Dick's Picks, Vol. 15: Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ, 9/3/77 [Live]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A Dead show from 1977, Volume 15 of the Dick's Picks live series documents a high-energy affair that delighted 100,000 folks at a New Jersey racetrack. While the routine set list won't turn any heads--the same tunes could've been heard in much the same order 15 years later--the band produces a rather strong effort all the way through. Of particular note are the sharp readings of "Half-Step" and "Music Never Stopped" from the opening set, and the incredibly rousing finale of "Not Fade Away," "Truckin'," and "Terrapin." --Marc Greilsamer

Tracks:

Introduction
Promised Land
They Love Each Other
Me & My Uncle
Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
Looks Like Rain
Peggy-O
New Minglewood Blues
Friend Of The Devil
The Music Never Stopped

Tracks:

Bertha
Good Lovin'
Loser
Estimated Prophet
Eyes Of The World
Samson And Delilah

Tracks:

He's Gone
Not Fade Away
Truckin'
Terrapin Station

Amazon.com

A Dead show from 1977, Volume 15 of the Dick's Picks live series documents a high-energy affair that delighted 100,000 folks at a New Jersey racetrack. While the routine set list won't turn any heads--the same tunes could've been heard in much the same order 15 years later--the band produces a rather strong effort all the way through. Of particular note are the sharp readings of "Half-Step" and "Music Never Stopped" from the opening set, and the incredibly rousing finale of "Not Fade Away," "Truckin'," and "Terrapin." --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

This Set has the Best Version of Eyes of the World. .......2006-11-07

I am going to order this CD right away. I am reviewing it first, because I had this bootleg in college (1986-1990), and the version of Eyes of the World on it is the best version of it I have heard, live or on tape. It has a long jazzy guitar solo and just replaying it in my head brings back memories. We used to play Frisbee to it on sunny spring days at Princeton, and I am psyched to relive that memory because I don't have the tape any more!

bringing back the memories.......2006-08-11

Wow. did not know this was available. i was 16 at the time and lived in the area. under strict orders from our parents NOT to go near the place,my two girlfriends&I rode our bikes there.as we were passing people in cars stuck in traffic we had offers to trade our bikes for their cars! we hid them in the woods across the street & walked over to the crowd. the concert area was surrounded with trailers with security walking around on top of them. we went to a quieter area & security guy asked if we had a cigerette, we said yes but he had to let us in, and he did!!!also,some of my friends were working the consessions so we got free drinks and food. what a day, it was worth the month of being gounded. can't wait to share this cd with my 2 girlfriends, who also were grounded for a month and who i still speak to after all these years (almost 30 years!).

Since the End is Never Told.......2006-06-06

What a great all around show! I bought this back when it first came out, back then I was buying up the Dick's Picks as fast as they came. Now that I've entered the ipod era, it's nice to dig through the archives, pick out an old dick's pick at random and listen to it begining to end over the course of a couple of days of commuting and errands.

Can't go wrong with this one. First off, 1977, a great year for the Dead. Then you have a great show, all around high energy. I agree with other reviewers about the overall high quality of Jerry solos on this night, this is a show you can play with pride in front of fellow heads or critics.

The first set culminates with the best Peggy-O I've heard, then a nice Minglewood Blues, Friend of the Devil, and a high quality Music Never Stopped. The second set is great all-around, but particularly a great Eyes of the World. It silly to rank the different versions of these songs, but I'll go on the record as saying this Eyes of the World will be in anyone's top five.

Then comes the encore: Terrapin. Beautiful. Melty. Bewitching. Prodigious. Terrapin is a special song for me, with magical memories, well-cocooned in another times forgotten space, out-of-reach but I know they're good. I only saw the Grateful Dead live 15 times or so, but I got three shows with Terrapin, including my first and my last. No matter what mood I'm in, those relaxed opening cords instantly snap me out of it.

...if you get confused just listen to the music play...

Epic '77 show? Nuf Said.......2006-03-22

Songs that I don't even usually like I seem to be digging the most. Archive.org took this show off (as well as other DP shows) but sugarmegs.org has still got this one streaming on there. For those of you who cannot afford the 20-30 bucks for the cds you should head over there quick before they try to take it off of there too. Archive has still got about 15-20 May '77 shows that rank in the same league as this one (5/7,8&9 especially) as the best shows from their best year.

Grateful Dead - Englishtown, NJ 9/3/77.......2006-03-22

Dick's Picks Volume 15

People reviewing this Pick have said again and again, and I totally agree: most of these songs are simply brimming with energy, and it really makes the concert shine. I can't say if this is the "best" of the Dick's Picks series, but it's definitely an excellent choice if you want to hear the Dead in their much-lauded '77 form. There are some real gems here.

CD One opens with a band introduction, and the sound of people in the audience going nuts. There were over 100,000 people at this concert. All of the songs on this disc are strong, my favorites being: They Love Each Other, Mississippi Helf-Step, New Minglewood Blues, The Music Never Stopped - all awesome, and of course the prettiest song ever, and my favorite song on this Pick, Peggy-O. The version of Friend of the Devil is different than what I'm used to, but still very enjoyable.

CD Two opens with Bertha and flows into a slightly tame version of Good Lovin'. I love the direction Pigpen used to take this song in concert, and his guidance is obviously missing here. Loser is very good, and Jerry gets a great effect with the use of harmonics in the solo. Then there's Estimated Prophet, Eyes of the World, and Samson & Delilah, which make this cd for me. All three are awesome. The energy Bob lets out in his singing (even with a few mess-ups) in Samson & Delilah, and the solos, make it my favorite of the disc.

The fist half of CD Three is kind of disappointing for me. He's Gone and Not Fade Away are two of my all-time favorites, and they are two of my least-favorite songs on this recording. Many will probably not agree with me on this. For all the energy this concert has, it just seems to lack here. I really just like the older versions much better. Rockin' the Rhein is my benchmark right now for both songs, and these versions don't even come close to those. Fortunately, Truckin' comes along and redeems the cd (you can hear the crowd going INSANE), and an excellent Terrapin Station closes the show as an encore.

I do have a few gripes. First, Donna's singing. I never liked it that much. She does some weird things with her voice sometimes, and other times she can be the perfect compliment for a song. I dunno.
Second, like I mentioned before, are the renditions of some of their staple songs, two of which are favorites of mine. Two work, and two are boring.
Third is the mix. I realize that this is a live recording and it's not going to be perfect, but when they remastered the recording I think they could've brought out the drums a little more and brought out the top end or something - the sound just seems a little dull. Not bad, just a little dull.

The case design and liner notes are good. I like the graphics on this series of Picks. The liner notes contain a picture of the band playing at the concert, a view of the entire crowd at the show (100,000+ people), and a reprint of an article that ran in the Asbury Park Press on 9/6/77 by a college student who attended the concert. Very nice touch.

That's pretty much it. Dick's Picks 15 is a very good choice if you're into the Dead's '77 era sound, or even if you're not. '77 is not my favorite era - I prefer '72 and earlier, but don't let that turn you away from this recording. I listen to it all the time. The musicianship here is excellent, and you can hear the energy flowing from both the band and the audience.

A solid pick. Highly recommended - 4 stars.

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