Grateful Dead Fans !!! who Love ! & even Live-for ! that Good Ol' Grateful Dead sound ... and at its Finest ! Offered here is the simply Legendary ! 5/7/1972 Europe '72 Tour Show at the " Bickershaw Festival ! " in Wigan, England !! - the 19th Show - from the half-way point of the " Magical ! " Grateful Dead Europe '72 Tour !!! Wow ... the Grateful Dead making a real-wise move - and scheduling in an Outdoor Pre-Summer Festival ! in Wigan, England !! And, what a wise-move this was ... because once you hear this 4-CD ! performance - if you have yet to -- then You ! will hear in pristine digitally-mastered quality - just-how ! the 1972 Grateful Dead ... ' Stole the Show ' !!! Wow ... my goodness !?! I mean talk-about a Dark Star ! > Drums > Other One !! ... sweetly & gently into Sing Me Back Home !!! These Festival-goers & Music-lovers must have just been completely jaw-dropped ! - by how & what-exactly the Good Ol' Grateful Dead delivered on this 5/7/72 day. And ... just to think that this is a Band in just it almost it's 7th! full year together ??! Just simply-amazing ... Before this 22-date Europe '72 Tour - the Grateful Dead delivered Seven ( 7 ) Shows at the Academy of Music in New York City in Late-March (3/21-28/72) - and if you have heard pieces, parts or all of that magnificent run - then you already know how " effective " that NYC run was as the ideal ' Tour Warm-Up ' for this Big-Time Europe '72 stretch that was right around the corner. Europe '72 kicked-off at Wembley Empire Pool ( London ) on 4/7/72 - as part of a two-night stand. And from there it was 20 More Shows ( 22 in Total ! ) stretching from London - to Newcastle upon Tyne ( England ) - to Copenhagen - to Aarhus ( Denmark ) - back to Copenhagen - to Bremen ( Germany ) - to Dusseldorf ( W. Germany ) - to Frankfurt ( 100 Year Hall ! ) - to Hamburg - to Paris - then here ... to the Bickershaw Festival ! in Wigan, England !! - and from here ... it was immediately on to Amsterdam ! - then to Rotterdam - to France - to Luxembourg - to Munich ... and then back again to London for a final 4-night stand at the Lyceum ! So ... with this Bickershaw Show being the Lucky 13th ! Show on this Tour - this makes it the 1/2 way point on this 22-Show run, or ... really the 1st ! Show of the 2nd half & leg of this Tour ... where right after closing-up Show in Wigan - it was on to Amsterdam !! My goodness, as for so-many reasons - this just must ! have been one of the Funnest ! times of this Whole-Tour 1 ... I mean hey, not that the whole darn thing was Fun !! - but ... Ha ! From an Outdoor Festival in England ... and then to Amsterdam ! Wow ... So, this really was the ' hump-day ' in this Tour - and, at least to my ears ... This ! is what I find so darn interesting. I mean all throughout this Tour - the Band played so-many Indoor Venues - that just must ! have had so many Sonicly-Friendly Acoustics ! to the Musician ... but, here in Wigan - the Dead are playing a ' Festival ' where it's an open-air thing. And, we all know how it can be at Festival-type Shows ... as the Folks attending them are just kind of into their own thing & scene - and though ... it is usually all about focusing on the Music itself. As we all know & have seen ... sometimes too - it is not. So, my point being that it can be tough trying to own the ' complete ' attention of the entire audience - almost like playing a bar-gig ... with tons of Folks talking in the background. But ... where you would think that this might & could affect the Grateful Dead's performance here ? Well, it does-not !!! And, if it did ( which it must have - at least a little ? ) ... you just simply cannot here it in the recording. It's almost as if the Festival atmosphere worked " for " the Dead on this day ... and the Crowd present was really getting the Band off ! They play a long-one here, for certain ... and they Deliver ! - right on the mark !! Their set kicks off with Truckin' ! ... and, from there on early - it is a Solid ! Blues-meets-the-Upbeat-Rockers ! Set !! With, I suppose He's Gone being the only lower-tempo - with the exception of the Pigpen Blues takes. But ... during this - in the 7/8 spot ... the Dead delivers a Blistering ! China > Rider !!! ... and this thing is On ! I mean they have this Crowd hooked !! Playin' In The Band shortly follows ... and ' both ' Good Lovin' ! & Casey Jones ! keep the heater-heated !! Big Boss Man is exceptionally ! note-worthy here - and the Jack Straw just Drives ! From here ... it's the Dark Star > Drums > Dark Star > Sing Me Back Home moments - and they are indeed ' Magical ' !!! To my ears, indeed the best part of this Show - if ! ... you had to pick one !?! - that is ... Ha ! And, believe me - as it's Tough ! to do so. And, because of the Rockin' ! & Rollin' !! nature of " Disc 4 " ... be careful - as it's one that you might actually wear-out ! Thank goodness for CD's then, right ? Ha ! But, my point being ... >>> Sugar Mag - Lovelight ! > G.D.T.R.F.B. > Not Fade Away !!! And, naturally ... a Rocker !! of a One More Saturday Night !!! This Crowd just Must ! have been simply Stunned ?!?!!! And, the good ... or " Grate ! " thing here is - is that now You ! can be too !! Enjoy this Europe '72 'The Complete Recordings' Beauty !!!!!
TRACK LISTING >>>Grateful Dead recorded ' Live ' at the Bickershaw Festival in Wigan, England on May 7, 1972 ( 5/7/1972 ) - Show # 13 ( of 22 ) on the Europe '72 Tour ! :Disc 1:
Truckin'
Sugaree
Mr. Charlie
Beat It On Down The Line
He's Gone
Chinatown Shuffle
China Cat Sunflower >
I Know You Rider
Black-Throated Wind
Next Time You See Me
Happy Birthday To You
Disc 2:Playing In The Band
Tennessee Jed
Good Lovin'
Casey Jones
Greatest Story Ever Told
Big Boss Man
Ramble On Rose
Jack Straw
Disc 3:Dark Star >
Drums >
The Other One >
Sing Me Back Home
Disc 4 :Sugar Magnolia
Turn On Your Lovelight >
Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad >
Not Fade Away
One More Saturday Night