At :30 Pig switches from tambourine to organ and we're off! These early '71 performances showcase Kreutzmann reveling in sweet space. Driving.

A delicate, tight, searching super early version of a staple. Kruetzmann plays it light and springy and that 1971 Lesh caramel bass guitar!

If you know this smooth customer of a show, you know how drynamic [yes, I typed that] and user friendly this TJ is. An always welcome visitor.

Few things better than a June '76 Sugaree. Garcia with the first Travis Bean just sketches with the lightest, barest of precious metal filaments.

Summer '72 Jed: Sweet dynamics & precision engineering. Weir & Kreutzmann stir it up during Garcia's guitar break.

Monster show - this Lost Sailor/Saint might be the standard bearer. Played with a deft, light touch, which isn't always the case, but LS/S benefits; a lost, melancholy mood is created. That it comes out of a great Playin'>Crazy Fingers doesn't hurt any. Weir repeating words is funny & kind of cool. Seems like he's playing a character, which works like gangbusters in this instance. Never a huge Saint fan (mainly b/c it can be a huge mess), but this one cruises!

What this version lacks in '72-'73 space program atmospherics, it makes up for in silkiness. At this stage, the band was so fully realized and cohesive, the emotional pull of this song pushes the band to investigate every corner and dark cave. The vocals are great and the dynamic shifts are effortless - no mean feat for a group w/2 drummers. That's why the May '77 run is so beloved. That and this is Godchaux's last full run of greatness. He's perfect here.

Garcia in full Bakersfield flower. Love these 1972 Mexicalis.

One of those entries where Garcia practically sounds like he's edging the guitar toward steel guitar country. A stylish, full-throated rendition here.

Stately opening - group is playing like they have all the time in the world. And if you've ever seen picture of the inside of the Rheinhalle, you can understand the floating sensation of plying your craft in such a breathtaking environment. Why would anyone want to leave? Each little entry into something new, each transition point is subtle and earned. At about 9 minutes, Garcia and Godchaux get into a deeply entangled, emotional dialogue. Garcia's singing is top drawer: especially with the guitar doubling - sounds like two complimentary voices. Equally free and coherent/cohesive as a single piece of music - even at its most OUT, which is fairly. This is just a master class in improvisation. Lots of cool overtones in the louder points make it sound like someone's playing a synth below the rest of the band. Always cool hearing a group transcend the physical limitations of personnel - the sound field is like another player and space fucks with a listener's sense of the literal; the group is difficult to visualize as something separate from the music. Guys wearing jeans. Wow. This peak conditional collectable has a lot of votes and deserves more. Ace segue into M&MU & out. Possibly my favorite '72 Dark Star and among the very best ever. Certainly in the conversation.