Cover art by Neon Park: Detail of "Green Goddess," 1984
I’ll always be grateful that my initial obsession with The Dead happened just as the band’s mid-to-late 1980s nadir gave way to a final, fantastic period of live playing. It makes perfect sense that The Dead have released a slew of shows from Spring 1989 through Spring 1990 – a career sweet spot between the end of the rebuilding period after Garcia’s coma and the death of Brent Mydland.
I decided to try my Frankenstein editing approach on an unreleased show from this period – taking The Dead’s improvisational temperature by removing a lot of vocals to turn songs into jams and easing transitions that The Dead hadn't already provided. I chose this show at random.
- Bird Song
- Playin’ Jam >
- Crazy Fingers Jam >
- Uncle John’s Jam (>)
- Drums (>)
- Space >
- The Wheel Jam (>)
- Morning Dew
Real Dead segue: >
Edited transition: (>)