Europe '72, Vol. 1: 4/7/72 (Live at Wembley Empire Pool, London, England)

On Sept. 1, 2011, The Grateful Dead issued the box set Europe ’72: The Complete Recordings, which contained all 22 complete shows from their iconic spring 1972 tour of Europe. Though the set sold out and led to additional pressings, the 73-CD box set was still beyond the means of most fans, and individual releases soon followed. (Back in 1972, the triple LP Europe ’72 had been released and soon became an essential classic; several other multi-disc sets appeared in the CD era.) For those who’d rather experience a single night’s performance at a time, there's no better place to start than the tour's first volume. Ready to blow the minds of Europe, the Dead play with confidence and always at their own pace. A 10-minute version of “Truckin’” leads off their second set, with Bill Kreutzmann taking a relatively brief drum solo before his and Bob Weir’s “The Other One” takes flight. Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” shows up in the middle of this half-hour journey, which is further expanded with an 11-minute version of “Wharf Rat.”