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"We left with our minds sufficiently blown and still peaking..."
We're headed back to that peak with the newly returned tapes from Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton, 11/6/77. The Grateful Dead's last touring show of 1977 finds them going for broke, taking chances on fan favorites like "Jack Straw," "Friend Of The Devil," and "The Music Never Stopped," carving out righteous grooves on a one-of-kind "Scarlet>Fire" and a tremendous "Truckin'." An ultra high energy show, with a first set that rivals the second? Not unheard of, but definitely rare. Hear for yourself...
DAVE'S PICKS VOLUME 25 features liner notes by Rob Bleetstein, photos by Bob Minkin, and original art by our 2018 Dave's Picks Artist-In-Residence Tim McDonagh. As always, it has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman and it is limited to 18,000 individually numbered copies*.
*Limited to 2 per order. Very limited quantity available.
Get one before they are gone, gone, gone.
....there'd better be cake
....there'd better be cake this time. And also Cornell '77 obviously isn't the best show of all time. cuz if it was I don't think these Dave's Picks would sell out.
Jack Straw
That was my witness protection name in the 70s. I had to change it when the song became popular, seeing as how the boys also worked for "The Company."
I'm now known around town as "August West" since my specialty is...dang it, gonna have to change my name again! Sheesh!
driving that train
"I don't plan to go nuts..."
That train left the station a long, long time ago.
Now you're talking!
Cal Expo '89, Cal Expo '89, Cal Expo '89!!!....
Great choice!
Anxiously awaiting shipping notification email
Unbelievable a la cart sold out in less than an hour.
The Dick's series kinda ran outta steam. The Dave's series seems to be chuggin' away stronger and stronger around the bend!!
A corking '82 show for 27 def works for me. 10-10-82 would do nicely. Opening "Playin'>Crazy" = awesome.
And "Jack Straw" prolly cuz rhymes with Whichita.
1982 ~ "Jack Straw" "Sugaree" !!
Rhino !!
Charlottesville
New Haven
Sante Fe
Palo Alto, Berkeley, Oakland + many more California performances, maybe the most times the band would perform in one year. 1970 has a lot of California performances as well.
3.14.82 + 8.29.82
Road Trips 4.6.82 + filler !!!!! Schwing
Birthday shows
May 20th & December 29th.
Rhino send out May 20th , 1973 !!!!!
Alignment
So I was archiving digital stuff here over the long weekend, and somehow a download of 11/6/77 caught my attention. It was just sitting on my digital desktop in a folder. I burned it to a USB stick and stuck it in the Blu Ray player to listen on the big stereo. What a show! I realized that I had the cassette tape back in the day when it got to the "Candace, oh Candace" banter. I thought - why on Earth has this show not been released??
Then the Dave's 25 announcement came the next day and I had completely forgotten what show it would be. D'oh! Can't wait to hear the upgrade, although I'm a little nervous about the bass enhancement rumor.
Happy Days
I like shows from 1977-the box set last year from May was great-and 1976, 1978 also have a lot to recommend them. But for me, the peak years are pre-retirement, with the absolute pinnacle being 1972. Everything about that year ( almost everything-I am not so keen on the extended "Good Lovin's) is exceptional. Even songs that have been heard countless times sound sparkling and somehow new.
But we are spoiled now, as was said on the other website. Compared to life in the 80s and 90s, when all I had were some very dubious cassettes, these are golden days indeed. I can't throw my cassettes away, either, though. They remind me of another time, long gone, when I would drive to a mates house, and we would listen to tapes, as he generously made copies. Happy days then and now.
Road Trips 1982
Hey Jack Strawberry, I like 1982 also. A peak year for Brent's greasy organ sound, and the Playin's have some flashes of primal dead.
In addition to the aforementioned DP32, there is also the outstanding Road Trips 4.4, April 6, 1982. Great show, actually pretty good sound quality too, and with killer filler (Playin > Ship > Playin) from the previous night. But best of all, it has what might be my favorite version of Terrapin. Should still be able to find it, or you can listen to it on Spotify. Enjoy!
PS - as Jim says, nice screen name
How is the Dead different?
SO psyched. This is an amazing show despite the train-wreck beginning of Scarlet Begonias (waaay too slow and low energy - Jerry actually stops playing to tune up where the 2nd verse should be - sounds like a rehearsal), but they recover quickly, and the rest of the song/show is absolutely STUNNING - I can't wait to hear it in full "Norman".
