The Grateful Dead 
May 23 1972
The Strand Lyceum
London, England

2 track soundboard recording

    " Not sure of lineage but I do know that Rex Jackson recorded it.  
      I know this cause there was a little symbol on the box 
      and David Lemiuex told me that meant Rex Jackson taped it....  
      Bob and Betty handled the multitracks.
      My best guess MR(Rex Jackson 2 track)>??>R(Jerry Garcia)>R(Will Boswell)>CD.  
      Not sure if Kidd Candelario dubbed JG's copy from the master 2 track reel or not..."  
                                                                 Matt Smith March 5 2009

Transferred by Matt Smith- Reels > Apogee Mini ME 24/96 > Apogee Mini DAC(monitoring) > 
                           Wavelab 5.0(dithered to 16/44)>CD

Edited and Mastered by Jamie Waddell on the GEMS Edit Station in Wavelab 6.1 with UA DSP
FLAC Level8 in TLH
MetaData in Tag and Rename

a **GEMS** Production  
Originally Seeded at Lossless Legs www.shnflac.net 
March 9 2009 

-first version of Rockin Pneaumonia
-Very Long Dark Star
-Some of this show appears on "Steppin Out" Release
-Thanks to aLL who make the music flow


       Set One
d1t01. Promised Land
d1t02. Sugaree
d1t03. Mr Charlie
d1t04. Black Throated Wind
d1t05. Tuning
d1t06. Tennesee Jed
d1t07. Next Time You See Me
d1t08. Jack Straw
d1t09. China Cat Sunflower>
d1t10. I Know You Rider
d1t11. Tuning
d1t12. Me and My Uncle
d1t13. Tuning
d1t14. Chinatown Shuffle
d1t15. Big RXR Blues
d1t16. Tuning
d1t17. The Stranger (Two Souls In Communion)

d2t01. Tuning
d2t02. Playin in the Band
d2t03. Sittin on Top of the World
d2t04. Rockin Pneaumonia
d2t05. Tuning
d2t06. Mexicali Blues
d2t07. Good Lovin
d2t08. Casey Jones
d2t09. Tuning
       Set Two
d2t10. Ramble On Rose

d3t01. Tuning
d3t02. Dark Star>
d3t03. Morning Dew
d3t04. He's Gone
d3t05. Sugar Magnolia

d4t01. Comes a Time
d4t02. GDTRFB>
d4t03. NFA>
d4t04. Hey Bo Diddley>
d4t05. NFA
d4t06. Uncle John's Band

a neat review i found online
Bickershaw Festival, Wigan, England 5/7/72
                          &
The Strand Lyceum, London England 1972


Well it was quite a long time ago! I wish I'd written something down then.

I'd got to know the Dead's music quite well from listening to their albums. Live/Dead knocked us
all out, though it was frustrating to have to change records three times. I missed the 1970 festival
appearance and first saw them at the Bickershawe Festival.

It was miserable weather, and the three of us who were going decided only to go for the last day.
We set off from Cambridge at crack of dawn on a Sunday morning and got there around
lunchtime. It was pouring and muddy, but I had got lots of plastic sheeting.

We got quite good positions and huddled under the plastic through the early acts. Brinsley
Schwarz were one I remember. Then Country Joe got the crowd going. Then the  New Riders
came on and the rain stopped. They did a great set, mostly of the songs on their first two albums.

Finally the Dead came on in the early evening and the sun came out! I remember the excitement
as they opened with Truckin'. Quite a lot of the other songs were new - I remember being
knocked out by hearing China Cat done live after the weirdness on Aoxomoxoa. Their harmony
singing was really tight (eg on Tennessee Jed, which I had not heard before).

By the second set it had got dark. And out came Dark Star. I remember it as meandering and
spacey, but I haven't ever heard a tape of that. Uncle John's Band as the encore was sweet.

That determined me to go to the Lyceum. I went up to London early each afternoon and was near
the front of the queue. So I was right at the front for one of the evenings. The Lyceum is pretty
small and wasn't really packed. Unless my memory is playing tricks there were no seats except
perhaps in the balcony, though there was a bar and some tables right at the back. It was pretty
relaxed. I remember sitting on the floor
for one part. The concerts were all long: 3 hours or so, and with four nights there was no sense of
urgency - if you missed a little bit there was lots more to come. I see from DeadBase that they
played 19 songs on the first set of the first night!

The music was really intense because it was such a small venue. Pigpen was truly amazing, not
moving around much but really powerful. I remember a really soulful Two Souls In
Communion. Again, the harmonies were really tight - Ramble on Rose one night for example.

Remember that most of what they played was then new songs. I don't think I'd got "Garcia" then,
and "Ace" hadn't been released.

I guess the highlights were Dark Star again (played twice), plus a monumental Playing In The
Band (I can't remember which one: they played it every night!).

I spent at least one night right up the front mesmerised by Jerry's guitar playing. It all seemed to
flow so effortlessly, with occasional grins as he pulled out an amazing run. The boys all seemed
to be having great fun on stage, with lots of joking and by-play.

Sorry, this is pretty inadequate. But it was 23 years ago. It really turned me on to the Dead and
I've been a Deadhead ever since.