This mix features a giant slice of the Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter songbook, played and sung superbly by the late-1972 through 1974 live band.
The intent, when I compiled and posted it three years ago was to find officially-released performances of these songs that stood up in every respect – singing, playing, and sound mix. I wanted versions you could use to prove that the songs were great, and that the live Dead were great. 1972-1974 is my favorite version of the band, despite the fact that the vocals were often a mess, in performance or in the mix.
I limited my scope to approximately a dozen releases that I could rip straight from an official disc. I couldn’t find every song that belongs here. For instance, there wasn’t a properly-sung and powerfully-played “Uncle John’s Band” in the stack of shows I used.
320kbps zipped mp3 download (dates and source releases are included in song tags)
SET 1 (73 minutes)
- Bertha
- Loser
- Friend of the Devil
- To Lay Me Down
- Here Comes Sunshine
- Deal
- Sugaree
- Tennessee Jed
- He’s Gone
- Don’t Ease Me In
SET 2 (62 minutes)
- U.S. Blues
- They Love Each Other
- Loose Lucy
- Scarlet Begonias
- Row Jimmy
- Eyes of the World
- Mississippi Half-Step > We Bid You Goodnight
SET 3 (74 minutes)
- Comes a Time
- Stella Blue
- Black Peter
- Morning Dew
- China Doll
- Bird Song
- Wharf Rat
- Ship of Fools
- Brokedown Palace
If you enjoy this experiment with an all-Garcia setlist, you might also enjoy this one.
Revised notes, September 2019