Best Grateful Dead recording?

Any recording from 1971-4, in my opinion and many others the absolute peak for the band. Many of these are available as Dick's Pick's as stated above. A personal favorite of mine is the recent release of a run of shows documenting the closing of the Fillmore East in 1971. It is a four disc set and the sound and music are both spectacular. Generally speaking you are lucky, there is so much good music out there, once you start exploring you may never stop!

Jond:

Thanks for the information on the Fillmore East release. That sounds like a "must have", along with The Closing of Winterland.

Tom.

Can't say its the best but I like "Reckoning" recorded live at the Warfield Theater, San Francisco Sept. and Oct. 1980.

1. Dick's Picks Vol. 1
2. DP's Vol. 13
3. So Many Roads-Box Set
4. Workingman's Dead
5. DP's-Harpur College-Sorry, I forget the Vol. #

It's impossible to limit this list to 5, especially with the Dick's Picks series. The vast majority of DP's I have yet to hear, so I've got a lot of discovering to do myself.
Have fun and be prepared to hear some incredible music!

I have ALL the Dick's Pick's and almost every Dead CD. The BEAR recording always seem to have that little something extra that just sounds "cooler"! Although I LOVE the music, some of the Dick's Pick's sound really "weird" (that's a technical term)---> the sound may be crisp and clear but there is no depth at all.

Check out Katie Mae on Bear's Coice (HDCD version); could be my favorite. Pigpen's voice sends a friggin shiver down my spine everytime I hear it. My wife is like, "why do you always listen to that same song"? Turn it up really loud and listen to the sounds you hear in the corners of your soundstage.

The question specifically asked for Dead recording. However, for sound quality the Grateful Dawg recordings are simply THE best "Dead" recordings out there hands down (for sound)!

I have not yet heard that Filmore recording, but I may go buy it right now.