June 1, 2017

Dark Star Catalog (Guest Post)

By Jim Powell

Jim Powell’s Dark Star document on deadlists dates back to 2008, and other versions on the web are even older, so I’ve decided to post a new, updated version here.

This document catalogs all known Dark Star performances by the Grateful Dead and gives timings for all circulating tapes. It is comprised of five lists:

·         Circulating Tapes Of Dark Star
·         Dark Stars Still Missing From Circulation
·         AUD Dark Stars (Dark Stars available only on AUD tape)
·         Fragmentary Dark Stars
-     Dark Star Transitions


CIRCULATING TAPES OF DARK STAR  (6/1/17)

The following is a list of the 230 live performances of Dark Star (and studio versions) for which tapes currently circulate. It gives the timing of each, and an indication of what is missing if the tape is fragmentary. (Due to varying tape speeds, the timings don't always match each source.)
Guests and official releases are also listed. 1970s AUD sources are noted when available on the Archive. (Later AUD tapes, and AUDs not digitally circulating, are not noted.)
Some of the more remarkable Dark Stars are tinted.
* indicates short instrumental teases without the full theme.
Updates and corrections are welcome.

11/14/67 American Studios, LA: 2:39 (instrumental studio version)
Late ’67, various studios: 2:50 - Warner Bros Single 7186

1/17/68 Carousel Ballroom: #4:48 (start clipped)
1/20/68 Eureka: 3:08#  (cuts off)
1/22/68 Seattle: 5:36 [Actual date 1/26.]
1/23/68 Seattle: 7:06 [Actual date 1/27.] – Road Trips Vol.2 No.2 bonus disc  
2/2/68 Portland: 6:33 (standalone encore) – Road Trips Vol.2 No.2
2/3/68 Portland: 5:26  
2/14/68 Carousel Ballroom: 5:54 – Road Trips Vol.2 No.2
2/22/68 Lake Tahoe: #6:24 (missing start, no vocals) – Taper’s Section
2/23/68 Lake Tahoe: 6:48 - Dick's Picks 22 [Possibly from 2/24/68.]
3/16/68 Carousel Ballroom: 7:15 – So Many Roads
3/29/68 Carousel Ballroom: 7:28 (standalone DS) (Formerly mislabeled “3/26/68.”)
3/30/68 Carousel Ballroom: 8:59
Circa 6/68, Unknown Venue: 16:06 (mystery reels, track 39)
8/21/68 Fillmore West: 14:30 - Origins deluxe ed. vinyl (circulating copies missing start)
8/22/68 Fillmore West: 12:07 
8/23/68 Los Angeles: 15:30
8/24/68 Los Angeles: 11:21 - Two From The Vault
8/28/68 Avalon Ballroom: 10:49 [Mislabeled; there was no such show; this was likely from a Fillmore West show that week.]
9/2/68 Sultan: 14:06
10/8/68 Matrix: 12:00 (Hartbeats)
10/10/68 Matrix: 13:05 (Hartbeats)
10/12/68 Avalon Ballroom: 15:00 (Used to circulate mislabeled "10/13/68.")
10/13/68 Avalon Ballroom: #13:50 (missing start)
10/20/68 Berkeley: 10:17 – 30 Trips
10/30/68 Matrix: 17:30 & 19:10# -- two Dark Stars on this tape (Hartbeats)
11/1/68 Chico: 12:17 
11/6/68 Pacific Recording, San Mateo?: 12:20 (studio rehearsal with Tom Constanten)
11/22/68 Columbus: #11:50 (missing start) AUD
12/7/68 Louisville: #13:24 (missing start)
12/29/68 Hallandale: 10:26

1/17/69 Santa Barbara: 13:08
1/24/69 Avalon Ballroom: 19:38 (standalone DS)
1/25/69 Avalon Ballroom: #14:08 (missing start)
1/26/69 Avalon Ballroom: 9:#38 (cut in the middle)
2/2/69 Minneapolis: 15:33  
2/4/69 Omaha: 13:15  
2/5/69 Kansas City: #11:43 (missing start)
2/6/69 St. Louis: 14#:02 (cut in the middle)  
2/7/69a Pittsburgh: 14:09
2/11/69b Fillmore East: 12:29 – Fillmore East 2-11-69
2/12/69b Fillmore East: #4:58 (only the end)
2/14/69 Philadelphia: #19:03 (first bars clipped)
2/15/69 Philadelphia: 22:19 
2/21/69 Vallejo: 20:38 
2/22/69 Vallejo: 22:17 – 30 Trips
2/27/69 Fillmore West: 23:05 - Live Dead; Fillmore West 1969 Complete Recordings
2/28/69 Fillmore West: 19:50 - Fillmore West 1969 Complete Recordings
3/1/69 Fillmore West: 23:01 - Fillmore West 1969 Complete Recordings
3/2/69 Fillmore West: 20:03 - Fillmore West 1969 Complete Recordings
3/15/69 SF Hilton: 20:30
3/22/69 Pasadena: 14:47
3/28/69 Modesto: 22:45 (Formerly mislabeled "Merced 3/27/69".)
3/29/69 Las Vegas: 21:01
4/4/69 Avalon Ballroom: 20:03
4/5/69 Avalon Ballroom: 17:27
4/11/69 Tucson: 19:59
4/12/69 Salt Lake City: #21:35
4/13/69 Boulder: 24:01
4/15/69 Omaha 20:20 AUD
4/17/69 St. Louis 21:36 – Download Series vol. 12
4/20/69 Worcester: 21:12
4/21/69 Boston: 22:41
4/22/69 Boston: 27#:22 (brief tapeflip)
4/23/69 Boston: 20:56
4/26/69 Chicago: 1:37 (instrumental)* – Dick’s Picks 26
4/27/69 Minneapolis: 26:31 - Dick's Picks 26
5/7/69 Golden Gate Park: 22:19
5/10/69 Pasadena: 20:59
5/23/69 Hollywood: 18:57 – Road Trips Vol.4 No.1
5/30/69 Portland: 17:02
5/31/69 Eugene: 23:58
6/5/69 Fillmore West: 20:32
6/7/69 Fillmore West: 20:46
6/14/69 Monterey: 15:10
6/21/69b Fillmore East: 7:#21 (nearly all of central jam missing)
6/22/69 Central Park, NYC: #11:26 (missing start and cut in the middle) AUD
6/27/69 Santa Rosa: 26:07
7/5/69 Chicago: 18:19
7/7/69 Atlanta: 26#:50 (brief tapeflip)
7/12/69 Queens: #9:52 (missing first half?)
8/3/69 Family Dog 23:20 (standalone DS with saxophone & violin players)
8/16/69 Woodstock: 19:06 – Woodstock: 40 Years On
8/21/69 Seattle: 6:33
8/23/69 St. Helens: 26:#57 (1st vocals missing)
8/28/69 Family Dog: 47:#33 (Dark Star 31:16 # 16:16 > Eleven jam 16:40) [with Howard Wales and flute; without Weir, McKernan, or Constanten]
8/30/69 Family Dog: 28:56
9/1/69 New Orleans: 17:39
9/26/69a Fillmore East: #16:50 (missing start) AUD
10/25/69 Winterland: 22:02
11/2/69 Family Dog: 30:06
11/7/69 Fillmore: 26#:00 (18:33 > UJB jam 1:45 # 5:47) (cut in the middle)
11/8/69 Fillmore: 21:03 (DS 14:03 > Other One > DS 7:00 [DS 1:04 > UJB jam 2:33 > DS 3:23]) – Dick's Picks 16
12/4/69 Fillmore West: 30:14 
12/11/69 Los Angeles: 20:32 – Dave’s Picks 10 bonus disc
12/20/69 Fillmore: 20:38 - Dave’s Picks 6
12/26/69 Dallas: 24:00
12/30/69 Boston: 19:23# (end missing)

