Aug 10
2
Grateful Dead – Live at the Cow Palace: New Year’s Eve 1976
Ah the Grateful Dead, a band I may listen to just a bit too often. But they are so damn fantastic it’s hard not to. And with so many live releases to get to (literally hundreds) and so many varied points on their huge career, it takes a lot of listening time to take it all in. Luckily I can do the listening for you to weed out the good from the bad!
1976 was a strange year for the Dead. You don’t hear about it very often and the releases from that year are minimal. I believe there are only 3 official releases from ’76 which is a shame because they were really doing some fantastic stuff during this period and right on the cusp of entering the magic that is the Dead in 1977. And nowhere else can you hear the dam of ’76 about to burst into ’77 than on Cow Palace: New Year’s Eve 1976. Well, maybe Dick’s Picks Vol. 33 but that’s for another review…which can now be found here!
The first thing I have to mention about this release is the sound quality which is absolutely stunning. Recorded on 16 track, the mix is spacious, full, and gorgeous (especially considering the supposedly horrid acoustics of the Cow Palace). Everyone is clear as a bell and breathing with a very “live” sound. After years of listening to 2 track Dick’s Picks (which sound great) this was a special treat; the band is truly jumping out at you but never in a harsh way, man.
As for the performances they are stellar. The band sounds extremely tight, well rested, and very into it. Things start out a little low and lazy in the first set but this actually works to their advantage as they turn in a wonderful “Bertha” that really sets the tone of the night: laid back but with just enough rock panache to keep things lively (this is New Year’s Eve after all). After a few well played rock songs we start to really enter the meat of the show with a wonderfully psychedelic “Playing in the Band” that sounds more like the wild antics of 1974 than late ’76.
The jam, which lasts about 23 minutes, goes into an incredible sonic journey that reaches far out into the stratosphere yet never so far that is loses it’s musicality. Jerry goes especially far out during the middle portion of the jam with some fantastic guitar effects that sound like he’s playing under a blanket of honey, slowly dragging himself out in slow motion as the band, especially the bass and drums, play sympathetically behind him. When they bring things back to the head around the 20 minute mark it is truly an ecstatic experience as we re-enter the earth’s atmosphere.
On disc 2 we get the countdown to Midnight with a rockin’ “Sugar Magnolia” to kick off the New Year (you can practically see the balloons falling down). Next comes a gorgeously played “Eyes of the World.” This is the new “Eyes,” played faster and harder than the more laid back versions of ’73 and ’74. Phil’s bass sounds wonderful here, full of great bubbling inventiveness and he really makes the song come alive. Jerry, in fine voice this night I might add, adds some incredibly sparkling guitar work and continually comes up with astonishing lines to cover the solid groundwork of the rhythm section.
The song lays back and peels away a wonderful “Wharf Rat” that is easily my favorite version of all time. It is impeccably played, extremely long (13:29), and even very well sung with their harmonies during he mid-section actually sounding, well, beautiful. The song is so well played that any fan of any type of music could see the beauty in this; it is truly remarkable.
Disc 2 continues with a funky, almost reggae “Good Lovin’” that morphs into the funkiest version of “Samson and Delia” they ever played. A stunning, bubbly, airy version of “Scarlet Begonias” that sounds like it’s about to break out into “Fire on the Mountain” at any moment (it doesn’t…not until 1977) closes out the disc.
Disc 3 treats us to a kickin’ version of “Help on the Way” (with some wonderfully pointed bass playing) that leads into a very spacey “Slipknot.” Sadly, this is not followed by “Franklin’s Tower” which normally makes up the trio of “Help > Slip > Franklin’s” but that’s ok because we are treated to a brief “Drums” segment followed by a laid back but rockin’ “Not Fade Away.” This then leads to the massive show closer of Morning Dew which steals along at an impressive 15 minutes with nary a wasted note. But, this being the Dead, they are not done quite yet. The band comes back for a three song encore of “One More Saturday Night,” “Uncle John’s Band,” and “We Bid You Goodnight.” Thanks boys!
Grateful Dead Live at the Cow Palace: New Year’s Eve 1976 is a massive 3 disc show that comes beautifully packaged with a great booklet and very fine artwork. It has a little bit of something for everyone and is a great snapshot of the very last moment before the immensity that was the Dead in 1977. Highly recommended.
Tracklist
Disc One:
- “The Promised Land” – 4:45
- “Bertha” – 7:13
- “Mama Tried” – 3:03
- “They Love Each Other” – 7:12
- “Looks Like Rain” – 7:37
- “Deal” – 6:00
- “Playing In The Band” – 23:12
Disc Two:
- “Sugar Magnolia” – 8:48
- “Eyes of the World” – 12:26
- “Wharf Rat” – 13:28
- “Good Lovin’” – 5:10
- “Samson and Delilah” – 10:13
- “Scarlet Begonias” – 11:57
Disc Three:
- “Around and Around” – 8:01
- “Help On The Way” – 5:11
- “Slipknot!” – 8:50
- “Drums” – 3:03
- “Not Fade Away” – 11:03
- “Morning Dew” – 15:24
- “One More Saturday Night” – 5:47
- “Uncle John’s Band” – 8:18
- “We Bid You Goodnight” – 3:30
