Dick's Picks, Vol. 10: Winterland, San Francisco, CA, 12/29/77 [Live]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Here's one for the ages, the type of vibrant show that helped foster the Grateful Dead's reputation as the preeminent live band. To many, the year 1977 marked a peak in the band's history, the point when all of their disparate influences came together to form the most powerful whole, an arresting blend of musicality and sheer force. This show comes from their year-end run at San Francisco's Winterland and it was a fitting conclusion to a triumphant year. Deep into their second decade, the Dead have something to prove here at this particularly intense show. Jerry Garcia's playing is fresh and inventive, the drums fierce, the various cogs in perfect harmony. That's not to say they lost all subtlety: listen how Garcia craftily begins his solo in the lower register on "They Love Each Other," how Bob Weir and Donna Godcheaux harmonize sweetly on "Looks Like Rain," and how the band bring things way down on the fragile ballad "China Doll" only to return to the stratosphere moments later. And Garcia's voice had taken on just a hint of creakiness that made it more expressive than it had ever been. Still, this night will be remembered for the wall-shaking intensity found in spots like the second-set-opening "Bertha"/"Good Lovin'" medley and the crescendo to end the fan-favorite coupling of "China Cat Sunflower" (played this night for the first time in three years) and "I Know You Rider." At the end, they return to their bread-and-butter boogie on "Not Fade Away" before signing off with two encores: a majestic "Terrapin Station" and a rousing "Johnny B. Goode," the latter a telling reminder that they were, after all, just a good old rock & roll band. --Marc Greilsamer

Tracks:

Jack Straw (7:06)
They Love Each Other (7:45)
Mama Tried (3:49)
Loser (8:30)
Looks Like Rain (8:39)
Tennessee Jed (9:09)
New Minglewood Blues (6:05)
Sugaree (14:19)
Promised Land (4:35)

Tracks:

Bertha (7:21)
Good Lovin' (6:51)
Playing In The Band (15:48)
China Cat Sunflower (5:39)
I Know You Rider (5:27)
China Doll (7:24)
Playing Jam (1:40)
Drums (2:39)
Not Fade Away (10:05)
Playing In The Band (4:48)

Tracks:

Terrapin Station (10:29)
Johnny B. Goode (4:34)
Estimated Prophet (10:47)
Eyes Of The World (15:25)
St. Stephen (9:18)
Sugar Magnolia (9:53)

Amazon.com

Here's one for the ages, the type of vibrant show that helped foster the Grateful Dead's reputation as the preeminent live band. To many, the year 1977 marked a peak in the band's history, the point when all of their disparate influences came together to form the most powerful whole, an arresting blend of musicality and sheer force. This show comes from their year-end run at San Francisco's Winterland and it was a fitting conclusion to a triumphant year. Deep into their second decade, the Dead have something to prove here at this particularly intense show. Jerry Garcia's playing is fresh and inventive, the drums fierce, the various cogs in perfect harmony. That's not to say they lost all subtlety: listen how Garcia craftily begins his solo in the lower register on "They Love Each Other," how Bob Weir and Donna Godcheaux harmonize sweetly on "Looks Like Rain," and how the band bring things way down on the fragile ballad "China Doll" only to return to the stratosphere moments later. And Garcia's voice had taken on just a hint of creakiness that made it more expressive than it had ever been. Still, this night will be remembered for the wall-shaking intensity found in spots like the second-set-opening "Bertha"/"Good Lovin'" medley and the crescendo to end the fan-favorite coupling of "China Cat Sunflower" (played this night for the first time in three years) and "I Know You Rider." At the end, they return to their bread-and-butter boogie on "Not Fade Away" before signing off with two encores: a majestic "Terrapin Station" and a rousing "Johnny B. Goode," the latter a telling reminder that they were, after all, just a good old rock & roll band. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

The Grateful Dead for Beginners: A User's Guide.......2007-03-08

This Pick would be the ideal show to select (of the officially released live recordings anyway) to break someone else in to The Dead. To introduce them to the world of the Dead, so to speak. Why? Because while this is one very well played, and at times intense, performance, it is also a very accessible show. It is certainly more "beginner-friendly" than any of the picks from the 73-74 period, or even the easygoing shows of the 70-Euro 72 era.

