Dick's Picks, Vol. 6: Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT, 10/14/83
Recorded in Hartford, Connecticut, in October 1983,Volume Sixcatches the band at full throttle. Smack in the middle of their eight-year respite from the studio, this show finds an uninhibited, road-tested band clicking on all cylinders, with little regard for anything but energy and effort, still four years away from their remarkable popular resurgence. By 1983 Brent Mydland's keyboard work (especially on Hammond organ) had become an integral component of the group's sound, adding grit and depth. Disc 1 includes sharp readings of their classic country combo "Mama Tried"/"Big River" and lesser-known original "Day Job," but the centerpiece of the set remains the middle disc, on which the Dead stretch their two signature medleys "Scarlet"/"Fire" and "Estimated"/Eyes" for over an hour with nary a misstep.--Marc Greilsamer