Grateful Dead

I'm tempted, I was lucky enough to get the first five secondhand at a good price from the same seller here in the UK. Volume 6 was quite pricey with import fees, the price of this latest edition is enough to make me wince, but we all know how great a show this is. I also tend to watch a music DVD once and then shelve it!

Dick's Picks 7 is not released on vinyl, because of Grateful Dead Records & Rhino objections, according to the Brookvale Record propaganda, speaks volumes of a forthcoming remastered release of DP7, and the full 3 Ally Pally shows, and the rest of the European tour in a lavish box. I can't help but think, that this is the reason Dave was so excited about the next box set with the subscription video. Does anyone know the real reason a release in a vinyl series would be omitted unless the tapes/reels have been mislaid?

Freshly back from Mexico and Playin' in the Sand....all I can say is....WOW. WOW. What a unique, memorable, amazing experience. My immediate company was top notch, as JimInMD was sequestered at the last minute to sub-in for my wife Ingrid who was unfortunately unable to attend (all is well with Iggy though!). Jimmy being the best dude ever that he is, was an absolutely exquisite partner in crime. My other buddy Charlie was there with his wife as well; and let's just say, that Senior Charles is one of those truly unique, extremely kind “go get 'em” kind of guys. He had so many party favors and mood enhancers already lined up by the time we got there it was unbelievable. Aside from Charlie needing a potential tether to keep him in sight at various times, the refreshing thing about all of this was that it was nearly impossible to truly lose someone, and even if you did, all you had to do was start walking back to your section of the resort and you would inevitably find them... Probably one of the coolest, best things about this entire adventure, aside from the music directly, was the mere fact that everywhere you looked - LITERALLY everywhere, you saw Deadheads. You saw tie dye. You smell the sweet, sweet smell of greenery on the breeze. And this place was HUGE. Probably the largest of any such beachy resort I have ever been to – by a factor of 10. Just think about that – and the sea of deadheads….it felt like home. The kindness of the group washed over the entire complex and it truly felt like you were a part of this unique sequestering of a tribe. People were SO kind, the energy was simply amazing all throughout the trip. As for the music, and I will say to those who may have tried streaming, that it sucks it didn’t work out and what a bummer and I am sorry if you missed it. Bandwidth seemed to be an issue in the end probably with some infrastructure issues. But otherwise, I had my first gander at the actual set lists this morning and holy shit, they really did it. I mean, to simply OPEN THE SHOWS with a 19-minute Playin in the Band, that invariably set the tone right then and there. Zero rust. Post-appendix Mayer is equally as good if not better than appendix-included Mayer. It seemed like he never even put his guitar down during that little break since fall tour. Let's just say that each subsequent evening unfurled with a beauty and uniqueness that I will definitely cherish and remember forever. The people who put on this event absolutely did it right as well; took care of all of us and then some - I mean, when have you EVER been dancing with the mob 10 rows back and have like fifteen servers working through the crowd with trays full of beer and drinks over their heads, just for the taking??? You didn’t ever have to leave your spot if you didn’t want to. There were even way more than enough portapotties that I never had to wait in line. Ever. And as for the venue itself - literally right there on the beach with the tide-line creating the left flank of the crowd; it was all responding in unison to the casting call of nature and the band, in unison. All in all, what an experience. It was absolutely worth it and I'd do it again. Apologies to those who wished to stream it but were unable to, or who wished to be there but could not. At least there are already copies of the shows circulating. Back to reality - it's good to be home. But I’ll be flirting with these past few days’ memories on and off for some time to come…. Sixtus

So I'm knee deep in '76 right now, digging a slew of new shows. 1976 is an underrepresented year - too often unfairly compared to 1977. It's the old Ginger vs. Mary-Ann debate - but you can't look at Mary-Ann in the context of Ginger - it misses the point of what makes Mary-Ann great. I see 1976 as defined by what precedes it... an excellent album. '76 is the "Blues for Allah" tour with recently-in-studio precision, sublime jams, recorded meticulously. What's not to love? I have spent the last week focused on the "new" material: H>S>Franklin's (so many in '76!), Crazy Fingers and Music Never stopped, and then exploring the music around them... an interesting way to explore 1976 for Blues for Allah fans. '76 box would be nice. Where's the announcement? Waiting for Olympics to end so announcement doesn't get buried by mixed-Curling updates?

What a massive temptation. I don't normally collect music on vinyl, just the odd one here and there, but this looks soooo tempting. Very expensive-and Ill bet the postage to England will be a pretty penny - for music I have already got. But this show was my favourite for decades. I first got this on a bootleg tape in the late 1980s, and it included a set by The New Riders as well. I get the impression the electric set will still be in mono, but with improved sound. It will probably be gone soon....what to do?

While I am deciding about the vinyl Dicks Picks 8, I thought I would chip in on the Dead on dvd. It doesn't really do much for me, either, I'm afraid. The only one I really go back to on a regular basis is Sunshine Daydream. I really like the China Cat-Rider on there, and the crazy dancing in the crowd. I thought the other dvds were interesting at first, looking at how they interact visually and seeing something of Bob and Jerry's guitar techniques. But I don't watch them now. The last film clip I watched was on youtube-30th December 1983-Jerry looks so ill it actually makes for uncomfortable watching. Right-I'm going to go for it!

You've done it now..:D

Just had to post about Dick's 8 in vinyl, had to, right! Cost me 150 bucks that damn post and I'm not even set up to play vinyl! But there are only going to be 2,000, HAND NUMBERED, copies! I had to, it's a compulsion. Thanks for the post, it truly is impossible to keep track of everything that's out there. I may never listen to these bad boys, but maybe they'll go up a chunk and I can rehash for a few bucks. How's the value of 1-6 they've already done? I should have looked before I leapt maybe :-)

You're right, KJD1. The entire show is hella sweet. Confident and cool from beginning to end. But the "Let It Grow" blows the door off the hinges. Love when those unexpected explorations happen. Gives me a new appreciation for a song that I wouldn't necessarily listen to on its own.

I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but I could care less about video. Release 91 summer tour box is fine, but include or sell separate cd's of the music. I never watch band video, well almost never. A little Peter Gabriel is fine, he puts on a very visual show. But the Dead? To me they were never a visual band, a blind man would enjoy a show every bit as much, maybe more. (as long as there were no talkers!!, Bastards!)