Dick's Picks Volume 31
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Dick's Picks Volume 31'' 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 August 4 and 5, 1974 at the Philadelphia Civic Center in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, and on August 6, 1974, at
Roosevelt Stadium Roosevelt Stadium was a baseball stadium at Droyer's Point in Jersey City, New Jersey. It opened in April 1937 and hosted high-minor league baseball, 15 major league baseball games, plus championship boxing matches, top-name musical acts, an a ...
in
Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, Lindsay Planer said, "Incrementally, this ineup of the Grateful Deadbegan distancing the band's sound from the R&B-meets- psychedelia of the Ron "Pigpen" McKernan years, as well as the more recent rural twang heard on ''
Workingman's Dead ''Workingman's Dead'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Grateful Dead. It was recorded in February 1970 and originally released on June 14, 1970. The album and its studio follow-up, '' American Beauty'', were recorded back-to-back ...
'' (1970) and '' American Beauty'' (1970). Instead, their collective fusion-based explorations continually challenge the musicians, while simultaneously providing fresh extensions and visages on familiar favorites. Nowhere is this more evident than on "
Playing in the Band "Playing in the Band" is a Grateful Dead song. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir composed the music, with some assistance from percussionist Mickey Hart. The song first emerged in embryonic form on the s ...
". After introducing the number in their repertoire (circa February of 1971), they cultivated it from a fairly rote and otherwise typical rendering into an unexpurgated show-stopping centerpiece — as shown by the pair of 20-plus minute excursions on ''Dick's Picks Volume 31''. They not only clock in at nearly half an hour apiece, but each is distinctive and examines the Grateful Dead's ability to end up at different places, despite the similarities in the point(s) of departure." In ''The Music Box'', John Metzger wrote, "Just days before Richard Nixon resigned his position as President of the United States to avoid impeachment, the Grateful Dead unleashed a trio of exhilarating performances in the mid-Atlantic. For certain, 1974 was a magnificent year for the band — even if it was the end of a rather disgraceful era for the country at large — for its mad-scientist amalgamation of
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
,
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
, and
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
blossomed beautifully, and although it soon would take a 20-month sabbatical from touring, its energy remained remarkably high. Indeed, the 31st edition of the esteemed ''Dick's Picks'' series culls material from the early August conclusion of the Grateful Dead's summer tour, and although it mixes and matches among the concerts to form what is essentially two shows, it does so in a seamless fashion, providing an intriguing and frequently mind-bending blast through the group's much treasured canon."


Booklet and essay

The release includes a booklet made of five sheets of paper stapled together, yielding a 20-page enclosure. The front duplicates the cover of the CD and the back features a short list of "Upcoming gigs" that include the shows in Philadelphia on August 4 and 5. Most of the booklet is a long essay from
The Aquarian ''The Aquarian Weekly'' is a regional alternative weekly newspaper based in New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1969, its focus is rock music and related events in the New Jersey/New York City/Eastern Pennsylvania region. From 1986 to 1992, it ...
by Jay Saporita entitled "We used to play for silver, now we play for life", a verse from the band's song "Jack Straw". Spanning the better part of 16 pages, the essay details the several days spent setting up and performing the shows, and includes highlights from moments backstage. The last page of the essay features a large color photograph of the
Wall of sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...
, and the last two pages list the contents of and credits for the release.Enclosures included with Dick's Picks Volume 31, 1974/2004.


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 label for volume 31 reads: "''Dicks Picks Vol. 31'' was mastered from the original 2 track analog source tapes, running at 7.5 IPS, recorded during the last American tour using the famed
Wall Of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...
. Some sonic anomalies remain, particularly some over-exuberant piano-related sounds, but we have done as much as possible to bring the Wall Of Sound into your living room. Enjoy."


