Grateful Dead* – Dick's Picks Volume Four: Fillmore East 2/13-14/70

I'm risking a fight here with Dead Heads, but this release is a little overrated. Maybe that's inevitable. Fillmore East 2/13-14/70 has a reputation as one of the greatest runs ever played by the Grateful Dead, but I've heard better versions of some of these songs, and stronger concerts overall. "Me & My Uncle" zips along nicely but lacks almost any of the intensely quick and fluid Garcia picking that takes the song to another level, and Weir's vocal inflections are missing their usual punch. "Lovelight," despite an enthusiastic audience urging him on, is hampered by a less-than-stellar Pigpen performance. The band, quite honestly, seems to be at a complete loss at one point when Pigpen unceremoniously throws it back into their hands. The list of songs isn't awe-inspiring, either. OK, "Dancing in the Streets" is surprisingly exceptional, but it's not a song that makes indelible Dead memories (when was the last time you heard someone talking about that song as a key part of any show?). Where's the acoustic set with "Friend of the Devil"? What about a kick-ass "St Stephen"? Ok, it's true, "Casey Jones" is an outstanding opener to this volume, albeit a short one. And the "China Cat Sunflower" -- "I Know You Rider" -- "High Time" -- "Dire Wolf" -- "Dark Star" segment is worth the price of admission alone. But discs two and three, in my humble opinion, don't clear the high bar set by those five songs. All in all, I feel the myth of these shows being an absolute early pinnacle for the band turn out to be just that: a myth.

My favorite Grateful Dead release and my favorite NFA and Dark Star!