Visiting my Dad for Christmas. Live/Dead had not been out long, and my step-sister casually mentioned the Dead were playing the next day. Distinctly remember them slowing going from Bob/Jerry to the whole band. I'm astounded I can listen to such a high quality tape of that night more than 50 years later!

Everyone has covered the greatness of the unique acoustic set. This is a tremendous Dark Star. Jerry is full of ideas and in no hurry. Though you somehow also get the sense that it's lacking some little push that could have made it one of the best. It's still in the caliber of 11/2, 1/2, etc. in execution, definitely a treat.

Intimate acoustic set that is performed wonderfully and sounds great. Not sure how I missed this in 23 years of listening. A true classic.

Been a head (not behind!) for 20+ years and just found this show. Wow; fantastic listen. Worth the wait :) Five stars for sound quality and quality of performance.

I know that Jerry and Bob singing 'the Master's Bouquet' is kinda like Nirvana doing 'Lake of Fire' but it still shows some of the influences of the time.

THE MASTER'S BOUTIQUE
Death is an angel sent down from above
Sent for the buds and the flowers we love
Truly 'tis so, for in heaven's own way
Each soul is a flower in the Master's bouquet

Gathering flowers for the Master's bouquet
Beautiful flowers that will never decay
Gathered by angels and carried away
Forever to bloom in the Master's bouquet

Let us be faithful till life's work is done
Blooming with love 'til the reaper has come
Then we'll be gathered together someday
Transplanted to bloom in the Master's bouquet

MY Note:Death is in the world because of Original Sin it is our enemy but when Christ lived a sinless life and then gave Himself as a ransom for His own -then we can say with confidence
"Death where is thy victory,
Death where is thy sting"
LAST FAIR DEAL...

As for the rest of this show. The acoustic set is better than the previous one they had just done in Cali previously-the one where PHIL is mysteriously AWOL.(wink, wink)

This time Billy is high on an airplane over Oklahoma so gonna play acoustic.

I like the transition from Acoustic to Electric here. They use Uncle John's as a nice bridge.
In fact you can hear somebody in the band calling out to pick up the pace right smack in the middle of the early harmonies.
The Casey Jones is good. bringing us firmly into the Electric set. And by the time PIG gets into HARD TO HANDLE they are tearing it up.
Heaven help the dosin' cowboys and cowgirls at this show. You can really hear T.C. throwing down on the organ. prefer his playing tunes like Hard to Handle where there is a fast past jam in progress.
Rain and Snow- funny this song had crazy organ work in 1965 it is already not as keyboard heavy by this time. It wasn't until Brent that this tune got more slashing organ work back into it.
China Cat is perfect out of Rain and Snow. Keyboard is trippy for this most trippy of dead tunes.
Just enjoyed the electric set into the DARK STAR and this D-STAR is LOVELY!

FWIW, this was the only time (Gathering Flowers For) The Master's Bouquet was ever performed by The Grateful Dead.

Definitely not bad. Impromptu acoustic sets are better when the instruments are tuned correctly.

My personal, absolute favorite 1st set EVER ! 'Sacred' as Bobby calls it. Love the banter, the song selection, and the crisp quality. I listen to this one often, and it never grows old. Many gems here ! 5*****

What a nice christmas present give it a listen this is a jem words don't work listen and enjoy.
Thank you Bob,Jerry and the boys thank god I am a deadhead I am blown away

This could be one of the greatest intro-to-1970 shows the Dead did in the latter half of 1969. The sound quality of this tape is truly impressive, and the performance matches right up there with it.

The acoustic set is breathtaking. The sound is silky smooth in the lows and crystal clear in the highs. "All Around This World," "Little Sadie," "Long Black Limo" and "Uncle John's Band" are spectacular. The Jer/Bobby/Phil vocal harmonies are SPOT ON throughout the entire show, especially on UJB. Everyone needs to set aside some time and focus on the China>Rider. It is absolutely perfect! One of the best they've ever done! Tom Constanten was always one of my favorite keys players, and he adds some very inspired B-3 organ work to the second set.

