deadheads: Best sounding Dicks Picks....top 5

Of the Dick's Picks series both your criteria are met IMHO by DP no. 3 5/22/77 Pembroke Pines, FL and DP no. 5 12/26/79 Oakland Aud. Both are Betty Boards, Great shows, and they capture some of the best of the Dead of the late 70's
A third show which is available in an Arista commercial release with very good sound is "Nightfall Of Diamonds" captured at the Meadowlands on Oct. 16, 1989. Arista's "Dozin' At The Knick" from Albany's Knickerbocker Arena is no slouch in the performance or sound either. "Nightfall" has a Dark Star>Playin'>UJB>Drumz>Space segment that shows the band really shining at the interplay between them that was so inspired on some nights.

Don't have them in front of me, but have to second Slipknot's choices. Also would add Terrapin Station and Without a Net as some of the best sounding and best performances (not DP's I know). Starting with DP 15 I believe, they went with HDCD encoding, which really helped out sound wise. The sole reason I won't go with one of those upsampling players, unless I can defeat it and use the HDCD.

Hey...love all 36 DP's....some are better than others and that depends on what era of the Dead you enjoyed the most. I persoanlly liked the early to mid seventies. Anyway..... I miss new Dick's Pick's....it really is too bad there will be no more.....Latvala !!!!!

I've also found the board mixes available from Ratdog and Phil and Friends to be very good. Phil and Friends Chicago show summer of 06 with Joan Osborne is one of the best.

Terrapin on Super Disc is to DIE 4!!!!

I'm not all that impressed with Dozin's performance.

Don't have them all but for sheer enjoyment I like 5/2/70. This was a tape a upgrade many times over the last 25 years. Exceptional show.

Also Don't have'em in front of me. I Recently picked up the Dead Live in Hamburg(?)Germany '72, not certain if it's a DP or not. Both the recording and performance is quite good!From the Europe '72 Tour. Also check out both One and Two 'From the Vault'-even though not a DP, IMHO must haves. There is a DP live in Oaklahoma from 78(?) or early 80's, don't recall the #, but it has a picture of a wheat field on it which I like. I'm also not that crazy about the Dozin'. Another good live one is a 4 cd set on Arista "Ladies & Gentleman, The Greatful Dead" from the Filmore. Hope this helps.

"Hundred Jahr Halle" is an Arista lable commercial release. Great recordings from the epic trip to Europe in '72. I believe the Oaklahoma show you refer to is from the Zoo Amphitheater, 1980 or '81. I have the tapes but not the DP.
I guess I am partial to Dozin' as I was at that 3 night run. While the music is not that inspired (Save for the China Cat IMHO), it's well recorded, and a nice snapshot of that period.

there have been some amazing sounding copies of the famous '77 barton hall show circulating. That show easily blows away most of the dicks picks I've heard in both sound quality and performance. I also have a really amazing matrix (soundboard and audience recording mix) of the 11-4-77 Colgate University that I consider one of the best sounding live recordings I've ever heard.

Of the DP that I have DP 3, 5, and 25 all sound pretty good.

any downloads of 70s dead shows that have great sound...

Well folks..its crazy ...Im almost 40 and Im first discovering the dead! Wow...I picked up dp 12 on a head suggestion when I conveyed what I was looking for...at any rate...looking for more 2 guitar exploratory jams...what about dp 18 folks...

I wish they would re-issue all the DP's in vinyl, now your talking!