1/2/70 Fillmore East: 31:30 - Dave's Picks 30 (end cut on circulating tapes)
1/17/70 Corvallis: 20:00
1/23/70 Honolulu: 18#:46 – Dave’s Picks 19
2/2/70 St. Louis: 21:54 – Dave’s Picks 6
2/8/70 Fillmore West: 26:11 AUD (& partial SBD)
2/11/70b Fillmore East: 25:58 (DS 16:18 > Spanish Jam 9:40) (SBD with AUD patch) (instrumental, with Peter Green & Duane Allman
2/13/70b Fillmore East: 29:24 – Dick's Picks 4 (also AUD)
2/14/70a Fillmore East: 23:36 – Long Strange Trip soundtrack
3/24/70 Dania:13#:48 (cut in middle, 4:54 # 8:54)  [Actual date 3/23.]
4/24/70 Denver: 24:39 AUD  [Actual date 4/25.]
5/8/70 Delhi: #18:05 (missing start) AUD
5/15/70b Fillmore East: 19:40 – Road Trips Vol.3 No.3 (also AUD)
5/24/70 Newcastle: 21:21 (also AUD)
6/24/70b Port Chester: 19:57 (9:45 > Attics > 7:09 > Sugar Magnolia > 3:03) AUD
9/17/70 Fillmore East: 26:30 AUD
9/19/70 Fillmore East: 25:24 (also AUD)
10/11/70 Wayne: #20:29 (missing start) AUD
10/17/70 Cleveland: 19#:17 (two cuts in the middle) AUD
11/5/70 Port Chester: 21:06 AUD
11/8/70 Port Chester: 25:18 (DS 16:36 > Main Ten 8:42) AUD

2/18/71 Port Chester: 14:21 (DS 7:02 > Wharf Rat > DS 7:19) (with Ned Lagin) – excerpt on So Many Roads
4/8/71 Boston: 14:38 (with Ned Lagin)
4/26/71 Fillmore East: 12:52
4/28/71 Fillmore East: 14:00 (with Tom Constanten) – Ladies & Gentlemen
7/31/71 New Haven: 22:36 (SBD with AUD patch) – Road Trips Vol.1 No.3
10/21/71 Chicago: 17:09 (DS 14:57 > Sittin' > DS 2:12) – Dave’s Picks 3
10/24/71 Detroit: 20:47
10/31/71 Columbus: 23:14 – Dicks Picks 2
11/7/71 Harding Theater, SF: 13:58
11/15/71 Austin: 20:44 (DS 12:55 > El Paso > DS Jam 7:49) – Road Trips Vol.3 No.2
12/5/71 Felt Forum, NYC: 20:17 (DS 8:01 > Uncle > DS 12:16) (instrumental)
12/15/71 Ann Arbor: 20:23

3/23/72 Academy of Music, NYC: 22:43 (standalone DS) – Rockin’ the Rhein bonus disc
4/8/72 London: 31:30 – Steppin' Out, Europe ’72 Complete Recordings
4/14/72 Copenhagen: 29:14 (also AUD) - Europe ’72 Complete Recordings
4/17/72 Copenhagen: 30:54 - Europe ’72 Complete Recordings
4/24/72 Dusseldorf: 40:38 (DS 25:45 > Uncle > DS 14:54) – Rockin’ the Rhein, Europe ’72 Complete Recordings
4/29/72 Hamburg: 29:54 - Europe ’72 Complete Recordings (also AUD)
5/4/72 Paris: 39:25 (DS 19:22 > drums 2:31 > DS 17:32) - Europe ’72 Complete Recordings
5/7/72 Wigan: 19:27 – Europe ’72 Vol.2, Europe ’72 Complete Recordings
5/11/72 Rotterdam: 47:11 (DS 13:45 > drums 3:40 > DS 29:46) - Europe ’72 Complete Recordings
5/18/72 Munich: 26:34 - Europe ’72 Complete Recordings
5/23/72 London: 29:54 - Europe ’72 Complete Recordings
5/25/72 London: 34:30 - Europe ’72 Complete Recordings
7/18/72 Jersey City: 27:13 (also AUD)
7/26/72 Portland: 30:49
8/21/72 Berkeley: 27:25
8/24/72 Berkeley: 27:10
8/27/72 Veneta: 31:27 – Sunshine Daydream
9/10/72 Hollywood: 35:20 (DS 32:17 > drums 1:33 > jam 1:30) (with David Crosby)
9/16/72 Boston: 26:56 (end patched with AUD)  
9/21/72 Philadelphia: 37:22 - Dick's Picks 36
9/24/72 Waterbury: 33:56 (DS 27:43 > drums 1:59 > DS 4:14) – 30 Trips
9/27/72 Jersey City: 30:49 - Dick's Picks 11
10/18/72 St. Louis: 28:21
10/23/72 Milwaukee: 28:23 AUD
10/26/72 Cincinnati: 21:32
10/28/72 Cleveland: 27:43
11/13/72 Kansas City: 33:50 AUD (Bear's AUD patched @ 11:17 w/ 1:35 of 2nd AUD)
11/19/72 Houston: 31:#40 (DS 25:40 > WRS Prelude 6:00)
11/26/72 San Antonio: 25:11
12/11/72 Winterland: 34:26 (also AUD)
12/15/72 Long Beach: 25:00

2/15/73 Madison: 19:17 (also AUD)
2/22/73 Champaign: 13:30
2/26/73 Lincoln: 25:05 – Dick’s Picks 28
3/16/73 Nassau: 27:13 (also AUD)
3/21/73 Utica: 21:41
3/24/73 Philadelphia: 4:00 (jam/Spanish jam/space 22:30 > DS)  
3/28/73 Springfield: 32:08 – Dave’s Picks 16 (also AUD)
6/10/73 Washington, D.C.: 26:34 (also AUD)
6/24/73 Portland: 27:13
6/30/73 Universal City: 16:15 (also AUD)
8/1/73 Jersey City: 24:52 (also AUD)
9/11/73 Williamsburg: 22:16 (also AUD)
10/19/73 Oklahoma City: 26:20 - Dick's Picks 19
10/25/73 Madison: 23#:02
10/30/73 St. Louis: 27:07
11/11/73 Winterland: 35:38 – Winterland 1973
11/21/73 Denver: 3:25 (instrumental)* – Road Trips Vol.4 No.3
11/30/73 Boston: 9:37 (instrumental) - Dick's Picks 14 (also AUD) (needs 20-second AUD patch)
12/6/73 Cleveland: 44:07 – Road Trips Vol. 4 No.3 bonus disc
12/18/73 Tampa: 21:44 (also AUD)

