This is fast becoming one of my top solo Garcia recordings. Recorded over two nights at a dive bar in Frisco in July of 1973, it captures Jerry in what I consider to be the creative peak of his career. Taking a break from a tremendous run with the Dead and the release of the Europe 72 album, he was simultaneously playing with Merl at the bars, and also touring with the bluegrass band Old and In the Way (Grisman plays on a Dylan tune here). Merl takes Jerry on totally different tangents than most fans would expect at the time, introducing him to old standards like My Funny Valentine, Motown bits, a little Elvis, Jimmy Cliff reggae, and of course letting Jerry pay his homage to Dylan. The Bob has often stated that he thought Garcia was one of the best interpreters of his music, and there may be no better example of this than his version here below of Positively Fourth Street (Dawg on mandolin). There is a not a single a Grateful Dead song on all four discs. A handful of songs are duplicated in the two shows here, but it is a minor quibble. The playing is excellent and inspired,  and it is clear they are there for the sheer joy of just letting it air out. Betty Cantor was at the recording helm, and it is evident. The sound is clean and crisp. Listen up.

Here they tear up Mystery Train:

You may never hear Jerry sing better than this;

The first release of the new subscription period, it does not disappoint. From their site:

On the fertile grounds of their home turf and on the edge of what would become the Wall of Sound era, the Dead embarked upon a tremendous three-night run at Winterland. On this particular night, the last in the run, they warmed up the crowd with stellar new tracks “U.S. Blues” (previously known as “Wave That Flag”), “Ship of Fools,” and “It Must Have Been The Roses.” And while these debuts, nestled among fan favorites like “Playing In The Band” and “Brown-Eyed Women,” were quite tantalizing, the 2nd set really brought it all home. Witness the magic on an incredibly jazz, introspective “Dark Star,” perhaps one of the finest version of “Morning Dew” during this time, and a beautifully arranged cover of “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue.” The moments making up this masterpiece are made even more clear by the crispness of Kidd Candelario’s recording. Epic, indeed!

Not really in agreement on the ‘Baby Blue’ assessment above, it is a little weak. But the Cumberland and Big River early in the second set are maybe the finest versions of those two I have heard.

http://www.dead.net/store/1970s/daves-picks-volume-13-winterland-san-francisco-ca-22474