I was struck by JimInMD's comment "I don't plan to go nuts when it arrives, I have listened to this show plenty, I will rip it to file, put in on the shelf in my office". Same here. As much as I enjoy getting these amazing well-circulated shows, I get more listening time from shows I didn't know previously (i.e.: 12/7/71 was in my car for a month). As a result I cannot wait to hear 11/17/71 DaP26 - have only heard it once and it's a fantastic show - that will be in my car for a LONG time.
And THAT is how the Dead is different from other bands - Their fans go out of their way to AVOID their favorites. I stopped in mid-run the other day to change the music because I had picked a show I loved but knew WAY too well - knowing exactly what's coming can be stifling. It's better when every note and transition is a blind corner.... 5/26/73 is one of my favorite shows ever, but will I ever be able to ENJOY it again??? I know every nuance: stage banter, dropped drumstick, blown lyric, tasty licks.... I love that show but can't bring myself to enjoy it anymore - Its a weird feeling. That's why we're all here - we need to expand our base of Dead to allow the existing shows a chance to breath so we can someday go back to them with fresher ears.
And I was not surprised this sold out so fast. The Dead/Rhino have done a brilliant job growing this product from 12k units to 18k units in the past few years. It's a perfect mix of 1) amazing product/packaging (despite the trite, redundant skeleton art), 2) shrewd use of e-mail/social media/website/Rolling Stone/etc, and 3) having the restraint to produce slightly less than initial demand - instant scarcity creates buzz and mystique ("it's new, and you can't have it...")
great pick
If the powers-that-be read this, I would lobby for continued 60s and 70s. I have several friends who feel the same way, and I know from discussions with people on the message boards, that a lot of people are very pleased with this run of shows in Dave's Picks. I don't think they would be up to 18,000 copies per pick if every year featured two 80s and 90s picks. It's just not their prime, and and not their best stuff. I'd rather have 20 shows from 1977 then a mix of 80s and 90s with the 60s and 70s. That's my feeling and I'm sticking to it. The musicianship and performance by all band members is superior in the 60s and 70s by far. As far as this subscriber is concerned, there is no need to go into the 80s or 90s for this series. This series represents the very best of the Dead, and not just performance, but audio quality, and you guys are doing an awesome job.
Haven’t listened to this show in months
Looking forward to the Full Norman (hopefully not too much added bass).This show was in regular rotation when I had it on cassette, so I know it well but am still psyched to get a Normanized version. I’ll listen to it many times.
We’ll have enough ‘77 when we have it all.....
Keep the 80’s and 90’s coming as mini-Boxes....
We’re due for some Bruce!
How about 10-31-91?
pre Lewiston 1980....
I am surprised more has not been selected for release from the vault. There are great snippets of board recordings on the archive (e.g. 5-10, fantastic show). The year seemed fabulous for Jerry, I bet fans would love to hear much more. As for Lewiston, I think it should be released, if possible, as an aud if that's all there is.
Is this venue the same as Broome County Forum ?
I saw Phish there in 1992, and remembered the building had amazing acoustics. Like the Bushnell in Hartford, or the Beacon in NYC. Is it the same place with a slight name change ?
I also agree with M Pruner about 1977, it was a great time for the band, possibly even their water mark, but enough's enough. How about Brendan Byrne 11-10-85 ? Out of the 40 shows I saw, it was easily the best. They put the Cassidy from it on "So Many Roads", how about the rest ?
Jack Straw name?
@JimInMD: I always assumed, as you have, that Hunter got "Jack Straw" from his time in London in 1970. I have it in my head (source?) that his preferred stomping ground in that burg is that space between Hampstead Heath and Regent's Park, which puts him in walking range of (the now sadly defunct) Jack Straw's Castle, which was until its close one of three of the most notable pubs in Hampstead. Rather than being named after a '70s politician, this establishment must have taken its name from the rebel Jack Straw of English folklore and 14th-century history. In short, my speculation is that his rambling landed him in the pub, and the name inspired him to make an American folk character out of a British historical legend. That's my story, but I'd love to hear a clarification/correction if anyone has better source notes on this than I do.
There is much good stuff from
There is much good stuff from the 80s and some in the 90s even, though way less. I do gravitate to the late 60s and early 70s though, perhaps my so liking Pig.