2/24/74 Winterland: 29:37 – Dave’s Picks 13 (also AUD) (needs 30-second AUD patch)
5/14/74 Missoula: 26:41 – Dave’s Picks 9 
6/23/74 Miami: 22:04 (instrumental, DS 17:54 > Spanish Jam 4:10) – excerpt on So Many Roads, complete Dave's Picks 34 (also AUD)
6/28/74 Boston: 3:30 (instrumental after MLB jam)* - Dick's Picks 12 (also AUD)
7/25/74 Chicago: 23:59 (instrumental)
9/10/74 London: 31:18 – Dick's Picks 7
10/18/74 Winterland: 31:58 (jam 7:47 > DS 24:11) (with Ned Lagin) – Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack 

12/31/78 Winterland: 12:21 (11:21 + 1:00) – Closing of Winterland (also AUD)

1/10/79 Uniondale: 18:28 AUD
1/20/79 Buffalo: 9:16 AUD

12/31/81 Oakland: 14:50

7/13/84 Berkeley: 15:54 (standalone encore)

10/9/89 Hampton: 19:23 – Formerly the Warlocks
10/16/89 East Rutherford: 16:59 (11:36 + 5:23) – Nightfall of Diamonds
10/26/89 Miami: 27:59 – 30 Trips
12/31/89 Oakland: 15:05

3/29/90 Nassau: 21:05 (18.18 + 2:47) (with Branford Marsalis) – Wake Up To Find Out
7/12/90 Washington, D.C.: 24:55 – View From The Vault II
9/20/90 MSG, NYC: 27:12 (12:01 + 15:11) – Road Trips Vol.2 No.1
10/20/90 Berlin: 17:44 (13:06 + 4:38)
11/1/90 London: 21:10 (10:10 + 11:00)
12/12/90 Denver: 13:46
12/14/90 Denver: 9:10
12/31/90 Oakland: 20:39 (with Branford Marsalis)

4/1/91 Greensboro: 26:19 (23:34 + 2:45)
6/14/91 Washington, D.C: 10:58 – View From The Vault II
6/17/91 East Rutherford: 1:31...1:16...3:35 (several instrumental teases)
6/22/91 Chicago: 7:30 (instrumental)
6/28/91 Denver: 1:28 (instrumental tease)
8/16/91 Mountain View: 10:17
8/17/91 Mountain View: 1:18 (instrumental tease)
9/6/91 Richfield: 3:25 (instrumental)
9/8/91 MSG, NYC: 9:05 (instrumental)
9/10/91 MSG, NYC: 24:40 (12:24 + 12:16) (with Branford Marsalis) – 30 Trips
9/24/91 Boston: 14:40
9/26/91 Boston: 21:40 (15:27 + 6:13)
10/31/91 Oakland: 13:46 (10:32 + 3:14) (with Ken Kesey)

3/9/92 Landover: 11:03 
3/20/92 Hamilton: 14:13 – 30 Trips
6/8/92 Richfield: 8:46
6/18/92 Charlotte: 6:00 (instrumental)
6/22/92 Pittsburgh: 4:05
12/12/92 Oakland: 17:32 (12:57 + 4:35)
12/16/92 Oakland: 7:09 – Dick’s Picks 27

3/17/93 Landover: 10:15
6/23/93 Deer Creek: 6:25
9/13/93 Philadelphia: 5:36
9/22/93 MSG, NYC: 7:44 (with David Murray)

3/16/94 Rosemont: 11:14
3/30/94 Atlanta: 10:29   


DARK STARS ON TAPE, YEARLY COUNT: 
1968 – 31 
1969 – 66 
1970 – 20 
1971 – 12

1972 – 31

1973 – 20
1974 – 6
1978 – 1
1979 – 2
1981 – 1
1984 – 1
1989 – 4
1990 – 8
1991 – 13
1992 – 7
1993 – 4
1994 – 2  
(These counts don't include ambiguous instrumental teases without the theme.)

See also the Dark Star Graph: 
http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2020/06/dark-star-graph.html 
  
*

DARK STARS STILL MISSING FROM CIRCULATION

There are at least 17 dates on which Dark Star was reportedly played, but for which no tape yet circulates. These dates, and the sources of the claims, are:

[12/13/67 Shrine Aud, LA – There was no such show.]

3/17/68 Carousel Ballroom – DeadBase. (The first set of this show is in the Vault, but “the majority of the songs from set 1 could not be salvaged due to technical problems.”)
[5/24/68 National Guard Armory, St. Louis – This was a mislabel of 2/5/69.]
6/7/68 Carousel Ballroom – DeadBase
6/15/68 Fillmore East – audience member
8/20/68 Fillmore West -- DeadBase
11/30/68 Hyde Park Teen Center, Cincinnati -- DeadBase
12/31/68 WinterlandDeadBase

1/69 Fillmore West – newspaper review
2/19/69 Fillmore West – unknown
5/3/69 Winterland (late show) -- DeadBase

2/21/70 HemisFair Arena, San Antonio - audience member
3/17/70 Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo (w/ Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra) – newspaper review
3/23/70 Pirate’s World, Dania – audience member
4/11/70 Fillmore West -- DeadBase
[4/25/70 Mammoth Gardens, Denver – this is the “4/24/70” tape.]
4/26/70 York Farm, Poynette -- audience member & DeadBase
5/10/70 Sports Arena, Atlanta (with Duane Allman) – audience member
7/9/70 Fillmore East - newspaper review & audience member
9/25/70 Civic Auditorium, Pasadena -- newspaper review
11/13/70 46th St. Rock Palace, Brooklyn -- audience member

Audience members vaguely recall Dark Stars from other shows in these years too. Possibly a hundred more Dark Stars may have been played in the lost shows of 1968-70.

*
  
AUD DARK STARS

17 live Dark Stars circulate only or primarily on AUD tape:

11/22/68 Columbus: #12:47 (beginning missing)

4/15/69 Omaha: 20:20
6/22/69 Central Park, NYC: #12:01 (beginning missing & cut in middle)
9/26/69 Fillmore East: #17:24 (beginning missing)

2/8/70 Fillmore West: 26:43  (The SBD tape in circulation begins 3:42 before the end of Dark Star – possibly the rest of the Dark Star is on the Vault SBD tape.)
4/24/70 Denver: 24:39
5/8/70 Delhi: #18:05 (with beginning missing)
6/24/70 Port Chester: 10:20 + 7:48 + 3:01
9/17/70 Fillmore East: 26:30 (see comment on cut)
10/11/70 Wayne: #20:19 (with beginning missing)
10/17/70 Cleveland: 19#:17 (with two cuts in the middle)
11/5/70 Port Chester: 21:00
11/8/70 Port Chester: 24:48

10/23/72 Milwaukee: 27:03
11/13/72 Kansas City: 32:16 (Bear's AUD master, 1:42 gap patched w/ alternate AUD)

1/10/79 Uniondale: 18:30
1/20/79 Buffalo: 9:16  

*

FRAGMENTARY DARK STARS

Over 30 circulating live Dark Stars are incomplete. Most cuts are minor, some more serious:  

1/17/68 Carousel Ballroom: #4:48, brief cut, missing beginning

1/20/68 Eureka: cuts after 3:17# on the master

2/22/68 Lake Tahoe: #6:24, brief cut, beginning clipped, vocals mixed out
   
8/21/68 Fillmore West: #14:21, 50 seconds are missing at the beginning. The Dark Star is complete in the Vault, and a different 8-track mix was included in the 1/19/15 Taper’s Section.

