Every Dark Star

14:06 115592 Sultan, WA Main theme at 2:05, and again at 3:46. First verse at 4:49. Verse melody at 8:13. Sort of a flash of Bright Star...

10:49 133762 Avalon Ballroom Intro is very slightly cut. Main theme at 1:36. First verse at 2:03. Main theme, sort of hinted, at 4:59 before...

11:20 Shrine Auditorium (Two From the Vault) This is a very energetic and tight version, and the band sounds really together. Note how quick...

15:28 (116193) Variant of Main Theme at 2:22. Main theme at 3:39. First verse at 5:37. Brief proto-Sputnik beginning around 7:27. Verse me...

12:10 143144 Main theme at 2:13. First verse at 2:56. Verse melody at 6:19. Sputnik-like licks at 7:29. Bright Star feint at 8:19. Main them...

13:45 Intro cut. Main theme at 1:13, and again at 2:40. First verse at 3:03. Verse melody at 6:55. Second verse at 12:19. Goes into St. Step...

16:06 Main Theme 3:31. First verse 4:52. Verse theme at 9:09. Bright Star at 10:40, into Falling Star at 11:02. Main Theme at 14:01. Second...

8:59 Carousel Ballroom First verse 2:47. Verse melody at 5:08. Bright Star at 6:13, again with dynamics, leads to Falling Star at 6:31. Seco...

7:28 Intro riff cut. First verse 2:14. Verse melody 3:55. Bright Star at 4:54. Main theme at 5:26. Second verse at 5:51. Comes to a full sto...

  7:25 Carousel Ballroom. First verse at 1:52. Note the figure Garcia plays right after the first verse, this seems to show up here a lot....

6:48 Kings Beach Bowl, Lake Tahoe (Dicks Picks 22) The intro was cut on the last couple, but here the call-and-response delivery is gone. M...

6:22 Kings Beach Bowl, Lake Tahoe This was posted at the Grateful Dead site in the "Taper's Section" feature in 2007. It does...

6:15 Carousel Ballroom This performance is really about 5:55, but here I follow the timings in the video linked above. A variation on Main ...

5:23 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR Introduction theme still staggered. Garcia comes in on lead at :18. Staccato main theme at 1:15. First v...

6:36 Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco This is part of the bonus material on Disc One of Road Trips 2.2. Intro is still staggered. About a mi...

  7:01  Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR This is on the bonus disc of Road Trips 2.2, and there does not seem to be a recording of this on the...

 5:40 This follows a Spanish jam, with the first lick briefly blending with the latter at the end. The Introduction Theme is still played in...

 3:08 This version is cut, so there isn't much to it. It comes out of a Caution jam...they start playing the Introduction Theme , then s...

4:48 This is the first Dark Star that exists in recorded form, although they probably played it once or twice in late 1967. The introduction...

The "Dark Star" single (2:42) was recorded on November 14th, 1967, and there is also an instrumental outtake from that same date: ...