Other One,” as well as a spectacular “Dark Star” from the previous night on October 21.
The 3-CD set has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman from the original vault reels, and the eco-friendly Digipak includes a booklet with an essay by Blair Jackson about the show and photos of the interior of Chicago’s historic Auditorium Theatre.
Head over to Dead.net for pre-order info and to check out tracks from Dave’s Picks Volume 3 along with a video from Dead Archivist Dave Lemieux where he discusses his favorite moments from the release.
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