10/13/68 Avalon: #13:35, brief cut, missing beginning. (A slightly more complete start was included in the 2019 30 Days of Dead collection.)

11/22/68 Columbus: #11:50, brief cut, missing beginning

12/7/68 Louisville: #13:24, missing the first minute or two

1/25/69 Avalon Ballroom: #14:08, missing beginning

1/26/69 Avalon Ballroom: 9#:45, there is a piece missing in the middle. It has a cut at 8:06 and resumes just before the second verse.

2/5/69 Kansas City: #11:43, missing the opening

2/6/69 St. Louis: 13#:54, there is a cut at 8:34 in the middle.

2/12/69b Fillmore East: only the final #4:58 circulates

2/14/69 Philadelphia: #19:23, brief cut, just the first few bars clipped

4/12/69 Salt Lake City: #22:21, probably less than a minute is missing at the start

4/22/69 Boston: 27#:22, tape flip at 23:59, very little missing

6/21/69b Fillmore East: 7:#43, nearly all of central jam missing

6/22/69 Central Park, NYC: #11:26 The first minute or so of this Dark Star is missing on the AUD tape, which also has a cut around 10:25.

7/7/69 Atlanta: 27#:58, there is a cut at 19:39 into Dark Star -- obviously a tape flip. Very little seems to be missing here.

7/12/69 Queens: #9:52 The SBD tape cuts in somewhere in the middle of Dark Star; at least several minutes are missing, including the vocals, assuming there were vocals.

8/23/69 St. Helens: 26:#44 There is a cut at 11:50; the first vocals are missing, and not too much else -- 2 minutes at most.  

8/28/69 Family Dog: 47:#19 (31:16 + 16:03) > The Eleven jam 9:49 > Dark Star 6:43 = 63:#51. There is probably a minute or so missing at the tape flip.

9/26/69a Fillmore East: #17:24 brief cut, missing beginning

11/7/69 Fillmore: 26#:00 The circulating tape has a cut at 20:12, 1:45 after the beginning of the Uncle John's jam, followed by another almost 6 minutes of Dark Star; an uncertain amount is lost.

12/30/69 Boston: 19:06# This Dark Star cuts off as they are gliding down toward the second vocals; probably around 3-4 minutes of Dark Star are missing on the master.

1/2/70 Fillmore East: 30:10#, cuts in the last verse

1/23/70 Honolulu: 18#:46, there is a cut around 11:40 with very little missing.
3/24/70 Dania: 4:54 + 8:54 = 13#:48 with vocals missing. There is a tape flip in the Dark Star at 4:54, before the first vocals; the remaining 8:54 fragment cuts in during the Space following the vocals; probably around 2-4 minutes are lost here.

5/8/70 Delhi: #18:05 missing beginning; probably several minutes lost.

10/11/70 Wayne: #20:19 missing beginning; probably 2-4 minutes are lost.

10/17/70 Cleveland: 19:#17 Has two cuts to note. There's a big cut in the intro jam after 3:10 which takes out most of the first verse; about 2-4 minutes are lost. There is another cut after 17:40, during the transition to the second verse; probably less than a minute is lost.

11/19/72 Houston: 31:#22 cut in the middle

10/25/73 Madison: 23#:14 cut in the middle

Some cuts are too brief to list: 2/3/68, 2/14/68, 3/29/68, and 10/20/68 are missing just the opening notes, and 12/26/69 is missing the last few seconds.

Many other Dark Stars are likely to have internal cuts that aren’t noted.
  
Some of these Dark Stars may be intact on the masters – especially:

2/12/69b: The rest of this Dark Star may exist on the Vault tape. Rob Eaton lists 84 minutes of cassette SBD, but only 69 minutes circulate. Probably the missing 15 minutes on the circulating tape represents the beginning of the Dark Star.

6/21/69b: Rob Eaton lists 101 minutes of cassette SBD for this show, but only 91 minutes circulate. One would guess that the 10-minute discrepancy comes from the missing core of Dark Star.
  
The rest of these Dark Stars are almost certainly fragmentary on the master tapes.

Some Dark Stars are incomplete in another sense: Ned Lagin says he played in the Dark Stars on 11/5/70, 11/8/70, 9/16/72, and 6/23/74, but he is apparently inaudible in them. 

*

LIVE DARK STAR TRANSITIONS

Dark Star was typically part of a suite of several songs, but only the songs that directly segue into or out of Dark Star are listed. The main purpose of this list is to easily spot unusual transitions. (It's sometimes debatable whether to count a themed jam as part of Dark Star or not.) Unique and rare pairings are noted. Set-opening and first-set Dark Stars are also noted, unless there was only one set.
In the '90s, Dark Star usually went into or came out of Drums>Space, so the song on the other side is also listed, although I don't count it as a direct transition. Drums>Space is abbreviated d/s. Some '90s transitions are really just brief pauses, marked (>).

Also see comment below.

1/17/68 Dark Star>China Cat (set I)
1/20/68 Born Cross-Eyed>Spanish Jam>Caution Jam>Dark Star//
1/22/68 Born Cross-Eyed>Spanish Jam>Dark Star>China Cat
1/23/68 Dark Star>China Cat 
2/2/68 standalone encore
2/3/68 Dark Star>China Cat
2/14/68 Dark Star>China Cat (set I)
2/22/68 Dark Star>China Cat
2/23/68 Dark Star>China Cat
3/16/68 Dark Star>China Cat (opens set I)
3/29/68 standalone
3/30/68 Cryptical>Dark Star>China Cat (set I)
Circa 6/68 Dark Star>Stephen
8/21/68 Dark Star>Stephen (opens set II)
8/22/68 standalone (opens set II)
8/23/68 Dark Star>Stephen
8/24/68 Dark Star>Stephen
8/28/68 Dark Star>Stephen
9/2/68 Dark Star>Stephen (opens show)
10/8/68 Dark Star Jam>Cosmic Charlie (Hartbeats)
10/10/68 Dark Star Jam>Eleven Jam (Hartbeats)
10/12/68 Dark Star>Stephen (opens set I)
10/13/68 Dark Star>Stephen (opens set I)
10/20/68 Dark Star>Stephen
10/30/68 Dark Star Jam>Death Letter; standalone Dark Star Jam (Hartbeats - the only Death Letter)
11/1/68 Dark Star>Cryptical (opens set II)
11/22/68 Dark Star>Stephen
12/7/68 Dark Star>Stephen (opens set I)
12/29/68 Dark Star>Stephen

