This week with the start of a new year, I decided to take a look back to a truly fecund period for the band - early 1969. We have an exceptional sounding recording of a show that took place back on January 17th, 1969 in Santa Barbara, California. This recording shows how the band is ready to take off during this seminal year that saw the release of  both Aoxomoxoa and Live Dead. The tape starts with a typically rousing 'Lovelight' (some have claimed to be able to tell that Pigpen was even more lit than  usual here :) and then goes into a wonderful Dark Star. Saint Stephen and the Eleven follow, and you'll especially enjoy the jamming in the latter. The 'Death Don't Have No Mercy' that follows is for me one of the highlights of this performance.. slow and spooky.. just perfect. The band that rages into a 'That's It For the Other One', followed by their 3rd performance of a sloppy 'Cosmic Charlie' .. all in all a great 90 minutes of primal Dead..