I’ve spent a lot of time listening to the Grateful Dead lately, specifically Europe ‘72 in my car. This resurgence in listening habits can be directly traced to seeing Ryan Adams back in September and, more recently, watching the Dark Star Orchestra recreate the Dead experience at the Barrymore.

During college I rocked Ripple on the regular, which remains to this day my favorite and most played Grateful Dead record in my collection, with Live/Dead coming in a close second. Bootlegs were a whole different story; I collected those just as I once did baseball cards in my youth. The amount of time and blank cassettes sent and returned by strangers was staggering to say the least. These days there few no remnants of my cassette collection, and I stick primarily to official and soundboard releases (Dick’s Picks). I just don’t have the patience or wherewithal to listen to inaudible melodies, as I’m sure most of my past collection contained.

Today, I turned my attention to Internet Archive (Archive.org) for some decent sounding bootlegs, specifically soundboard quality recordings from Alpine Valley, Wisconsin. Since Alpine is one of my favorite summer destinations, and a great place to see a concert, I found many hours of listening enjoyment pouring through early to mid 80’s sets from one of the best outdoor venues in the US. The performance of preference happened on August 8, 1982, and includes favorites like “Brown-Eyed Women” and “Fire On The Mountain.” Next up on my purchase list will be Dick’s Picks 32 - a two disc set from the same venue and month as today’s favorite. Until that arrives, I’m going to keep enjoying the vast selection available on Archive.org.

Myspace: Grateful Dead
MP3: Grateful Dead - “Brown-Eyed Women” (8/8/1982)
MP3: Grateful Dead - “Samson & Delilah” (8/8/1982)

Find more MP3’s at The Hype Machine or buy stuff from Strictly Discs | eMusic