Grateful Dead: “Dave’s Picks Volume 39” (2021) CD Review

Like a lot of Grateful Dead fans, I generally listen to the band’s 1970s output. And when I do listen to the 1980s concert tapes, it’s usually either the very beginning of the decade when they did acoustic sets, or the very end (that summer 1989 tour was excellent). I often tend to overlook the middle of the 1980s. But 1983 was an interesting year for the band. They had introduced several new songs the previous year, and those had now found steady spots in the rotation. And in the spring of 1983, the Dead introduced “Hell In A Bucket,” “My Brother Esau” and “Maybe You Know,” the last of which was, with one exception, only played on that tour. It was also the year that saw the final performance of “St. Stephen.” For the new volume of the Dave’s Picks series of concert recordings, a show from that spring tour has been chosen. Volume 39 contains the complete show the Grateful Dead played on April 26, 1983 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It also contains filler from two other shows from that tour.

Disc 1

The first disc contains the entire first set, and the band kicks it off with “Shakedown Street,” a fun choice to get the crowd dancing and grooving. Is it disco? Certainly. Do you guys remember the disco bus that would be set up in the parking lot after the shows in the later years? Yup, Dead fans love disco. But it is the jamming in this version that makes it worth hearing. It’s so good when the band gets right into a delicious jam to start the show. Jerry Garcia’s vocals might not be perfect on this song, but his guitar playing is wonderful during the jam. This is where he delivers. There is some nice energy on that vocal jam as well. “Just gotta poke around.” Bob Weir then leads them into “New Minglewood Blues,” which has kind of an odd beginning, and something of a strange vibe for a while. It’s not bad, not at all, just different, like a bit thick, if you know what I mean. That’s followed by a sweet and easygoing version of “They Love Each Other” that features some good work by Brent Mydland on keys. And check out Jerry’s guitar during that jam. Also Phil Lesh’s bass is fairly prominent in the mix, especially in the jam, and I love hearing him tear into it, as he was often wont to do.

For the Country Bob section, we get “Me And My Uncle” into “Mexicali Blues.” Jerry gives us some great stuff during “Mexicali,” and the band jams a bit on that one before the final verse, which is nice, if a bit awkward at moments. Brent then delivers his “Maybe You Know.” This song was played, with one famous exception, only during this tour, and so this was the last time it was played until that weird night in 1986 when Brent had something of a meltdown. It’s a good song, but if there was any chance of them bringing it back, that show in 1986 put a stop to it. Here we get a solid rendition, with some passionate vocal work from Brent, and some rock and roll-style guitar work. That’s followed by “West L.A. Fadeaway,” one of the songs that had been introduced the previous year, and one that would eventually end up on the 1987 studio LP In The Dark. This song has grown on me over the years, but this version isn’t really anything special. Bob chooses to follow that with “My Brother Esau,” which had been introduced just a month before this show, and also would be included on In The Dark, though for some reason which was never explained to me, only on the cassette, not the CD release. It was played a lot in 1983, and I remember some fans complaining about it a little later, but I always kind of dug it, through this version is messy at times. Jerry’s somewhat worn and weary voice works beautifully on “It Must Have Been The Roses,” and this is a nice rendition, featuring some pretty and moving work on guitar. The first set then concludes with “Let It Grow,” certainly a highlight of the disc, the way it flows, the notes like water cast upon the land, causing great bursts of color to grow wherever they fall, and everything moving forward and upward with determination. Things do get wild at moments, as the band decides to just go for it.

Disc 2

The second disc contains the first half of the second set from April 26, 1983, and then, interestingly, the second half of the second set from the night before as filler. The band kicks off the second set with “Help On The Way,” always a great choice. And though Jerry’s voice is struggling a bit at times, musically this version is nearly spot-on, as tight as can be, everything working well. “Without love in the dream it will never come true.” That of course goes straight into “Slipknot!” and then into “Franklin’s Tower.” In the 1980s, the Dead often played “Franklin’s Tower” on its own, but this night the three songs are played together. I love Brent’s little touches toward the end of “Slipknot!” This isn’t the best transition into “Franklin’s Tower,” but it is certainly good enough, and this “Franklin’s” has a lot of energy. That cheerful groove always brings a smile to my face, and the band lets the positive vibes spill over here, jamming on that groove, making this one of the highlights of the second disc. This is an absolutely excellent “Franklin’s Tower,” and it leads straight into “Man Smart, Woman Smarter,” another fun one to dance to. And this rendition is particularly good, the band on fire here, seeming determined to give everything they’ve got to this delicious groove. They’re having a good time, and so are we. The song comes to a sudden conclusion, and Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, without even the slightest pause, go into the “Drums” segment of the show, driving everything forward with a gleeful force, before then drifting into slightly stranger territory. At one point they land on a steady pounding that gets the crowd excited.

