''Dave's Picks Volume 21'' is a three-CD live album by the rock group the
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
. It contains the complete concert recorded on April 2, 1973, at
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (later ...
in
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. It was produced as a limited edition of 16,500 copies, and was released on February 1, 2017.
[
]
Critical reception
On AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, Timothy Monger said, "The last show of their winter/spring tour, ''Vol. 21'' finds the Dead stretching out over two very long sets which, in spite of their length, do not contain either of their major gig-stretchers of the era. In place of "Dark Star" or "The Other One", fans were treated to a whopping 34-song marathon... Several nice long jams can be found, particularly in the second set, making for a diverse and engaging listen."[
]
Track listing
Disc 1
:''First set:''
#"Promised Land
In the Abrahamic religions, the "Promised Land" ( ) refers to a swath of territory in the Levant that was bestowed upon Abraham and his descendants by God in Abrahamic religions, God. In the context of the Bible, these descendants are originally ...
" (Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
) – 3:38
#"Deal" (Jerry Garcia
Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 196 ...
, Robert Hunter) – 4:43
#" Mexicali Blues" (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 ...
, John Perry Barlow
John Perry Barlow (October 3, 1947February 7, 2018) was an American poet, essayist, cattle rancher, and cyberlibertarian political activist who had been associated with both the Democratic and Republican parties. He was also a lyricist for th ...
) – 3:42
#"Brown-Eyed Women" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:47
#"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 Dade Coal Company wh ...
" (Jesse Fuller
Jesse Fuller (March 12, 1896 – January 29, 1976) was an American one-man band musician, best known for his song "San Francisco Bay Blues".
Early life
Fuller was born in Jonesboro, Georgia, near Atlanta, United States. He was sent by his moth ...
) – 3:37
#"Row Jimmy" (Garcia, Hunter) – 8:25
#"Looks Like Rain" (Weir, Barlow) – 7:51
#"Wave That Flag" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:49
#" Box of Rain" (Phil Lesh
Philip Chapman Lesh (March 15, 1940 – October 25, 2024) was an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he developed a unique style of improvised six-string bass guitar. He was their bassist throughout their 30 ...
, Hunter) – 5:19
#" Big River" (Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
) – 4:37
#"China Cat Sunflower
"China Cat Sunflower" is a song by the Grateful Dead, which was first recorded for their 1969 studio album '' Aoxomoxoa''. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and the music composed by Jerry Garcia. The song was typically sung by Garcia. The ...
" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:13
#"I Know You Rider
"I Know You Rider" (also "Woman Blues" and "I Know My Rider") is a traditional blues song that has been adapted by numerous artists. It has appeared in folk, country, and rock guises.
Blues origins
Modern versions can be traced back to Blind Lemo ...
" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 5:45
#"You Ain't Woman Enough
''You Ain't Woman Enough'' is the seventh solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on September 12, 1966, by Decca Records. It was Lynn's first No. 1 album on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Al ...
" (Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...
) – 3:13
#"Jack Straw
John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946) is a British politician who served in the Cabinet from 1997 to 2010 under the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He held two of the traditional Great Offices of State, as Home Secretar ...
" (Weir, Hunter) – 4:46
Disc 2
#"Don't Ease Me In" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 4:06
#"Playing in the Band
"Playing in the Band" is a song by the Grateful Dead. 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 th ...
" (Weir, 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 ...
, Hunter) – 17:31
:''Second set:''
#"Ramble On Rose" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:39
#"Me and My Uncle
"Me and My Uncle", often also written as "Me & My Uncle," is a song composed by 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 narrator and his uncle from s ...
" ( John Phillips) – 3:23
#"Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:12
#"Greatest Story Ever Told" (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 5:25
#"Loose Lucy" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:07
#"El Paso
El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
" (Marty Robbins
Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American country and western singer and songwriter. He was one of the most popular and successful singers of his genre for most o ...
) – 4:29
#"Stella Blue" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:48
#"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 Stone ...
" (Berry) – 4:42
Disc 3
#"Here Comes Sunshine" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:20
#"Jam" > (Grateful Dead) – 11:08
#"Me and Bobby McGee
"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson and originally performed by Roger Miller. Fred Foster shares the writing credit, as Kristofferson wrote the song based on a suggestion from Foster. A posth ...
" > (Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...
, Fred Foster
Fred Luther Foster (July 26, 1931 – February 20, 2019) was an American record producer, songwriter, and music business executive who founded Monument Records and Combine Music. As a record producer he was most closely associated with Roy Orbi ...
) – 6:07
#"Weather Report Suite: Prelude" > (Weir) – 3:12
#"Eyes of the World" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 15:58
#"China Doll" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:12
#"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 su ...
" (Weir, Hunter) – 8:59
#"Casey Jones
John Luther "Casey" Jones (March 14, 1864 – April 30, 1900) was an American railroader who was killed when his passenger train collided with a stalled freight train in Vaughan, Mississippi.
Jones was a locomotive engineer for the Illinois Cen ...
" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:26
:''Encore:''
#"Johnny B. Goode
"Johnny B. Goode" is a song by American musician Chuck Berry, written and sung by Berry in 1958. Released as a Single (music), single in 1958, it peaked at number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B Sides chart and number eight on its pre ...
" > (Berry) – 3:38
#"And We Bid You Goodnight" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 2:12
Notes
Personnel
Grateful Dead
*Jerry Garcia
Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 196 ...
– guitar, vocals
*Donna Jean Godchaux
Donna Jean Thatcher Godchaux-MacKay (born August 22, 1947) is an American singer best known as a member of the rock band the Grateful Dead from 1972 to 1979. In addition to the Dead, she performed with the Jerry Garcia Band and the short-lived ...
– vocals
*Keith Godchaux
Keith Richard Godchaux (July 19, 1948 – July 23, 1980) was an American pianist best known for his tenure in the rock group the Grateful Dead from 1971 to 1979. Following their departure from the Dead, he and his wife Donna formed the H ...
– keyboards
*Bill Kreutzmann
William Kreutzmann Jr. ( ; born May 7, 1946) is an American drummer and founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. He played with the band for its entire thirty-year career, usually alongside fellow drummer Mickey Hart, and has continued to ...
– drums
*Phil Lesh
Philip Chapman Lesh (March 15, 1940 – October 25, 2024) was an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he developed a unique style of improvised six-string bass guitar. He was their bassist throughout their 30 ...
– bass, vocals
*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 ...
– guitar, vocals
Production
*Produced by Grateful Dead
*Produced for release by David Lemieux
*Mastering: Jeffrey Norman
*Recording: Rex Jackson
*Art direction, design: Steve Vance
*Cover art: Dave Van Patten
*Photos: Patty Norman, Rich "The Fish" Weiner
*Liner Notes: David Lemieux
*Executive producer: Mark Pinkus
*Associate producers: Doran Tyson, Ivette Ramos
*Tape research: Michael Wesley Johnson
Charts
References
{{Authority control
21
2017 live albums
Rhino Entertainment live albums