Grateful Dead: “Dave’s Picks Volume 35” (2020) CD Review

Dave’s Picks Volume 34 contains a show from 1974, and for Volume 35, we go forward a decade to a show from 1984, the one performed on April 20th (yeah, yeah, 4/20, I know). This three-disc set contains the complete show the Grateful Dead performed on that date at the Philadelphia Civic Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, along with some filler from the previous night at the same venue (more on that later). I know most fans prefer shows from the 1970s, but it’s great to hear some stuff from the Brent Mydland years, and these three discs contain some phenomenal playing.

Disc 1

The first disc contains the complete first set. The band open the show with “Feel Like A Stranger,” one of my favorite choices for first set opener, what with the lines “You know it’s going to get stranger/So let’s get on with the show” and “It’s going to be a long, long, crazy, crazy night.” This version includes some nice vocal play surrounding the latter of those lines. But it is the jam that stands out, particularly Jerry Garcia’s work on guitar. The jam has a good funky groove, certain to get you dancing, and is a great way to kick off the show. And it’s followed by another crowd-pleasing first set number, “Cold Rain And Snow.” On this version, Jerry’s voice has something of a different tone, which is one thing that keeps it interesting. Also, the energy is there, building at all the right moments. There is a false start to “Beat It On Down The Line,” but this is a fun version (with a ten-beat intro, for those keeping track of these things). That’s followed by another totally fun number, “Cumberland Blues,” one that keeps your body moving just the way you want it to. Things then take a bluesy turn with “Little Red Rooster.” This one has a cool, slow start that I totally dig, because, yeah, that little red rooster is on the prowl. Sounds like it’s sneaking around, doesn’t it? Brent delivers some delicious stuff on keys, but Jerry’s work on guitar is what surprises me most about this rendition, and makes this one of the best I’ve heard. That’s followed by a nice version of “Brown-Eyed Women.” Jerry’s voice might be a bit rough here at times, but it works.

I love the way “My Brother Esau” begins. I was totally into it before I even realized what song it was. This is one I never saw them perform in concert. It was included on the cassette version of In The Dark, but not the original CD, which was totally weird. Jerry then eases into “It Must Have Been The Roses.” Again, his vocals are a bit rough, but work well for the song, giving a sense of heartache to it. That leads into “Let It Grow” to wrap up the first set. And this is an excellent version, with some phenomenal work by Jerry on guitar. This rendition is already impressive just a few minutes in, and the guys are only just getting going at that point. The jam never falters, never drags. The track is fifteen minutes of excellence.

Disc 2

The second disc contains the first half of the second set, along with some filler from the previous night. The Dead kick off the second set with “Scarlet Begonias,” a song that never failed to please the crowd. Even the strain in Jerry’s voice doesn’t much mar this version, because there is a lot of joy to the playing, and the jam goes in some interesting directions, with all the parts working so well together. Sometimes the magic happens, and it does here. And the transition to “Fire On The Mountain” couldn’t be better. I’m not sure if this is the best “Scarlet”/“Fire” the band ever played (probably not, because of the vocals), but that is certainly the best transition from one song to the other. This “Fire” is seriously good too, by the way, with a great rhythm and more excellent jamming. And check out that strange and effective echo of “Fire” approximately twelve minutes into it. The band then immediately launches into “Samson And Delilah,” which has a good thumping force inside it, and leads straight into “Drums.” This is a good “Drums,” beginning with a beat you can dance to and becoming quite a monster before long, and then moving into weird territory. That leads into “Space,” or at least a portion of it. “Space” is actually divided between discs two and three, an odd choice. And filler is inserted in the middle of “Space,” essentially.

I have mixed feelings about filler. On one hand, I say give me as much music as possible. On the other hand, I hate breaking up the flow of a show. So I guess if it were up to me, I would include filler, but only on the last disc, at the end of the main show. What we have on the second disc of this set is the last three songs of the second set from April 19, 1984. Actually, it begins with the end of “Space” from that show, and then leads into “The Wheel.” So we go from the beginning of “Space” from April 20th to the end of “Space” from April 19th. Anyway, this is really good version of “The Wheel.” I always thought “The Wheel” was a great choice to come out of “Space,” the song’s perspective seeming the perfect thing to pull us out of whatever weirdness we might have experienced in “Space.” Reminding us we don’t really have much control, but, hey, we’re still “Bound to cover just a little more ground.” Often, the band would quickly and rather abruptly move out of this song and onto the next thing, but here they jam a bit at the end, before transitioning into a fairly powerful and moving “Wharf Rat.” It gets pretty heavy by the end, and then “Sugar Magnolia” emerges from the darkness. It feels a bit fast, a bit messy, but is still enjoyable.

Disc 3

The third disc contains the rest of the second set, as well as more filler from the second set of the previous night. It picks up partway through “Space.” This is a pretty good “Space,” by the way, seeming to have more direction and cohesion than a lot of versions, and actually gets more interesting as it goes. The band then goes into “I Need A Miracle.” Oh yes, who isn’t looking for a miracle these days? The jam is cooking, but then mellows as the band prepares to slide into “Morning Dew.” And here the worn quality of Jerry’s voice that night works so well. And still he belts out certain lines, finding that emotional power. This is a song he nearly always delivered on, and this version will certainly not disappoint anyone. Forceful at some moments, almost delicate at others, and with plenty of engaging and beautiful work on guitar, this rendition gives you all you could want from this song. That leads directly to “Around And Around,” which is a bit awkward at the start, but then becomes pretty good. Interestingly, it leads straight into another Chuck Berry song, a high-energy rendition of “Johnny B. Goode” to wrap up the set. The encore is the much maligned “Keep Your Day Job.” I never saw the band play this one, and don’t dislike it the way many folks did. It’s a good, straight-forward rock song, with a kind of playful sense about it. I never thought they meant it all that seriously.

As I mentioned, this disc contains some filler from April 19, 1984. While the second disc contains the end of the second set from that show, this disc contains the beginning of the second set. So all we end up missing from that set is the “Drums”/“Space” segment. The first of these tunes is “China Cat Sunflower,” a groovy version that really moves. The jam cruises along with an undeniable joy, and soon we are into “I Know You Rider,” that energy increasing as it goes. This is a seriously enjoyable “China”/“Rider.” The band is cooking here. They follow that with “Estimated Prophet,” which has its own wild sort of energy for a time, Bob leading it in that direction with some of his vocal work. They then jam on it for a while, and things start getting interesting. “Terrapin Station” rises out of it. This is a song that is all but guaranteed to have at least a bit of magic. The magic in this version comes leading up to the line “Since the end is never told we pay the teller off in gold.” Wonderful stuff. This version also has a really interesting and unusual section at the end.

CD Track List

Disc 1

1. Feel Like A Stranger
2. Cold Rain And Snow
3. Beat It On Down The Line
4. Cumberland Blues
5. Little Red Rooster
6. Brown-Eyed Women
7. My Brother Esau
8. It Must Have Been The Roses >
9. Let It Grow

Disc 2

1. Scarlet Begonias >
2. Fire On The Mountain >
3. Samson And Delilah >
4. Drums >
5. Space
6. The Wheel >
7. Wharf Rat >
8. Sugar Magnolia

Disc 3

1. Space >
2. I Need A Miracle >
3. Morning Dew >
4. Around And Around >
5. Johnny B. Goode
6. Keep Your Day Job
7. China Cat Sunflower >
8. I Know You Rider
9. Estimated Prophet >
10. Terrapin Station
    

Dave’s Picks Volume 35 was released in August, 2020. This three-disc set is limited to 22,000 copies.