Pacific Northwest '73-'74 - the complete recordings

"A new 19-disc boxed set that features six previously unreleased shows that spotlight two of the band's tours through the region ... comes in an ornate box created by Canada's preeminent First Nations artist Roy Henry Vickers. To complement the music, the set also includes a 64-page book with an in-depth essay by Grateful Dead scholar Nicholas G. Meriwether and photos by Richie Pechner ... The recordings of the 1973 shows were made just a few months before the band released its sixth studio album, Wake of the Flood, which was its first without founding member Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, who died in March 1973, and the first on their new Grateful Dead Records label. Along with live staples like "Jack Straw," "Sugaree" and "Brown-Eyed Women," the band also previewed most of its forthcoming album, including "Eyes Of The World," "Row Jimmy," "Here Comes Sunshine," "Stella Blue," and "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo."The 1974 shows were recorded just a few weeks before the band released its seventh studio album, From The Mars Hotel. The band once again took the opportunity to preview songs from its upcoming album, with performances of "U.S. Blues," "China Doll" "Loose Lucy," "Money Money," and "Ship of Fools." Another song from the album - "Scarlet Begonias" - was played on its own, three years before it would be linked with "Fire On The Mountain" in 1977".

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