For those that are in the know, it has been well established that the Grateful Dead were assumed to pull out all stops for their New Year’s Eve concerts, a tradition that became a staple after this very concert. Likewise, they were known to possess a certain magic when playing in their home turf and were often said to play a bit looser, a bit more experimental, and a bit better in the Bay Area.This show came on the heels of a very short disbanding and right after they had wrapped up their recording of the infamous Terrapin Station album. The band was recharged, they were playing tighter and more passionate than ever, and they had their old buddy Mickey Hart back in the second drum throne to help with keeping their groove on.
To say that Rhino Record’s latest Grateful Dead release “Live at the Cow Palace, New Year’s Eve 1976” is a show of shows would be an understatement. Long considered by tapers to be one of the Grateful Dead’s finest performances this release faithfully captures everything that made this band so popular over decades. Lovingly restored from the multi-track analog soundboard reel-to-reel tapes, remixed and then mastered in glorious HDCD sound, the contents of this 3 disc package can easily rival that of any modern day live recording.