1/17/69 Dark Star>Stephen (set I)
1/24/69 standalone (opens set II)
1/25/69 Dark Star>Stephen (opens set I)
1/26/69 Dark Star>Stephen (opens set II)
2/2/69 Dark Star>Stephen 
2/4/69 Dark Star>Stephen 
2/5/69 Dark Star>Stephen
2/6/69 Dark Star>Stephen 
2/7/69 Dark Star>Stephen (opens early show)
2/11/69 Dark Star>Stephen
2/12/69 Dark Star>Stephen (opens late show)
2/14/69 Dark Star>Stephen (set I)
2/15/69 Mountains>Dark Star>Stephen 
2/21/69 Dark Star>Stephen 
2/22/69 Mountains>Dark Star>Cryptical (set I)
2/27/69 Mountains>Dark Star>Stephen
2/28/69 Cryptical>Dark Star>Stephen
3/1/69 Dark Star>Stephen
3/2/69 Dark Star>Stephen (opens set I)
3/15/69 Dark Star>Stephen
3/22/69 Dark Star>Stephen
3/28/69 Dark Star>Stephen
3/29/69 Dark Star>Stephen
4/4/69 Dark Star>Stephen
4/5/69 Mountains>Dark Star>Stephen (set I)
4/11/69 Dark Star>Stephen (opens set II)
4/12/69 Dark Star>Stephen (opens set II)
4/13/69 Dark Star>Stephen (set I)
4/15/69 Cryptical>Dark Star>Stephen
4/17/69 Dark Star>Stephen
4/20/69 Dark Star>Stephen
4/21/69 Dark Star>Stephen
4/22/69 Mountains>Dark Star>Stephen
4/23/69 Dark Star>Stephen (set I)
4/26/69 Mountains>Dark Star Jam>China Cat (really an extended Mountains outro; DS theme not played)
4/27/69 Dark Star>Stephen
5/7/69 Dark Star>drums>Lovelight
5/10/69 Dark Star>Stephen
5/23/69 Dark Star>Stephen
5/30/69 Dark Star>Cosmic Charlie (first since 10/8/68)
5/31/69 Dark Star>Doin' That Rag (only time)
6/5/69 Top of the World>Dark Star>Stephen
6/7/69 Mountains>Dark Star>Stephen
6/14/69 Dark Star>Stephen
6/21/69b Dark Star>Stephen
6/22/69 Dark Star>Other One
6/27/69 Dark Star>Stephen
7/5/69 Dark Star>Stephen (set I)
7/7/69 Dark Star>Stephen
7/12/69 Dark Star>Other One
8/3/69 standalone [there's a pause before Alligator]
8/16/69 Dark Star>High Time (first of two)
8/21/69 Cryptical>Dark Star>Cosmic Charlie (last DS>Charlie)
8/23/69 Dark Star>Stephen
8/28/69 Dark Star>Eleven Jam>Dark Star (Hartbeats)
8/30/69 Dark Star>Stephen
9/1/69 Dark Star>Stephen
9/26/69 Dark Star>Stephen (early show)
10/25/69 Dark Star>Stephen
11/2/69 Dark Star>Stephen
11/7/69 Dark Star>Uncle John's Jam>Dark Star>Cryptical
11/8/69 Dark Star>Other One>Dark Star>Uncle John's Jam>Dark Star>Stephen (opens set II)
12/4/69 Dark Star>High Time (second of two)
12/11/69 Dark Star>Stephen (set I)
12/20/69 Dark Star>Stephen (opens set II)
12/26/69 Dark Star//New Speedway (transition cut)
12/30/69 Dark Star//Alligator (transition cut)

1/2/70 Dark Star>Stephen
1/17/70 Dark Star>Stephen
1/23/70 Cryptical>Dark Star>Stephen
2/2/70 Dark Star>Stephen
2/8/70 Dark Star>Stephen
2/11/70 Dark Star>Spanish Jam>Lovelight
2/13/70 Dark Star>Cryptical
2/14/70 Dark Star>Stephen (early show)
3/24/70 Dark Star>Other One 
4/24/70 Dark Star>Stephen (goes into last Eleven)
5/8/70 Dark Star>Dancing in the Street (first of two)
5/15/70b Dark Star>Stephen
5/24/70 Dark Star>Stephen
6/24/70 Dark Star>Attics>Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia>Dark Star>Stephen (only DS>Attics til 10/16/89; first DS>Sugar Mag)
9/17/70 Dark Star>Stephen
9/19/70 Dark Star>Stephen
10/11/70 Dark Star>Stephen
10/17/70 Dark Star>Stephen
11/5/70 Other One>Dark Star>Stephen
11/8/70 Truckin'>Dark Star>Dancing (first Truckin'>DS; second DS>Dancing, with Main Ten interval)

2/18/71 Dark Star>Wharf Rat>Dark Star>Me & My Uncle (set I - first of three DS>Uncles)
4/8/71 Dark Star>Stephen (opens set II)
4/26/71 Dark Star>Wharf Rat (set I)
4/28/71 Dark Star>Stephen (last time)
7/31/71 Dark Star>Bird Song (only time)
10/21/71 Dark Star>Top of the World>Dark Star>Bobby McGee (first of each)
10/24/71 Dark Star>Bobby McGee (second of three)
10/31/71 Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia
11/7/71 Dark Star>drums>Other One
11/15/71 Dark Star>El Paso>Jam>Casey Jones (set I - last first-set Dark Star until 8/16/91; first DS>El Paso of four)
12/5/71 Dark Star>Me & My Uncle>Dark Star>Top of the World (second of each)
12/15/71 Dark Star>Deal (opens set II - only time)

3/23/72 standalone
4/8/72 Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia
4/14/72 Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia
4/17/72 Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia (set III)
4/24/72 Dark Star>Me & My Uncle>Dark Star>Wharf Rat (last of three DS>Uncles)
4/29/72 Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia
5/4/72 Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia
5/7/72 Dark Star>drums>Other One
5/11/72 Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia
5/18/72 Dark Star>Morning Dew
5/23/72 Dark Star>Morning Dew
5/25/72 Wharf Rat>Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia
7/18/72 Truckin'>Dark Star>Comes a Time (second Truckin'>DS; first DS>Comes a Time)
7/26/72 Dark Star>Comes a Time (second of two)
8/21/72 Dark Star>El Paso>space>Deal (second DS>El Paso of four)
8/24/72 Dark Star>Morning Dew
8/27/72 Dark Star>El Paso (opens set III - third DS>El Paso)
9/10/72 Dark Star>Jack Straw (only time)
9/16/72 Dark Star>Brokedown Palace (only time)
9/21/72 Dark Star>Morning Dew
9/24/72 Dark Star>China Cat (last since 3/30/68)
9/27/72 Dark Star>Cumberland Blues (only time)
10/18/72 Playing in the Band>drums>Dark Star>Morning Dew
10/23/72 Dark Star>Mississippi Half-Step (only time)
10/26/72 Truckin'>Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia (third Truckin'>DS)
10/28/72 Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia (last time)
11/13/72 Dark Star>Morning Dew
11/19/72 Dark Star>WRS Prelude>Mississippi Half-Step (only DS>WRS Prelude)
11/26/72 Dark Star>Bobby McGee (third and last)
12/11/72 Dark Star>Stella Blue (first of three)
12/15/72 Truckin'>Dark Star>Morning Dew (fourth Truckin'>DS)

