Music Review: Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks 31 [4-CD Set]

The Grateful Dead’s Dick’s Picks series, named after Dead archivist Dick Latvala (1943-1999), ran from 1993-2005, and consisted of 36 multi-disc CD sets. They were taken from a two-track recording device that had been plugged into the main sound board and left running during concerts. The sound, despite the equipment limitations, has been surprisingly good and clear. Real Gone Music has been re-issuing the sets since last year, and doing so in reverse order, starting with the 36th volume.

Dicks Picks 31 is one of the more unusual sets in the series as it presents the band in the middle of their Wall of Sound tour. The sound system was designed and built by the legendary Owsley “Bear” Stanley and consisted of 480 speakers stacked 30 feet high and 40 feet wide. It was so sophisticated that each group member had his own independent mix. For example, each string of Phil Lesh’s bass had its own speaker.

Another difference with this release is, for better or worse, the track list is made up of highlights from three consecutive shows, rather than a complete concert. Disc Two was taken from the Dead's 8/4/74 Philadelphia Civic Center concert. Disc Three has material taken from their show at the same venue the following evening, and Disc Four selects five songs from their Roosevelt Stadium show in Jersey City, New Jersey from 8/6/74. Disc One combines performances from the first two shows. Whether you are partial to complete concerts or not, it all adds up to about five hours of music from one of the more creative and powerful periods of the band’s career.

The Grateful Dead at the time consisted of Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, keyboardist Keith Godchaux, and vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux. It was during the Godchaux era that the band began to expand musically. They began to fuse some jazz elements into their rock sound, which opened up all sorts of improvisational possibilities for Garcia and crew.

Article Author: David Bowling

I have been collecting vinyl records for over forty years and my collection is approaching 50.000 records. My wife Susan and children, Stacey and Amy, have learned to humor my passion. I am now settled in beautiful Whispering Pines, North Carolina …

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