Bouncy as it is lysergic. Unique phrasing from Jerry. Everybody’s vocals are on. The Rider is some pure country fried jamming if I’ve ever heard it.

This is The Dead at peak performance level. Cataclysmic version. Everyone is ON. Explorative and not a beat missed. Easily top 5 of 69.

Nice early electric version. Always preferred this key for Dire Wolf compared to when they changed it in the later years. Just right. Nice version.

Takes you right to Chicago. Jerry’s playing emulates the blues greats. Hard rocking version that reminds me of a Junior Wells cut. Highly recommend.

Haunting organ playing. Crystalline and psychedelic early version that feels very spacey. Great vocal delivery.

Jerry's tone is near perfection, cuts through the soul with Jerry putting on a relentless clinic of soulful blues licks which a lysergic country twang. The band calmly build and being the perfect backing band for Jerry as he ventures out west. Stunning version.

This is my personal favorite version. Jerry’s solo evoke the feeling of watching an old classic Wild West movie that was filmed in the 1920’s. Some incredibly beautiful American music that channels the pure feeling of being out west and experiencing utter beauty that is the American landscape and geography. Enough propaganda, the thing that interests me most about this version is how interwoven Jerry and Keith are. Especially at the end of the last “Across the Rio Grande”, Jerry and Keith find themselves in the same saloon and have an adventure that’s talked about to this day. Keith and Jerry’s subtle and incredible partnership serves as Jerry’s true springboard and what excited him the most about going out every night and creating memories and lifetimes worth of powerful experiences shared in brotherhood and sisterhood. Vocals 10, Musicianship 10, Soloing 10, Ending jam 10, Vibe 10/10 God bless the Grateful Dead!

THIS is what we call psychedelic blues music. This isn’t nice, this isn’t pretty, this is downright mean, rude and gut punching, and I LOVE IT. Hypersonic blues exploration that takes off at breakneck speed. My favorite interstellar jug band.

This could just be that I'm under the influence, but this moves MUCH faster than any normal Dark Star. The way this Dark Star just moves from one passage to another, flowing seamlessly from meditative monk levels of serenity, to absolute chaos magik never ceases to amaze me. This melts into a witchy wizardy concoction of alchemical weirdness that makes the Dead so great. I used to not be the biggest fan of this version but more and more every time I listen to this iconic version it leaves a new impression on me more and more. I truly love this Dark Star, as much as I love 5/4/72. As much as I love 9/24/72, and the transition into El Paso is as uncanny and comforting as it gets. Weird. Just how I like it.

This is a surprising journey. The transition in AND out of China Doll is stupendously smooth, and specifically those 2 moments of entering in and exiting out of China Doll has some really enticing moments of melodic adventure and spacey cosmic weirdness. Jerry gets intergalactic as he runs up and down the fretboard as if he's making constellations and making it all connect so seamlessly. Great 80s version!