Dick's Picks Vol. 4 Fillmore East 2/13-14/70

If Dick s Picks Vol. 8 presented arguably the single most famous show in the Grateful Dead canon 5/2/70 at Harpur College in Binghamton then Dick s Picks Vol. 4 presents the most famous stand of shows in the band s long history of touring, the 2/13/70-2/14/70 shows at the Fillmore East in New York. Just how good were the three sets that comprised each show? Well, when LSD chemist and band benefactor Owsley Stanley produced the official release History of the Grateful Dead, Vol. 1 (Bear s Choice), he lifted portions of each night s first set and acoustic second set in assembling that record, yet there was enough (very) strong material left over to make Dick s Picks Vol. 4 one of the greatest live albums in the Grateful Dead catalog. The biggest gem some might say the crown jewel of the entire set is the now legendary rendition of Dark Star, a version so potent, so telepathic that it formed the backbone of the recombinant Dark Star on the Grayfolded album, but there really isn t a weak song on the album, and a rare live rendition of Mason s Children even gives this one a collector kick. When Bob Weir says when he steps up to the mike at the beginning of disc one, This ain t a show, it s a party, he ain t kidding if you re not on the bus yet, this one will save a seat for you.