2/15/73 Dark Star>Eyes of the World
2/22/73 Dark Star>Eyes
2/26/73 Dark Star>Eyes
3/16/73 Dark Star>Truckin' (only time)
3/21/73 WRS Prelude>Dark Star>Eyes (first of two WRS Prelude intros)
3/24/73 Truckin'>Spanish Jam>Dark Star>Sing Me Back Home (only DS>Sing Me
3/28/73 WRS Prelude>Dark Star>Eyes
6/10/73 Dark Star>He's Gone (only time)
6/24/73 Dark Star>Eyes
6/30/73 Dark Star>Eyes
8/1/73 Dark Star>El Paso (fourth and last)
9/11/73 Dark Star>Morning Dew
10/19/73 Dark Star>Morning Dew
10/25/73 Dark Star>Eyes
10/30/73 Dark Star>Stella Blue (second of three)
11/11/73 Dark Star>Eyes
11/21/73 El Paso>Playing/Dark Star Jam>Wharf Rat (DS theme not played)
11/30/73 Let It Grow>Dark Star Jam>Eyes
12/6/73 Dark Star>Eyes
12/18/73 Let It Grow>Dark Star>drums>Eyes (last DS>Eyes)

2/24/74 Dark Star>Morning Dew
5/14/74 Let It Grow>Dark Star>China Doll (last Let It Grow>DS of three; only DS>China Doll)
6/23/74 Dark Star Jam>Spanish Jam>US Blues

6/28/74 Let It Grow>Mind Left Body/Dark Star Jam>US Blues (passing theme inside larger jam)
7/25/74 Dark Star Jam>Stella Blue (third and last - with Slipknot jam)
9/10/74 Dark Star>Morning Dew
10/18/74 Seastones Jam>Dark Star>Morning Dew (last DS>Dew)

12/31/78 Dark Star>Other One>Dark Star Jam>Wharf Rat

1/10/79 Dark Star>Drums>Space>Wharf Rat
1/20/79 Other One>Dark Star>Not Fade Away (only DS>NFA)

12/31/81 Dark Star>Bertha (opens set III - only DS>Bertha)

7/13/84 standalone encore

10/9/89 Playing>Dark Star>Drums>Space>Death Don't
10/16/89 Dark Star>Playing (opens set II); Miracle>Dark Star>Attics
10/26/89 Dark Star>D/S>Wheel
12/31/89 Victim>Dark Star>D/S>Mr Fantasy

3/29/90 Estimated>Dark Star>D/S>Dark Star>Wheel
7/12/90 Foolish Heart>Dark Star>D/S>Watchtower
9/20/90 (Man Smart)>D/S>Dark Star>Playing reprise>Dark Star>Throwing Stones
10/20/90 Dark Star>D/S>Dark Star>Throwing Stones
11/1/90 Playing>Dark Star>D/S>Dark Star>Playing
12/12/90 Dark Star>Terrapin Station
12/14/90 (He's Gone)>D/S>Dark Star>Miracle
12/31/90 Eyes>Dark Star>D/S>Other One

4/1/91 Dark Star>D/S>Dark Star>Playing
6/14/91 Estimated>Dark Star>D/S>Stella Blue
6/17/91 teased throughout show: before Masterpiece & Truckin', and after Uncle John
6/22/91 (Terrapin)>D/S>Dark Star Jam>Playing
6/28/91 brief instrumental tease within Wharf Rat
8/16/91 Dark Star>Promised Land (only time - ends set I; only first-set Dark Star since 11/15/71)
8/17/91 brief instrumental tease between Space & Morning Dew
9/6/91 (Terrapin)>D/S>Dark Star Jam>Watchtower
9/8/91 Saint of Circumstance>Dark Star Jam>D/S>Other One
9/10/91 Estimated>Dark Star>D/S>Dark Star>Miracle
9/24/91 Dark Star>D/S>Foolish Heart
9/26/91 Dark Star>Saint (opens set II), Other One>Dark Star(>)Attics (only DS>Saint)
10/31/91 Spoonful>Dark Star>D/S>Dark Star>Last Time

3/9/92 Corrina>Dark Star>D/S>Miracle 
3/20/92 Dark Star>D/S>Other One
6/8/92 (Corrina)>D/S>Dark Star>Last Time
6/18/92 (He's Gone)>D/S>Dark Star Jam>Watchtower
6/22/92 Victim>Dark Star>D/S>Spanish Jam>Other One
12/12/92 Dark Star>D/S>Dark Star Jam>Miracle
12/16/92 (Playing)>D/S>Dark Star>Watchtower

3/17/93 Playing>Dark Star>D/S>Other One
6/23/93 (Terrapin)>D/S>Dark Star>Wheel
9/13/93 Playing>Dark Star>Terrapin
9/22/93 Estimated>Dark Star>D/S>Wharf Rat

3/16/94 Dark Star>D/S>Miracle
3/30/94 Playing>Dark Star>D/S>Miracle

23 comments:

  1. How come the January 1979 shows are missing from the vault? (some not all) but two Dark Stars?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a mystery! Maybe a roadie snatched them?
      Something happened to the SBD tapes from early '79... There are a handful of SBDs from January, a few from February (mostly just one set each), and two or three more from spring...whereas about 20 shows in winter/spring '79 seem to exist only on audience tapes. (Same thing with a bunch of Nov/Dec '78 shows.) By summer/fall '79 we're back to having SBDs for most shows.
      Hopefully the tapes will surface again; Dead tapes still keep coming to light.

      Delete
    2. Amen Amen. My 1st & 2nd shows, Philly 1-5, 1-12 '79; I'd love to hear the soundboards of those!! My friends were seeing the Binghamton, Utica shows around that time, where are those? Buffalo?? And I can swear in college I heard a board of the Nassau DS show!! (might be wrong about that tho??). Someone pleez help!! It vexes me quite some!!!

      Delete
  2. Thanks for reposting this, Caleb.

    Jim Powell

    ReplyDelete
  3. The vanishing second verse:

    There were a few Dark Stars in 1969 where the Dead skipped the second verse to go into another song - 5/30, 6/22, 7/12, and 8/16.
    In 1970 the second verse was still generally sung, with the exceptions of 3/24, 5/8, and 11/8.
    In mid-1971 they started skipping the second verse more often.
    1971 second verses were sung on 2/18, 4/8, 4/28, 10/21, and 10/24. For the rest of fall '71 Dark Star had only one verse.
    This became the standard in 1972. The second verse was sung in 1972 only on 3/23, 5/4, and 7/26.
    It wasn't heard again until 12/31/81 (though 12/31/78 had an instrumental second verse).

    Some Dark Stars were entirely instrumental and had no verse at all: 2/11/70, 12/5/71, 11/30/73, 6/23/74, and 7/25/74. (Not counting a couple brief between-song jams, 4/26/69 and 11/21/73, which don't include the actual Dark Star theme. 3/24/70 is also missing vocals due to a tapecut; and 7/12/69 cuts in midway so it's hard to tell if it had a first verse.)