The rest of the second disc is the second half of the second set from the previous night, April 25, 1983, also at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. This section begins with “Space,” which interestingly includes drums for quite a large portion of it. Also interesting is that the transition into “The Wheel” is truly pretty, a wonderful moment. This version of “Wheel” is gentler than most from the 1980s, and I love the way the band handles it here. The jam at the end is also rather pretty and unusual, and it leads to “Playing In The Band,” or at least a portion of the song. This is really just the reprise (the rest of the song was played earlier in the set), and from there the band goes straight into a fun version of “Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad” with a whole lot of energy. They follow that with “Sugar Magnolia” to wrap up the set. The encore is also included, a cover of the Stones’ “Satisfaction.” I really don’t care all that much for that song, and this version isn’t changing my mind, though I do like the way Bob plays with it toward the end.

Disc 3

The third disc contains the rest of the second set from April 26, 1983, along with a bit of filler from April 15th. It begins with the end of “Drums,” just before the band moves into “Space.” This is certainly an unusual “Space,” with some surprises near the beginning that are almost comical. I wonder what those who were tripping that night made of it. It then drives into science fiction territory, which feels totally appropriate. There are then moments of loneliness, melancholy, during this “Space.” It is, to my ears, one of the better “Space” segments, taking us on a somewhat coherent journey. It then begins to build toward a version of “Truckin’” that is totally enjoyable. And who out there is not singing along with the line “Lately it occurs to me what a long strange trip it’s been”? And I love the way they riff on “Get back truckin’ on” here. The jam quickly turns bluesy, sounding like “Spoonful.” They then go into “Morning Dew,” featuring some passionate work from Jerry on both vocals and guitar. There are also some delicate, gentle, beautiful moments, and when the song builds again toward the end, it is fantastic. This is another of the second set highlights. They then ease into “Throwing Stones,” another song that was introduced the previous year and would be included on In The Dark. The track features some good jamming, and leads into a rousing “Not Fade Away” to conclude the set. The encore is a hopping “U.S. Blues,” a song to keep folks dancing on into the night.

The third disc contains two songs from the show the Dead played on April 15, 1983 in Rochester, New York, beginning with “He’s Gone.” This one begins slowly, gently, thoughtfully, and builds from there to become a really sweet rendition. Ah yes, “Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile.” The vocal jam is excellent. “He’s Gone” leads into “Little Star,” a song that was played only a few times in 1983 and which, if I recall correctly, was labeled “Bob Star” on the old tapes. It’s one I had kind of forgotten about, and I’m glad to have it included here. It’s an odd song, to be sure, more of a fragment or idea, not a fully fleshed out tune, but I love the percussion.

CD Track List

Disc 1

1. Shakedown Street
2. New Minglewood Blues
3. They Love Each Other
4. Me And My Uncle >
5. Mexicali Blues
6. Maybe You Know
7. West L.A. Fadeaway
8. My Brother Esau
9. It Must Have Been The Roses
10. Let It Grow
    

Disc 2

1. Help On The Way >
2. Slipknot! >
3. Franklin’s Tower >
4. Man Smart, Woman Smarter >
5. Drums
6. Space >
7. The Wheel >
8. Playing In The Band >
9. Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad >
10. Sugar Magnolia
11. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

Disc 3

1. Space >
2. Truckin’ >
3. Morning Dew >
4. Throwing Stones >
5. Not Fade Away
6. U.S. Blues
7. He’s Gone >
8. Little Star

Dave’s Picks Volume 39 was released in early August, 2021. My copy arrived on August 2nd. This set is limited to 25,000 copies. Mine is number 19,875.