Track listing

Disc one :''August 4:'' #"Playing in the Band" ( Robert Hunter,
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 ...
,
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 ...
) – 25:50 :''August 5:'' #
  • "Scarlet Begonias" (Hunter,
    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 ...
    ) – 12:01 :''August 4:'' #
  • "Jack Straw" (Hunter, Weir) – 5:27 #"Peggy-O" (traditional, arr. Grateful Dead) – 6:47 :''August 5:'' #
  • "Me and Bobby McGee" ( Fred Foster, Kris Kristofferson) – 5:34 #"China Cat Sunflower" > (Hunter, Garcia) – 11:13 #"I Know You Rider" (trad., arr. Grateful Dead) – 5:22 #"Around and Around" ( Chuck Berry) – 5:08 Disc two :''August 4:'' #"Ship of Fools" (Hunter, Garcia) – 7:00 #"Loose Lucy" (Hunter, Garcia) – 5:32 #"Weather Report Suite" > #*"Prelude" (Weir) – 1:20 #*"Part I" (
    Eric Andersen Eric Andersen (born February 14, 1943) is an American folk music singer-songwriter, who has written songs recorded by Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt, the Grateful Dead and many others. Early in his career, in the 1960s, he ...
    , Weir) – 4:20 #*"Part II: Let It Grow" ( John Barlow, Weir) – 9:16 #"Jam" > (Grateful Dead) – 9:25 #"Wharf Rat" > (Hunter, Garcia) – 11:21 #"U.S. Blues" (Hunter, Garcia) – 6:32 #"Sugar Magnolia / Sunshine Daydream" (Hunter, Weir) – 10:42 #"Casey Jones" (Hunter, Garcia) – 6:26 Disc three :''August 5:'' #"Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" > (Hunter, Garcia) – 8:30 #"It Must Have Been the Roses" (Hunter) – 5:53 #"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 ...
    ) – 5:17 #"He's Gone" > (Hunter, Garcia) – 13:12 #"Truckin'" > (Hunter, Garcia,
    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 ...
    , Weir) – 9:46 #"Jam" > (Grateful Dead) – 8:16 #"The Other One Jam" > (Grateful Dead) – 2:30 #"Space" > (Grateful Dead) – 10:25 #"Stella Blue" (Hunter, Garcia) – 9:36 #"One More Saturday Night" (Weir) – 4:58 Disc four :''August 6:'' #"Eyes of the World" (Hunter, Garcia) – 19:28 #"Playing in the Band" > (Hunter, Hart, Weir) – 22:37 #"Scarlet Begonias" > (Hunter, Garcia) – 9:25 #"Playing in the Band" (Hunter, Hart, Weir) – 5:04 #"Uncle John's Band" (Hunter, Garcia) – 10:44 Note


    Personnel

    Grateful Dead *Jerry Garcia –
    guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
    ,
    vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
    *Bob Weir –
    guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
    , vocals *Phil Lesh – electric bass, vocals * Donna Godchaux – vocals * Keith Godchaux
    piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
    * Bill Kreutzmann
    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 ...
    Production *Bill Candelario – recording *Jeffrey Norman – CD mastering *David Lemieux – tape archivist *Eileen Law – archival research *Robert W. Danielson Jr. – photo *Robert Minkin – cover art & package design *W. Keats – deadhead newsletter artwork *Jay Saporita – booklet essay


