Pacific Northwest '73–'74: The Complete Recordings cover

Pacific Northwest '73–'74: The Complete Recordings

Grateful Dead · 2018

1222 min · 166 tracks · psychedelic rock

A sprawling collection of live performances, intertwining improvisation and lyrical storytelling through the Grateful Dead's signature psychedelic rock sound.

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Top tracks — play these first

  • →
    Bertha Start here — accessible entry with immediate hook
  • →
    Dark Star > — The track exemplifies the band's ability to blend structured composition with expansive improvisation, showcasing their musical synergy and experimental spirit.
  • →
    Truckin’ > — This song serves as a cornerstone of the Grateful Dead's repertoire, capturing themes of travel and camaraderie while featuring a dynamic jam that highlights their live performance energy.
  • →
    Box of Rain — Written by Phil Lesh as a tribute to his dying father, this poignant track stands out for its emotional depth and lyrical poignancy within the band's catalog.
  • →
    Sugaree — The live rendition of this song showcases Jerry Garcia's expressive guitar work and heartfelt vocal delivery, making it a fan favorite during concerts.

Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

72 /100
Alpine
Higher than 95% of albums we've rated

The album showcases strong improvisation and captures the essence of live Grateful Dead performances.

What we noticed

  • The album features a continuous flow of tracks, often blending songs into extended jams that can last several minutes.
  • Many tracks include significant improvisational sections, with musicians frequently exploring different themes and motifs within the same song.
  • The live recordings capture the audience's reactions, adding to the overall atmosphere and energy of the performances.
Composition 25% of the score
6/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
8/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
9/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
8/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
7/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 6/10

Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

  • wave-like pacing with peaks
  • dynamic journey through improvisation
  • for extended listening
  • heartfelt storytelling moments
  • immersive concert atmosphere

Maybe skip if you

  • seeking instant gratification
  • prefer short, standalone tracks

Where this album fits

In the catalog
Fan Favorite — A comprehensive live collection cherished by dedicated fans, showcasing their improvisational prowess.
Themes
1970s counterculture· live improvisation energy· road trip camaraderie
Career context
Released in early 2018, 'Pacific Northwest '73–'74' showcases the Grateful Dead at a time when they were solidifying their reputation as one of the foremost live bands in America. This collection captures the band during a prolific touring period, shortly after their iconic studio albums like 'American Beauty' and 'Workingman's Dead', which had elevated their artistic stature. By this point in their career, the Grateful Dead had become known for their extended jams and unique concert experiences.
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Tracklist

Disc 1

  • 1 Bertha Start here 6:29
  • 2 Beat It On Down the Line 3:40
  • 3 Deal 4:59
  • 4 Mexicali Blues 4:02
  • 5 Box of Rain 5:46
  • 6 Bird Song 14:29
  • 7 The Race Is On 3:17
  • 8 Sugaree 8:05
  • 9 Looks Like Rain 7:34
  • 10 Row Jimmy 9:22
  • 11 Jack Straw 4:59

Disc 2

  • 1 China Cat Sunflower > 8:38
  • 2 I Know You Rider 5:48
  • 3 Big River 5:01
  • 4 Tennessee Jed 8:00
  • 5 Playing in the Band 18:58
  • 6 Here Comes Sunshine 12:25
  • 7 Promised Land 2:57
  • 8 Brown‐Eyed Women 5:29
  • 9 El Paso 4:33

Disc 3

  • 1 Black Peter 9:23
  • 2 Greatest Story Ever Told 4:59
  • 3 Big Railroad Blues 3:55
  • 4 He’s Gone > 11:23
  • 5 Truckin’ > 26:06
  • 6 The Other One 15:21
  • 7 Wharf Rat 8:04

Disc 4

  • 1 Sugar Magnolia 9:57
  • 2 Casey Jones 7:31
  • 3 Johnny B. Goode 3:56

Disc 5

  • 1 Promised Land 3:43
  • 2 Loser 7:08
  • 3 Mexicali Blues 3:53
  • 4 They Love Each Other 5:48
  • 5 Looks Like Rain 7:51
  • 6 Box of Rain 5:29
  • 7 Big Railroad Blues 4:19
  • 8 Jack Straw 5:02
  • 9 Sugaree 7:24
  • 10 The Race Is On 3:26
  • 11 Row Jimmy 8:29
  • 12 Beat It On Down the Line 3:29
  • 13 China Cat Sunflower > 6:46
  • 14 I Know You Rider 5:04

Disc 6

  • 1 Around and Around 5:11
  • 2 Mississippi Half‐Step Uptown Toodeloo 8:43
  • 3 You Ain’t Woman Enough 3:42
  • 4 El Paso 4:34
  • 5 Stella Blue 7:56
  • 6 Greatest Story Ever Told > 5:04
  • 7 Bertha Start here 6:12
  • 8 Big River 4:46

Disc 7

  • 1 Dark Star > 27:46
  • 2 Eyes of the World > 15:39
  • 3 China Doll 6:38
  • 4 Sugar Magnolia 9:40
  • 5 One More Saturday Night 5:16

