Grateful Dead

And thanks for the detailed layout. Still want me a PC71 box set sooner rather than later though - 5 shows, omitting the 2/19 Vault release. Package it just like the May 1977 box set - that was a gem. Will go stir crazy if having to wait for it as a series of DaPs over what - 10-15 years? Arggh.

Port Chester 1971………………..where to begin??? Well, first consider this. The February 1971 Port Chester shows shouldn’t have taken place. They were originally scheduled for December 1970, but those were cancelled and the run was rescheduled for February 1971. If they had taken placed as originally scheduled, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. And if played in December 1970, the shows would have been nothing like what they played in February. Just one of many Grateful Dead “What If…………”s. In order to better understand and/or appreciate my thoughts about Port Chester 1971 (hereafter simply referred to as PC71), some of my background may be relevant. When I first got into tapes collecting and trading, it was widely rumored---and widely believed----that no surviving SBDs of PC71 existed. There were audience tapes, which ranged from “kinda sorta listenable” to “truly wretched”. But since I can’t really listen to and enjoy early audience tapes, I never explored them, even though I had the tapes. Since I already had many tapes----including many high quality 71s----this wasn’t such a big deal to me at the time. When the Betty boards came out, they included all the PC71s, beautiful pristine soundboards. I was grateful to get them but for a long time didn’t really check them out seriously. I thought, How can they seriously compare to April, and especially the April 71 Fillmore shows? So for maybe the first ten years that I had them, I never seriously listened to them. Finally, after all that time I decided I should really buckle down and check them out. Of course, by that time I was a much better “listener” than I was before. The result? BLOWN MIND!!!! But not in the way that you might think. OK, it didn’t have the massive mythic jams of 1968-1969, or the crazy-I-don’t-know-whats of 1970. But it had a weird special quality, almost as if somebody had a time machine, went back to Bakersfield in 1958, scooped up some rockers and brought them to the future, dropping acid on the way, and then plopped them down in Port Chester on February 18, 1971 just for laughs, like it was part of their mixed cosmic experiment and inside joke. I realized that the Bakersfield era of Dead, best exemplified by these shows, was the sound for me. Sometimes mellow, sometimes rocking, healthy dose of Pigpen, healthy dose of Weir’s cowboy/country & western songs, occasional big jams. And all so well played, pouring their hearts into every song, even so-called “throwaways” like My & My Uncle, El Paso, Next Time You See Me, Mama Tired, and Big Boss Man. Although my listening patterns still vary a bit, I still listen to PC71 a lot. Even more than my beloved 4/28/71……………….. But one man’s passion doesn’t make for a doable box set. So, personal preferences aside, let’s really examine PC71………………. 1) First, we have to remember that 2 71 shows were released in 2017, and two more are scheduled to be released this year. Four shows (the equivalent of a box set, actually) in two years, for a year that isn’t particularly popular, that’s pretty unusual. Probably has more to do with the “returned tapes mentality” than anything else. But whatever the reason, it means that the odds of a PC71 box set, or ANY 1971 box set (and I could imagine 2 or 3 different ones) being put out any time in the near future are very low. [As an aside: the boxes I could envision might be Manhattan Center, or Boston Music Hall April & December, or the two Harding Theater shows. April is too big for a “small box”, and not popular enough for a “big box” (although I would LOVE that!!!! LOL). ] 2) Second, and maybe most importantly, one PC71 has been released already. Regardless of what you think of 2/19 (and I think VERY highly of it), there it is like some big white elephant. What to do with it? Include it in the box, or not? I think most would say, for the sake of completeness it needs to be included. But then that means it has to be remastered---again. Which means more time, work, and expense to put it out with a PC71 box. 3) Third. What some (NOT me) consider to be the single most important piece of music from the PC71 run----the so-called “beautiful jam” from 2/18----has already been released (So Many Roads, Disc 2). So, here’s how one train of thought in TPTB might run: You had 4 complete 1971 shows released recently, a very good-to-great representative show from the run has been released already, and the best single piece of music from the run has been released already, so no box set for you!!!! 4) Now let’s consider this----how does PC71 fit into the current “box set business model”? Actually, probably not too well. If we put the really big boxes aside for now, most box sets have either been 4 shows (like FW69, July 78, May 77) with or without a single show from the box also available for purchase, or two shows (DC 89). And we need to keep in mind that even at that “modest” level, DC 89 and July 78 still haven’t sold out, and the music only version of the last May 77 hasn’t sold out either. If PC71 is to be complete, that means 6 complete shows, 50% larger than the current “4 show box set” model. Means 50% more time and work to get it together. If a current box sells for about $125, would people pay 50% more for PC71---say around $175??? Some folks, like myself and others, probably would, but I think many people would pass. And the Dead don’t want to put out something that won’t sell well. If may make more financial sense for TPTB to release the PC shows one at a time. Especially if you include them as a DaP-----the people who subscribe buy it automatically before they even know it’s a DaP. LOL…………….. 