Head's up - pun intended
GarciaLive Volume Ten: May 20th, 1990 Hilo Civic Auditorium due for Feb. 23rd release!
We are pleased to announce the tenth installment of GarciaLive due for release on February 23rd and available for pre-order at Garcia Family Provisions! GarciaLive Volume Ten documents the Jerry Garcia Band’s May 20th, 1990 performance at the Hilo Civic Auditorium in Hawaii. On the heels of a diabetic coma in 1986, Bill Kreutzmann encouraged Jerry to find peace and healing in the pristine blue waters of the Big Island’s reef system. What was initially a hobby became a passion for Garcia as he later publicly advocated for the protection of Hawaii’s natural areas and directed earnings from this show, held in the modest Hilo Civic Center, to The Ocean Recreation Council of Hawaii
...Jack Straw
It seems the term must have been goin' around culturally even in the '60s. Jerry refers to the people at Woodstock as "jack straws" in the documentary of the same name, which was screened in 1970. Maybe that also made the term more salient to Hunter at the time...
Some things will always make me laugh
We don't even have DaP 25 and already (once again) talk of 26, 27, 28, 29.....
Sidenote - Just ordered a load "The Lounge Lizards"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lounge_Lizards
Some very nice stuff.
Sidenote 2 - Got home from serving the fine customers of our store last night and found 2 envelopes of cd's in mail box. Since I had just ordered the Lizards, thought "OK". Opened first one and it was a Lizard album, take up the second one and it's from the Dead. I was like, wow, DaP 25, and without notice AND early!!!! WOW, WOW, WOW. Opened it up and was the mistakenly order "Reckoning" with I already had from the Beyond Description set. The damn thing came in record time for something ordered from GDM. The stuff I really want always seem to take 2 weeks after release, this thing came about an hour after I ordered it!
Lewiston
Snow day here in ATL. Weird. As far as I can tell, Lewiston ME 1980 is aud only. But it's totally worth it. It was the last show before the acoustic shows at the Warfield, and it's full of all the right energy. All-time great 2nd set jam segment. I was there on that amazing Indian Summer (can I say that?) day. We arrived in a cop car (true!) and left in the back of some rando's van. Arrived back at UNH a changed person.
Daves Faves?PICKIN ON ME!Chucky Brown
What BS limiting it like Dead sells Eddie Bauer limited edition Ford Exploers? Man oh Man Jerry would NOT be on board for this nonsense. - i’ll download from. the vault i guess. 1st one I was thinking of buying since Davids número uno at the Mosque CD -n getting a copy of my only Dead & Friends father’s Day show show from last year! Dang it Davey but bump the BS Rhino fart Records management (or who
ever is the grland puBa) limit to -what you can sell 1st email week - at least - or? Least don’t email me first show sinc Cornell 77I wanted!
Makes make me feel like i’m not allowed in to Studio freaking 54 and that’s not Dead Headly! h
Hey Now - isnt this BS an unDeadly thing “ limiting copies” well fans guess they know we can record them like shows- but? that cannot be
auctioned st Sotheby’s in 90 years?
yeesh n yeast!
Broome arena
my st show was 1.8 years later 5/79w Brent newly on keys n it was awesome til 2nd shoe- Red Rocks August 12, 1979! BRW second was stepped in it synchronicity great luck! Guess I’ll hear this next life or vault.
Peachy
Well, Peachy gets my vote for post of the day. Talk about stream of consciousness (or unconsciousness). What a doozy! Almost impossible to decipher without a decoder ring. My eyes were crossed and watering by the end. But you've got to admire the passion, damn it!
The "My era is bigger than your era" argument
Dark-Star stated -"The musicianship and performance by all band members is superior in the 60s and 70s by far."
That's debateable. The surviving band members all seem to favor '89 & '90 as their peak, at least in Bill and Phil's biographies and Bob's comments to Rolling stone. I seem to recall Mickey feeling the same way, but can't source that at the moment.
As far as how many people prefer only '60s and '70s versus fans of the '80s and '90s and fans who like all eras (like myself), I would say most people here fit into the third (love it all) catagory.
Would I say 11/6/77 is better than 7/17/89 Alpine Valley, or 3/29/90 Nassau (with Branford), or better than the '89 Warlocks shows?......no. Better than Caps Coliseum or Copps Coliseum from Spring '90? No. Better than 3/24/90 Knickerbocker and that Terrapin>MLBJ? Not even close.
