It seems hard to believe now, but there was a timewhen even seasoned Dead Heads had no idea what “Terrapin Station” and“Estimated Prophet” were.
The time was Feb. 26, 1977, the place was the SwingAuditorium in San Bernardino, Calif., and the show, where both tracks madetheir in-concert debuts, was just released as Dave’s Picks Volume29.
Limited to 20,000 copies and stuffed into a trifoldpackage with photos and reprints of contemporary reviews of the performance,this Picks is worthy of the selection and concludes with threebonus tracks, including one of those “Morning Dew"s, fromthe following evening in Santa Barbara.
As the show opener, "Terrapin Station” isplayed as closely to the studio version as any - and as incomplete as every onebut one. And although the instrumental refrain ends unexpectedly due totechnical gremlins, the song’s majesty is already there.
Appearing after well-executed versions of “NewMinglewood Blues” and “They Love Each Other,” “Estimated” is less fully formedbut is already - like “Terrapin” - an obvious keeper.
The entire first set consists well-played warhorses,with the two obvious exceptions, and gets really interesting when amore-forceful-than-usual version of “The Wheel” comes rolling out of a spaceyjam at the end of “Playing in the Band” and then spins right back into thereprise several minutes later.
Post-retirement but before the Dead’s sets - in PhilLesh’s parlance - “ossified,” this collection has no “Drums” interlude andfinds songs popping up in all sorts of places that seem weird today. Theseinclude uptempo and enthusiastic renditions of “Tennessee Jed” and “The MusicNever Stopped” at the front half of set No. 2. “Promised Land,” buried deep inthe second half of the show after a compelling triptych of “Help on the Way,”“Slipknot!” and “Franklin’s Tower,” recalls the 1974 band, as the groupmomentarily and aurally recalls the end of its first decade.
While everything about this show is worth hearing,and much is exceptional, disc three is where the most magical moments reside inthe form of “Eyes of the World” and its segue into “Dancing in the Street.”“Eyes” was always a song the Dead not only played - but sang - well and thisone is fully of youthfully smooth vocals from Jerry Garcia (his guitar solosare mini-masterpieces) and the harmonies between him, Bob Weir and Donna JeanGodchaux on the choruses are a joy to hear.
Lesh’s late-song solo is as intriguing as ever andlisteners can hear the Dead thinking out loud as the bassist leads them indifferent musical directions - some which they abandon, others they explore.Lesh then moves his mates toward the beloved-by-many, beloathed-by-others,disco arrangement of “Dancing,” which finds Weir and Godchaux singing nicelytogether - they’re a mess on the over-exuberant “Around and Around” thatfollows - and doesn’t include the Lesh-led jam that typifies most versions ofthis era.
“U.S. Blues” - always a hoot if not an extraordinarysong - wraps this one up.
With its significant debuts, its wealth of adroitlyperformed material and a smattering of uniquely exquisite tracks, not tomention soundboard-quality recording, Volume 29 is the kind ofrelease that makes the effort of snagging Dave’s Picks worththe work and the cost.