    7/13/84 has the second verse, as do the three October '89 versions. I haven't checked which '90s versions had one, two, or no verses.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 3/29/90 - two verses (split by Drums/Space)
      7/12/90 - two verses
      9/20/90 - two verses (split by Drums/Space)
      10/20/90 - two verses (split by Drums/Space)
      11/1/90 - two verses (split by Drums/Space)
      12/12/90 and 12/14/90 - split between nights (first verse 12/12, second verse 12/14)
      12/31/90 - two verses
      4/1/91 - two verses (split by Drums/Space)
      6/14/91 - first verse only
      8/16/91 - first verse only
      9/10/91 - two verses (split by Drums/Space)
      9/24/91 - first verse only
      9/26/91 - first verse at start of second two, second verse in post-Drums of set two
      10/31/91 - two verses (split by Drums/Space)
      3/9/92 - first verse only
      3/20/92 - first verse only (instrumental second verse)
      6/8/92 - first verse only
      6/22/92 - second verse only
      12/12/92 and 12/16/92 - split between nights (first verse 12/12, second verse 12/16)
      3/17/93 - first verse only
      6/23/93 - first verse only
      9/13/93 - first verse only
      9/22/93 - first verse only
      3/16/94 - first verse only
      3/30/94 - first verse only

      Delete
    2. Thanks. It looks like the second verse was gradually phased out in '91, with the two-verse Dark Stars disappearing after that year.
      Splitting a song between two nights was a technique the Dead didn't have yet in the early '70s. I'm not sure there are any examples before '77 of them just playing the second part of a song?

      Delete
  4. These are the shows where Dark Star & the Other One were played back-to-back.
    * indicates performances where the Other One emerged from a Dark Star jam.

    3-30-68 Other One>Cryptical>Dark Star
    8-22-68 Dark Star, Cryptical>Other One (with a pause & chatter in between)
    11-1-68 Dark Star>Cryptical>Other One
    2-22-69 Dark Star>Cryptical>Other One
    2-28-69 Other One>Cryptical>Dark Star
    4-15-69 Other One>Cryptical>Dark Star
    6-22-69 Dark Star>Other One*
    7-12-69 Dark Star>Other One*
    8-21-69 Other One>Cryptical>Dark Star
    11-7-69 Dark Star>Cryptical>Other One
    11-8-69 Dark Star>Other One>Dark Star*
    1-23-70 Other One>Cryptical>Dark Star
    2-13-70 Dark Star>Cryptical>Other One
    3-24-70 Dark Star>Other One*
    11-5-70 Other One>Dark Star
    11-7-71 Dark Star>Drums>Other One*
    5-7-72 Dark Star>Drums>Other One*
    12-31-78 Dark Star>Other One>Dark Star*
    1-20-79 Other One>Dark Star
    9-26-91 Other One>Dark Star
    (possibly 3-20-92: Dark Star>Drums>Space>Other One)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Did you guys hear this https://archive.org/details/DarkStar_1972 well done indeed

    ReplyDelete
  6. I realized this was missing a list of the songs that Dark Star segued into, so I added the list of transitions - just the songs going into or out of Dark Star.
    This makes it easier to see how the transitions evolved over time - the switch from China Cat to St Stephen in mid-'68; the increased song variety in '71; the sudden appearance of Morning Dew in May '72; the frequency of Eyes in '73; and the many variations in the '90s.

    Now it's possible to list how often each song was paired with Dark Star - which I haven't done, except for the more infrequent pairings in the '70s. Those are noted in the list, but the '90s offered more of a challenge.
    Dark Star typically had a cold start in the '60s-70s, but this became very rare in the '90s. The songs that most often segued into Dark Star in its first few years were Mountains of the Moon, the Other One suite, and Truckin' (several times), and later on Let It Grow (3 times). Otherwise the only songs (rather than jams) that segued into Dark Star were a surprise Sittin' on Top of the World on 6/5/69, and Wharf Rat on 5/25/72.

    The '90s featured a greater number of songs going into Dark Star: Playing in the Band the most frequently, but also Estimated Prophet (4 times), Victim or the Crime, Foolish Heart, Eyes of the World, Ship of Fools, Uncle John's Band, Saint of Circumstance, Spoonful, Corrina, and Man Smart. (With this variety, it's a little surprising that some songs never segued directly into Dark Star - like He's Gone or Terrapin - and no Truckin'>Dark Star was seen after 3/24/73.)
    Other than the frequent drums>space, Dark Star could also head in a number of directions in the '90s - most often back into a Playing reprise (five times up to mid-'91, but none thereafter). There were a couple Wheels, Terrapins, and Attics, but more often a Weir rocker was preferred: Throwing Stones, I Need a Miracle, Watchtower, and Last Time (2-3 times each), and a unique Promised Land.

    It's interesting that from '68-72, Dark Star and the Other One were so frequently paired, which happened only one time in the '90s (other than a few with a drums>space interval). On the other hand, whereas Playing in the Band was hardly ever directly linked to Dark Star in the '70s (the 10/18/72 Playing sandwich is really the only example), from '89 onwards it became Dark Star's closest companion.

    A couple other pairings of note:
    The Spanish Jam was found on either side of Dark Star a few times over the years - heading into it on 1/22/68 and 3/24/73, or coming out of it on 2/11/70 and 6/23/74.
    Wharf Rat is Dark Star's sister song in a way - it was born in Dark Star on 2/18/71, and the two have a similar feel. Perhaps because of that, they were paired infrequently - only four times in '71-72, and a couple revivals in '78-79. 11/21/73 has a fascinating hybrid Wharf Rat/Dark Star jam, which could turn into one or the other before it heads into Wharf Rat. In a fitting mirror image of 2/18/71, the songs were last joined on 6/28/91, an instrumental verse of Dark Star played inside Wharf Rat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For convenience, here is a list of the "unfinished" Dark Stars up to 1971, where they segued into another song without ending Dark Star:

      5-7-69 Dark Star>drums>Lovelight
      5-30-69 Dark Star>Cosmic Charlie
      6-22-69 Dark Star>Other One
      7-12-69 Dark Star>Other One
      8-16-69 Dark Star>High Time
      2-11-70 Dark Star>Spanish Jam>Lovelight (instrumental Dark Star)
      3-24-70 Dark Star>Other One
      5-8-70 Dark Star>Dancing
      11-8-70 Dark Star>Main Ten>Dancing
      4-26-71 Dark Star>Wharf Rat
      7-31-71 Dark Star>Bird Song

      Dark Star enters a new era from 10-31-71 onward: the second verse & ending are regularly dropped, and the band almost always segues into a new song mid-jam. This kind of transition had been somewhat accidental previously, but now they made an artform out of it.