5) Seriously, exactly how “historic” is PC71? I think this is a pretty valid question…….. Is it Historic, with a capital H, or historic, lower case h? Is it at the level of historic things Dead, like Monterey Pop, Woodstock, Watkins Glen, the closing shows at FE/FW 1971, the 74 retirement shows, Egypt, or the closing of Winterland? I think not. To me, it’s almost as if PC71 is “accidentally historic”. Lower case h for sure. Remember my initial comment. The Dead were supposed to play PC in late 1970, but it got cancelled and rescheduled. So almost by definition, PC71 was a fluke. Then there’s the “ESP shows” aspect. LMAO. How very early 70s, very trendy. Hooey then, hooey now. But really a poorly designed “experiment” that today probably wouldn’t pass peer review muster. If it had truly demonstrated human psychic abilities, the world would have heard about it. I’m not saying that the guy was a fraud, but he didn’t exactly set the world of psychology on fire either. All the whole thing really proved was that even tricksters can get tricked. Then there’s the “Mickey’s last show until October 74 angle”. OK, historic, by default. They may have known that Mickey was on shaky ground, but it’s not like they specifically planned that this would be the last one for a while. I just don’t see that they could have foreseen the specific circumstance. Now, here is the historic Part. On 2/18 they debuted 5 new songs, and two more the next night. Those were songs that would stay in the repertoire for a long time. But it’s probably only historic on the level of say, 10/19/71 being historic. Prior to PC71, they had worked up those new songs, but really it wasn’t like they broke them out specifically for PC71. Whatever those first shows had been around the February-March time frame, that’s when they would have come out. So again I think we’re sticking to the lower case h…………… Maybe the most important but least understood/appreciated historic aspect of PC71 is that it probably represented the culmination and end point of a transition that had actually started back in mid 1969, when the Dead started morphing from a big time jam band that occasionally played short songs into a band that played mostly short songs but occasionally broke out big jams. It was the peak of that “Bakersfield era” Dead, the best played and best recorded example of that sound. Of course, there would more transitions to come, but the basic format of the Dead was pretty much established at that time. So overall, historically important run for the Dead. But one man’s history is another man’s nap…… 6) Exactly how much demand is there really for a PC71 box set? Is it enough to justify the work and cost involved? The clamor for a PC71 box set comes & goes, waxes and wanes. It’s funny----and weird----but people like me have maybe insured that a PC71 box won’t come out any time soon. Sonically excellent recordings of PC71 have been out there for years, and people like myself have spread it far and wide. So pretty much everybody who wants has it already. Which means, oddly enough, that the group that has the highest interest in 1971 Dead probably has the lowest interest in a PC71 box set. LMAO and SMH at the same time. Ooops, my bad, shot myself in the foot……….shouldn’t have shared so much!!!!!! Let’s not be naïve. The GD PTB are well aware of what years sell best. Everybody does. 1972, 1973, 1977, 1989-1990. Every time they step outside that zone, it’s a risky proposition……. 7) Anywho, we see that perhaps there are “business reasons” not to release a PC71 box set. But what about the music itself? Is it “release worthy”? I think fans of 71 would say yes, but not everybody is a big 71 fan. Most people prefer right before or right after 1971. The criticisms about PC---and 1971 shows in general----tend to fall into the following categories: A) “There aren’t enough big jams”. B) “I like the new material, but it’s too primitive and not well enough developed yet, so I don’t like it”. C) “There’s too much repetition”. Actually, if we look at it with an open mind, these criticisms---or what I would prefer to call “observations”----have more than a kernel of truth to them. That doesn’t mean PC71 is “bad”, just that maybe it should realistically reclassified as “wonderful, with flaws”. Let’s examine: A) “There aren’t enough big jams”. This is a pretty legit observation. But stylistically the Dead were moving away from the “all big jams all the time” model to the “tightly played short songs with some big jams thrown in” model. Are we going to fault the Dead for that? If you’re going to disregard shows that don’t have big jams, you’ll be missing out on a lot of really really fine Dead music. Here are the “big jams” from the run: 