I would say 11/6/77 is a nice show and a good pick and I'll will get much enjoyment from it, but definitely NOT better than everything that was performed in the '80s and '90s.
SkullTrip re: Peachy
I second your emotion, a bit of a head scratcher there, but amusing nonetheless.
Oh, and I like your freaky beardless skull avatar too. Can't tell if it's really happy, or just really scary.
era argument
I think it's a mixed bag in terms of the band members' perspectives. Bob has raved about 89-90, but Phil has been quoted saying there was "something" missing after 1974. Guessing if you ask each guy on any given day you'd get a whole bunch of different opinions.
All of which is great for since I fall into your 3rd category (love it all depends on my mood). I can't understand the folks who completely rule out any era. Lots of good stuff over 30 years...expand your horizons!
In terms of the remaining 2018 releases, I'm hoping for fall 79, fall 91 and maybe another mini box from 1969!
era argument
I think it's a mixed bag in terms of the band members' perspectives. Bob has raved about 89-90, but Phil has been quoted saying there was "something" missing after 1974. Guessing if you ask each guy on any given day you'd get a whole bunch of different opinions.
All of which is great for since I fall into your 3rd category (love it all depends on my mood). I can't understand the folks who completely rule out any era. Lots of good stuff over 30 years...expand your horizons!
In terms of the remaining 2018 releases, I'm hoping for late fall 79, fall 91 and maybe another mini box from 1969!
untapped era
I'm hoping for a 10-cd box set of Jerry Garcia's guitar lessons at Dana Morgan Music Studio from '62-'64.
Frustrated!
Yesterday, I called the 1-800-440-8025 for the Dead.Net Store in order to purchase Dave's Picks Volume 25 (Broome County Arena, Binghamton, NY - 11/6/77). The CDs went on sale, yesterday, at 10 a.m. January 16th.I was able to connect exactly at 10 am, I was in the cue and then I was disconnected at 10:16 am (dial tone!). I called again same thing happened, disconnected at 10:34 am. Finally, after three attempts, I was connected and the Dead.Net Store sales representative stated the CDs had "sold out 5 or 7 minutes ago". I complained, to him, that I would have been successful in my desire to purchase two CDs of Dave's Picks Vol. 25 had I not been disconnected twice. He apologized and said he had never heard of that happening before (which I found difficult to believe). My other frustration is due to the fact that it was extremely difficult to hear him speak because it was so noisy in the background where the salesperson was working from. I found this experience, unprofessional and completely frustrating plus I had to rearrange my schedule in order to get on the phone right at 10 a.m..
Jack Straw
I always assumed it was taken because Hunter had heard of Jack Straw's Peasant's Revolt of 1381. When I went to University in England for a bit, I had a History prof who lived in Billericay. He had a few of us to his home for the weekend and took us to the forest nearby where he said it was believed Jack Straw was finally captured.
Has Hunter ever said why he chose the name?
re: Frosted re: Peachy
Thanks, Frosted. Glad I wasn't the only one scratching my noggin there. And I'd categorize my avatar as really Happy-Scary (you probably saw that one coming).
Re: Jack Straw
Thanks ckcoffman and hseamons. I like both versions better than the one I presented. For some reason I find this interesting.. and I doubt if it will ever be completely resolved.
Dave and the Dead are going
Dave and the Dead are going to mine the recently purchased "Betty Boards" for future Dave's Picks and box sets in order to re-coup and make a hefty profit on the expense needed to purchase the tapes. If any 80-90's are to be released, it will be shows with pristine sound (regardless of show performance) as sound trumps performance (according to Dave and the Dead).
Subscriptions are just Peachy
No need to frantically call the 1-800 number or fight the website crash.
Seriously, are people really still that clueless?
Or is it intentional so that they can have something to complain about?
re Roxy Blue
sorry you didn't get it.
I didn't know they still had a phone order line. I thought is was all online. you were probably talking to someone in a warehouse in New Delhi.
Please, my good man, make a note to subscribe next year.
Jim Morrison said, "true sailing is dead". I say, "a la carte is dead."
don't count on it. a la carte just doesn't cut it anymore. It took _me_ so long to find out (and I found out.)
Release order
1) Anything recently obtained that was missing from the vault.
2) Shows in the vault that don’t circulate or circulate in low quality sound.
3) 80’s shows that sound good and 90’s shows that aren’t a train wreck.
