Ah, Vintage and Historic Dead. Historic was one of my earliest albums in college in the late ‘70s. Some of the first real blues I ever heard, considering my high school days were all Top 40 FM with drips and drabs of Clapton. Didn’t even know Muddy Waters existed, let alone B.B. King. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, Lindy, Stealin', Same Thing. It was a revelation. And I was hooked. And the Blues and The Boyz have been the music of my adult life ever since.

Reviewer: mylifeisought - This is the show that comprised the original (and long out of print) "Vintage Dead" and "Historic Dead" LPs, released in 1970 and 71. This is really top notch, the dead at their early best.

clearly some talented individuals as shown by the high energy of the ensemble playing on this recording. this leaves me more deeply appreciating the gifted nature of the band members at an early stage in their musical development and less surprised by what they achieved in the years to come after this. what i mean, is that i am glad for all those songs and jams that came after this because this early seed justifies the band's continued work. blessings to the late, grate Pigpen, Jerry, and Bear.

Excellent early Dead. Iffy sound quality. What do you expect with a 44 yo recording.

Back in the late 1970's I had a roommate who had the two LPs "Vintage Dead" and "Historic Dead" of this show (maybe two shows). These were "bootlegs," not legal releases. I've been working my way listening to every 1966 show here at Archive, and rediscovered this show. What a find!

Having now heard some two dozen '66 shows, I can say that this is one of the best of year. The playing is tight, vocals are better than many 1966 shows. Even Bob sounds good, which he often didn't in '66. Jerry's soloing is smokin', particularly in the Dancing in the Streets Jam and on I Know You Rider Shades of the greatness to come, but also great in its own right.

There are some flaws. I love Pigpen, but Midnight Hour and Schoolgirl are a little long here. I also wish Viola Lee was in this show But there's plenty else here to warrant 5 stars.

There another source of this show here at Archive.org with the songs in a different order, and without the doubled-up songs:
http://www.archive.org/details/gd66-09-16.sbd.tzuriel.11503.sbeok.shnf

These were a couple of good early Grateful Dead non official L.P's that came out in the early 70's called "Vintage Dead" and "Historic Dead". This is a fine document of the Dead as a "dance band" in their early years. One of the most notable things is that swirling sound they had with Pigpen's organ playing melody as lead instrument on many of the songs and Jerry playing lead guitar lines around Pig's organ. It tended to create a swirling sound. It's not hard to imagine people on psychedelic substances dancing like mad to songs like "Dancing In The Streets" while flashing strobe lights add to the musical experience.This is the quintessential "primal Dead" listening experience.

Even in 1966, The Grateful dead were a solid band. Pigpen was on top of his game. He is the most underated blues singer. When they speak about great blues singers, his name should be at the top with the rest of them. Jerry's playin was smokin even this early in his career. The general public don't realize that they were more than just a psychedelic rock band.

Absolutely brings back the feel of their 60s shows. Is the sound quality perfect for now? Nope, but it's about as perfect a live show I've ever heard from 1966 (41 years ago!) or whenever. Pigpen's harp is excellent, Jerry is just hot, and no matter what time period, is some essential Grateful Dead. I'm lucky to still have both the Sunflower LPs associated with these shows (both in excellent condition) but it is fun to hear it "non-stop", so to speak. Worth more than 1 listen, that's for sure!

I've never listened to much 60's Dead (besides 69) because of poor sound quality. Sure, this isn't perfect, but there are shows decades later that are much worse sound wise, and listening to this was a pleasant suprise. That being said, '66 is a very good Dead year, and it has a very different sound then any of their other stuff. It has much of that old rock n' roll/ bluesy sound, and all the instruments really blend together well.

If I remember correctly, the band was high on speed. Not a judgement, just a recollection.
Garcia's fingers are really flying though.

The date, 9/16/66, is most likely not accurate. Rather, it's probably a composite of at least 2 shows. All of these performances appeared previously on the long out-of-print GD albums, "Vintage Dead" and "Historic Dead" which were released against the band's will due to a contract they'd signed with MGM/Sunflower prior to the Warners deal. The best tunes here are the long Pigpen numbers, "Midnight Hour" (Vintage) and "The Same Thing" (Historic). In '66 the Dead was very much Pigpen's band.

I found the "Vintage Dead" LP at one of the record stores where I live and I bought it for my friend's birthday.

I came in to the garage with it in my hands and said "you're going to shit your pants when you see what I got you", and when he saw what I had he yelled "Oh, my God, you did not buy that!"

I bought it for him, but I told him that he must let me borrow it so I can listen to this show without leaving the comfort of my listening room.

Just a little more trivia on that concert poster, if you're interested: The central image of Mouse's poster (and his 1970 live album cover) was lifted from Edmund J. Sullivan's 1859 illustrations for The Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam. I'm sure it was public domain, and Mouse certainly colored it nicely:

http://__www.netnik.com/khayyam/ruby17.html

paste & remove underscores

This is a famous show, not so much for the music (though that is great), but instead for the poster created to advertise the show. Stanley Mouse made a poster of a skeleton covered in roses. It has become one of the most famous GD posters because it was the first time a Skeleton was used to advertise a GD show. A first edition sells for over $15,000 but through the beauty of this website and the Internet, we can still enjoy the music for free. How awesome is that!?

I'm 23 Ive been listening to the Dead for almost 6 years. I really love the history and the spectacular
quality of this show. I feel like I was born in the wrong generation:)

You tell me a I Know You Rider that rocks out like that and I'll say slightful things against 1966 Grateful Dead.

Remembering that this is a 1966 recording, the sound quality is very high, the mix could ideally be better, and primarily in terms of the drums a bit, but Jerry is up in the mix, and he's what you want most anyway! He's already a good player, among the best few rock guitarists at this point, imo. Great setlist, Baby Blue is really well done, School Girl is to my ears among it's most listenable versions, Pig is very well recorded on this, arguably the best vocal performance of his I've heard, I know that seems unlikely for '66, just my own opinion, again. Dancin' has an extremely '60's quality to it, the background vocals are kinda funny to hear, the guys just sound as young as they were. Midnight Hour is excellent, Pig is in strong form, overall absolutely essential very early Grateful Dead, one of the few truly worth getting from '66 for any comprehensive collection. Get This!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the show that comprised the original (and long out of print) "Vintage Dead" and "Historic Dead" LPs, released in 1970 and 71. This is really top notch, the dead at their early best. The sound quality isn't perfect, but still quite good
If you wish to burn this the way it appeared on the original LPs:
VINTAGE DEAD:
I Know You Rider
It Hurts Me Too
It's All Over Now
Dancin' In The Streets
Midnight Hour
HISTORIC DEAD
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
Lindy
Stealin'
Same Thing