Road Trips, Vol. 4 No. 1: Big Rock Pow Wow '69 (3CD) Review

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(More customer reviews)Three discs-75,68,41 minutes each approximately. The sound is good to very good, with an occasional, slight sonic glitch-but nothing to worry about. These tapes were recorded by Owsley "Bear" Stanley in 1969. The discs, as usual, slip inside inner pockets of the tri-fold cardboard holder. The graphics are the usual high quality-fitting with the venue. The booklet contains an overview of the concert by Blair Jackson, and a reminisce by Tom Constanten. Band personnel, song titles, lengths, and composer (s) are also listed.
I must first confess that I have a soft spot for the early years of the Dead (1668-72 or so), and while the band played many extraordinary concerts over the years, the music from that first era had a certain sound and feel (especially with Pigpen-the defacto leader of the band) of the band going for broke-something that became a bit more refined in later years.
The set, from the 23rd, (the first of two over two days May 23-24, 1969) begins with Pigpen singing "Hard To Handle" as only he could. After that the band blast off into an intense "Dark Star>St. Stephen>The Eleven", that's one of their better early efforts. This sequence has that usual Dead vibe, but there's an edge to it, making this an early favorite. Both Garcia's guitar playing and the band make this something special. The discs ends with the Pigpen show-stopper, "Turn On Your Lovelight", with Pig really giving it his all.
The second disc, from the 24th, along with introductions, begins with a slightly ramshackle (as only the Dead can do) "Turn On Your Lovelight", and as usual, the band do the song justice and energize the crowd. The band settles down for "Doin' That Rag>He Was a Friend of Mine>China Cat Sunflower>The Eleven>Death Don't Have No Mercy" sequence that ranges from subtle playing to some fairly fierce guitar work from Garcia. These tunes were favorites of both the band and their fans and listening to this set, you get some idea of what the Dead were all about live. Of particular interest is the Rev. Gary Davis song "Death Don't Have No Mercy", played slow and ominously which suits the lyrics.
The final disc begins with long time favorite "Morning Dew", written by Bonnie Dobson, which the Dead played from their very beginnings. Garcia gets into some hard blues territory, something he got away from in later years. This is the first of three tracks from the 23rd. "Me and My Uncle" is a real change of pace from the previous song. Here, both the band and Garcia (especially) play this up-beat tune in a loose style groove, which gives this tune added sparkle. Up next is the running joke "Yellow Dog Story", something the band used when they had equipment malfunctions. The next song sequence (the first from the 24th on this disc), starts up with "Alligator>Drums>St. Stephen>Feedback>We Bid You Goodnight". "Alligator lurches into life with the band playing somewhat raggedly. But even so, there's a vibe that you can hear from this tune that seemed to transfer to the audience. The "drums" segment is the usual organic sound that Hart and Kreutzmann were capable of. "St. Stephen" is taken at a slightly slower pace than usual, but sounds fine. The "feedback" portion of the concert is always a treat. Somehow the Dead were able to make "sound" sound warm and organic. After that it's a really nice rendition of "We Bid You Goodnight", something the Dead wrapped up their concerts with for many years.
If you like early GRATEFUL DEAD, then this is something to consider purchasing. Check the Dead site for a better price. If you're new to the band, I suggest you look elsewhere before tackling something like this. But this is the Dead letting it all hang out, in their loose, good-time, let the music take us wherever it will style. The band in their early days seemed to take more chances and would just let things develop however they may. So if you want to float along on a musical trip with the Dead, and get some feeling of what the crowd heard and felt at the"Big Rock Pow Wow", on the Seminole Reservation way back in 1969, this will do it handsomely.

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The popular Road Trips series begins its fourth big year with just the second release from the 1960s, and Vol. 4, No. 1 is a certifiably great one: Two complete performances from the Big Rock Pow Wow festival on the Seminole Indian reservation in Hollywood, Florida, May 23 and 24, 1969. If you dig '69 Dead--and let's face it, who doesn't?--then these two sets, spread across three discs, will be right in your wheelhouse. Beautifully recorded by the inimitable Owsley Stanley, aka "Bear," just three months after the amazing Fillmore West shows that gave us Live Dead (and the fantabulous Fillmore West 1969 box and compilation), and a month after the Midwest shows immortalized on Dick's Picks 26, the Big Rock Pow Wow set gives us the ragin' beast that was '69 Dead at its most feral and wild.
Track listing:
Disc 1:
1. Hard To Handle
2. Dark Star
3. St. Stephen
4. The Eleven
5. Turn On Your Lovelight
Disc 2:
1. Introduction
2. Turn On Your Lovelight
3. Doin' That Rag
4. He Was A Friend Of Mine
5. China Cat Sunflower
6. The Eleven
7. Death Don't Have No Mercy
Disc 3:
1. Morning Dew
2. Me and My Uncle
3. Yellow Dog Story
4. Alligator
5. Drums
6. St. Stephen
7. Feedback
8. We Bid You Goodnight

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