Dick's Picks 22: Kings Beach Bowl, Kings Beach Lake Tahoe, Ca

Two CD set recorded live at Kings Beach Bowl, Kings Beach, Lake Tahoe, CA February 23 and 24, 1968. Relatively few concert recordings exist of the Dead at this early stage of their career, which is reason enough to add this Pick to your collection, but when you consider that these two nights of shows include the ENTIRE set of songs from the as-yet-unreleased album Anthem of the Sun (with several of the tunes appearing in an incredible, never to be duplicated medley of Alligator /China Cat Sunflower /The Eleven/Caution/Feedback) and an early version of the classic Dark Star medley (with China Cat Sunflower replacing St. Stephen as the song between Dark Star and The Eleven), Vol. 22 rises into the indispensable category. A 19-minute Viola Lee Blues just adds to the appeal for those who favor the raw, bluesy, experimental edition of the group this set skewers those Dead detractors who dismiss the band as purveyors of pretty hippie music (and if it's pretty hippie music you're after, you've been warned!). Out of print for years, finally available at retail again.