The Grateful Dead - Live at the Cow Palace: New Years Eve 1976 (3 Audio CDs - 1/23/2007)

CONDITION: NEW! Brand New Factory Sealed.
Something about New Year's Eve always brought out the best in the Grateful Dead. Perhaps it was the holiday's celebratory vibe, perhaps the limitless possibility inherent in embarking on a fresh page on the calendar. This three-disc set, recorded at their hometown's most famous arena, combines those elements -- and more -- to great effect, showcasing a performance that blends in equal parts the band's trademark spaciness and often-overlooked pure power. The latter facet is the focus of a first disc that concentrates on the Dead's flair for digging deep into the gritty grooves of songs like Chuck Berry's "Promised Land" and Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" -- covers that are nicely offset by stinging renditions of originals such as "Bertha" and "Deal." The collection's second disc -- which finds the band segueing into 1977 with passion to spare -- is centered on an almost seamless 40-plus-minute jam steered by Bob Weir. In addition to taking lead vocals on a spry "Good Lovin' " one of the earlier performances of the blue-eyed soul chestnut, he brings an extra dash of funk to a jaunty version of "Samson and Delilah." As was the band's wont, they saved their more open-ended musings for the performance's latter reaches, represented here by a particularly spiky "Drums" interlude and a take on "Morning Dew" that ranks with the most foreboding -- not to mention longest -- of their career. Despite the title of one of the encore tunes offered here, the Dead played this show, as they did all their gigs, like this was anything but "One More Saturday Night."

Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed

TRACK LISTINGS

1. Promised Land
2. Bertha
3. Mama Tried
4. They Love Each Other
5. Looks Like Rain
6. Deal
7. Playing In The Band
8. Sugar Magnolia
9. Eyes Of The World
10. Wharf Rat
11. Good Lovin'
12. Samson and Delilah
13. Scarlet Begonias
14. Around and Around
15. Help On The Way
16. Slipknot! 17. Drums
18. Not Fade Away
19. Morning Dew
20. One More Saturday Night
21. Uncle John's Band
22. We Bid You Goodnight