Out of the gate in 1981, the Grateful Dead were lit. With very few exceptions, I was able to segue these picks, such that they provide an unbroken listening experience. The resulting sound experience is very detailed and intimate-feeling, while also having plenty of oomph. The vocals are very forward, and every voice and instrument is clearly separated, while blending nicely. This mix offers a 3-LP (2h 15m) Alaska “album” derived from eight hours of soundboard recordings (mastered by Miller), which I find exceptional. A week after Alaska, the band performed in LA and San Diego and then took six weeks off. The Alaska run (June 19-21) came five days after the band dashed through Portland, Seattle, and Spokane on consecutive nights (June 12-14). The promoter sweetened the gig offer with a hunting and fishing trip for the band. The venue had previously hosted artists such as Dave Brubeck and Leonard Bernstein, and it held 2,000 people. In June 1980, the Grateful Dead went to a very nice high school gym in Anchorage, Alaska, for three nights that included the summer solstice. Eight segments from various shows, indexed as separate tracksĬover art: Detail from “Bed” by Robert Rauschenberg.Nine segments from various shows, indexed as separate tracks.It was a run packed with notable passages, which I’ve melded together. Three nights edited into a single track.This is that music in 1995.ġh 50m mp3 mix zipped up here (dates/cities included in song titles) Lesh said the Dead were always playing “Dark Star,” even when they weren’t. This portion of the mix sometimes aligns with the decade-spanning Save Your Face compilation “Chamber Music.”Īnd lastly, there are several great outliers from the above categories, with which I’ve concluded the mix. I’ve also assembled a different flavor of improvisation into a “Melancholy Suite,” which highlights a quest for strange, gentle beauty. You’ll hear them in the “Philadelphia Suite” that leads this mix, and then more insistently and extensively in the “Thematic Suite” that follows.

In 1995, certain themes recurred regularly in the open improv sections of shows, arguably making them a jam or jams that ought to be named. This mix arranges portions of 1995 “Spaces” from 11 cities/runs, February through May, into several listening arcs, totaling two hours.

The Grateful Dead remained an experimental band to the end.

Grateful dead youtube space