      And these are the few Dark Star sandwiches of the '70s:
      11-8-69 Dark Star>Other One>Dark Star
      6-24-70 Dark Star>Attics of My Life>Dark Star>Sugar Magnolia>Dark Star
      2-18-71 Dark Star>Wharf Rat>Dark Star
      10-21-71 Dark Star>Sitting on Top of the World>Dark Star
      12-5-71 Dark Star>Me & My Uncle>Dark Star
      4-24-72 Dark Star>Me & My Uncle>Dark Star
      12-31-78 Dark Star>Other One>Dark Star

      Dark Star>El Paso>space on 11-15-71 and 8-21-72 may also count as Dark Star sandwiches. To me they suggest that the Dead had trouble "continuing" Dark Star after a song interruption, or at least preferred not to do it, since they did it so few times. Which is unfortunate, since some of these times were spectacularly successful.

      You'd think the '90s would have seen more Dark Star sandwiches with new song combinations. 10-16-89 suggested a possible future for Dark Star as a Playing in the Band-type wraparound for the whole second set. But the only time the Dead ever tried that again was on 9-26-91. And the only other Dark Star sandwich in the '90s was on 9-20-90: Dark Star>Playing reprise>Dark Star.
      (They played Dark Star>drums>space>Dark Star a number of times, but I don't think that counts.)

      Delete
  7. A brief note on the 9/17/70 Dark Star:

    There are a couple different audience recordings - Marty Weinberg's:
    https://archive.org/details/gd1970-09-17.partial.aud.weinberg.33826.flac16 (25:05)
    and Jack Toner's:
    https://archive.org/details/gd70-09-17.aud.warner.16090.sbeok.shnf (26:05)
    (and a Sirmick remaster)

    Weinberg's recording runs significantly faster. I don't know which is closer to the right speed, but I prefer the sound of Toner's - brighter & clearer, while Weinberg's is a bit more muffled. (Others may find Toner more harsh and trebly-sounding) But otherwise the two recordings sound very similar, with the same sonic mix.

    Toner's recording has a small cut in Dark Star at 23:40 - Weinberg's copy has the missing 25 seconds (22:10-22:35 on his).
    Toner also has a little dropout/warble after the Dead start the Soulful Strut jam around 17:10, while Weinberg remains steady at that point (16:30 on his).
    No one has patched the cut in the better-sounding Toner recording (I don't know if anyone ever noticed that Weinberg was more complete), so I thought I'd comment on it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SIRMick provided a patched upgrade of the partial Weinberg tape:
      https://archive.org/details/gd1970-09-17.145891.partials3.akg190e.weinberg.wolfe.smith.joeb.sirmick.flac16

      He also attempted a matrix of the Dark Star, combining the two audience recordings:
      https://archive.org/details/gd1970-09-17.146027.mtx.darkstar.sirmick.flac16
      A brave attempt, but it doesn't stay in sync very well so it sounds heavily reverbed - as he admits, "I'm not convinced that it has achieved what was hoped for." But you can imagine the time-consuming chore of trying to sync two old warbly tapes - not only do all the little cuts need fixing, but "the Weinberg source slows down and speeds up at irregular intervals." A perfect matrix would take fanatical patience!

      Delete
  8. Hi LIA. How about a Dark Star that wasn't. I stumbled across this dark Star on youtube, and upon closer inspection came to realise its not the Dead after all. In fact, it is all the instruments played by one guy. Have you heard this version?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vXTfyfAxWU&t=0s&list=FLn-xMUyuNqEZdZXn9crmaeg&index=114
    I know we are slightly off the subject track here, but the fact that this is just one guy blows me away. (He even has Pigs 8 note riff in there). Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's Lane Steinberg - the full version is 21 minutes, and his dedication to recreating the 1969 style is impressive:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf2Lk7XG9o0

      Delete
  9. Check out https://archive.org/details/dsevo

    ReplyDelete
  10. Re-posting this comment here for convenience:

    The Live/Dead Dark Star captured the song right at the point when percussion was becoming more prominent in it. Usually in the versions from early February '69, I think it's mostly just Mickey on scratcher and gong, and otherwise the only percussion is some tapping or light cymbals. You might find Billy tentatively joining in during the Sputnik jam or the return to the theme, but he's not too active in Dark Star. For instance in the Philadelphia versions, 2/14-15, he doesn't seem to be doing much of anything; the percussion might be all Mickey.

    But then the Dream Bowl versions see a shift - on 2/21, I think Mickey is actively drumming on his kit in part of the post-verse jam instead of staying on the scratcher. Then on 2/22 after the Sputnik, Billy joins him and both drummers bang away in Dark Star, definitely rare in that period.

    On 2/27 they start a new arrangement: Billy on his drum kit while Mickey stays on scratcher and gong. They stick to that arrangement in the rest of the Fillmore West performances - on 2/28 and 3/2 in particular, Billy's drumming is prominent after the Sputnik jam. (One good point of comparison is that both the 2/15 and 2/28 Dark Star have stretches where Garcia's not playing, off changing a string or something, while the band chugs along - 2/15 has no percussion, but 2/28 has Billy's drums.)

    The division of labor remains the same through March '69, but the percussion role keeps increasing in Dark Star - by the end of March (3/28-29), Mickey's role in the Sputnik jam is much louder as he adds clacks and scratches; then by 4/5/69 they're back to double-drumming during the Dark Star climax. Meanwhile Billy's drumming in Dark Star gets more aggressive in April - 4/4 for instance is a very percussive version. So as the drummers become more active, April '69 sees a gradual shift to heavier, weirder Dark Stars.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've been updating some of the timings here, always a work in progress...many of the original times were way off. Different tape sources can be 20-30 seconds apart (or more!), depending on the tape speed, the tracking, any cuts... So the timings here are not set in stone.

    The Nov. 2019 30 Days of Dead selection included the Dark Star from 10/13/68, which had about 20 more seconds at the start than is on circulating tapes (though it's still missing the intro).

    I was checking the 9/6/91 Dark Star, and wasn't expecting much since it's just a 3-minute version. I was astonished to find Garcia playing the "Beautiful Jam" from 2/18/71 during the last minute....twenty years later! Doesn't last long, and I'm sure it's just coincidence that he stumbled into the same theme again, but I couldn't believe my ears.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I finished updating the timings for all the Dark Stars. There were many corrections, mostly small, but much to my surprise quite a few of the old deadlists times were one or two minutes off! Which goes to show the difference between timing from off-speed multi-gen tapes versus digital copies from the masters. But this list is finally close to accurate now.

    There’s also an Other One Timings post on this site, and a list of Eyes performances, which in large part were based on the deadlists times, hence those timings are also likely to be inaccurate in many spots. I doubt I’ll ever go through and revise them, though.

    ReplyDelete
  13. There is a Dark Star Jam within the big 6/28/74 jam. Not very long, but more than a tease.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it's included on the list here. I wrote about it in the Short Dark Stars post.
      One tease I didn't include was the 7/18/76 post-Let It Grow Dark Star jam, which I'm on the fence about...I think other people just consider it a long Wharf Rat intro.

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  14. One of the comments under this listing is pretty funny.
    https://archive.org/details/Bonanza-DarkStar

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  15. Was at the 8/16/91 Shoreline show. Knew the 1st set Dark Star was special. I didn't realize how special until I saw the crowd's reaction and the unbridled joy people were expressing after the show. I scanned through the list and found out it had been 20 years since the last occurrence. Thanks for the info. Great site.

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