The Grateful Dead - Live at the Cow Palace: New Years Eve 1976

Jerry and his Bean

It's a B Plus show with excellent sound that bumps up it's "star rating". There is a slow jam into a Samson and Delilah like no other and, later, a Morning Dew so good and long that rivals it's 77 iterations.

Jerry plays well overall, and the singing is good, and Phil and Bob are well represented in the mix.

Okay, so I WAS there, and it's a nostalgia show for me, sure enough and that probably did cause me to give it an extra star. I'm ambivalent about 1976 just as the reviews show, but after a slow start the band plays very well. The Good Lovin rocks, the Help on the Way is short but jazzy and leads into a deep Allah flavored space jam that's pretty doggone long.

If you're a deadhead, like me, and I know you are, you will enjoy this show, because it's nothing like that hard rockin 77 sound, more like a 73-74 show, but with that Jerry bending the Travis Bean guitar sound.

So: a B plus show, killer Dew, great sound, Travis Bean era consistently good with A plus nuggets.

May 30, 2008

Grateful sound

Great sound and production. This one will get you up and dancing. The Dead always sound awsome live.I'm Glad I found it. June 12, 2007

Beautiful ending for 1976

First 2007 release of the Grateful Dead (I hope there's more to come). "Live at the Cow Palace" features the complete show The Dead gave on New Year's Eve 1976. Nicely "digipaked", this set also includes a nice booklet with interesting liner notes which focus on (of course) the band, but also on the history of the Cow Palace. These notes point out the bad acoustics of this big hall, but forget about that for this set is beautifuly recorded and the sound quality is simply superb. All the instruments are clearly heard and the sound is certainly warm and tremendously enjoyable.
As for the performance, The Dead were surely inspired that evening. Let's take a brief look at the contents of this 3-cd set.

The first set, as it has happened with The Dead before, proves to be the least interesting. It starts off with "Promised Land", which is nice but doesn't say much. "Bertha" is played more slowly than the classic "Skull and Roses" version. "Mama Tried", in contrast, is played in a more hurried pace than on the aforementioned record. Anyway, there are both nice to hear. "They Love Each Other" proves to be a real treat. It includes a very strong piano solo by Keith Godchaux, and the band sounds very tight. Unfortunately, the results are not the same with "Looks Like Rain", where the group make a couple of easily detectable mistakes, apart from sounding uncomfortable with the song. A nice "Deal" brings the things back together and set the mood for a magnificent "Playing In The Band" which includes, as you can imagine, an extended, pure-beauty jam where everybody flies freely.

1977 started in Winterland with "Sugar Magnolia", and the second CD kicks off. A faster-than-usual and splendid-as-always "Eyes of the World" continues and segues into one of the most wonderful "Wharf Rat" versions I ever heard (a song that is naturally beautiful made even more beautiful. Can you picture that?). After this sonic Eden, we are taken back to reality with some interesting yet more earthy "Good Lovin'" and "Samson and Delilah". "Scarlet Begonias" closes the second CD in its usual relaxed, lovely and cheerful manner.

The last CD takes off with "Around And Around", which usually sounds (to these ears) just plain fair. This version is not the case, embellished with a effective rhythm change in the middle and a fantastic segue into a outstanding "Help On The Way/Slipknot!". Jerry Garcia expands his talent all over, and the band enters into an ethereal landscape where he can speak freely with them in a classic telephatic-empathic-Grateful-Dead-type manner. All this beauty derives in a very short "Drums" and the time comes for a pleasant "Not Fade Away" to distract the listener's mind before a sublime and touching "Morning Dew". "One More Saturday Night" follows and the show finds its proper ending with "Uncle John's Band" (including some usual lyrics confusion) and a simply wonderful "We Bid You Goodnight".
Well, top-notch Dead, warts and all.
A great night of a tremendously talented ensemble.

Post scriptum:
I still can't find the reason for all that detraction against Donna Jean. Go on and loathe her while I enjoy her voice, I don't care. May 29, 2007

Welcome new release from the Dead archive

There was a period in the late 90s up to a few years ago that the Dead released live albums from their rich back catalogue, including the seminole "Dick's Picks" releases. Things have been much quieter in the last 2-3 years. Among other things, the Dead have turned over further releases from their back catalogue to the well-respected Rhino label.

"Live At the Cow Palace, New Year's Eve, 1976" (3CDs, 22 tracks, 191 min.) brings the 12/31/76 show in its entirety, and the band is generally in great doings. Contrary to many other Dead fans, I've always enjoyed the Godchaux era, and this is as good as any from that era. Set one is somewhat slow in building up, but I love the 20+ min. blowout of Playing In the Band. CD2 brings a great Sugar Magnolia>Eyes of the World>Wharf Rat>Good Loving, but the real jewel on this set is CD3, with a great Slipknot!>Drums>Not Fade Away. Uncle John's Band in the encore is the cherry on top of the cake. Just an great evening of great music all around.

I have usually been impressed with the job Rhino has done with reissued and back catalogue issues, and they don't disappointed me here. Excellent packaging, great liner notes, pictures, it's all here. Bottom line: is this an "essential" live recording in the Dead's output? Probably not, but it certainly is a most enjoyable and welcome addition to the live catalogue of the Dead. May 20, 2007

Love it

I am not a dead head fan...but like alot of their music...This is the best.Purchased for my husbands birthday!! Made him very happy.
We love it around here.I think its well worth the money spent.
May 19, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...