''Dick's Picks Volume 36'' is the 36th and last installment of the ''Dick's Picks'' series of

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 ...

concert recordings. It is a four-CD set. This release contains the Dead's complete show recorded on September 21, 1972 at The Spectrum in

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 ...

. It also includes three bonus tracks from September 3, 1972, at Folsom Field in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

Booklet, liner notes, and newspaper clippings

The release includes a 28-page booklet made of seven sheets of paper stapled together in the middle. The front duplicates the cover of the CD and the back features a color photograph of the band on stage in Boulder, CO on 9/3/72. The booklet starts off with seven pages of liner notes and contains two newspaper clippings interspersed among several pages of photos of the band playing on stage. The last two pages list the contents of and credits for the release.

Liner notes by Bear

The liner notes were written by Owsley "Bear" Stanley on 9/26/05 and are entitled "Notes: on sound, my theories and my techniques". Accompanied by a few small black-and-white photographs of the band members, the essay is true to its title, offering a detailed description of how Bear, the band's soundman, set up the

public address system A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...

s the band used in its shows along with why he used these techniques. Technical details fill these notes, and the author demonstrates an appreciation of the acoustics of the venues and the brains of the people in the audience. For example, at one point Stanley writes that "This is simple physics. Sound travels through air at a speed of one foot/millisecond, and human ears are set 1/2 foot apart, giving us a discrimination of 1/2 millisecond max in arrival of sound in each ear. It is this sense for arrival time (phase/delay) which is used to determine direction." Sound engineers may appreciate these technical details more than most people, but Bear is apparently writing for an audience of regular fans. He closes his piece by writing he "hope all this chatter is of some interest—or better, use—to you, the reader of these notes. I also hope you enjoy this album."

Newspaper clippings

The booklet includes two newspaper clippings, but does not reveal when or where the reviews appeared. The first clipping features a review by Jonathan Takiff entitled "Grateful Dead leaves 'em alive, thankful". Writing that "Fifteen, 25, 40-minute jams pass without a time sense because there is no waste, no sense of repetition", the tone of the piece is very positive and the author demonstrates a solid understanding of the band, its music and fans, and the overall scene. Published in Philadelphia Daily News, September 22, 1972 The second clipping features a review by Ralph P. Bobb entitled " 'Dead' make Phila. more bearable". Asking rhetorically "What makes Greatful icDead concerts so enjoyable?" the author explains that "The Dead is one group which can experiment with their music during a live concert and make it sound like a polished product."Booklet included with Dick's Picks Volume 36, 1972, 2005.

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 one for volume 36 reads: "Dick's Picks Vol. 36 was mastered from the original 1/4" analog sonic journal tapes recorded at 7.5 ips, and were not produced with commercial intentions. However, due to the masterful skill of the recordist, these tapes sound remarkably rich and true to the live sound. Being more than thirty years old, the tapes exhibit some minor signs of the ravages of time, as we all do, but rest assured that everything possible has been done to make them sound as good as possible."

Artwork

The album cover art for ''Dick's Picks Volume 36'' was created by Bob Minkin. Drawn with the aid of computer software, it depicts an abstract image, and is part of a series of similar art works used for ''Dick's Picks'' volumes 31 through 36. Minkin is a San Francisco-based graphic designer who received a BFA degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Track listing

Disc one

:''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 ...
) – 3:50
"Bird Song" (
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) – 13:40
"
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 ...
) – 5:06
" China Cat Sunflower" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:28
" I Know You Rider" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 6:49
" Black-Throated Wind" (
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 Barlow) – 6:47
"Big Railroad Blues" ( Noah Lewis, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 4:02
"
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) – 4:52
"Loser" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:12
" 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. ...
) – 4:42

Disc two

"Ramble On Rose" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:34
"Cumberland Blues" (Garcia, Phil Lesh, Hunter) – 7:40
" Playing in the Band" (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) – 16:47

:''Second set:''

"He's Gone" (Garcia, Hunter) – 14:18
"
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 ...
" (Garcia, Lesh, Weir, Hunter) – 11:51
"Black Peter" (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:39
" Mexicali Blues" (Weir, Barlow) – 3:26

Disc three

" Dark Star" > (Garcia, Hart,
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 ...
, Lesh,
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. ...
, Weir, Hunter) – 37:08
"
Morning Dew "Morning Dew", also known as "(Walk Me Out in the) Morning Dew", is a Contemporary folk music, contemporary folk song by Canadian singer-songwriter Bonnie Dobson. The lyrics relate a fictional conversation in a post-nuclear holocaust world. Ori ...
" (
Bonnie Dobson Bonnie Dobson (born November 13, 1940, in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada)"Bo ...
,
Tim Rose Timothy Alan Patrick Rose (September 23, 1940 – September 24, 2002) (unofficial website by long-term correspondent of Rose's) was an American singer and songwriter who spent much of his life in London, England, and had more success in E ...
) – 12:10
"Beat It On Down the Line" (
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 ...
) – 3:34
"Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:02
"
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) – 8:30
" Friend of the Devil" (Garcia, John Dawson, Hunter) – 3:37

Disc four

" Not Fade Away" > (
Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...
,
Norman Petty Norman Petty (May 25, 1927 – August 15, 1984) was an American musician, record producer, publisher, and radio station owner. He is considered to be one of the founding fathers of early rock & roll. With Vi Ann Petty—his wife and vocalist—he ...
) – 5:57
"Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad" > (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 7:26
"Not Fade Away" reprise (Hardin, Petty) – 3:31

:''Encore:''

" One More Saturday Night" (Weir) – 4:56

:''Bonus tracks – September 3, 1972, Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado:''

"He's Gone" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:30
"The Other One" > (Weir, Kreutzmann) – 28:57
"Wharf Rat" (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:16

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 ...

–

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 ...

* Keith Godchaux – keyboards *

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 *

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 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 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 ...

–

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

* Owsley Stanley – recording * David Lemieux – tape archivist *Jeffrey Norman – CD mastering *Eileen Law – archival research *Bear ( Owsley Stanley) – liner notes *Bob Minkin – cover art and package design *Brian Blauser – photography *Deb Trist – photography *Jim Thrower – photography *Grateful Dead Archives – photography

References

{{Authority control 36 2005 live albums