No. 4. ‘Europe ’72’ (1972)<\/strong> The Grateful Dead lacked some down-home grit after the sudden 1973 death<\/a> of Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, a groove-focused keyboardist, volcanic harp player and bone-deep lover of the blues. Europe ’72<\/em>, his unexpected farewell, underscores what was lost. (For proof, head straight to “Mr. Charlie,” a rollicking collaboration<\/a> between McKernan and lyricist Robert Hunter.) <\/p>\n McKernan provided an earthy balance to the Grateful Dead’s patented psychedelic flights of fancy, heard here on lengthy explorations of “Sugar Magnolia” (seven minutes), “Truckin'” (13 minutes) and the album-closing “Prelude\/Morning Dew” (nearly 19 minutes). The newer material is first-rate, too.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> The Top 20 Jam Band Albums<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n No. 3. ‘Woodstock: Music From the Original Soundtrack and More’ (1970)<\/strong> Woodstock<\/em> was only a partial accounting of the historic day, featured some obvious overdubs and even added two songs (including Crosby Stills Nash and Young<\/a>‘s “Sea of Madness”) that weren’t performed at the festival. The Grateful Dead and the Band<\/a> were initially absent. Things were reordered. <\/p>\n Yet, Woodstock<\/em> still stands as a monument to a time when rock music had perhaps its biggest cultural impact. There’s no denying its importance \u2013 both as an artifact and as a musical accomplishment. Sure, the stage announcements are entirely superfluous, but these performances by Santana<\/a>, Richie Havens<\/a>, Sly and the Family Stone<\/a> and Jimi Hendrix<\/a> are unmatched.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> 10 Stars Who Didn’t Play Woodstock \u2013 and Why<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n No. 2. ‘How the West Was Won’ (2003)<\/strong> As they set up for a pair of June 1972 concerts in California, Led Zeppelin<\/a> was no longer searching for the just-right blend of their own influences and creativity. The career-defining Led Zeppelin IV<\/em><\/a> had just been released, with the somehow deeply underrated Houses of the Holy<\/a><\/em> just over the horizon. <\/p>\n This was also well before any thoughts of adding acid-washed concert-film dream sequences, as they quite unfortunately did in 1976’s Song Remains the Same<\/a><\/em>. The only complaint was how long these performances had gone unheard. How the West Was Won<\/em> found Led Zeppelin at the height of their considerable on-stage powers. Better late than never.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Ranking All 92 Led Zeppelin Songs<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n No. 1. ‘The Last Waltz’ (1978)<\/strong> Conceived as a gala farewell concert, The Last Waltz<\/em> saw the Band paired with contemporaries, inspirations and friends from Joni Mitchell<\/a> to B.B. King<\/a>, from Eric Clapton<\/a> to the Staple Singers. The Band went first, running through their best-known songs with Allen Toussaint’s muscular horn charts providing new momentum. <\/p>\n They’d soon be joined by Van Morrison<\/a>, Dr. John<\/a> and Neil Young<\/a> as the power and emotion of the night somehow kept building. Finally, in a show-closing set, Bob Dylan<\/a> and the Band reconnected. The Last Waltz<\/em> ended with the same startling, genre-rattling energy that hurtled them both to previously unimagined places in the ’60s.<\/p>\n
From: Grateful Dead<\/p>\n![\"Cotillion\"](\"https:\/\/townsquare.media\/site\/295\/files\/2015\/05\/woodstockMain2.jpg?w=980&q=75\")
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From: Various artists<\/p>\n![\"Atlantic\"](\"https:\/\/townsquare.media\/site\/295\/files\/2013\/05\/Led-Zeppelin-How-the-West-Was-Won-Photo.jpg?w=980&q=75\")
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From: Led Zeppelin<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/townsquare.media\/site\/295\/files\/2026\/11\/attachment-the-band-the-last-waltz-album-image-warner-bros.jpg?w=980&q=75\")
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From: The Band and various artists<\/p>\n