''Dick's Picks Volume 25'' is a four-CD live album by the rock band the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

. It was recorded on May 10, 1978 at Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut and on May 11, 1978 at the Springfield Civic Center Arena in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

. It was released on July 20, 2002. ''Dick's Picks Volume 25'' was the first Grateful Dead album to include a cover version of the Warren Zevon song " Werewolves of London".

Enclosure

The album includes an eight-page booklet. The first two pages on the inside feature a collage of three images: a large black-and-white photograph of Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, a small photograph of some sound equipment, and a small, colorful drawing of a three-dimensional checkerboard motif with stars on top and musical notes at the bottom surrounding a red and blue heart with a white lightning bolt in the center. The middle two pages contain a color photograph by Jim Anderson of the entire band on stage, and the last two pages list the contents of and credits for the release, along with a large black-and-white photo of the band on stage.

Caveat emptor

Each volume of ''Dick's Picks'' has its own "

caveat emptor ''Caveat emptor'' (; from ''caveat'', "may he/she beware", a subjunctive form of ''cavēre'', "to beware" + ''ēmptor'', "buyer") is Latin for "Let the buyer beware". It has become a proverb in English. Generally, ''caveat emptor'' is the contrac ...

" label, advising the listener of the sound quality of the recording. The one for ''Volume 25'' reads: "''Dick's Picks 25'' was mastered from the original analog 2-track tapes, recorded live at 7.5 ips and 15 ips, and may exhibit some minor effects of the ravages of time. However, the music contained on these four discs is quite remarkable, and by far makes up for any slight anomalies in the recording. Enjoy."

Critical reception

On AllMusic, Lindsay Planer said, "Luckily, tape archivist David Lemieux chose not only two of the better shows from 978 but also a pair that had not fallen prey to international CD bootleggers or otherwise been widely liberated into tapers' circles.... Easily discernible are the jazz-influenced elements that musically motivated and seamlessly pair older tunes such as "Scarlet Begonias" and "Eyes of the World" with more recent material such as "Fire on the Mountain" or "Estimated Prophet", respectively." In ''The Music Box'', John Metzger wrote, "There must have been something funny in the air – or perhaps the backstage punch bowl – for the Grateful Dead's performances on May 10–11, 1978. The band members were all a little more playful than usual on each of these consecutive nights in New England, and the music – most of which is contained on the 25th edition of the ''Dick's Picks'' series – ran the gamut from strangely sloppy to fiercely fervent.... In other words, ''Dick's Picks, Volume 25'' showcases the fine line between chaos and structure that the Grateful Dead so often tread."

Track listing

''Dick's Picks Volume 25'' contains most of both concerts. Not included from the May 10 show at the New Haven Coliseum are "It Must Have Been the Roses" and "U.S. Blues". Omitted from the May 11 show at the Springfield Civic Center are "Mexicali Blues", "Mama Tried", and "Peggy-O". Disc one :''May 10, 1978 – first set:'' #" Jack Straw" (

Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead ...

Robert Hunter Robert Hunter may refer to: Arts * Robert Hunter (painter) (died 1780), Irish portrait painter * Robert Hunter (encyclopædist) (1823–1897), British editor of the ''Encyclopædic Dictionary'' *Robert Hunter (author) (1874–1942), American sociol ...

) – 6:51 #"They Love Each Other" (

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

, Hunter) – 7:45 #" Cassidy" (Weir, John Perry Barlow) – 5:22 #"Ramble on Rose" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:00 #"

Me and My Uncle "Me and My Uncle", often also written as "Me & My Uncle," is a song composed by John Phillips (musician), John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, and popularized in versions by Judy Collins and the Grateful Dead. It relates the journey of a narr ...

" ( John Phillips) – 3:00 > #" Big River" (

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

) – 6:56 #" Peggy-O" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 7:52 #"Let It Grow" (Weir, Barlow) – 9:40 > #"Deal" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:05 :''May 10, 1978 – second set:'' #

"Bertha" (Garcia, Hunter) – 8:07 > #" Good Lovin'" ( Rudy Clark, Artie Resnick) – 6:20 Disc two #"Estimated Prophet" (Weir, Barlow) – 12:04 > #"Eyes of the World" (Garcia, Hunter) – 12:18 > #"Drums" (

Mickey Hart Mickey Hart (born Michael Steven Hartman, September 11, 1943) is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 19 ...

