Dick's Picks Volume 4
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''Dick's Picks Volume 4'' is the fourth
live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
in the
Dick's Picks The discography of the rock band the Grateful Dead includes more than 200 albums, the majority of them recorded live in concert. The band has also released more than two dozen singles and a number of videos. The Grateful Dead formed in the Sa ...
series of releases by the
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...
. It was recorded on February 13 and February 14, 1970, at the
Fillmore East The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the (at the time) Lower East Side neighborhood, now called the East Village neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan of New York City. ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and released in February 1996. It was the first of the Dick's Picks CDs to have three discs. It was also the first Dead album to include the song "Mason's Children". ''Dick's Picks Volume 4'' was the second album of live material from the 2/13/70 and 2/14/70 concerts. The first was ''
History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear's Choice) ''History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear's Choice)'' is a live album by the Grateful Dead. It is their fourth live album and their ninth album overall. Released in July 1973 on Warner Bros. Records, it offers concert highlights recorde ...
'', which was released in 1973. The Grateful Dead played three sets of music at each of these concerts — a relatively short electric set, an acoustic set, and another, longer electric set, followed by an encore. ''Dick's Picks Volume 4'' contains the complete third sets of both shows, plus two additional songs.


The Fillmore East shows

On February 11, 13, and 14, 1970, the Grateful Dead — along with the
Allman Brothers Band Allman may refer to: Music *The Allman Brothers Band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame southern rock band, formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Allman Joys, an early band formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Gregg Allman Band People *Allman (surname) ...
and
Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
— performed at Bill Graham's Fillmore East auditorium in New York City. The February 13 and February 14 Dead shows were widely regarded as among the band's best concerts, even before the release of ''Dick's Picks Volume 4''. In addition to the evidence offered by ''Bear's Choice'', high quality soundboard bootlegs of the concerts had been in circulation for quite some time. In a 1993 poll of Grateful Dead tape traders, based on the concert recordings then in circulation, the 2/13/70 show was ranked #2 on the list of all-time favorite Dead tapes, and 2/14/70 was #17. (The May 8, 1977, concert at
Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
's
Barton Hall Barton Hall is an on-campus field house on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It is the site of the school's indoor track facilities, ROTC offices and classes, and Cornell Police. For a long time, Barton Hall was the largest ...
received the top ranking.) The same poll rated the 2/13/70 versions of " Dark Star", "The Other One", and "
Turn On Your Love Light "Turn On Your Love Light" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961. It was both an important R&B and pop chart hit for Bland and has become one of his most identifiable songs. A variety of artists have recorded it, including th ...
" as the best ever. (The "Dark Star" played on August 27, 1972, in Veneta, Oregon, was ranked #2. The February 27, 1969, version from the Fillmore West, included in ''
Live/Dead ''Live/Dead'' is the first official live album released by the rock band Grateful Dead. Recorded over a series of concerts in early 1969 and released later the same year, it was the first live rock album to use 16-track recording. In 2005 the tr ...
'', was #9.) Selections from the Allman Brothers Band's performances at this set of concerts were released as the album '' Fillmore East, February 1970''.


Enclosure and liner notes

''Dick's Picks Volume 4'' is the first release in the series to include an enclosure. Consisting of a single sheet of paper folded into thirds, it is six pages long and about the same size as the CD case. The front page duplicates the cover of the CD and the back shows a photo of the venue. On the inside, the first page lists the contents of and credits for the release and next to that is a full-page black-and-white photograph of the band performing. The last two pages contain liner notes.


Liner notes by Bear

The liner notes were written by Owsley "Bear" Stanley, who recorded the show. This short essay briefly reviews the place these shows hold in the band's history and spends some time discussing the sound equipment the band used at the time. Bear writes that the PA system "worked pretty well most of the time" but that "Monitors continued to be a vexation until 1978." He goes on to describe the system used for the shows in some detail to "help those technically inclined to understand why this recording sounds the way it does." Following these technical notes, the author goes on to make some personal observations, noting that "Taping was just something that I always did and the performance was always more important than getting the tape right." He then mentions that the Allman Brothers also played during these shows, and "Everyone was having a real good time." Bear closes with some nostalgic musings, stating that "Listening to these tapes again after so many years was a real treat for me, remembering what a good time we all had in those early days of youth and hijinks."


