Air this one out and enjoy the ever-changing soundscapes. "Outstanding"-- Dick Latvala

As Dick himself said of how this China Cat is born, "[it] is worth any effort to hear."

Come on!!! Mickey busted through his drum head making this one happen!!!

Conjures circus tents, smoky saloons and Frankenstein in a souped-up '57 Chevy. Well worth a listen!

I love what Phil does on this one. This thing is short and sweet.

Fall ’72 is justly regarded by many as one of the high crests that the boys rode over the course of their 30-year existence, and this Truckin’ through TOO sequence is just further evidence of this tour’s excellence. Featured in Lemieux’s ‘taper’s section’ over at dead.net from February 10th-16th, 2014, this sequence features inspired playing and, as Lemieux writes, ‘Our first stop this week is on the second leg of the Fall Tour of 1972, with music from 10/24/72 in Milwaukee, featuring the big second set jam of Truckin'>Drums>Other One>Space>He's Gone>Other One, Casey Jones. Although The Other One was often split by a cowboy song, this is a cool sequence with the split featuring He's Gone.’ Indeed, and throughout the course of this sequence the boys seem to be joined at the psychic hip, as the interplay is as tight as Bruce Jenner’s jowl tuck. The playing ranges from hot and peppery to deep and glowing, and never does it really meander or lose focus (no navel-gazing here!). It does seem as though there is a cut in the tape near the first verse. After the first verse we are treated to a particularly nice ‘Philo Stomp’ in which Jerry takes a long lead. Later, out of the cosmic debris of a ‘Tiger Jam’, Jerry introduces the opening chords of ‘He’s Gone’; and, while the transition is not what I would call smooth like I would an eel, the sense of relief as the whole band falls in behind him and takes up the bucolic elegance of the ‘He’s Gone’ intro provides a perfect musical contrast to the preceding abstract assault of the ‘Tiger Jam’. After some nice jamming on the ‘He’s Gone’ outro the boys return to TOO, quickly launch into the last verse, and wrap it all up in short order. This whole continuous sequence is very nice and well worth checking out.

Part of an unusual ‘The Other One’>’He’s Gone’>’The Other One’ sandwich, this version arises out of the blood and guts aftermath of a ‘Tiger Jam’. Towards the end of the ‘Tiger Jam’, and against the dissonance created by everyone else banging and scraping their instruments, Jerry goes from playing lines that suggest weeping or sobbing to sneaking in the opening chords of ‘He’s Gone’, and the rest of the boys soon fall in behind him. While the transition may lack the precision of, say, those found in the big Playin’ sandwich of 11/17/73, hearing those honest-to-goodness opening chords of ‘He’s Gone’ sure feels right and provides a great musical foil to the abstract chaos of the ‘Tiger Jam’. As for the ‘He’s Gone’ itself, of special note is the outro, in which Jerry inspiredly mines the possibilities of that jangly ‘He’s Gone’ outro riff, resulting in a nice jam. Also, during the bridge jam Phil plays some quick yet gentle little fills that are nice. This sequence was featured on Lemieux’s ‘taper’s section’ over at dead.net from February 10th-16th, 2014.

At the end of the Truckin' outro jam Jerry cues this one up. Billy then takes a nice solo before Phil initiates the song proper. Interestingly, this version features a pre-verse 'Tiger' jam that is followed by the abovementioned 'Help-Slip' motif. Then some more jamming before the first verse. No second verse; instead, we are treated to an 'Eyes' that features some excellent Jerry solos.

Absolutely cookin'. Jerry practically solos throughout the whole thing and Keith might literally be using hammers on his solo (Terry Bozzio who?). I have heard many fine pre-hiatus versions of this tune but this might be the most raucous rockin' of 'em.

Sure, 6/18/74 may be more picture-perfect, but somehow I find this version more ear-catching (although I may need to go back and give 6/18/74 another listen). After a well-played Prelude and Part 1, we are treated to a very unique 'Let it Grow', after the final verse of which Jerry briefly solos before dropping out, but Weir fills the space by playing some nice, jazzy chords. When Jerry returns, the jam somewhat takes on the feel of a spacey yet melodic and propulsive '73 PITB jam. And, I should add, everyone is playing well here: Billy with his polys, Keith adds plenty of nice textures, and Phil's bass rises and recedes and rises again like ocean swells before erupting in house-shaking rumbles. While this 'Let it Grow' could easily be submitted on its own merits, given the relatively small number of times that the full WRS was played, I hesitate to do that. Anyway, this is a unique version that is well worth checking out.