Grateful Dead: “Dave’s Picks Volume 33” (2020) CD Review

My favorite three years for Grateful Dead concert tapes are – in order – 1973, 1977, 1970. The Dave’s Picks series concluded 2019 with a fantastic show from 1973, and now has begun 2020 with an equally excellent show from 1977 (could a great 1970 show be next on the horizon?). And it is shows like the one the band played on October 29, 1977 that make that year one of the best. Dave’s Picks Volume 33 contains the complete show on three discs.

Disc 1

The first disc contains the entire first set. As the band tunes, we can hear Jerry call out “Might As Well.” And after a few more moments of tuning, the song is counted off and the band launches into the first song of a great night. And this rendition of “Might As Well” has a ton of energy right out of the gate, but somehow picks up more steam as it goes. “Never had such a good time in my life before.” And then he shouts out the line about taking the ride again, and we know we too are in on the ride, and that it’s going to be one hell of a good time. Holy moly, Jerry is electric here, with a fiery force to his vocals. Feels like they are wrapping up the first set, or even the night, when actually the band is just getting started. “Thank you very much for your kind patience,” Bob tells the crowd as the band tunes in preparation for “Jack Straw.” And what a sweet “Jack Straw.” Everything is working just right to create a truly satisfying rendition, soothing in the right places, powerful in the right places, one of the best versions I’ve heard. “Dire Wolf” is always a delight, and this is a particularly good and lighthearted rendition. That’s followed by a pretty “Looks Like Rain,” at times delicate and gentle, with some wonderful blending of Bob and Donna’s voices, and then rising gloriously in power. I love their delivery of “Run me round, make me hurt again and again.” This is one of the best renditions of “Looks Like Rain” the band ever performed. It sounds like the crowd agrees. That’s followed by an excellent version of “Loser,” with an emotionally engaging vocal performance from Jerry. This one reaches some tremendous heights toward the end, and is followed by “El Paso.” And this too is an excellent rendition. Yeah, the band tunes between songs, joking about getting their space together, but seems to be getting everything just exactly right. It’s one of those shows where the magic is happening.

They then go into “Ramble On Rose,” this version at first having an easygoing vibe, though with Jerry belting out some lines. There are then some birthday wishes for a guy on the crew, before Bob leads the band into “New Minglewood Blues,” a version with an animal’s ferocity at times, a beast that has no interest in being tamed. After that, the band eases into “It Must Have Been The Roses,” this version having a bit of a country feel at first, partly because of the rhythm. It’s a pretty rendition. Though there is some banter about playing “U.S. Blues,” the first set wraps up with “Let It Grow,” And, guess what, this too is an excellent version, with a lot of energy, a “Let It Grow” that really moves, featuring some good jamming. Bob then tells the audience they’re going to take a short break.

Disc 2

The second disc contains the first few songs of the second set, so as to not break up the flow of that main bulk. “Bertha” is off to a slightly awkward start, but then gets cooking. The “Test me, test me” section doesn’t have as much power as some versions, but this is still a cool rendition and it leads straight into a rocking and fun version of “Good Lovin’.” Those brief pauses work so damn well here, just perfect. It’s not a particularly long version – only six minutes or so – but so much energy is packed into those minutes that no more is needed. The band then follows that with a sweet rendition of “Friend Of The Devil,” which ends gently, beautifully. Before the disc ends, you can hear the band talking about what they might play, including “St. Stephen.”

Disc 3

The third disc kicks off with one of my favorites, “Estimated Prophet,” a song from Terrapin Station, which had been released just a few months earlier. The jam maintains that good groove, while Jerry’s guitar begins dipping into the ether, and soon making friends with comets and long-eared electric entities poking into our reality, drawn by the music. They travel back with us to dance as the band transitions to “Eyes Of The World,” another favorite. Jerry’s voice sounds so smooth at first, the groove so delicious, their playing jazzy, with a flow that carries us right along with it. This is a great rendition of “Eyes.” “Sometimes we ride on your horses, sometimes we walk alone/Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own.” The jam gets just a bit messy directly after that last verse, and then drifts off into stranger territory. This jam is presented as a separate track, and labeled as “Space,” though the official “Drums/Space” segment was still several months away. My memory is that my original cassette copy of this show didn’t differentiate at all, that this was still considered “Eyes.” At any rate, it is certainly a spacey jam, without the drummers. The transition into “St. Stephen” is wonderful, and of course “St. Stephen” is always a thrill to hear. Vocally, it is one of those mid-1970s smooth renditions, but musically it has power, and the jam gets exciting, sounding like it might even go into “The Eleven” at one point (it doesn’t). The drummers then seem like they’re going to lead the group directly into “Not Fade Away,” but soon Phil joins them and they jam for a bit, a cool and surprising section. Then they do go into “Not Fade Away,” which has a whole lot of energy. They jam on this one, and the jam gets a bit mellower and somehow transitions so smoothly into “Black Peter.” I love how quiet this version gets at times, drawing you closer, until you’re almost holding your breath. And then Jerry’s guitar begins to soar. It’s a beautiful rendition. “Sugar Magnolia” emerges from it to close out the second set, always a fun choice to go out on. “Sunshine Daydream” in particular has a fiery, fierce energy. The encore is “One More Saturday Night.”

CD Track List

Disc 1

1. Might As Well
2. Jack Straw
3. Dire Wolf
4. Looks Like Rain
5. Loser
6. El Paso
7. Ramble On Rose
8. New Minglewood Blues
9. It Must Have Been The Roses
10. Let It Grow

Disc 2

1. Bertha >
2. Good Lovin’
3. Friend Of The Devil

Disc 3

1. Estimated Prophet >
2. Eyes Of The World >
3. Space >
4. St. Stephen >
5. Not Fade Away >
6. Black Peter >
7. Sugar Magnolia
8. One More Saturday Night

Dave’s Picks Volume 33 was released in late January, 2020. My copy arrived on February 1st (“Cosmic Charlie” day). This three-disc set is limited to 22,000 copies (2,000 more than Volume 32).