Critical reception

''Dick's Picks Volume 4'' received a rating of five stars out of five from ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', ''The Music Box'' magazine, and
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 databas ...
.
Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
of ''Rolling Stone'' wrote, "But when the early Dead were at their best, few American bands were better in concert. Exhibit A is ''Volume Four'', which culls highlights from two masterly 1970 performances at the Fillmore East. Here the full range of the band's arsenal is represented: the luminous ' Dark Star', a raging ' Not Fade Away', the sheer nastiness of McKernan on his showpiece, '
Turn On Your Love Light "Turn On Your Love Light" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961. It was both an important R&B and pop chart hit for Bland and has become one of his most identifiable songs. A variety of artists have recorded it, including th ...
'." In ''The Music Box'', John Metzger said, "I don't think I need to tell anyone about the performance of the Grateful Dead on February 13 – 14, 1970, as these have long been fan favorites.... If you have never heard the February 13 performance of Dark Star / That's It for the Other One / Lovelight, you must be living in a cave or have never seen the Grateful Dead. It's one of the most amazing performances they ever did. Over 90 minutes of pure bliss that is sure to convert the unconverted." William Ruhlmann of
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 databas ...
wrote, "It isn't just the set list that makes this a legendary show, it's the playing: amazing interaction among the players on every song, with Garcia noodling his way to nirvana. While it would be an exaggeration to say that if you own this three-CD, three-hour-and-ten-minute album you have all you need of the Grateful Dead on disc, the overstatement is only slight." On Jambands.com, Dan Alford wrote, "This performance really needs no introduction; it's one of the most famous two night stands in the Grateful Dead's history, and if you don't think 5/8/77 is the best GD performance, it's possible you think 2/13/70 is.... Easily one of the best moments of the 30 year trip."


''Grayfolded''

Over 14 minutes of the 2/13/70 version of "Dark Star" was included on the Grateful Dead / John Oswald
plunderphonics Plunderphonics is a music genre in which tracks are constructed by sampling recognizable musical works. The term was coined by composer John Oswald in 1985 in his essay "Plunderphonics, or Audio Piracy as a Compositional Prerogative", and even ...
collaboration project ''
Grayfolded ''Grayfolded'' is a two-CD album produced by John Oswald featuring new edits and re-mixes of the Grateful Dead song " Dark Star". Using over a hundred different performances of the song, recorded live between 1968 and 1993, Oswald, using a proce ...
''. The section of music used was the jam in between the first and second verse, affectionately called the "Feelin' Groovy Jam" by Deadheads, because of the musical similarity to
Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...
's "
The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" is a song by folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon and included on their 1966 album '' Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme''. Its name is based on the 59th Street Bridge (formally know ...
". The section of ''Grayfolded'' where this can be found is on Disc 2, track 2 called "73rd Star Bridge Sonata".


Set lists

The concert set lists for the 2/13/70 and 2/14/70 shows at the Fillmore East were:Scott, John W; Dolgushkin, Mike; Nixon, Stu. ''DeadBase XI: The Complete Guide to Grateful Dead Song Lists'', 1999, DeadBase, , p. 14 *February 13, 1970 **Early show: "Cold Rain and Snow", "Beat It On Down The Line", "Good Lovin'", "Mama Tried" → "Black Peter", "Hard To Handle", "St. Stephen" → "Not Fade Away", "Casey Jones" **First set (electric): "China Cat Sunflower" → "I Know You Rider", "Me and My Uncle", "Dire Wolf", "
Smokestack Lightning "Smokestack Lightning" (also "Smoke Stack Lightning" or "Smokestack Lightnin'") is a blues song recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1956. It became one of his most popular and influential songs. It is based on earlier blues songs, and numerous artists ...
" /sup> **Second set (acoustic): "The Monkey and the Engineer", "Sadie", "
Wake Up Little Susie "Wake Up Little Susie" is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957. The song is best known in a recording by the Everly Brothers, issued by Cadence Records as catalog number 1337. The Everly Brothers record r ...
" /sup>, "Black Peter" /sup>, "
Uncle John's Band "Uncle John's Band" is a song by the Grateful Dead that first appeared in their concert setlists in late 1969. The band recorded it for their 1970 album ''Workingman's Dead''. Written by guitarist Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter (lyrici ...
", "Katie Mae" /sup> **Third set (electric): "Dark Star" /sup> → "That's It for the Other One" /sup> → "Turn On Your Love Light" /sup> **Encore: "We Bid You Goodnight" *February 14, 1970 **Early show: "Cold Rain and Snow", "Dark Star" /sup> > "St. Stephen" → "The Eleven" → "Turn On Your Lovelight" **First set (electric): "Casey Jones" /sup>, "Mama Tried", "Hard to Handle" /sup> **Second set (acoustic): "The Monkey and the Engineer", "Dark Hollow" /sup>, "I've Been All Around this World" /sup>, "Wake Up Little Susie", "Black Peter", "Uncle John's Band", "Katie Mae" **Third set (electric): "Dancing in the Street" /sup>, "China Cat Sunflower" /sup> → "I Know You Rider" /sup> > "High Time" /sup>, "Dire Wolf" /sup>, "Alligator" /sup> > "Drums" /sup> → "Me and My Uncle" /sup> → "Not Fade Away" /sup> → "Mason's Children" /sup> → "Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)" /sup> → "Feedback" /sup> **Encore: "We Bid You Goodnight" /sup> /sup> appears on ''Dick's Picks Volume 4''
/sup> appears on '' Bear's Choice''
/sup> appears on ''
Long Strange Trip ''Long Strange Trip'' is a 2017 American documentary film about the rock band the Grateful Dead. It premiered on January 23, 2017, at the Sundance Film Festival. It had a one-night only nationwide screening on May 25, 2017, and a week-long limite ...
''


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 contrac ...
" label, advising the listener of the sound quality of the recording. The label for ''Volume 4'' reads: "This compact disc has been digitally remastered directly from the original half track 7 ips analog tape. It is a snapshot of history, not a modern professional recording, and may therefore exhibit some technical anomalies and the unavoidable effects of the ravages of time."


