Here is a sample track from one of the Dead's EPIC shows in 1974, when Bear's Wall of Sound was fully operational and audiences were being blown away by the colossal sound waves emanating from its many towering speakers. But the Wall wasn't made simply to blow the roof off a joint; the Dead's most delicate and sublime musical moments could now be heard in all their acoustical glory, filling the room for people even in the back row to be able to hear and dance on every graceful note. Bold and courageous tapers, like Jerry Moore, were determined to get these legendary sounds on tape, and the glittering sonicscapes they captured was no simple task. / The fruits of Moore's labors can be heard here in a symbiotic relationship with the well-balanced soundboard recording, which together produce a unique aural experience that cannot be derived from either of the recordings alone. By being mixed together in a very specific way, a sonic chemical reaction occurs that produces a new aural creature to be reckoned with. This new audio form - the matrix - contains a heightened level of acoustical energy and resonance that reveals a depth and power to the live sound that was not quite experienced before, except perhaps if one was actually at the show. The matrix is thus a more accurate musical portrait of the band/audience relationship that was so integral to the life of a Grateful Dead concert event, where both parties literally fed off the energy of the other. This acoustical feeding frenzy, in relation to the sound dimensions of the actual room or space, is what the matrix seeks to embody and reproduce, and it touches more decisively on a sustained kind of ecstasy that would occur at a show between the Dead and their fans. / The track presented here, which is Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia's "Ship of Fools" (on Hunter's birthday, no less), is unique in that it is preceded by a soft and lyrical "jam" that reflects the tones and textures of "Ship of Fools", but it is not a formal part of the song. This exquisite musical interlude, skillfully placed after Phil Lesh and Ned Lagin's otherworldly "Seastones" debut, has been quite appropriately called "Setting Sail". The jam, which is really more of a song in itself, conveys a languid feeling of casting off into gentle and cool waters at dawn, only to be met by a cautionary tale of paying allegiance to the wrong kinds of ships at sea.

Setting Sail -> Ship of Fools - 6/23/74 Jai-Alai Fronton - Miami, FL

Purchase the soundboard recording from April 24, 2015 by clicking the "Buy" Link. Enjoy.

I: Helicopters-> Gangster-> Helicopters, Mulberry's Dream-> Crystal Ball (inverted)-> Mulberry's Dream, Astronaut

II: Hot Air Balloon-> Rock Candy (unfinished)-> The Great Abyss (inverted)-> I-Man (unfinished)-> Run Like Hell-> Hot Air Balloon

E: The Safety Dance-> Run Like Hell

Mulberry's Dream-> - 2015-04-24 - State Theatre, Portland, ME

Yonder Mountain String Band - Crazy (Granada Theater 3/1/13)

Electric on the Eel

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) (Live at French's Camp, Piercy, CA, 8/29/1987) [feat. Jerry Garcia]

Get Out of My Life Woman (Live at French's Camp, Piercy, CA, 8/29/1987) [feat. Jerry Garcia]

Deal (Live at French's Camp, Piercy, CA, 8/29/1987) [feat. Jerry Garcia]

GarciaLive Volume 14: January 27th, 1986 The Ritz

Little Sadie (Live) [feat. Jerry Garcia]

Yonder Mountain String Band "Southbound" Live at KDHX 12/30/10

GarciaLive Volume 15: May 21st, 1971 Keystone Korner

I Was Made to Love Her (Live) [feat. Jerry Garcia]

Official Soundcloud Page of the Jerry Garcia Estate

Jerry Garcia (1942-1995) created an unparalleled legacy across the American landscape, most notably in his role as a founding member, singer, songwriter and lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead. Garcia's unmistakable guitar tone enchanted multitudes of "Deadheads" throughout the band's 30-year career and beyond. His work with the Jerry Garcia Band, Old and in the Way, Legion of Mary, Garcia/Grisman, and projects with Merl Saunders, only scratch at the surface of his musical influences, as he set out to master the Great American Songbook. Unequivocally devoted to the craft of music, Garcia continues to inspire future generations through the body of work he has left behind and his creative spirit.