2/18 Dark Star (first set, excellent) 2/19 Other One (second set, excellent) 2/20 Other One (first set, “average”) 2/23 Other One (second set, crushing) Although there weren’t tons of big jams, there was lots of jamming---you just have to look around for it. It often appeared in things like Easy Wind, Hard To Handle, or Good Lovin’. B) “I like the new material, but it’s too primitive and not well enough developed yet, so I don’t like it”. I get it. People like the “jammier” versions of things like Playing In The Band and Bird Song. By definition all the new material started out “primitive” or “not fully developed”---what did people expect, that PITB would instantly sound like the crazy creamy versions of 1972, or that BS would sound like it would in early to mid 73? That’s not realistic. Many songs---especially ones that turns into “jam vehicles”----take time to evolve. In fact, I like a lot of those early primitive Bird Songs. Very heartfelt, powerful in their own way. And the events that prompted the creation of the song were still fresh in people’s minds. It meant something back then, it was important enough to the band to play it and occasionally put their hearts and souls into it……………. Years later, many of the younger heads had no idea what Bird Song was all about…… C) “There’s too much repetition”. Objective analysis reveals this to be true. Is this a deal-breaker? For some people, it is……….. Honestly, the Dead had a habit of overplaying new material (best/worst example: Estimated Prophet. I think I checked Deadbase once, after it came out they played it something like 45 shows in a row. LOL!) and that’s certainly true of the new material first played at PC71. Of the songs that debuted on 2/18, 4 of the 5 ( Bertha, Greatest Story, Loser, Playing In The Band) were played at every PC show. Wharf Rat was played at every show except 2/24. That includes the super rare stand-alone version of 2/21. Bird Song and Deal debuted 2/19. Bird Song was played at the following four shows. They gave Deal a break, they skipped it on 2/20, 21, and 23, and brought it back the one time on 2/24. The repetition wasn’t limited to the new material either. Several songs already in the repertoire was frequently played. Truckin’, Casey Jones, Johnny B Goode, and Sugar Magnolia were played at all 6 shows. Me & My Uncle (the most frequently played song by the Dead of all time) was played at 5 of 6 shows. NFA and Good Lovin’ were played at 4 of 6 shows. So yes, there were repeats, but Lord if there had to be repeats, let it be like this!! 8) As long as we’re on the subject, I might as well give you my opinion of each show, lol… 2/18: The Dead don’t sound rusty at all. Ned Lagin sits in and adds nice touches throughout. Some ferocious playing by Weir during Truckin’. Super nice Hard To Handle, with some massive licks from Garcia. Wonderful first set Dark Star. Second set doesn’t cohere as nicely as first set. Not the classic it’s made out to be, but a very very solid show. 2/19: Wasn’t too happy when this was released (I preferred/hoped for 2/20) but after numerous open-minded listens came to love it. Really may be the best show of the run. Cool Smokestack. Sublime China/Rider to close Set 1----I love it in that position! Solid second set. One of the last Easy Winds-----played perfectly and jammed!! Excellent Other One! Highly recommended. 2/20: Probably my favorite show of the run. Big Boss Man says it all-----worth the price of admission by itself, seems like a throw-away but they go way deep into it. Staggering proficiency on many of the shorter songs, especially Me & My Uncle, Hard To Handle, Big Boss Man, Truckin’, and especially Next Time You See Me (best version of 1971). Superb, ethereal playing by Bob Weir. OK the first set Other One maybe doesn’t deliver, but the rest of this ranks with the best of 1971. 2/21: The Dead continue in the same vein they were mining on 2/20. On paper, this show doesn’t look like much and has no big jam BUT it rocks and is super solid. As on 2/20, they put tremendous energy and musicianship into some of the shorter songs, like Easy Wind and the killer set two opening combo of China/Rider-Bird Song-Cumberland, played to perfection. This show gets absolutely no attention or affection, but if I was stranded on a desert island and had only this show to listen to, I could survive quite nicely and thank you very much! 2/23: After a day off, the Dead come out with a very different kind of show. First set is a little ragged, especially the Uncle John’s opener and the unexpected Morning Dew. Second set is smokin’ powerful, relentless, occasionally pulverizing one’s mind, especially the classic Other One. Highly recommended. 2/24: The end is in sight. Are the Dead tired? Did they just go through the motions? Or was it natural, after 2/20, 21 and 23, to come down a notch or two. The playing is relaxed, almost leisurely. This show actually has the most Pigpen songs of any of the PC71 shows----5. OK maybe an average show, but hey an “average” 71 show is still very very good!!!!! SO, IN CONCLUSION…………………… Well, with TPTB releasing things like they do, we never know what might come out next. The music of PC71 merits eventual release, but I’m guessing that for “business reasons” it won’t be in the form of a box set……………………………. Rock on! Doc Back to lurker mode

