This week, as we roll toward the official start of Fall, we have 15 years of Grateful Dead history to cover, starting in 1972.

Our first track this week is the second set opening jam from 9/10/72 in Hollywood, featuring a well-jammed He’s Gone>Truckin’ combination. These two songs often segued into an Other One, but on this night, they left them together as a stand-alone jam, saving the night’s big jam for later in the set.

Next up are a couple of tracks from 9/16/72 at the Boston Music Hall, the second of a two night stand in Boston. Worth noting is that these two shows were scheduled to be performed at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY, but the local authorities didn’t sound too keen on having the Grateful Dead take over their venue, so the shows were re-scheduled for Boston. From this second show in Boston, we have a very pretty, early Stella Blue, as well as the first set closing Playing In The Band.

Moving up a year, we have a very nice pair of tracks from the excellent shows at William and Mary College, with the first being a typically good 1973 version of China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider from 9/11/73 and from 9/12/73, this nascent Weather Report Suite, complete with horn accompaniment.

Next up is some music from the Grateful Dead’s return to Madison Square Garden in 1987 after a four year hiatus from the venue Jerry famously called “juiced.” From the first night of the five night run, on 9/15/87, is this post-Drums sequence of The Wheel>Gimme Some Lovin’>Black Peter>Sugar Magnolia and from the next night, 9/16/87, is the second set opening jam of Bertha>Greatest Story Ever Told>Devil with the Blue Dress>Good Golly Miss Molly>Devil with the Blue Dress>He’s Gone. Check out Jerry’s stunning vocal flourishes at the end of He’s Gone; truly some unique stuff. These recordings are drawn from the Beta PCM digital tapes.

Check in next week, when we’ll have some more great music for you. As always, feel free to write with questions or comments.

David Lemieux
vault [at] dead.net