To put this in perspective - as the title notes, this is a STUDIO REHEARSAL with Keith Godchaux, His first show with the Dead was less than 3 weeks away - on October 19, 1971. That show featured the following "firsts": Tennessee Jed, Jack Straw, Mexicali Blues, Comes A Time, Saturday Night, and Ramble On Rose.
This rehearsal tape features three of those classics (JS, TJ, and MB).
If you love the Grateful Dead, and appreciate their history, this recording should bring joy to your heart.

Truckin' Is Nice After The Sound Adjustments. Interesting For The Organ Work. Kieth Has A Bit Of A The Band's Garth Hudson Quality To His Playing. Would Have Been Nice To Hear A Little More Of In Later Years. No Rating. It's A Rehearsal.

considered the request to "turn up the whole goddam microphone" after that, it sounds wonderful

About the 40 sec mark in track #10 it sounds like Garcia asking, "any more beer back there?" That would be incongruent with most accounts of Jerry, no?

Deadheads: SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A) They don't need your help, they're an awesome band WITHOUT YOU.

B) This recording sounds like crap. The guy who said there's nothing interesting here is RIGHT, because he's talking about listening to music, not worshipping scripture on his knees. You literally cannot get through 30 seconds of this with an open ear.

One star for the defensive reviews, never mind the recording.

Anybody who has played music with others can tell you that rehearsals are extremely important. At this point in their musical journey, the Dead are coming off an 8 month stint where the original 5 got to get very tight incorporating a wealth of new material. But Pig Pen's health became an issue and the band wanted the texture of keyboards to continue to be part of their sound. In rehearsals are where band members really learn each others tendencies and habits. It's where blending and bonding as an ensemble occurs. No, there are no far flung, exploratory jams here; those will come once the band hits the road. What we get here is the groundwork being laid -- musicians learning how to play together. It is a neat look inside the creative process. Those who have played music with others can appreciate what went on in these sessions. 3 stars simply to give it something.

this is the question uncreative people ask to take the piss out of art and basically anything they don't immiediately recognize or understand. maybe you want to be on the dave matthews archive if you have to ask souless questions like that. no rating because that just encourages pointless discourse. it's the dead, you arent able to rate them.

I've only listened to the first track China-Rider and it sounds very good IMHO with tasty organ being played a little low in the mix. Did Kieth audition on organ??? This is definitly worth checking out. Aloha and many heartfelt thanks to all who have made this and all the rest available. 50 yr old kid in GD candy store signing off.

If it's true that there's "nothing special" here, that in and of itself seems a wee bit interesting, to me - previous comments seem to have missed the fact that this rehearsal was at the very least a significant step in a major decisive moment for the band - one fundamentally affecting their sound overall, for the next decade or so!

The process I am refering to if anyone is truly "in the dark" (heheh) is the outcome of the boys coming to the conclusion that they were needing another keyboard player. The fact that it seems Keith is playing the organ here, and you'll scarcely here an entire set of organ from Keith in the whole 10 or so years of his membership in the good ol' GD, is sorta intriguing - I mean, gosh, there are endless repetitions of song sequences, similar notes and rhythms emerging out of the "never the same song twice" shows on this archive - and I'm not complaining!

Did anyone notice the early (i.e. subsequently scratched) lyrics to Tenessee Jed?? I would be surprised if they're not recorded, in sound and/or writing, elsewhere, but none the less I can't recall ever encountering them in the 3 decades + I've been a "Deadicated" head.

there are no great jams on here, everything is a studio rehersal - mostly pretty cut-and-dry versions of the songs here. There are issues with tape speed throughout, creating some really messy moments. Nothing all that intriguing here.

2 stars for sound issues and the lack of anything interesting

and wheres bobby mcgee? thank you deadbase .