, Bill Kreutzmann) – 18:00 > #"The Other One" (Weir, Kreutzmann) – 16:31 > #"Wharf Rat" (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:14 > #"

Sugar Magnolia "Sugar Magnolia" is a song by the Grateful Dead. Written by Robert Hunter and Bob Weir, it is one of the most well-known songs by the band, alongside such hits as "Truckin'", "Casey Jones", "Uncle John's Band", "Touch of Grey", and fellow sugar-a ...

" (Weir, Hunter) – 9:33 Disc three :''May 11, 1978 – first set:'' #"

Cold Rain and Snow "Rain and Snow", also known as "Cold Rain and Snow" ( Roud 3634), is an American folksong and in some variants a murder ballad. The song first appeared in print in Olive Dame Campbell and Cecil Sharp's 1917 compilation ''English Folk Songs fro ...

" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 7:03 #"

Beat It On Down the Line "Beat It Down the Line" is a country-blues song written by Jesse Fuller and first recorded in 1961. The lyrics mention "Joe Brown's Coal Mine", which refer to Joseph E. Brown, four times governor of Georgia and president of the Dale Coal Company who ...

" ( Jesse Fuller) – 3:31 #"

Friend of the Devil "Friend of the Devil" is a song recorded by the Grateful Dead. The music was written by Jerry Garcia and John Dawson and the lyrics are by Robert Hunter. It is the second track of the Dead's 1970 album '' American Beauty''. The song is lar ...

" (Garcia, John Dawson, Hunter) – 8:36 #"Looks Like Rain" (Weir, Barlow) – 9:13 #"Loser" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:48 #"New Minglewood Blues" (traditional, arranged by Weir) – 5:47 #"Tennessee Jed" (Garcia, Hunter) – 8:47 #"Lazy Lightnin'" (Weir, Barlow) – 3:21 > #"Supplication" (Weir, Barlow) – 6:31 :''May 11, 1978 – second set:'' #

Scarlet Begonias "Scarlet Begonias" is a song by the Grateful Dead. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and the music by Jerry Garcia. The live debut of "Scarlet Begonias" came on March 23, 1974 at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California. The song begins in ...

" (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:41 > #" Fire on the Mountain" (Hart, Hunter) – 8:35 Disc four #"

Dancing in the Streets ''Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy'' is a book authored by Barbara Ehrenreich. Description The author coins the term "collective joy" to describe group events which involve music, synchronized movement, costumes, and a fee ...

" ( William "Mickey" Stevenson,

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

Ivy Jo Hunter George Ivy Hunter (August 28, 1940 – October 6, 2022), known as Ivy Jo Hunter, was an American R&B songwriter, record producer and singer, most associated with his work for Motown in the 1960s. Life and career Raised in Detroit, Michigan ...

) – 15:12 > #"Drums" (Hart, Kreutzmann) – 19:53 > #" Not Fade Away" (

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

, Norman Petty) – 10:21 > #"Stella Blue" (Garcia, Hunter) – 8:56 > #" Around and Around" ( Chuck Berry) – 9:15 :''May 11, 1978 – encore:'' #

" Werewolves of London" (LeRoy Marinell, Waddy Wachtel, Warren Zevon) – 8:30 #"

Johnny B. Goode "Johnny B. Goode" is a 1958 rock song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry. Released as a single, it peaked at number two on ''Billboard'' magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart and number eight on its pre-Hot 100 chart. "Johnny B. Goode" is con ...

" (Berry) – 4:15

Personnel

Grateful Dead *

– lead guitar, vocals *

–

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

, vocals *

Phil Lesh Philip Chapman Lesh (born March 15, 1940) is an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career. After the band's disbanding in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of ...

– electric bass, vocals * Keith Godchaux – piano * Donna Jean Godchaux – vocals *

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Bill Kreutzmann – drums Production * Owsley Stanley – recording (New Haven) * Betty Cantor-Jackson – recording (Springfield) *Jeffrey Norman – mastering * Dick Latvala – tape archivist * David Lemieux – tape archivist *Eileen Law – archival research *Jim Anderson – photography *Robert Minkin – package design, photography

Notes

{{Authority control 25 2002 live albums