Grateful Dead: Dick's Pick's Volume Three: Pembroke Pines, Florida 5/22/77

Given what's ensued—beyond the scope of the band itself-in the wake of the Grateful Dead's very first archive series, 'Dick's Picks,' it's hard to believe but well to remember this ongoing project had comparatively modest, humble beginnings. An offhanded conversation between bassist Phil Lesh and ultra-fan Dick Latvala let to an eventual total of thirty-six titles, this installment, Volume 3, taken from the now-historic spring 1977 tour.

Minimal and generic graphics, a la bootlegs of the time, combined with a a consumer warning regarding sound quality, belie the range of material on this set, not to mention the dynamic expanse of the band's playing. The two discs do not comprise the entire setlist, but nevertheless contain a sequence of selections that evince all the logic of a Grateful Dead performance of the highest order, the likes of which dominated this tour, at the same time offering the unusual distinction of whetting the appetite for more, even as the softly declamatory notes fade on "(Walk Me Out in the)Morning Dew."

Much has been said (and more than a little by the band itself) about the agility of the ensemble with a single drummer, but if this 5/22/77 show proves anything, it is exactly how nimble the interactions could be at their best between drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart. The Rhythm Devils (as they would subsequently come to be known), in fact, may be the most obvious virtue of the Grateful Dead's musicianship during this performance in particular and this tour at large, all of which no doubt benefited from the long arduous hours in the studio with stern taskmaster Keith Olsen, recording Terrapin Station (Arista, 1977).

The discipline applied on that project found its corollary in the group's serendipitous approach on stage, but as this Pembroke, FL concert attests, the mix of the two approaches found an ideal balance. The Dead were loose and lighthearted enough to romp quickly through "Funiculi Funicula" at the outset of the show and remained rightfully confident of the momentum they had generated through the triptych of "Help on the Way"/"Slipknot/"Franklin's Tower" to allow Donna Jean Godchaux the rare opportunity to sing her self-composed number "Sunrise."

Those brief passing moments, where the singer displays a winsome restraint give way to monumental set of segues, beginning with a roiling version of Bob Weir's "Estimated Prophet," including "Eyes of the World" and "Wharf Rat," then concluding with a majestic, albeit somewhat truncated, reading of the title composition from the aforementioned album released in July of this year. A sequence of tunes never repeated in Grateful Dead performance history, the patience and delicacy with which the band navigates the transitions here is no doubt the basic premise upon which the late archivist based his discerning judgment of this performance as the pinnacle of Spring '77 in all its glory.

Likewise, the 'Caveat Emptor' disclaimer on the back cover belies the sterling quality of Betty Cantor-Jackson's original recording, magnified by Jeffrey Norman's remastering for the original release in 1995 and preserved for this deserved reissue.