Yo rockers!!! Yes, I've fallen and hit my head, shook loose some flashbacks........... I would actually prefer NOT to have a 71 box set right now. Would much prefer a box set of the November 1972 Texas shows. Next choice--the stadium shows of May/June 73 (5/13, 20,26 and 6/9 and 10). Would actually prefer 11/17/71. Oh yeah, right, next month, or was that just a fever dream???? The outer rings of Saturn are calling me home.............. Doc The cosmos is about the smallest hole that a man can hide his head in...........

Right on Doc! I see what you're doing, the old reverse pathology. Long live the PC '71!

Could you be referencing Brookvale Records vinyl release of Dicks Picks 8? They added Cold Rain and Snow which was not on the CD release of this show..

But reckon we will see a Summer 73 or Back from Hiatus Small Theater 76 Box first. S'all good every which way they come though!

I noticed that the Grateful Dead's performance of 'Cold Rain and Snow' is included in the new Monterey Pop 67 RSD compilation. I think this is the first time anything from the Dead's Monterey performance has been released, though I could be mistaken .

Doc is actually stumping for the Summer '73 box! Doc's got a few good points but, like Owsley, there's nothing wrong with him that a few billion fewer brain cells wouldn't cure. By your logic, Doc, the PTB would never release a shit ton of 77-78 tapes as they have, in boxes, just because they're sitting on quite a stack of returned tapes from those years. In fact, I'm concerned that they are putting out more returned tapes and we'll soon know if they're stuck in ABCD Enterprises Land. The good news is that I cannot see more forthcoming, at least immediately, from 77-78. The bad news is that they probably have a ton of '76 to unload. I'll continue to dream of '73 and '71 until my dreams are dashed on the jagged rocks of reality.

71 can still pull you out of the shadows.

I prefer ether, but I realize your subjects aren't actually choosing their poison....