I'd agree with the previous reviewer's comment that much of the show sounds like a typical first set for the band, in that it was much more song oriented than it was jam oriented (although there are some great jams included, such as the PITB>CHINA CAT>RIDER>CHINA DOLL>PITB and a wonderful Terrapin Station, as well as a beautiful Eyes of the World added from the next night's performance). And The Dead's first sets were notorious for their easy-going vibe resulting from the usually country-rock-blues flavor of the usual first set selections. Most Deadheads considered the first set as the perfect warm-up for what was to come in the dark, spaced out, and even mystical, marathons that comprised the second sets.

But this is still "The Good Ol' Grateful Dead", just a much more rocking and rolling version as by this point, they were very well dialed in to yet another phase/stage of their art and were putting the finishing touches on to perhaps their most magical year, 1977.

The Just Exactly Perfect Brothers, a mainstream Dead.......2005-03-20

Faced with all the rave reviews, I figured I couldn't go wrong -- after all, Bobby opens the show by saying the band is going to "play everything just exactly perfect, on account of our new name is the Just Exactly Perfect Brothers Band." But I have to offer a different take on this one. Yes, it's energetic, but to my ears the magic is missing. It sounds like an AOR mainstream version of the Dead. It's not bad, but it's not what I am seeking in the music of the Dead, not what they are capable of at their best. Even when jamming (and there are no spectacularly long improvised jams here), the whole show sounds like a first set. I haven't heard much '77 Dead, but if this is indicative, I can't join those who say it was of the band's best periods.

For better Picks, see my reviews of DP16 (1969), DP4 & DP8 (1970), DP23 (1972), and DP19 (1973). DP31 (1974) is outstanding as well, but as of yet is only available direct from the Dead. For more, see my complete lists of Dead recordings on this site for 1968/9 (PRANKSTERS & OTHER ONES), 1970-1972 (COSMIC COWBOYS), 1973/4 (EYES OF THE WORLD), and 1975-1977 (ESTIMATED PROPHETS).

Holy Moly!!!!.......2005-02-24

A five star rating would be granted only if I were present, in the flesh, at this incredible '77 show (it was a very good year...). Every performance is epic in an of itself. If there were only one Dead album I had on my shelf, this would have to be the one!!! I've heard some wierd stuff about this show changing people's lives. I can almost buy into it....almost...

If '77 is yer favorite Dead year, boooooy oh boy..........2004-10-08

Pure power. Seamless transition. A complete musical group-mind. All the pieces were in place a few days after Christmas in 1977, and the Dead were at their home, the Winterland in San Fran.

The rest is history.

In the annals of live Dead shows, this one is truly memorable. From the very first note, everyone is in peak form. Jerry's not stumbling on leads out of the gate, Bob isn't forgetting any words, and it seems even Donna is singing in tune consistently.

But it's the second set re-emergence of "China Cat Sunflower," in the middle of a mind-melting "Playing in the Band" that really cements this as a classic set. They hadn't played "China" in 3 years, and suddenly it emerges. You can hear people in the audience literally freaking out.

Obviously, this album is for Dead freaks like myself, but if you're looking for a totally solid live recording of them, this is a great place to start. Very little pretentiousness, mostly meat and hardly and filler. This is the sound of a rock band that had transformed itself into a psychedelic hurricane, unleashed on the California coast.

Passionate.......2004-08-19

This show is about passion and energy, not subtilty or nuance. Not that there is'nt any delicate playing on this cd but the energy level which the Dead achieve at peak moments is as close to heavy metal as they ever got. Jerry almost loses it when he screams the chorus for "I Know You Rider" The band gets so caught up in the energy that they nearly burst apart. I can't imagine what it was like in the audience but I'd hazard to guess that it was an unforgettable if not life changing event. This is one of the most intense sets by the Dead they've ever released and is filled with a fire and passion that warrants their reputation as one of the great rock live acts. The Dead were really feeling their oats during this show, rolling thunder indeed. The extra tracks on CD 3 from the following night are equally as impassioned. Great Dick's Pick, one of the best.

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