Since July of 2013, I’ve been combing through the Grateful Dead’s performances from 1974. This is the final segment of a four part series. Below are links to the 72 minute sampler, and the fourth installment. These compilations are designed to touch on all facets – classic jams, audience recordings, overlooked gems, sound checks, etc. – while still sensitive to officially released material.

In 1974, Dark Star and The Other One were being phased out as Set II centerpieces. There's still a number of great readings from the year, but other musical avenues would take form inside the 'big jam' each night. One of the more obvious launch points are the post-Truckin' jams. Part IV features five of them - Atlanta, Jersey City, Hollywood, Dijon, and Paris. Many from '74 serve as a barometer of a hot show, but Paris is the the only head-scratcher from this bunch. The tunes that follow (specifically Eyes), are some of the worst of the year. The highs and lows from this night were a microcosm of the European tour, and mercifully, the 'Paris Jam' is all that's needed for our purposes here.

Most of the October material has been covered by a few official releases, but there's two cuts that deserve special attention. Garcia's individual performances on To Lay Me Down and It Must Have Been The Roses (10.19) are astounding - what should be considered 'Pure Jerry'. The circulating tapes are void of any backing vocals, leaving Jerry to perform these as a solo artist with a competent backing band. His vocals are from the heavens, and the Wolf guitar serves as a note-perfect compliment inside these ballads - very powerful stuff.

If there's a show that receives less fanfare from a year of very popular gigs, then the Hollywood, California show is it. It is the only '74 show without a circulating soundboard, and that's probably the reason for it's lack of inclusion on many "best of" lists. Part IV provides about 90 minutes of material from Rob Bertrando's audience tape serving as a proper document of an overlooked show. Similar to Miami's second night, the set and setting is built into yet another excellent field recording.

I'd like to thanks all the listeners, readers, and friends for their support over the last year and a half while trying to commemorate such a great year. As always, play this loud. Enjoy.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/9e311l143gk4vmq/Oats_11_Sampler_MP3_320.zip

Steel Cut Oats #11 Sampler
1974 : Walls Of Sound

1. Big River, 02.22.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA
2. Cumberland Blues, 02.24.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA
3. Scarlet Begonias, 07.19.74, Selland Arena, Fresno, CA
4. Springfield Jam (post-Eyes of The World), 06.30.74, Springfield Civic Center Arena, Springfield, MA
5. China Cat Sunflower --> 6. I Know You Rider, 05.17.74, P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
7. Playin' In The Band, 06.22.74, Jai-Alai Fronton, Miami, FL

http://www.mediafire.com/download/5fnb808avdksoyb/Oats_11_Part_4A_MP3_320.zip
(Tracks 1 thru 26)
http://www.mediafire.com/download/j0aaaiv71thub2h/Oats_11_Part_4B_MP3_320.zip
(Tracks 27 thru 49)

Steel Cut Oats #11: Walls of Sound
Grateful Dead, 1974
Part 4 of 4

1. Truckin' -->
2. Atlanta Jam -->
3. Eyes of The World -->
4. Slipknot!! -->
5. China Doll, 06.20.74, The Omni, Atlanta, GA

6. Promised Land -->
7. Bertha -->
8. Greatest Story Ever Told, 10.18.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA

9. To Lay Me Down, 10.19.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA
10. Black-Throated Wind, 10.17.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA
11. Friend of The Devil, 10.17.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA
12. Jack Straw, 10.17.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA
13. Loser, 10.17.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA

14. Dark Star -->
15. Spanish Jam -->
16.. U.S. Blues, 06.23.74, Jai-Alai Fronton, Miami, FL (Jerry Moore's audience recording)

17. //Cumberland Blues, 09.18.74, Parc des Expositions, Dijon, France, soundcheck
18. Brokedown Palace, 09.18.74, Parc des Expositions, Dijon, France, soundcheck
19. Jerry, 09.18.74, Parc des Expositions, Dijon, France, soundcheck

20. Big River, 10.16.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA
21. It Must Have Been The Roses, 10.19.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA

22. Jersey City Jam -->
23. Phil -->
24. Spanish Jam -->
25. The Other One -->
26. Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad, 08.06.74, Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ (matrix mix, SBD / Ihor Slabicky's audience recording)

---------

27. Phil/Billy Jam -->
28. Dijon/Caution Jam, 09.18.74, Parc des Expositions, Dijon, France

29. Weather Report Suite, 10.17.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA
30. Ship Of Fools, 10.18.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA
31. One More Saturday Night, 10.18.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA

32. Paris Jam, 09.20.74, Palais des Sports, Paris, France

33. Brown-Eyed Women, 08.05.74, Civic Convention Hall Auditorium, Philadelphia, PA
34. Beat It On Down The Line, 08.05.74, Civic Convention Hall Auditorium, Philadelphia, PA

35. Good Lovin' Jam, 10.20.74, Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA (with Mickey Hart)

36. Loose Lucy, 08.06.74, Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ
37. Mexicali Blues, 07.27.74, Roanoke Civic Center, Roanoke, VA
38. Deal, 07.29.74, Capital Centre, Landover, MD

39. Playin' In The Band -->
40. Wharf Rat -->
41. Truckin' -->
42. Nobody's Fault But Mine Jam -->
43. Playin' In The Band, 07.21.74, Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA (Rob Bertrando's audience recording, patches supplied from Ed Friedman's audience recording)

44. Scarlet Begonias
45. China Cat Sunflower -->
46. I Know You Rider
47. Around and Around
48. Sugar Magnolia, 07.21.74, Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA (Rob Bertrando's audience recording, patches supplied from Ed Friedman's audience recording)

49. U.S. Blues, 09.11.74, Alexandra Palace, London, England (unknown audience recording)

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