It's so apt that The Wheel would roll into Truckin' that the outro is short but the rest is very nice.

Jerry really mines the changes on this one and pulls out plenty of little gold nuggets (like Coltrane). Good interplay, too. An inspired version.

A cheesy video of this kickass version would have Garcia playing atop a steam locomotive as it barrels down the track.

Incomplete, but what remains is top-notch and essential.

I just gotta nominate this one, that's all.

Excellent. Jerry takes a nice, long and inspired lead that despite going many places never strays from the heart of the tune. Nice pick.

A Playin'>Comes a Time>Playin' sandwich. The jam starts a little pensive, like a door being opened onto a vast empty space, but nice things soon begin to happen. Indeed, there a couple of passages in this one that are just downright excellent.

I was inspired to revisit this version after reading about it on the archive recently and was hoping to read some comments about it here, only to find that it hadn't yet been listed. I had always remembered that the transition back into Playin' was very dramatic, like getting hit by a wave that you never saw coming. I was impressed by Jerry's singing. It seems as though he focuses on it to the point of excluding any flourishes or accents with his guitar, save for the solos of course. But that's okay, as the accompaniment is very tight: you could listen exclusively to any member on this performance and be well-rewarded. I'll only mention Keith by asking, Did he ever sound more like Bill Evans than here, with that crystalline-like sustain and airiness?

I agree, Grendel. Every vintage of the band had its own unique suite of peak-potentials, and this version definitely captures the magic that this vintage could create.

Very, very fine stuff.