Track listing

Disc one ''February 14 – first set:'' #Introduction by Zacherle – 1:51 #"
Casey Jones John Luther "Casey" Jones (March 14, 1863 – April 30, 1900) was an American railroader who was killed when his passenger train collided with a stalled freight train at Vaughan, Mississippi. Jones was a locomotive engineer for the Illinois Ce ...
" ( Garcia,
Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
) – 4:29 ''February 14 – third set:'' #
  • "
    Dancing in the Street "Dancing in the Street" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter. It first became popular in 1964 when recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas whose version reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...
    " ( Stevenson, Gaye, I. Hunter) – 9:30 #"
    China Cat Sunflower "China Cat Sunflower" is a song performed by the Grateful Dead which was first recorded for their third studio album ''Aoxomoxoa''. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and the music composed by Jerry Garcia. The song was typically sung by J ...
    " (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:09 → #"
    I Know You Rider "I Know You Rider" (also "Woman Blues" and "I Know My Rider") is a traditional blues song that has been adapted by numerous artists. Modern versions can be traced back to Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Deceitful Brownskin Blues", which was released as ...
    " (traditional) – 5:04 → #"High Time" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:51 #"
    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 Lat ...
    " (Garcia, Hunter) – 4:23 ''February 13 – third set:'' #
  • " Dark Star" (Garcia,
    Hart Hart often refers to: * Hart (deer) Hart may also refer to: Organizations * Hart Racing Engines, a former Formula One engine manufacturer * Hart Skis, US ski manufacturer * Hart Stores, a Canadian chain of department stores * Hart's Reptile W ...
    , Kreutzmann,
    Lesh Lesh is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Fyodor Lesh (1840 - 1903), physician * Pavel Lesh (1887 - 1915), sport shooter * Phil Lesh (born 1940), musician * Richard Lesh, professor * Ulysses Samuel ...
    , McKernan,
    Weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
    , Hunter) – 29:41 → Disc two ''February 13 – third set, continued:'' #" That's It for the Other One" (Grateful Dead) – 30:07 → #"
    Turn On Your Love Light "Turn On Your Love Light" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961. It was both an important R&B and pop chart hit for Bland and has become one of his most identifiable songs. A variety of artists have recorded it, including th ...
    " (Malone, Scott) – 30:27 Disc three ''February 14 – third set, continued:'' #"Alligator" (Lesh, McKernan, Hunter) – 3:55 → #"Drums" (Hart, Kreutzmann) – 12:31 → #" Me and My Uncle" ( Phillips) – 3:14 → #" Not Fade Away" ( Hardin,
    Petty Petty may refer to: People * Bruce Petty (born 1929), Australian political satirist and cartoonist * Bryce Petty (born 1991), American football player * Dini Petty (born 1945), Canadian television and radio host * Eric D. Petty (born 1954), Amer ...
    ) – 13:56 → #"Mason's Children" (Garcia, Lesh, Weir, Hunter) – 3:53 → #"Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)" (Grateful Dead) – 14:25 → #"Feedback" (Grateful Dead) – 8:40 → #"We Bid You Goodnight" (traditional) – 2:00


    Personnel

    Grateful Dead *
    Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...
    -
    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 act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
    *
    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 ...
    -
    drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
    *
    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 ...
    - drums *
    Phil Lesh Philip Chapman Lesh (born March 15, 1940) is an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career. After the band's disbanding in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of ...
    -
    electric bass The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck The ...
    , vocals *
    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 band the Grateful Dead and played in the group from 1965 to 1972. McKernan grew up he ...
    -
    organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
    ,
    percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
    , 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 ...
    -
    guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
    , vocals Production *
    Owsley Stanley Augustus Owsley Stanley III (January 19, 1935 – March 12, 2011) was an American-Australian audio engineer and clandestine chemist. He was a key figure in the San Francisco Bay Area hippie movement during the 1960s and played a pivotal role ...
    - recording *
    Dick Latvala Dick Latvala (26 July 1943 – 6 August 1999) was an American tape archivist for the Grateful Dead. He started the CD series ''Dick's Picks'', a series that selects live music from Grateful Dead concerts. The first volume of ''Dick's Picks'' w ...
    - tape archivist *Jeffrey Norman - CD mastering *Amalie R. Rothschild - photography *Gecko Graphics - design *Bear (
    Owsley Stanley Augustus Owsley Stanley III (January 19, 1935 – March 12, 2011) was an American-Australian audio engineer and clandestine chemist. He was a key figure in the San Francisco Bay Area hippie movement during the 1960s and played a pivotal role ...
    ) - liner notes


    Notes

    {{Authority control 04 Live at the Fillmore East albums 1996 live albums