Jerry is playing his brown sunburst Fender Strat. Phil is playing his Alembic-modified Gibson EB-0 bass with Guild single-coil pickups. Bob is most likely playing his big Guild hollow-body double cutaway (as seen on the Woodstock film and photos from that era). All fed into Fender Twin Reverb and Bassman amps. This combination of instruments and amps gives the Dead their late-60s signature sound.

Naturally, as a collector, I am drawn to the major dates when the Dead defined their progressing sound and let it fly; mid-'68, early '69, the first half of 1970, summer '71, Europe '72, the last half of '73, May 1977 and so on. These periods were so incredible and the music so mature and awe-inspiring, that we sometimes tend to overlook the "transitional" shows in between. This show just goes to show that even an on an un-notable date, at an obscure auditorium in Dallas, Texas, the Dead are still amazing. Phil is especially on this night, and the Dark Star jam is otherworldly. It isn't the best Dark Star, but it isn't unimpressive either.

One of my favorite, but rarely played, songs is given a very interesting treatment here. My favorite performance of "New Speedway Boogie" is 5/1/1970, but the backing harmony vocals were often dropped from the 1970 performances. This NSB is badly cut, but is really unique. The backing vocals are there, and it is very bluesy.

In all, a great lead in to 1970 that could stand just fine on its own.

great show,
really 1970 started in about 11/69 and 1969 ended about late february of 1970. The overlap period, that which included Tom on keys, the New Orleans mess, Altmont, the full rendition of Workingman's Dead and a prelude to 1970 unplugged ... deserves a class, or year of its own. 69-70!

Here it can be heard that the acoustic material started as monkey & engineer, all around this world, black limo and lil sadie, only all around this world made it on bears choice, maybe record producers found it violent enough to add another murder song? dick's picks 4 also misses lil sadie, too bad its a great song, and 1980 did not due it justice. I don't even think workingman's dead was planned as acoustic material at first.

This is the beginning of the band finding musical relevance in other wise simple songs such as cold rain or minglewood, deep elm or rosalie mcfall, and would give them a mystical edge, in material that they did not write but sure seemed to own.

in about november of 1970 a real rock and roll buddy holly chuck berry era comes into play, and with it NFA and Jon B Goode instead of Friend of the Devil or New Speedway Boogie. One step done and another begun.

This show is a winner.... seriously funny banter and smoking tunes...

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Bob Murphy has a version of this show with 20K downloads at:

http://www.archive.org/details/gd69-12-26.sbd.murphy.1821.sbeok.shnf

Wasn't Warner Brothers unhappy with the GRATEFUL DEAD in 1969? LMAO...

I recommend using your EQ during playback of most of the shows on the IA, this one included.

Windows Media Player has a 10 band EQ and SRS WOW effects that enhance the sound.

Here's one way to stream/dowload this show:

The IA recommends users of Windows XP view this web-page with RealPlayer.

RealPlayer is a free media player you can download at www.realplayer.com.

Using RealPlayer to view this webpage, click the VBR M3U link to open the songs in the Playlist.

If your Playlist is not open, open it by clicking the Playlist icon at the lower right hand corner of RealPlayer.

Once the songs are in the Playlist, double click the song to play it, then click the record button at the lower left hand corner of Realplayer to record it.

When the red line reaches the other end click the stop button to download the song. Your song is in the RealPlayer Downloads folder.

Repeat these steps for each song.

OR

Hook up audio cables (1/8th inch stereo male jack with two rca male jacks at the other end) from your headphone jack on your computer to your audio input on your Reel to Reel, Cassette,VHS, CD, DVD, MP3, recorder and record it in real time...duh?

Eat, Drink, Be Merry and Listen to the GRATEFUL DEAD, or not.

Thanks for the LOVE from 1969.

PS: Remember to click on the "DeadLists Project" link and get the "Poster" for this show.

PSS: Thanks for the Two CD Set up...nice.

I didn't know there was anything this sweet from 1969. And I've been collecting Dead tunes for 25 years.