    Set lists

    Following are the full set lists from the August 4, 5, and 6, 1974 concerts. Sunday, August 4 *First set: "Bertha", "
    Mexicali Blues Mexicali Blues may refer to: * Mexicali Blues (company), an American company founded in 1988 * "Mexicali Blues" (song), a 1972 song by Grateful Dead {{Disambiguation ...
    ", "
    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 ...
    ", "Black Throated Wind", "Deal", "Beat It On Down the Line", " Peggy-O" '*'' " Jack Straw" '*'' "Loser", "
    El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...
    ", "Row Jimmy", "
    Playing in the Band "Playing in the Band" is a Grateful Dead song. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir composed the music, with some assistance from percussionist Mickey Hart. The song first emerged in embryonic form on the s ...
    " '*'':Between sets: "
    Seastones ''Seastones'' is an album by American composer and musician Ned Lagin. In 1975 Lagin released the quadraphonic album of electronic music, (composed between 1970–1974), a small part of the complete ''Seastones'' composition, on Round Records and ...
    " (
    Ned Lagin Ned Lagin (born March 17, 1948) is an American artist, photographer, scientist, composer, and keyboardist.Ned Lagin interview with David Gans, August 2001 in: Gans, David. Conversations with the Dead, The Grateful Dead Interview Book, Da Capo Pre ...
    on synthesizer and electronic keyboards and Phil Lesh on bass) *Second set: "Ship of Fools" '*'' " Big River", "Loose Lucy" '*'' "
    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 ...
    ", "It Must Have Been the Roses", "Weather Report Suite" '*''nbsp;> "Jam" '*''nbsp;> "Wharf Rat" '*''nbsp;> "U.S. Blues" '*'' "
    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 ...
    " '*''*Encore: "
    Casey Jones John Luther "Casey" Jones (March 14, 1863 – April 30, 1900) was an American railroader who was killed when his passenger train collided with a stalled freight train at Vaughan, Mississippi. Jones was a locomotive engineer for the Illinois Ce ...
    " '*''Monday, August 5 *First set: "
    Promised Land The Promised Land ( he, הארץ המובטחת, translit.: ''ha'aretz hamuvtakhat''; ar, أرض الميعاد, translit.: ''ard al-mi'ad; also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey"'') is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew ...
    ", "Brown Eyed Women", "Beat It On Down the Line", " Dire Wolf", " Me and Bobby McGee" '*'' "Tennessee Jed", "Jack Straw", "Deal", "El Paso", "
    China Cat Sunflower "China Cat Sunflower" is a song performed by the Grateful Dead which was first recorded for their third studio album ''Aoxomoxoa''. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and the music composed by Jerry Garcia. The song was typically sung by J ...
    " '*''nbsp;> " I Know You Rider" '*'' "
    Around and Around "Around and Around" is a 1958 rock song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry. It originally appeared under the name "Around & Around" as the B-side to the single " Johnny B. Goode". Cover versions The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones ...
    " '*'' :Between sets: "Seastones" (Ned Lagin on synthesizer and electronic keyboards and Phil Lesh on bass) *Second set: "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" '*''nbsp;> "It Must Have Been the Roses" '*'' "Big River" '*'' "Ramble On Rose", "Me and My Uncle", "Scarlet Begonias" '*'' "He's Gone" '*''nbsp;> " Truckin'" '*''nbsp;> "Jam" '*''nbsp;> "The Other One Jam" '*''nbsp;> "Space" '*''nbsp;> "Stella Blue" '*'' " One More Saturday Night" '*''*Encore: "U.S. Blues" Tuesday, August 6 *First set: "Bertha", "Mexicali Blues", "Don't Ease Me In", "Beat It On Down the Line", " Sugaree", "Jack Straw", "Eyes of the World" '*'' "Promised Land", "Deal", "Playing in the Band" '*''nbsp;> "Scarlet Begonias" '*''nbsp;> "Playing in the Band" '*'' :Between sets: "Seastones" (Ned Lagin on synthesizer and electronic keyboards and Phil Lesh on bass) *Second set: "
    Uncle John's Band "Uncle John's Band" is a song by the Grateful Dead that first appeared in their concert setlists in late 1969. The band recorded it for their 1970 album ''Workingman's Dead''. Written by guitarist Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter (lyrici ...
    " '*'' "Black Peter", "El Paso", "Loose Lucy", "Big River", "Ship of Fools", "Me and My Uncle", "Row Jimmy", "Sugar Magnolia" > "He's Gone" > "Truckin'" > "Spanish Jam" > "The Other One" > "Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad" > "Sunshine Daydream" *Encore: "U.S. Blues" /nowiki> Included in ''Dick's Picks Volume 31''


    Notes

    {{Authority control 31 2004 live albums