Volume 5 was the first of the Dick's Picks to contain a complete concert. It was also the first release of a full concert to feature keyboardistBrent Mydland.
Another Grateful Dead album that was recorded at the December 1979 run of concerts at the Oakland Auditorium is Road Trips Volume 3 Number 1.
Enclosure
Included with the release is a single sheet folded in half, yielding a four-page enclosure. The front duplicates the cover of the CD and the back contains a black-and-white photograph showing the entire scene: two skeletons on top of the stage, the sound system and lights above the band, the band on stage, and finally, at the bottom of the image, a portion of the crowd watching them. The two pages inside feature a black-and-white photograph of the band on stage along with lists of the contents of and credits for the release.[5]
Caveat Emptor
Each volume of Dick's Picks has its own "caveat emptor" label, advising the listener of the sound quality of the recording. The label for Volume 5 reads:
"This compact disc has been digitally remastered directly from the original half track stereo analog tape. It is a snapshot of history, not a modern professional recording, and may therefore exhibit some technical anomalies and the unavoidable effects of the ravages of time."
Track listing
Disc one
First set:
"Cold Rain and Snow" (Traditional, arr. Grateful Dead) – 6:44