Grateful Dead Shortlist: Shoreline 1991 (August 16-18)

This unreleased run featured a 1st set “Dark Star,” a 2nd set “Feel Like a Stranger”-into-drums, a robust “Playin’ Jam” out of Space, and a “Scarlet > Victim > Fire” combo with all songs and transitions in full working order. Frisky! Feisty! Tight!

I consider the tracks I've included to be truly outstanding Grateful Dead, recorded beautifully. At this point, the band was about a year into the Hornsby/Welnick era and seven months away from Hornsby’s departure. A version of the Dead in its prime.

I cut quite a bit of very good stuff, because the best performances made very good not enough. There were also several tragic vocal fumbles that took some otherwise great takes out of the race.

Although the soundboard mixes were screwy in several places during this run, they are fantastic on all the material compiled here. A particular feature is the combination of very present singers and a very present vocal mix. Garcia/Hornsby musical dialogues are also foregrounded in a few places. Though I’m a Vince defender, his keyboards are minimized in these selections, so you get something akin to a Hornsby-only Dead.

I’ve made some artificial segues to create continuities across non-consecutively-played tracks. The “>” below represent as-played musical links and one adept pause-and-relaunch (Fire’s conclusion into Truckin’s start). The "(>)" below show where I've created a hinge.

Cover art: Victor Moscoso

2.5-hour mp3 mix zipped up here (dates included in the mp3 tags)

Disc One (70 minutes):

  • Feel Like a Stranger (>)
  • Samson and Delilah
  • West LA Fadeaway
  • Bertha
  • Scarlet Begonias >
  • Victim or the Crime >
  • Fire on the Mountain >
  • Truckin’

Disc Two (78 minutes):

  • Smokestack Lighting >
  • He’s Gone >
  • Jam
  • Dark Star
  • Improvisation (space excerpt) (>)
  • Playin’ in the Band (out of space jam > reprise) (>)
  • China Doll (>)
  • Dark Star Jam >
  • Morning Dew
  • Improvisation (space excerpt)
21 responses
Am I the only one who noticed that there is no real hinge between FLAS and S&D? Just stop and silence, then S&D...maybe I got a bad version? Otherwise, as a Dead neophyte, excellent presentation overall.
I cross-faded the first beat of drums with the first beat of Samson. If you check out the full show, you'll hear that Stranger ended clean and drums started immediately. Maybe it only sounds like a good edit to me, because I knew that?
May be...not really an issue, much like the misdated tracks back on 30DOD - 1983, doesn't detract from the overall jam, next time I'll listen better :)
Think I sussed it out...the VLC player paused just enough in the transition, it didn't sound like you explained, as it also did it btw VOTC and FOTM, so nothing you were responsible for LOL
I have to tell you I was so happy to see a new post, I didn't really care what it was. Forget that it's an era I'm not crazy about (all the more reason to give it a whirl, I suppose,) I made time to hear the whole thing anyways. And as usual, I was happy to have done so. I feel like the Dew should have been the end and the last jam somewhere before to give the show better closure but, whatever.... Thank you so much for doing this. Amazing work.
Hey, Harko! I definitely understand the appeal of Dew as the last statement. This one crashed right into a mushy-sounding Saturday Night, so I couldn't fade the end of Dew, and didn't really want a throwaway rave-up at the end of the mix. That space-jam was sort of my take on a soundtrack for the post-apocalyptic landscape, if you walked out into it. FWIW.
Just found this site, love all the instrumental mixes. I have thought of doing something like this, you have beat me to it and done a better job than I would have. Love the Spanish Jam mega-mix, I had started collecting a few as well as various Ollin Arageeds which complements Spanish Jam really well. I have flac files of 26 live performances of Sonic Youth's epic "The Diamond Sea" circa '95-'96. Always thought of doing a Grayfolded-like mix of them, don't really have the time now. Shoot me a email I can send a Wetransfer link to if you want them.
Hey, "posthaven user" with all the Sonic Youth stuff. I am curious to investigate the potential for some kind of giant "Diamond Sea" construction. However, I don't think I'm ready for 26 giant flac files. Would you be willing to share maybe 6 live takes as mp3s, so I can fiddle around and see if a good idea happens? - John
Hi John, really great to see you back posting again. If you're open for requests, I would like to request early 1992, either spring or summer. I've heard very little from this time period, and really don't know where to start. I know it's not the most highly regarded era, but if anyone's up to the challenge, it's you! Maybe something from Vince's early days as the sole keyboardist would be interesting?
Truly enjoying this mix, from an underrated period - beautiful work, John
Thanks, Matt! I carefully re-listened to this last weekend, while working outside, and it really delighted me.
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