''Dave's Picks Volume 23'' is a three-CD live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains the complete concert recorded at

McArthur Court McArthur Court is a basketball arena located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene and the former home of the Oregon Ducks men's and women's basketball teams, replaced in 2011 by Matthew Knight Arena. Also known as "The Pit" or " ...

at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in Eugene, Oregon on January 22, 1978. It was released on August 1, 2017, in a limited edition of 16,500 copies. ''Dave's Picks Volume 23'' was released as a five-disc LP on April 28, 2023, in a limited edition of 5,000 copies.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, Timothy Monger wrote, "Long-running Grateful Dead archival series ''Dave's Picks'' delivers a true gem on ''Vol. 23'', featuring what many die-hard Deadheads claim to be one of the best shows of 1978... Emerging from the wild and jazzy cosmos of 'Space', Garcia and keyboardist Keith Godchaux deftly segue into a particularly spirited 'St. Stephen', which could have easily closed out an already epic show, but instead sets up a relentlessly energetic half-hour finale of 'Not Fade Away', 'Around and Around', and 'U.S. Blues'.... The newly uncovered Betty Cantor-Jackson recordings from this night finally put all the sonic pieces together on this excellent release." In ''Glide Magazine'', Doug Collette said, "... it was during this performance Jerry Garcia quoted the theme of ''

Close Encounters of the Third Kind ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' is a 1977 American science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and François Truffaut. It tells the story ...

''. Titillating but ultimately ephemeral as is that reference, it is representative of the element of surprise pervading this show.... All of which, of course, comes through with equal punch and depth on this recording of Betty Cantor-Jackson’s.... With additional official releases of this era, this period of Grateful Dead history elevates further in their canon of work."

Track listing

Disc 1 :''First set'' #"New Minglewood Blues" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 6:20 #"

Dire Wolf The dire wolf (''Aenocyon dirus'' ) is an extinct canine. It is one of the most famous prehistoric carnivores in North America, along with its extinct competitor ''Smilodon''. The dire wolf lived in the Americas and eastern Asia during the Late ...

" ( Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter) – 4:35 #" Cassidy" ( Bob Weir, John Barlow) – 5:08 #"

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

" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 7:23 #"

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

" (

Marty Robbins Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver. Robbins was one of the most popular and succ ...

) – 5:21 #"Tennessee Jed" (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:06 #"

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 Secretary ...

" (Weir, Hunter) – 6:08 #"Row Jimmy" (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:37 #"The Music Never Stopped" (Weir, Barlow) – 8:08 Disc 2 :''Second set'' #"Bertha" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:52 #"

Good Lovin' "Good Lovin is a song written by Rudy Clark and Arthur Resnick that was a #1 hit single for the Young Rascals in 1966. Original version The song was first recorded by Lemme B. Good (stage name of singer Limmie Snell) in March 1965 and written ...

" (

Rudy Clark Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

Arthur Resnick Arthur Resnick (born 1937) is an American songwriter, record producer and musician. His most successful songs as a writer include " Under the Boardwalk" (co-written with Kenny Young), "Good Lovin'" (co-written with Rudy Clark), and " Yummy Yumm ...

) – 6:26 #"Ship of Fools" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:33 #"

Samson and Delilah Samson and Delilah are Biblical figures. Samson and Delilah may also refer to: In music * ''Samson and Delilah'' (opera), an opera by Camille Saint-Saëns * ''Samson & Delilah'' (album), released in 2013 by V V Brown * "Samson and Delilah" (t ...

" (traditional, arranged by Weir) – 7:48 Disc 3 #"Terrapin Station" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 11:08 #"Drums" > ( Mickey 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 ...

) – 7:51 #"The Other One" > (Weir, Kreutzmann) – 16:57 #"Space" > (Garcia, Phil Lesh, Weir) – 3:52 #" St. Stephen" > (Garcia, Lesh, Hunter) – 7:39 #" Not Fade Away" > (

Norman Petty Norman Petty (May 25, 1927 – August 15, 1984) was an American musician, record producer, publisher, radio station owner, and considered to be one of the founding fathers of early rock & roll. Biography Petty was born in the small town of Clo ...

, Charles Hardin) – 14:09 #"

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 ...

" (

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

) – 8:57 :''Encore'' #

"U.S. Blues" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:53

Personnel

Grateful Dead * Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals *

Donna Jean Godchaux Donna Jean Thatcher Godchaux-MacKay (born August 22, 1947) is an American singer who was a member of the Grateful Dead from 1972 until 1979. Biography Donna Jean Thatcher was born in Florence, Alabama. Prior to 1970, she had worked as a sessi ...

– vocals *

Keith Godchaux Keith Richard Godchaux (July 19, 1948 – July 23, 1980) was a pianist best known for his tenure in the rock group the Grateful Dead from 1971 to 1979. Biography Godchaux was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Concord, California ...

– keyboards * Mickey Hart – drums *

– drums * Phil Lesh – bass, vocals * Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Production *Produced by Grateful Dead *Produced for release by David Lemieux *Mastering: Jeffrey Norman *Recording:

Betty Cantor-Jackson Betty Cantor-Jackson (born 1948) is an American audio engineer and producer. She is best known for her work recording live concerts for the Grateful Dead from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, including the '' Cornell 5/8/77'' album. She is not ...

*Art direction, design: Steve Vance *Cover art: Dave Van Patten *Photos: Bruce Polonsky *Liner notes essay "McArthur Court Is Melting in the Oort: Close Encounters in Eugene": Jesse Jarnow *Executive producer: Mark Pinkus *Associate producers: Doran Tyson, Ivette Ramos *Tape research: Michael Wesley Johnson *Tapes provided through the assistance of ABCD Enterprises, LLC

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2017 live albums 23 Rhino Records live albums