The Touch heads will still be around in 10-20 years and will be able to buy the shows of their era, the older folks may have faded away by then so need to get their money now while they are still around.
Periodic 80/90’s mini Boxes will keep most Touch heads satisfied, yet a few will complain that it’s not enough.
Jack Straw
I always thought it was in reference to the peasant revolt as well. Just seemed like the coolest story. In reality, who knows. Hunter intentionally left the meaning of his lyrics vague and open to the interpretation of the listener.
Surprised by all the negative feedback on the cover art. Maybe I am the only one who stores their CDs on shelf and only views the side. Not a big deal to me either way.
Also, not one mention of the Washington Street bridge in the background?
From What I've Gathered...
80s Fan mentioned that people should expand their horizons (in regard to listening to 80s Dead). What I've found is that most give it a try, and it's not that they no longer like the original members, or can't appreciate Jerry having a screaming night at the guitar, but that Brent just plain gets in the way. And that's the thing of it. I think most who absolutely do not like it, are not turned off because they hear an inferior or different band playing. They hear the Grateful Dead playing with nails screeching down a chalkboard on top of them.
re: 2/21/91...yep
totally agree kyle - I stumbled upon 2/21/91 a little while back looking for "more Bruce", not realizing at the moment that he hadn't started playing with the boys steadfastly until March...
Even so, it's a great setlist and the playing is pretty sweet too. I truly fell for the little Space segment that then ushers in 'Eyes of the World'; I have NEVER seen an 'Eyes' come out of a later-era 'Space' like that and what a treat it is. It's a very solid version too. Rest of the show is no slouch either - at all; a Help > Slip! > Franklin's opener (and the Slipknot is totally cool); the Playin' second set opener goes way, way out there in an exquisitely jammy way; there's an AWESOME Terrapin too, with a delicious groove that comes out of the jam at the end as well. Vince had to attempt his solo liftoff somewhere...
https://archive.org/details/gd91-02-21.sbd.miller.22308.sbeok.shnf
Sixtus
No Skeletons on these Dave's Picks
No skeletons on the front cover art of these Dave's Picks:#2 (07/31/74)
#3 (10/22/71)
#10 (12/12/69)
#12 (11/04/77)
#16 (03/28/73)
#19 (01/23/70)
The Bertha in the Dave's Picks logo does not count.
The cover art for Dave's Picks 25 is fine by me, I have no problem with it at all.
I like it.
Re: dilbert and release order
I think you're slightly misquoting Dave's criteria for release, I believe he's said they look for great performance first, and then make sure the tape of that performance has great sound. They don't seek out a fantastic sounding tape that has a mediocre performance. Almost all of the Dave's Picks have met both criteria, I think a few have been mediocre releases.
I also agree with icecrmcnkd that the recently returned stuff will come out first. They have paid whatever it cost them to get them back in the Vault, and they need to generate revenue to make up for that outlay as you said. But they also seem to be finding the very best of that return for releases. As soon as they got Cornell, Buffalo, and Boston, they put it out. The July '78 box, which is still onsale, was the trial balloon. Those are really good shows (most especially 7/1, which was a non-circulating tape), and DaP 21 4/2/73 is a great show with a masterful recording job by Rex Jackson, DaP 22 12/6-7/71, another great sounding Rex tape that may fit the category of mediocre performance (debatable as there's an advocate for this Pick a few posts below), DaP 23 1/22/78 has been sought after for years and was put out to everyone's delight, and then DaP 24 8/25/72 was a Bear tape somehow in the Betty collection. Dave's 25th and 26th are both returned tapes, and the 6th of Dave's choices was also a returned tape, two actually. I hope there's more in the Houseboat collection worth putting out, but with all the Bettys (including her husband Rex's tapes, and the random(?) Bear tapes she had) back in the Vault, I would think the propensity will be finding the best of those and putting those out first. I think performance is the first box that has to be checked off, otherwise 30 Trips would not have included 5/16/81 or 7/31/82, which sound dreadful to my ears, but are good shows, just tough to listen to.
Yes, if the sound quality of
Yes, if the sound quality of a "excellent" show does not meet Dave's and the bands criteria for release, then that show will get passed over for a lesser quality show with better audio - hence audio recording (sound) trumps performance. Most of the forthcoming releases will be from the purchased tapes, and the shows released not from the purchased tapes will only be shows with superior sound quality (1st priority being sound quality)
product sku
081227931742