I've always thought the sound was kinda shitty but the playing is pretty great. I much prefer Two From The Vault. (with that fantastic "The Other One")

Although the Grateful Dead's 1972 European excursion has been the subject of several multi-volume packages, Rockin' the Rhein With the Grateful Dead (2004) is the first inclusive and unedited concert taken from their initial full-fledged tour outside North America. According to the liner notes "...some very minor adjustments had to be made to the show's running order, both to keep all of the musical sequences intact and to present you with the complete show, unabridged." Producer Jeffrey Norman commented, "I realize everyone is used to the CD order because that's the order on the [surreptitiously traded] rough mixes, but that's not truly how the sets went down. I found that out when I put on the multi-tracks and listened to the segues between songs, as well as the '...thank you we'll be right back...' after [both] "Casey Jones" and "Sugar Magnolia." If we had kept the original set order, we would have had to break up the long segments. [The approach we chose] seemed a more musically, if not historically, pleasing thing to do." Hence, there were, in fact, three sets played that night. The first is replicated as it happened, while the second boasted the meaty "Dark Star" suite running through "Sugar Magnolia." According to Norman, the third consisted of: "He's Gone," "It Hurts Me Too," "El Paso," "Not Fade Away">"Going Down the Road Feelin' Bad">"Not Fade Away (Reprise)," followed by the "One More Saturday Night" encore. That noteworthy historical caveat aside, casual enthusiasts as well as Deadheads alike have long praised 1972 as a challenging and pivotal era. A rousing "Truckin'" kicks things off, initiating a set that yielded effective run-throughs of primarily newer tunes, such as Bob Weir's (guitar/vocals) Bakersfield-influenced "Black-Throated Wind," Jerry Garcia's (guitar/vocals) "Loser," and the Ron "Pigpen" McKernan-led "Chinatown Shuffle," "Mr. Charlie," and "Next Time You See Me." Things really begin to gel during the "China Cat Sunflower">"I Know You Rider" coupling. Their inspired interaction on the pairing continues for "Playing in the Band," foreshadowing the epic "Dark Star" ahead. Keeping to the track list here, the next set commences with the second-ever live performance of "He's Gone" that suffers a few minor growing pains perhaps not even discernible to the casual listener. The aforementioned "Dark Star">"Me & My Uncle">"Wharf Rat"> "Sugar Magnolia" finds them unleashing their true psychedelic potential as the collective improvisations are nothing short of transportational. While practically anything would pale in comparison, the reading of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" -- split by a refreshing "Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad" -- maintains a substantive energy level and boasts some of Garcia's trademark crystalline string work. The bonus tracks feature two McKernan classics from May 24, 1972, at the Lyceum in London. The highlight is an exhilarating "(Turn on Your) Lovelight," which marks the final time the concert staple was driven by Pigpen, as failing health prohibited him from touring again. Accompanying the discs is a nine-panel poster sporting black-and-white photos and a replica of artwork. Parties purchasing Rockin' the Rhein (2004) from the band's own merchandising website can take advantage of a CD premium offering 73 minutes from a series of March 1972 shows for the Academy of Music, New York City March 1972 (2004).

I think i'm listening to twice as much dead now as when we were actually going through the dick's picks. This is sort of out of control.

Is there a way to tell how many times they played China Cat Sunflower but didn't go into I Know You Rider, or played a stand-alone Rider?
I'm not sure I've ever heard one, but the people I'm watching hoops and listening to Nassau with swear they exist.

Nice.

Few concert runs (read: several shows in the same venue) are as highly lauded by Grateful Dead enthusiasts as February 27 through March 2, 1969, at the Fillmore West in San Francisco. Although the title Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings is misleading -- as they played there upward of two dozen times during the year -- practically every second of their eight-set, four-night stand is captured on this ten-CD box. The concurrent lineup included founders Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (vocals/organ/harmonica), Jerry Garcia (guitar/vocals), Bob Weir (guitar/vocals), Phil Lesh (bass/vocals), and Bill Kreutzmann (percussion). In September of 1967 that quintet was augmented by Mickey Hart (percussion) and the following March Tom Constanten (keyboards) joined to complete the incarnation heard here. As group historian Dennis McNally notes in his liner essay, the music was being documented on "Prototype #2" -- the second 16-track machine made by the Ampex company. The recordings ultimately produced the lion's share of Live/Dead (1969), which McNally points out was "the first live 16-track album ever made." Indeed the two-LP collection redefined the Dead's role as sonic rangers who roamed the great wide psychedelic open. For the growing global audience of Deadheads, it offered a sampling of the Grateful Dead's practically indescribable and ever-evolving brand of aural alchemy. While no specific set list is adhered to, the songs can be loosely categorized with representations from the Grateful Dead's ever-expanding songbook with McKernan's R&B standards "Turn on Your Lovelight" and "King Bee." There are also a handful of selections from their previous three LPs, such as "Morning Dew" and "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," off of their 1967 self-titled debut. Anthem of the Sun (1968) yields the extended "That's It for the Other One" suite -- which glides gently into a sublime reading of "New Potato Caboose" on March 1 -- or the fiery McKernan-led medley of "Alligator" linked to the acidic blues-fuelled "Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks)." The final batch comes from the then-yet-to-be-issued Aoxomoxoa (1969) and is highlighted by the more compact numbers "Doin' That Rag," "Cosmic Charlie," the folk-based "Dupree's Diamond Blues," "Saint Stephen," and the haunting, baroque "Mountains of the Moon." The latter is featured in an acoustic setting, and on February 27 and March 1 it also serves up the ideal disposition for the centerpiece original "Dark Star." At the very heart of what made the Grateful Dead an anomaly in rock & roll was their ability to improvise and interact in order to make each and every experience different from the last, or the next. Over the course of the Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings are nine and a half hours of proof. As a sidebar, those interested in obtaining one of the 10,000 strictly limited editions should be prepared to scour online auction sites and other similar outlets, as the anthology sold out within weeks. Curious parties might find the Fillmore West 1969 three-disc distillation an adequate substitute. However, earnest Deadheads should take whatever measures necessary to obtain this package.

If we weren't so far along with this already, I would fucking tap out here. But as it stands, I'm actually excited.

Imagine if they have one from the 90s, just sitting and waiting?

What you end think of this set? I'm jamming for the next few days.

I'll try and up this once I finish with a couple of others in the queue. As for the non-working links, sorry but space is limited in the account I have. Can't have them all up in the cloud at the moment.

You can take down the '68 links if you need space...I went to the trouble of d/l all 11 the other day then realized I already have them. FML.

I'm upping that Closing set again and the new one tonight.