Grateful Dead: “Dave’s Picks Volume 53” (2025) CD Review

One of the best gifts I’ve ever received was a subscription to the Dave’s Picks series of Grateful Dead concert recordings. Thanks, Mom! Four times a year a new Grateful Dead show arrives at my place. The first one this year is the show the Dead played on October 2, 1976 at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, Ohio. That was an interesting year, 1976. The band had come back from the hiatus in early June, ready and eager to rock, opening that first show with “Might As Well,” a new song. There was a good energy that year. Sure, it was not the best year for psychedelic exploration of the farthest reaches of space, but the band was back with a force. Four months after the first show back, the Dead played this show in Cincinnati. This three-disc set contains the complete show, as well as some filler from the May 4, 1977 show in New York.

Disc 1

The first disc contains the entire first set. There is a bit of tuning, and then everything springs into action with “Promised Land.” “We never was a minute late.” Sure, whenever they started was the right time, regardless of what was printed on the tickets. We didn’t care so much about punctuality back then, just happy to be there. And Jerry Garcia’s guitar is already singing. Yes, things seem right. Jerry then eases the band into “They Love Each Other,” and you can hear the crowd digging it. It’s flowing smoothly, beautifully. How can you help but feel good while listening to this music? We always need it, but these days maybe more than usual. As they sing, “Lord, you can see that it’s true,” it is like we not only can see that love but feel it all around us, and the music fills the room. It’s interesting how this music also connects us to whoever was at the venue at the time. They are with us in our homes too, as we do a little time traveling, meeting in that special place outside of time that the Dead were able to create. There is a sweet little jam here, with nice stuff on keys. Then “New Minglewood Blues” comes on with a good power, and when Bob Weir sings, “The doctor call me crazy, sometimes I am, sometimes I ain’t,” we hope this is one of the crazier times. We’re ready. There is a great force behind this rendition. Jerry then mellows things a bit with “Row Jimmy,” his voice soothing, perfect in these rough times, and the guitar is like a vibrant flower rising up from the earth and swaying beside us. This is a really nice “Row Jimmy.” And I like how listening to this music pulls us outside of time, rendering the current times fangless.

A fun little moment on guitar leads into a totally enjoyable “El Paso,” and Bob delivers an excellent performance in telling that great outlaw love story. The band follows that with “Tennessee Jed,” which feels just exactly right. Everything is clear, crisp, cheerful. Just a whole other world, isn’t it? Or at least it seems so these days, and it’s so certain, this place, so true. “The law come to get you if you don’t walk right.” Will it come to that? Who knows? Everything is unraveling so quickly. Well, here we stroll right into a good jam, and all movement is right. This song is a highlight of the first set. It sounds like Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart are itching to keep going. Bob then leads the group into “It’s All Over Now,” tearing into those lyrics, a growl rising up from somewhere. He means business. “I used to love her, but it’s all over now.” I believe every word he delivers. It’s all over, but the fun surely isn’t, the rhythm tells us. “Brown-Eyed Women” follows, with some great stuff on guitar, bright fingers playing upon the very air we breathe, tapping it into a recognizable shape and sending it off. “Sound of the thunder with the rain pouring down.” Oh yes, here in Los Angeles we’ve been getting some much needed rain. I only wish it could have come earlier. “Brown-Eyed Women” ends sweetly, gently.

The band begins its first exploration then with “Let It Grow,” which has a bit of good jamming even at the very beginning. And I love the power behind that declaration, “I am!” The band flies forward then on nimble wings, the jam taking us from one place to another in a heartbeat, a wild energy at moments, the music shaking itself free of extra layers of skin – sleeker, thinner, faster – as it gathers itself for the burst through the last known obstacle into another realm, one that has familiar elements but works on its own level. This is a fantastic jam with a glorious force behind it. And then suddenly, and I mean suddenly, there is a drum solo, which makes me happy. We hear the counting back in, and then, bam, we are back into the lyrics. Before long, the band goes into the jam again, flying and pounding, until other spirits in the form of smoke curl around us, becoming a part of it, as the sound becomes more insistent. The band does take us in for a gentle landing at the end, before Jerry decides to finish the set with one more solid rocker, sort of the way the set began, and “Might As Well” is a fun way to wrap it up.

Disc 2

The second disc contains the first half of the second set. Interestingly, the set opens with “The Music Never Stopped,” a song that would be a first set closer in the years I saw the band. But what a great choice to kick off a set, get everyone dancing, and then craft the avenue along which they go. The jam toward the end has a much different flavor from what it would have in later days, and then they return to that stronger theme. There are no arrows here; the band ends this song properly, and pauses before starting a beautiful rendition of “Candyman.” Each note of Jerry’s guitar lead seems to contain a story, and the vocal work is wonderful. Then there is that great thumping, which announces “Samson And Delilah.” The guys jam on that rhythm a bit before the first line is delivered, and that groove carries them through. Check out Phil Lesh’s bass work during the jam. And I love those little comments on guitar that react to Bob’s words. Phil delivers more great stuff in the next jam. This is a really good “Samson And Delilah.”

