Grateful Dead: “Dave’s Picks Volume 34” (2020) CD Review

I voted several days ago, so my plan for today was to avoid the news and instead enjoy some good ol’ Grateful Dead. I have several discs that for one reason or another I hadn’t yet had a chance to listen to. So I purchased four cases of beer (should be enough, right?) and a bottle of whisky, and began my day with Dave’s Picks Volume 34. This three-disc set contains the complete show the Grateful Dead performed on June 23, 1974 at Jai-Alai Fronton in Miami, Florida. This show is noteworthy for a few reasons. It features the only time the Dead played “Let It Rock,” and includes the first “Seastones.” It was also Robert Hunter’s birthday. But the main reason is it is just one hell of a great show, particularly the second set.

Disc 1

The first disc contains most of the first set. There is a bit of banter at the beginning. Phil Lesh jokes, “This is not an alert, this is only a test.” Bob Weir adds, “Well, it’s the real thing, nonetheless.” And yes, it is. The band opens the show with “Ramble On Rose,” a nice choice. It gathers energy and power as it goes, and it’s not long before everything is sounding just exactly right. Jerry Garcia is digging into it vocally. And listen to Phil’s bass. Oh yes, it’s clear that this is going to be a great show. That’s followed by “Black-Throated Wind,” a song the Dead played a lot in 1974, but then not again until 1990. It’s a song I’ve always loved, and was happy to get to see the band play it several times in the 1990s. The version here is sweet, with Bob giving a really good vocal performance, particularly toward the end, with Jerry’s guitar flying and taking things up a notch or two. Some technical difficulties follow, which leads to some playful banter. “We’re going to iron this one out,” Bob tells the crowd, and the band tunes, playing a bit of “Tico Tico,” which leads straight into “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo.” It seems they’ve got things worked out. This is a good version, and becomes quite pretty just before they begin the “Across the Rio Grande-O” section, a really wonderful moment. That’s followed by a breezy, cheerful version of “Beat It On Down The Line” (a four-beat intro for those who like to keep track of such things), and then a wonderful and gentle “Row Jimmy.”

“Jack Straw” eases in, but soon becomes something pretty special. That’s followed by a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Let It Rock.”  Though the Jerry Garcia Band played this one somewhat regularly, this marks the only performance of it by the Dead. It was clearly on Jerry’s mind since he’d used it as the lead track on Compliments, which came out right around the time of this show, and he is having a good time with it here. I wonder why the Dead never played it again. We then get a totally delicious “Cumberland Blues.” If “Let It Rock” felt the slightest bit sluggish, they are making up for it with this fast and completely enjoyable “Cumberland,” a highlight of the first set. That’s followed by “El Paso.” Maybe the pace is too fast, for Bob cautions near the beginning, “Easy, boys.” Well, whatever, because this is a seriously good rendition, with some wonderful stuff by Jerry on guitar, and by Keith Godchaux on piano. The first disc then concludes with an absolutely gorgeous version of “To Lay Me Down,” one of the best versions the Dead ever played. Jerry’s voice sounds so damn good, and there is also some good harmonizing by Donna Jean Godchaux.

Disc 2

The second disc continues with the end of the first set, beginning with a complete, and excellent, “Weather Report Suite.” In later years, they would play only the final section of this song, “Let It Grow,” which would often close out the first set. Here it doesn’t end the first set, but goes straight into “China Doll,” an interesting and somewhat unusual choice for first set closer. The transition into this song is perfect, and this is a really nice “China Doll.”

In 1974, sort of during the set break, Phil Lesh and Ned Lagin would play a brief improvised set. It was often labeled “Phil & Ned” on the tapes we traded, when it was included at all. Here it is called “Seastones,” which is also the name of the album the two put out the following year. If you’ve never heard it, it is similar to “Space,” but somewhat harsher and with a much more electronic sound. This was the first Dead show where Phil and Ned performed it, and I’m glad that it is included in this three-disc set.

The second set opens with a mellow, pretty jam, which leads into a beautiful and haunting rendition of “Ship Of Fools.” It is interesting that the Dead would conclude the first set on a mellow note and begin the second set in a similar fashion. They then get things hopping again with “Big River,” and everything is working on this version. I am especially digging Keith’s work on keys. The crowd is clearly appreciative. Jerry then takes things back on a mellower course with “Black Peter,” his vocals full of passion and empathy. A beautiful conclusion to the second disc.

Disc 3

The third disc contains the rest of the second set and the encore. The disc opens with a rocking cover of Chuck Berry’s “Around And Around.” Things then get interesting with “Dark Star.” From the moment it begins, you can tell this is going to be something different. This song was usually about exploration, about getting out there and discovering new things. With this version, that exploration is immediate, the band breaking, or creating, new ground from the moment they begin the song. And yet, things don’t really ever get messy. Something seems to be guiding this ship as it pushes past the normal bounds, its sign flashing “onward” and “further.” Along the way, it moves through some unusual territory, encountering sentient particles and comets, and even air that seems to breathe itself, and we find that no space is really empty. Thought inhabits space, takes on physical form, growing from desire, from curiosity. Bill Kreutzmann shapes it and pushes it forward for a time, and then things get stranger. This “Dark Star” is really all about exploration, for at more than seventeen minutes, it never gets into the lyrics. And it leads to an excellent “Spanish Jam.” We may be on somewhat firmer ground now, but we are still a long way from home, at least at the start. But suddenly we are propelled earthward and land in the U.S. for a little “U.S. Blues,” the perfect song for today. This one gets us dancing wildly, jubilantly. Yes, this is a stellar rendition, one to make us glad to be alive. That’s followed by another song that seems right for today, “Uncle John’s Band.” “Well, the first days are the hardest days, don’t you worry anymore/‘Cause when life looks like easy street, there is danger at your door.” And this is a sweet rendition, with some interesting stuff by Bill on drums. What a great set. It concludes with “One More Saturday Night.” The encore is a good rendition of “Casey Jones.”

CD Track List

Disc 1

1. Ramble On Rose
2. Black-Throated Wind
3. Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
4. Beat It On Down The Line
5. Row Jimmy
6. Jack Straw
7. Let It Rock
8. Cumberland Blues
9. El Paso
10. To Lay Me Down
    

Disc 2

1. Weather Report Suite >
2. China Doll
3. Seastones
4. Jam >
5. Ship Of Fools
6. Big River
7. Black Peter
   

Disc 3

1. Around And Around
2. Dark Star Jam > 
3. Spanish Jam >
4. U.S. Blues
5. Uncle John’s Band
6. One More Saturday Night
7. Casey Jones
   

Dave’s Picks Volume 34 was released in early May. My copy arrived on May 5, 2020. This three-disc set is limited to 22,000 copies.