Grateful Dead : Dick’s Picks 26 Volume Twenty Six : April 26, 1969 (4/26/1969) – Electric Theater – Chicago, Illinois (IL) & April 27, 1969 (4/27/1969) – Labor Temple – Minneapolis, Minnesota (MN) : 2002 (1969/2002) Grateful Dead Productions, Inc. (GDP) – GDCD 4046 :’ Original! 69 Live-Dead with some Amazing! Grateful Dead Productions 1st Issue Printing (GDCD 4046) – Not the Real Gone Re-Issue / Re-Print!! Good Ol’ Grateful Dead Fans!!! Here offered is the Rare’ Original’ 1st Printing! (GDCD 4046) of the Amazing!! Dick’s Picks Volume 26 2-CD Set from both the Electric Theater in Chicago (4/26), and the Labor Temple in Minneapolis (4/27) in 1969. In my personal opinion and also the opinion of many others… This 2 CD release offers Out of This World!!! In both of these Spring’69 Shows the performances are downright aggressive almost vicious! , creative / fresh, and the heavy jamming & song-segue transitions neatly demonstrate the early signs that this was simply a band like no other. I’ve often joked that there’s a small chance that these Shows might very well be the Very-First GREAT!!! Two (2) truly Magnificent! ” time-capsules ” of The Grateful Dead at their early (and arguably) 1st ” Best “. In sharing my personal opinion that this release is (believe it or not) a true candidate for ” Top Five (5) Dick’s Picks ” of the 36 in the Series! Naturally, of course depending on your ear-for-era and personal favorite time-periods & tours – but the powerful nature of this release can simply not be denied. And to think that sheer’69 G. Like this happened on 2-straight nights in 2 different mid-west cities! ? ! I think I want this whole’69 Spring Tour released… The more I think about. Garcia’s Gibson-tone is just flat out raunchy & awesome! Phil pushes the time-structure & jamming pockets like there is no tomorrow – consistently challenging Garcia, who openly welcomes it. Presence & sound-tones of the equipment seem to be ” just-right “, nearly perfect – really. & Mickey ravage the drums with near-perfection – as tempos change, and the band takes some big transitional-chances here – while both of them never even drop a beat. The China Cat > Doin’ That Rag > Cryptical > Other One > It’s a Sin are absolutely mind-blowing, and the Lovelight > Me & My Uncle > Sitting On Top of the World offers brilliant segue-transitions that will likely deliver chills up your spine. Oh, and here’s what Disc 2 has to say about that : Dark Star > St. Stephen > Eleven > Lovelight > Dew!!!!! If you haven’t heard this one, you really need to. And if you don’t already own this one in your collection? – then you might really want to consider doing so – seriously. This release is a flat-out Heater! Where our beloved Grateful Dead have just realized that they really-are-actually ” Just That Good “, and they show it all-night-long here – twice! – in April’69 for some so very fortunate Chicago & Minneapolis crowds. Some truly unreal musicianship is offered here – most definitely. And Thank You Dick for This-One!!! TRACK LISTING >>> Grateful Dead’ Live’ at the Electric Theater in Chicago, Illinois (IL) on April 26, 1969 (4/26/1969) – and – at the Labor Temple in Minneapolis, Minnesota (MN) on April 27, 1969 (4/27/1969) : CD 1 : Dupree’s Diamond Blues > Mountains Of The Moon > China Cat Sunflower > Doin’ That Rag Cryptical Envelopment > The Other One > The Eleven > The Other One > I Know It’s A Sin Turn On Your Lovelight > Me & My Uncle > Sitting On Top Of The World CD 2 : Dark Star > St. Stephen > The Eleven > Turn On Your Lovelight Morning Dew. Item Condition : This Very-Rare! Out of Print (2002 GDP release) Grateful Dead Dick’s Picks 26 (4/26/69 IL & 4/27/69 MN)’ Original! Printing (GDCD 4046) 2-CD Set is in Very Good condition – close to Very Good/Like New overall. CD’s (Disc 1 & Disc 2) are in Very Good/Like New condition with faint light marks on the CD 1 playing surface – CD 2 is Like New (please see photos). Liner Notes Inside Inserts (Tri-Fold & Back Insert Card) are in Very Good condition – close to Like New with very light indentations (please see photos). CD Case (Original 2-CD Fold-Out Case) is in Very Good condition with light surface wear (please see photos). This CD Set has been carefully stored inside my professional CD rack. Please see all photos provided. Photos included are of the actual item you will receive. Dick’s Picks 26! Please Note : This Dick’s Picks 26 2-CD Set is the Original! 2002 Grateful Dead Productions, Inc. Release (GDCD 4046) – and it is Not the 2012 Real Gone Re-Print / Re-Issue.