Trying to discover a 'best' Grateful Dead performance is, in my view, a forlorn investigation, due to the very nature of the Dead's modus operende. I remeber reading somewhere that after a Cream concert in San Francisco c.1968-9 they had both attended, Micky Hart asked Jerry Garcia 'Are Cream the greatest band in the world?' Jerry replied, 'They are, tonight'. As Kesey once put it, 'The Dead always preach the same sermon', so if their approach connects with you, then it's only a question of degree at any given performance. So, if we leave aside any concepts of 'best', what have we got on this 3 CD set?
First off, we have exemplary sound architecture from Betty Cantor, unlike the anodine mixes we get from Jeffery Norman, who seems to approach the Dead's soundscape from two assumptions, a) The Dead are Garcia's backing band, and, b) they don't really have much of a rhythm section. The fact that the band have two of the greatest drummers of all time, bar no one, and the greatest bassist of all time, seems to escape Norman. Not so with our Betty. At last, the Grateful Dead 'Dragon with matches' is, indeed loose on the town. Thank you Betty.
The music? Well, words like 'astonishing' come to mind, as do phrases such as 'barely belivable'. Straight from the get-go the band is on it, and they don't let up for the entire set. The music comes tumbling out ot them like a cross between a waterfall and a dam breaking free of its confines.
Whilst avoiding any sterile discussion of 'best', this concert is a shining, refracting gem. I my view, anyone who loves music should get this so as to savour it, at their leisure, for years to come.
There really was 'nothing like a Grateful Dead concert', and here is a lovely document of one such precious collection of commited, heartfelt moments. There are, thank God, many such to be had within their unique canon of work, spanning three decades. Thank you, and us, all, wherever you may be; I hope that we will all meet up again in the sweet by-and-by. In the meantime, we can dance a hole right through the floor.
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Cornell 5/8/77
Box Set, Live Album
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Cornell 5/8/77 (Live)
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Vinyl, Box set, 11 May 2018
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Track Listings
Disc: 1
1 | New Minglewood Blues (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
2 | Loser (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
3 | El Paso (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
4 | They Love Each Other (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 5/8/77) |
5 | Jack Straw (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
6 | Deal (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
7 | Lazy Lightning (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
8 | Supplication (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
9 | Brown-Eyed Women (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
10 | Mama Tried (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
11 | Row Jimmy (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
Disc: 2
1 | Dancing in the Street (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
2 | Scarlet Begonias (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
3 | Fire on the Mountain (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
4 | Estimated Prophet (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
Disc: 3
1 | St. Stephen (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
2 | Not Fade Away (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
3 | St. Stephen (II) [Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77] |
4 | Morning Dew (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
5 | One More Saturday Night (Live at Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 5/8/77) |
Product description
3CD set. Remastered in HDCD in 2017, and receiving its first-ever official release! Revered 20-track live performance from Boston in May 1977, just prior to the release of "Terrapin Station". Hailed by fans as one of their greatest-ever shows.
Product details
- Is discontinued by manufacturer : No
- Product Dimensions : 14.1 x 12.6 x 1.19 cm; 113.97 g
- Manufacturer : Rhino
- Manufacturer reference : 0081227942557
- Original Release Date : 2017
- Label : Rhino
- ASIN : B06X3W659N
- Number of discs : 3
- Best Sellers Rank: 40,644 in CDs & Vinyl (See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl)
- 760 in Psychedelic Rock
- 4,577 in Box Sets (CDs & Vinyl)
- Customer reviews:
Customer reviews
4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
948 global ratings
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonTop reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 June 2017
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 May 2024best recording of live dead ever ,(in my humble opoinion ))
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 July 2023From the moment 'New Minglewood Blues' starts till the last note of 'One More Saturday Night' this is perfection,different class,the band all locked in at the same time,in tune with each other and the crowd,yes it is that good.
3 discs , over 2 1/2 hours of music, quite stunning. Sound quality is awesome and if i must pick a 'best bit',then CD 2,from start to finish ... just magnificent,dancing in the street indeed.
Comes in standard fold out digi pak
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 May 2017Only joking! I know Dead fans would sooner cut off their right hands than get rid of a single one. But this really is that good.
It helps that the lineup is my personal favourite as Keith Godcheaux was their best pianist and wife Donna's vocals added a breadth to band's sound. It also helps that it opens with New New Minglewood Blues, one of my favourite tracks. But more than that, the sound really is brilliantly sharp and clear and the performance is one of their best. There's a spark to their playing, a sharpness and dexterity to their interplaying. This is particularly noticeable to me having recently listened to the 21Dead 6 concert radio broadcast box set from 1971.
For me, this refreshes the parts that other Dead shows don't reach. No Dead fan should be without it.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2023Absolutely brilliant!
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 September 2023Okay, the sound quality on this show is superb and some fine performances, mainly on the first set, disc 1.
But whoever it was who started the meme that this is the best show the Grateful Dead ever performed obviously never saw them before the 1975 hiatus, or even could have *heard* live recordings from that era.
Not a single one of the core numbers that helped establish the Dead ~ No Truckin', China>Rider, Playing, The Other One or Dark Star. Several of the jams in this show get stuck into a lacklustre jazz/funk discoDead groove that makes me want to move on to the next track. Dancing, Fire and some of the Not Fade Away jam really had me losing interest.
Want to find the best show they ever did? Try Veneta, Bickershaw, the Lyceum, Watkins Glen, 1969 Fillmore run, 1971 Capitol Theatre run or almost anything they did in the early '70s. Check out the golden year when both Pigpen and Keith were active in the band, and you'll hear how good the Grateful Dead could be when they were truly cooking.
This show? Well, a beautiful recording of a nice average show from the late seventies that has some truly juicy tracks that are definitely worth having, Loser, Jack Straw, Brown Eyed Women, Scarlet, Estimated Prophet, Morning Dew and got me liking Lazy Lightning which I have never rated before, but the greatest show they ever played? Sorry.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 July 2017Everything they say about this gig is true, and more so! I wish I could have been there, but in the absence of time travel and teleportation, this music does the job to make me so glad to have appreciated the Dead over so many years. Such tight playing. Telepathic empathy. Great tunes. One of the best live GD records of all time (along with Live Dead, Sunshine Daydream and Dicks Picks Vol 4).
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 August 2019Rated by fans as both the best and the most overrated concert the band played. If not the best certainly an outstanding set. It was nice to get the official version after all these years (and throw the version I previously had in the bin).
Top reviews from other countries
- MNFReviewed in the United States on 13 February 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best GD live concerts
Great LIve concert
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ManelReviewed in Spain on 6 September 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Gran concierto
Uno de los mejores conciertos de Grateful Dead...
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Charlier AndréReviewed in France on 6 March 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars La musique de ces années là....
Pour être stone !!!!!!!!!le dead dans toute sa splendeur on suit chaque musicien et quel confort d,écoute franchement je suis content d,avoir connu cette époque ah le vieux con ouais mais fier de l,être 👌👌👌👌👌
Charlier AndréLa musique de ces années là....
Reviewed in France on 6 March 2024
Images in this review
- MalbooReviewed in Sweden on 28 October 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Another good live performance from GD
This 3-CD live set is a really good one (the best?). The sound quality is very good too, except for the first track where the vocals are very low. A beautiful package with an informative booklet. Nice to have in a GD collection.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on 8 October 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Value!
Hard to explain how amazing this is. All my friends were like, “where the hell did that come from?”
Went start to finish soon as I opened it, and then did it again. So smooth!