Contrary to what Becker and Fagen alleged three years earlier, William & Mary did just fine.

Better than fine, really, with the band playing better than usual — Keith Godchaux’s interest and agility on the keys contributing the lion’s share of that distinction. And if anybody in Virginia needs a study break at any given time, it’s those W&M kids. If this recording is toward the lower end in terms of sound quality for official releases, at least that’s only our problem, not theirs.

“Promised Land” gave the board a few minutes to fine-tune the mix, but the band demonstrated they were in good form and feeling good from bar one. After “Deal”, a still fairly young “Cassidy” boasts some sweet interplay as solos run together and alongside each other, giving the first hint that the night was going to be a good one for piano fans.

“Looks Like Rain” is typically a Bob/Jerry showcase, but listen to this and you can’t help but feel a little heartbreak at the difference between Godchaux’s playing and how he could be on a given night just several months later.

Somebody ran into some equipment trouble in “Sugaree”, but it worked out, and at a length (ten minutes) that is svelte and frankly preferable compared to what it would become.

“Looks Like Rain” is typically a Bob/Jerry showcase, but listen to this and you can’t help but feel a little heartbreak at the difference between Godchaux’s playing and how he could be on a given night just several months later.

On the other hand, while Garcia was often down in the mix too much in the Spring 1990 box, his levels leave no room for complaint here. A “Row Jimmy”/”Big River”/Tennessee Jed” trio rounds out an extended sequence where things rarely got beyond midtempo, but the quality of the playing means it never struck me as dragging.

Enjoy Every Sandwich

Then, the first serious highlight of the night (we’ll call “Cassidy” a minor highlight). “So, so good” is not an overstatement for the “Playing > Supplication > Playing reprise”. The music is top notch from the opening straight through the first eleven minutes.

At that point, a feint toward the final chorus is redirected as Weir opens the door to “Supplication” and the others notice and stroll through. Sweet. This rare pairing sounds quite natural, with an unhurried jam flowing until a glissando from Keith cues the vocals.

Likewise, they find a beautiful space as they glide back toward “Playing”, getting there with a good five minutes to spare and finishing with a tight turn into the reprise. A perfect way to end the set as Bob delivers the traditional news that “we’re gonna take a break and you can, too.”

Short But Sweet

Phil joins Bob to start the post-break proceedings with a “one step back” routine, preserved on what sounds like it could be an aud patch in the recording. The “Might As Well” is solid for a track I usually skip, and the consistency continues through “Samson & Delilah” and “Loser”.

Everyone takes a breath and we are off into “Help On The Way > Slipknot!”. Like the night’s first extended piece, this finds the boys hitting the zone early. A drum break (about five minutes) nudges things toward “Dancing In The Streets”, but no.

The “Slipknot!” swings into “Franklin’s Tower” after about five more minutes. Like “Sugaree”, an engaged and engaging ten-minute “Franklin’s” is better than the considerably longer meandering that would mark the next year’s tour.

Yet again, Godchaux puts his stamp on “Franklin’s” wind-down and outro, which on this night is actually a transition into “The Music Never Stopped”. That’s a good example of the abundant fluidity in this evening. Speaking of outros, Garcia delivers the latter song’s outro with some real command as well.

Finally, Jerry delivers a lovely pregnant pause before the close, putting this “Stella Blue” in the above-average pile despite the aud patch.

An unexpected audience patch in “Stella Blue” could be a real downer in some cases. However, it comes at a good spot right around the 3-minute mark. The song itself also enjoys a tempo that manages to never sound hurried while coming in at just under eight minutes. Quick, even compared to other ’76 versions. Finally, Jerry delivers a lovely pregnant pause before the close, putting this in the above-average pile despite the aud patch.

“Around & Around” is, you know, “Around & Around”. A “U.S. Blues” encore wraps things up energetically and succinctly. With that, 9/24/76 was history and the buses rolled northward for the shows that would make up Dick’s Picks 25.

Of Sound Quality

Sporting what you might call a passable soundboard recording, simply being average would’ve assured that this concert would do little but collect virtual dust in iTunes. But playing-wise, Dave’s Picks 4 has to be one of the most consistent Grateful Dead releases, period. Others may have a couple more transcendent moments, but almost all the rest have more natural lulls or low points.

And that “Playing > Supplication > Playing” can stand with my favorite ’72 standalone versions.

Grateful Dead
Dave’s Picks, Vol. 4
9/24/76 @ William & Mary Hall / Williamsburg, VA
CD1 – promised land / deal / cassidy / sugaree / looks like rain / row jimmy / big river / tennessee jed
CD2 – playing in the band > supplication > playing reprise / might as well / samson & delilah / loser / new minglewood blues
CD3 – help on the way > slipknot! > drums > slipknot! > franklin’s tower > the music never stopped > stella blue / around & around // u.s. blues