There is another pause before Jerry leads the band into “It Must Have Been The Roses.” This pretty rendition takes us to a beautiful place, and you might find yourself with a tear or two in your eyes. Are those tears for the mythical past of song, or because of a present yearning? “And it’s strange how no one comes round anymore.” “Big River” then comes shuffling in, pushing things forward. I love when Keith Godchaux is dancing on keys. At that point, I assume all who are listening are dancing. That song too comes to a proper close before the band eases into “Friend Of The Devil,” giving it to us nice and slow. No need to rush to one’s demise. The sheriff moves just as slowly, so no worries of getting caught at this time. And there is the sense that perhaps the sleep this character might get in the song could be eternal sleep. Death hangs around nearby, it seems. But it’s okay, the music tells us. Order Death a drink before you go, and have one last dance, for lights spring up around us like flowers, even as we move toward oblivion.  This is such a good “Friend Of The Devil,” and it’s how the second disc closes.

Disc 3

The third disc contains the rest of the second set, plus filler from May 4, 1977. After a bit of tuning, Bill and Mickey lead the group into “Dancing In The Street.” That beat itself sends that call out for people to dance. Can you imagine it, people dancing away the world’s troubles? Because there is no space for that sort of trouble on the dance floor, so turn the world into a dance floor. “There’ll be music everywhere.” Perfect. They repeat “Dancing, dancing, dancing in the street” to get everyone connected, Bob joking at one point, “Form a line.” And then the band starts jamming, delivering a jam that has a strong groove, keeping everyone together. They aren’t quite ready to reach for those other realms, but rather are content to get everything moving in this realm and start pushing on toward the outer edges. Preparing, you see. The guitar and piano converse about it as the drums demand attention. The other instruments fade and the drum solo takes over, soon pulling together and chugging forward as we gather around the fire. The entire night is in motion around that fire, and the fire itself might be directing that motion. Phil’s bass forces that motion into mass, and we go pounding into “The Other One.” The energy is tremendous, unbridled, uncontrollable. Just ride where it desires to go, and hold on tight. A smaller star begins bouncing around at the ceiling, like a colossal insect, investigating all corners, all avenues, and getting excited by what it finds, a passage straight through the final veil. And then we are into the song’s first verse. Now the boys are fully committed to the journey, to exploration, to discovery, even if what they find is dangerous or frightening in some way. Things feel in danger of falling apart, but are pulled together again, Phil wrapping them in heavy coil. And then all sorts of new creatures pipe in, scamper around, even tiny animate rocks. The band takes us to a pretty plateau, a place to relax. And it is there we encounter “Stella Blue,” some nice guitar work taking us into that song. “In the end there’s just a song,” Jerry sings. Ah yes, but that song is everything. This is a gorgeous, haunting rendition. The band was so good at taking everything out close to the edge, to the end, taking a curious, if not cheeky, peek at the inevitable finale, while also making us feel that bright beginnings were not only possible, but likely. “It seems like all this life was just a dream.” Then as it lets go, there are lights ahead signaling something, maybe a warning, and “The Other One” begins to build again, the beast reawakening, shaking itself from the dream, and we get the song’s second verse. There is a slightly awkward transition into “Sugar Magnolia,” but no matter. Soon we are rocking to this beloved number, always a good set closer. And that’s how the show ends. There is no encore.

But that’s not how the disc ends. There are five more songs, all from the first set of the show the Dead played on May 4, 1977. Last year’s Dave’s Picks bonus disc contained the entire second set from May 4, 1977, and Dave’s Picks Volume 50 contained several songs from the first set. So with this filler material, we now have the complete show. It begins with a fun rendition of “New Minglewood Blues,” which was the fourth song of the set. The disc then jumps ahead a bit to “Cassidy,” one of my favorite songs. This is a sweet rendition, its magic falling upon us in light showers. Jerry then leads the group into “Deal.” There are some wonderful moments where Jerry’s guitar has its own light, leading us in some dance. Things slow down then at the beginning of “Looks Like Rain,” a rendition that contains beautiful harmonies. The music reaches some spectacular heights during the jam. “Brave the storm to come.” That vocal work toward the end is excellent, truly. This becomes a really special “Looks Like Rain.” This disc concludes with a strong version of “Brown-Eyed Women.”

CD Track List

Disc 1

1. Promised Land
2. They Love Each Other
3. New Minglewood Blues
4. Row Jimmy
5. El Paso
6. Tennessee Jed
7. It’s All Over Now
8. Brown-Eyed Women
9. Let It Grow >
10. Might As Well

Disc 2

1. The Music Never Stopped
2. Candyman
3. Samson And Delilah
4. It Must Have Been The Roses
5. Big River
6. Friend Of The Devil

Disc 3

1. Dancing In The Street >
2. Drums >
3. The Other One >
4. Stella Blue >
5. The Other One >
6. Sugar Magnolia
7. New Minglewood Blues
8. Cassidy
9. Deal
10. Looks Like Rain
11. Brown-Eyed Women

Dave’s Picks Volume 53 was released in late January. My copy arrived on the first of February (hurrah, “Cosmic Charlie”). This release is limited to 25,000 copies. Mine is number 6305.