Grateful Dead: October ’84 (17th & 18th - Meadowlands)

Here’s a tightened album of two nights in 1984 that fell on the 10th anniversary of The Grateful Dead’s October 1974 run at Winterland – October 17 and 18.

Featuring exceptional sound board mixes for the era, and archive mastering by Charlie Miller, these unreleased 1984 East Rutherford, NJ shows are full of tight, fiery, and adventurous material. Each might be weak as a “Dave’s Picks” whole-show release, but together they offer an impressive “road trip,” adding up to the length of a single show.

2.5-hour mp3 mix zipped up here

10/17/84:

  • West L.A. Fadeaway
  • My Brother Esau
  • Slipknot! (edit) >
  • Franklin’s Tower (edit)
  • Terrapin Station >
  • Space Jam >
  • The Other One
  • Stella Blue >
  • Goin’ Down the Road, Feelin’ Bad
  • Big Railroad Blues (10/18/84)

10/18/84:

  • Feel Like a Stranger
  • Candyman
  • Little Red Rooster
  • Cassidy
  • Dancin’ in the Street
  • Playin’ in the Band >
  • Uncle John’s Band > Playin’ Jam >
  • China Doll > Jam
  • Playin’ Jam > Reprise
  • It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

Notes:

  • Slipknot > Franklin’s edit: Garcia screwed up the lyrics to “Help,” so I just used its intro to get to the delirious “Slipknot!” Something went wrong about six-and-a-half minutes into “Franklin’s,” so I spliced around a verse/chorus to extend the jamming (If you get confused, listen to the music play). 
  • I’ve tightened the “Playin’” sandwich by eliminating the drums/space that separated the final jam/reprise from the other main ingredients. These are fine renditions of “Uncle John’s” and “China Doll,” so this is a tasty sandwich. 
  • These two discs are tagged as separate albums, by their show dates.
  • To stay within a 2-CD frame, I had to put “Big Railroad” onto the other night’s disc, which just goes to show that it and “Goin’ Down the Road” are the same song.