…I know because I'm a charter member of the band, and this sounds nothing like our Buchla-box, synthesizer-driven songs, none of which were instrumentals. And of course we were busy playing the actual Acid Test Graduation that night, where we performed Pomp and Circumstance for what felt like hours, as each "graduate" received a diploma from Neal Cassidy. Finally, unless they were shape-shifters, this couldn't be Prankster music, since they were also at the Graduation that evening.

As noted by previous reviewers, this is not the Grateful Dead, but (more likely) the "Anonymous Artists of America." For more info on the AAA, see http://red-legacy.blogspot.com/2009/07/anonymous-artists-of-america.html

The jam is a nice one but as mentioned below this doesn't seem to be the Dead. The bass line is a giveaway straight away. Also, the Dead were advertised to be playing at California Hall (Polk St. in San Francisco) for a Halloween costume dance ball called Dance of Death. A poster for the show is here: http://www.concertpostergallery.com/concertposters/wp-content/uploads/1237340680dance-largest.jpeg. The only Halloween of their 60's era on a Monday was 1966.

Not a bad jam to go out on. Definitely doesn't compare to the Dead (IMO)... A bit too much "noise" for me, which is why I think the Dead strayed away from this as the '70's grew nearer. Would've loved to hear more from this... Some Neal Cassady banter would be nice.

Did you pass the Acid Test?

In Tom Wolfe's book, "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Tests", there was a mention that the Dead were booked somewhere else, I think The Avalon, for the graduation, and that a band named Anonymous Artists of America(2) was to take the Dead's place. Various MP's kept interrupting and fiddling with the sound and mics during their performance, so they quit and left. After that, the Pranksters themselves took up their instruments and began to play. This is probably the AAofA, but the harmonica makes me think that it may be the Pranksters, late in the evening. I really don't know, since I wouldn't be born for another 11 years anyway. Just my 2 cents... (2)http://www.pranksterweb.org/grad.htm

This sounds nothing like the dead. Neither the phrasing of the guitar nor the bass line sound anything like Jerry or Phil, and the beat's waaay too fast for that era's GD. They moved pretty consistently back & forth between straight-ahead electric blues and the white-boy SF harmonies (a la Jefferson Airplane) at the time. Viola Lee Blues bridges the two pretty nicely, which is why it's one of the standouts of the era. In my humble opinion, that is... :-D

I have a hunch this might be one of Hendrix's experimental-short lived groups. Perhaps the one that was contracted to do an album and finally did one live, here.

Where's the rest of it? This is just a 5 minute or so track. Instrumental jam; it rocks and sounds great (5 star sound.) It's just a tease.