Disc 8

  • 1 Casey Jones > 6:01
  • 2 Greatest Story Ever Told 5:33
  • 3 Brown‐Eyed Women 5:46
  • 4 Jack Straw 5:03
  • 5 Box of Rain 5:35
  • 6 Deal 4:22
  • 7 Mexicali Blues 4:08
  • 8 You Ain’t Woman Enough 3:46
  • 9 Row Jimmy 9:06
  • 10 The Race Is On 3:33
  • 11 China Cat Sunflower > 8:07
  • 12 I Know You Rider 6:00
  • 13 Beat It On Down the Line 3:27
  • 14 Loser 6:55

Disc 9

  • 1 Playing in the Band 15:58
  • 2 Bertha Start here 5:56
  • 3 Promised Land 3:26
  • 4 They Love Each Other 5:46
  • 5 El Paso 4:27
  • 6 Black Peter 9:17
  • 7 Big River 4:57
  • 8 Here Comes Sunshine 11:57
  • 9 Me and My Uncle 3:07

Disc 10

  • 1 He’s Gone > 14:07
  • 2 Truckin’ > 10:54
  • 3 The Other One > 6:33
  • 4 Me and Bobby McGee > 5:24
  • 5 The Other One > 18:05
  • 6 Sugar Magnolia 10:03
  • 7 Johnny B. Goode 4:04

Disc 11

  • 1 Promised Land 3:33
  • 2 Deal 4:44
  • 3 The Race Is On 3:33
  • 4 Ramble On Rose 6:56
  • 5 Jack Straw 5:15
  • 6 Dire Wolf 5:28
  • 7 Beat It On Down the Line 3:53
  • 8 Loose Lucy 5:06
  • 9 Big River 5:22
  • 10 It Must Have Been the Roses 5:46
  • 11 Mexicali Blues 3:48
  • 12 Row Jimmy 8:58

Disc 12

  • 1 Playing in the Band 23:07
  • 2 U.S. Blues 6:09
  • 3 Me and My Uncle 3:16
  • 4 Ship of Fools 6:27
  • 5 Money Money 4:44
  • 6 China Cat Sunflower > 8:19
  • 7 I Know You Rider 5:21

Disc 13

  • 1 Greatest Story Ever Told 5:27
  • 2 Sugaree 8:18
  • 3 Truckin’ > 9:56
  • 4 Nobody’s Fault but Mine > 5:14
  • 5 Eyes of the World > 13:18
  • 6 China Doll 6:00
  • 7 Sugar Magnolia 9:20

Disc 14

  • 1 Missisippi Half‐Step Uptown Toodeloo 8:14
  • 2 Mexicali Blues 3:57
  • 3 Big Railroad Blues 3:56
  • 4 Black‐Throated Wind 7:08
  • 5 Scarlet Begonias 5:12
  • 6 Beat It On Down the Line 3:47
  • 7 Tennessee Jed 8:26
  • 8 Me and Bobby McGee 6:01
  • 9 Sugaree 7:30
  • 10 Jack Straw 5:22
  • 11 It Must Have Been the Roses 5:28
  • 12 El Paso 4:34
  • 13 Loose Lucy 5:06
  • 14 Money Money 4:27

Disc 15

  • 1 China Cat Sunflower > 8:33
  • 2 I Know You Rider 5:40
  • 3 Promised Land > 3:36
  • 4 Bertha > 6:07
  • 5 Greatest Story Ever Told 6:09
  • 6 Ship of Fools 6:35
  • 7 Weather Report Suite > 17:57
  • 8 Wharf Rat 10:49
  • 9 Big River 5:35
  • 10 Peggy‐O 8:11

Disc 16

  • 1 Truckin’ > 9:14
  • 2 Jam > 9:57
  • 3 Not Fade Away > 6:57
  • 4 Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad 6:58
  • 5 One More Saturday Night 5:35
  • 6 U.S. Blues 5:36

Disc 17

  • 1 Me and My Uncle 3:24
  • 2 Brown‐Eyed Women 5:19
  • 3 Beat It On Down the Line 3:47
  • 4 Deal 4:54
  • 5 Mexicali Blues 3:59
  • 6 It Must Have Been the Roses 5:44
  • 7 The Race Is On 3:33
  • 8 Scarlet Begonias 5:55
  • 9 El Paso 4:56
  • 10 Row Jimmy 9:24
  • 11 Money Money 5:01
  • 12 Ship of Fools 6:17

Disc 18

  • 1 Weather Report Suite > 17:21
  • 2 China Doll 5:48
  • 3 Playing in the Band 46:58
  • 4 U.S. Blues 5:47

Disc 19

  • 1 Big River 5:23
  • 2 Stella Blue 8:39
  • 3 Around and Around 5:24
  • 4 Eyes of the World > 13:51
  • 5 Wharf Rat > 9:45
  • 6 Sugar Magnolia 10:02
  • 7 Johnny B. Goode 4:07

What to play next

Wake of the Flood
Listen next

Wake of the Flood

1973

Continues the improvisational spirit with rich lyrical themes and a similar sonic palette.
Dave's Picks Volume 25
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Dave's Picks Volume 25

2018
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Then Play On

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Captures intimate live performance energy with a focus on storytelling and a counterculture spirit.

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata