Dave's
Picks Volume 1
The
Mosque, Richmond, VA, 5/25/77
CD395 - Rhino records 2012
Dave's Picks Volume 1, May 25, 1977
Dave's Picks Archival Series Kicks Off With 5/25/77 You’ve all been so patient. It’s been a couple of months since the first mention of the new Dave’s Picks archival release series—created and curated by vaultmeister David Lemieux—and our initial offering, the killer May 25, 1977 Grateful Dead show from The Mosque in Richmond, Virginia. A lot of you have taken advantage of the subscription offer (the year’s four Dave’s Picks releases, plus a bonus disc and free shipping), but many of you preferred to wait and buy the first set individually. Well, your time has come: We are now accepting orders for Dave’s Picks, Volume One, set to ship early February.
Chances are if you’re a Dead Head you’re already well-versed in the glorious spring of 1977. Back a year since their mid-’70s performing hiatus, and fresh from recording their Terrapin Station album in L.A. with producer Keith Olsen, the Dead returned to the road invigorated and excited that spring. There were fantastic new songs (including the “Terrapin Station” suite, “Estimated Prophet” and “Fire on the Mountain”) and their older tunes seemed imbued with new vigor and vitality. Every stop of the tour, which stretched from the third week of April (beginning at the Spectrum in Philadelphia) through the first week in June (back at Winterland in San Francisco), presented some new wrinkle or interesting variation on the repertoire, as songs were moved around, unusual combinations were explored and the septet continue to solidify and mature. Which is a fancy way of saying the band was on fire—y’see, there’s a reason why this is the ninth show from that tour to be released!
The song list from 5/25/77 might not reveal much out of the ordinary (though it’s great selection of tunes), but the playing is definitely extraordinary. The first set contains outstanding versions of favorites such as “Mississippi Half-Step,” “Jack Straw,” “Cassidy” and “Lazy Lightning” > “Supplication.” And the second set is primo-grade ’77 from start to finish. The buoyant “Scarlet Begonias” > “Fire on the Mountain” that kicks things off sets the tone, but then the rest of the set is a deftly played medley starting with “Estimated” and moving into “He’s Gone,” a primal drum workout from Mickey and Bill, a heart-pounding version of “The Other One” that’s split by “Wharf Rat” (the only time those songs were played in that sequence), a joyful “Wheel,” and then a double-dose of Chuck Berry to bring it all back to rock ’n’ roll basics. Talk about a thrill ride!
The three-disc Dave’s
Picks, Volume One was mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman, includes
a colorful booklet with photos and a lively historical essay, and comes
in a digipak made of 100% recycled and PCW materials. This and future
Dave's Picks releases will be limited to just 12,000 individually numbered
copies, so if you don’t want to get gauged on eBay lookin’ for one
of these babies in a couple of years, order your copy now!
- Blair Jackson
Disc 1
1. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
2. Jack Straw
3. They Love Each Other
4. Mexicali Blues
5. Peggy-O
6. Cassidy
7. Loser
8. Lazy Lightning>
9. Supplication
10. Brown-Eyed Women
11. Promised Land
Disc 2
1. Scarlet Begonias>
2. Fire On The Mountain
3. Estimated Prophet>
4. He's Gone>
5. Drums
Disc 3
1. The Other One>
2. Wharf Rat>
3. The Other One>
4. The Wheel>
5. Around And Around
6. Johnny B. Goode
Limited to 12,000
individually numbered copies
Mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman
Digipak made of 100% recycled and PCW materials
Release Date: February 1, 2012