''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 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 was recorded on August 4 and 5, 1974 at the

Philadelphia Civic Center The Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center, commonly known simply as the Philadelphia Civic Center, was a convention center complex located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It developed out of a series of buildings dedicated to expanding ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 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 on April 23, 1937, and was the home of the Jersey City Giants of the International League (IL), the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A farm team of t ...

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

. It was released in March 2004.

Critical reception

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 ...

, Lindsay Planer said, "Incrementally, this ineup of the Grateful Deadbegan distancing the band's sound from the R&B-meets-

psychedelia Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...

of the

Ron "Pigpen" McKernan Ronald Charles McKernan (September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973), known as Pigpen, was an American musician. He was a founding member of the San Francisco Sound, San Francisco band the Grateful Dead and played in the group from 1965 to 1972. ...

years, as well as the more recent rural twang heard on ''

Workingman's Dead ''Workingman's Dead'' is the fourth studio album (and fifth overall) by American rock band the Grateful Dead. It was recorded in February 1970 and originally released on June 14, 1970, by Warner Bros. Records. The album and its studio follow-up ...

'' (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 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 ...

". 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. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

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 Wale ...

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

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'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

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 contra ...

" 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" (

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 ...

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 ...

, Robert Hunter) – 25:50 :''August 5:'' #

"Scarlet Begonias" (

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 ...

, Hunter) – 12:01 :''August 4:'' #

"Jack Straw" (Weir, Hunter) – 5:27 #"Peggy-O" (traditional, arr. Grateful Dead) – 6:47 :''August 5:'' #

"Me and Bobby McGee" (

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 ...

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 ...

) – 5:34 #"China Cat Sunflower" (Garcia, Hunter) – 11:13 → #"I Know You Rider" (trad., arr. Grateful Dead) – 5:22 #"Around and Around" (

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 ...

) – 5:08 Disc two :''August 4:'' #"Ship of Fools" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:00 #"Loose Lucy" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:32 #"Weather Report Suite" → #*"Prelude" (Weir) – 1:20 #*"Part 1" (Weir,

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, Rick Nelson, and many others. Early in his career, ...

) – 4:20 #*"Part 2: Let It Grow" (Weir, John Barlow) – 9:16 #"Jam" (Grateful Dead) – 9:25 → #"Wharf Rat" (Garcia, Hunter) – 11:21 → #"U.S. Blues" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:32 #"Sugar Magnolia / Sunshine Daydream" (Weir, Hunter) – 10:42 #"Casey Jones" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:26 Disc three :''August 5:'' #"Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" (Garcia, Hunter) – 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 singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

) – 5:17 #"He's Gone" (Garcia, Hunter) – 13:12 → #"Truckin'" (Garcia,

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 ...

, Weir, Hunter) – 9:46 → #"Jam" (Grateful Dead) – 8:16 → #"The Other One Jam" (Weir,

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 ...

) – 2:30 → #"Space" (Grateful Dead) – 10:25 → #"Stella Blue" (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:36 #"One More Saturday Night" (Weir) – 4:58 Disc four :''August 6:'' #"Eyes of the World" (Garcia, Hunter) – 19:28 #"Playing in the Band" (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 22:37 → #"Scarlet Begonias" (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:25 → #"Playing in the Band" (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 5:04 #"Uncle John's Band" (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:44 Note

Personnel

Grateful Dead *Jerry Garcia –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

Donna Godchaux Donna may refer to the short form of the honorific ''nobildonna'', the female form of Don (honorific) in Italian. People * Donna (given name); includes name origin and list of people and characters with the name Places * Donna, Texas, USA * Døn ...

– 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 ...

–

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

–

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

*Phil Lesh –

electric bass The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an electric but with a longer neck and scale leng ...

, vocals *Bob Weir –

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

, vocals 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", "

Scarlet Begonias "Scarlet Begonias" is a song by the Grateful Dead. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and the music by Jerry Garcia. Background The song begins in Grosvenor Square in London and also references " Tea for Two" from ''No, No, Nanette'' by ...

", "Black Throated Wind", "Deal", "Beat It On Down the Line", "

Peggy-O The Bonnie Lass o' Fyvie (Roud # 545) is a Scottish folk song about a thwarted romance between a soldier and a woman. Like many folk songs, the authorship is unattributed, there is no strict version of the lyrics, and it is often referred to by it ...

" '*'' "

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 ...

" '*'' "Loser", "

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 ...

", "Row Jimmy", "

" '*'':Between sets: "

Seastones ''Seastones'' is an album by American composer and musician Ned Lagin. In 1975 Lagin released the quadraphonic sound, quadraphonic album of electronic music, (composed between 1970 and 1974), a small part of the complete ''Seastones'' composition ...

" (

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 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 ...

", "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 su ...

" '*''*Encore: "

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 ...

" '*''Monday, August 5 *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 ...

", "Brown Eyed Women", "Beat It On Down the Line", "

Dire Wolf The dire wolf (''Aenocyon dirus'' ) is an Extinction, extinct species of Caninae, canine which was native to the Americas during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene epochs (125,000–10,000 years ago). The species was named in 1858, four y ...

", "

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 ...

" '*'' "Tennessee Jed", "Jack Straw", "Deal", "El Paso", "

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 ...

" '*''nbsp;> "

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 ...

" '*'' "

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 ...

" '*'' :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' "Truckin" is a song by the Grateful Dead, which first appeared on their 1970 album '' American Beauty''. It was recognized by the United States Library of Congress in 1997 as a national treasure.''Grateful Dead: The Illustrated Trip'' . Jake W ...

" '*''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 "Sugaree" is a song with lyrics by long-time Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and music by guitarist Jerry Garcia. It was written for Jerry Garcia's first solo album '' Garcia'', which was released in January 1972. As with the songs on the r ...

", "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, "Unc ...

" '*'' "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