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The unexpected return of the masters of the Grateful Dead's triumphant show at the Albuquerque Civic Auditorium, November 17, 1971, yields great rewards. The Dead came in HOT for their first New Mexico show. Aided by clarity and precision and abetted by confidence and focus, they finessed old standards with definitive takes. With Keith now blending in seamlessly on keys, the first set offered up a triple shot of electric Blues, an exceptional "You Win Again," and a stellar "One More Saturday Night" to wrap things up. And the second set, well, it might just be unlike any you've ever heard. Archivist David Lemieux urges you to turn it up and do it loudly. We won't dare spoil all the surprises, but pay special attention to the rippin' "Sugar Magnolia," the aggressively monstrous "The Other One," and the highly-danceable "Not Fade>GDTRFB>Not Fade." Rounding out the 3CDs, you'll find selections from Pigpen's return tour at Ann Arbor, MI, 12/14/71. Subscribers will get nearly all of the complete show as this year's bonus disc.
As always, Dave's Picks Volume 26 has been mastered to HDCD specs from the original analog tapes by Jeffrey Norman and is limited to 18,000 individually-numbered copies*.
*Limited to 2 per order. Very limited quantity available.
DSO, DJ, ES335...
Seeing some shows like Phil this Saturday on the Rocks. Later, Dark Star Orchestra with Donna. We make fun of Donna, but she was a lovely lady and when she says she couldn't hear herself, and being all amped up and stuff, pretty sure that explains most of the atonal banshee wailing.
Shit, she sang on Elvis records and she's just got such a fine voice on Cats Under The Stars, etc.
I don't know exactly what Phil will bring but I know he will bring it. As far as DSO, well, they're duplicating 7/8/78 on 7/8/18 and I do not expect to be disappointed... I expect magic. And if there isn't any there we will bring our own.
Veneta was the first show I noticed Bob really bringing it on rhythm guitar with the occasional shy lead flourish... he had ballsy tone and that vintage Gibson hollowbody perfectly complemented Garcia's bell-like clarity.
Then whether Bob tripped out or couldn't hear himself in the mix, (like Donna Jean), he went all icepick trebly and has remained ever since to date with John Mayer.
John humbly leaves plenty of room for all. Bob's tone is like a glassy lake... it is beautiful, this is how he has learned to project and I have re-calibrated my ears to it, but man, as a guitar player, his sound just has no balls at all.
Whatever. Jerry died too and yet here we are speculating and delighting over every rumored release.
Bob, pick the Gibson back up. You and John will weave beautifully. Stop playing only in the range dogs can hear.
\m/f
So, apparently....
....I was elected to produce an appropriate playlist for my father in laws funeral. Tough gig, but I think I'm up to it. The To Lay Me Down from DP 12 is definitely on the list. Mrs Vguy said I can only put one Dead song on it. Open to suggestions. GD or not....he liked country and gospel.
Laying it all out....
....funny that wissinoming would throw that one out. We are driving his body up to Caldwell, ID ourselves tomorrow. Back to his green, green grass of home. Nice pick. Doing a Spotify playlist btw....
vguy playlist
Neil Young has some good crossover country tunes which could be appropriate.Consider Long May You Run, Old Man, Helpless, Star of Bethlehem, etc.
So far....
....I have a playlist that would run into the sunset. Thanks guys. Old Man? Idk. Star Of Bethlehem? Getting warmer. Forgot about that tune. So much music, so little time.... Amazing Grace is sacred ground. So is A Bridge Over Troubled Water. Not going there....my Dad was troubled with his past sins. I once told him welcome to the club. He chuckled....
Vguy
a couple of suggestions based upon his preferences:
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" - Ray Charles
"Wayfaring Stranger" - Jerry Garcia and David Grisman
Both tunes I chose for my Mom's CD when she was going into hospice this past year...coincidentally (or not), "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was also on that CD I gave her...
Vguy72-setlist
I don't think you can go wrong really, with your own excellent taste and some of the good and thoughtful suggestions on here. It can be a tricky thing to think about, because you want to reflect your father-in laws taste-but also have something that the congregation can connect with. Perhaps. Anyway-I am sure what you choose will be appropriate. The only song that came to my mind, was Goin' Back, by The Byrds-but these things are very personal.
I wish all the best to you and your family.
May the 4th Be with You
I wonder when they figured that one out?
Setlist
That is a tough one VGuy. I don't envy that responsibility, but they must have felt you are up to the task.
When I go, To Lay Me Down, Brokedown Palace, Ripple and Fat Old Sun are on the playlist. Fat Old Sun is particularly meaningful to me. Poignant and layered, likely full of dual meanings.
Good luck.
Hey, I learned a new trick. To conjure the ghost of Dantian, I think one must stay up all night drinking (hopefully good) red wine and listening to really kick ass, but eclectic music. Be sure to toss in some obscure Greenwich Village folk. If you've done everything right he will magically appear just before dawn and lay some inspiration choice listening on you. With a little luck it might be available on CD, but likely lastly issued as vinyl and occasionally only as 78 rpm vinyl.
It's a cool little trick, I suggest you try it.
Last night I finally had a
Last night I finally had a chance to sit down with the showcase for this release and here are a few thoughts (and apologies if I'm old hat to what’s already been mentioned).
The dusty, juke joint piano style Keith has at this time is very fitting for Albuquerque. Adds some ragtag fun in Tennessee Jed and El Paso in particular. But what does it remind me of? Brent’s plunky ’84 synth. Makes me think I have a better grasp of what Brent was shooting for at that time. I’ll never hear it the same way again.
The Playing in the Band jam has to be the most inspired moment in the first set. Jerry plays as though he knows he is on to something. No idea what it might be though until, of course, he finds it. Pure rich and radiant gold. I’m sure I felt as much surprised joy as he did when it panned out, as well as everyone that was in attendance that evening (I don’t give the samples a listen when the releases are announced for this reason; I enjoy a totally fresh listen).
The Other One truly is monstrously fabulous. I previously thought that the only TOO with a feeling groovy jam was from Newcastle 04/11/1972, and for that reason it has always been one of my favorites. So what a thrill to hear it tucked away in this version. And the lay out of the whole TOO- Uncle-TOO sequence is wonderfully sectioned, similar to movements found in symphonies. So easy to follow. In that respect, it actually has a design more in line with the Dark Star’s from E’72. Bravo my fine fellows!
Songs
Vguy,
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, but covered by everyone, comes to mind. Also, if you have not heard his tribute concert, I'm Your Man, there is a lot of great stuff in there. "Sisters of Mercy" by Beth Orton and "If it be Your Will" by Antony are two that come to mind.
Best wishes to you and your family.
Johnny Cash Will the Circle Be Unbroken
annnd
JGB doing Sisters and Brothers
"we can all be together forever and ever when we make it to the promised land"
Vguy
Give a listen to "Where the Soul of Man Never Dies" by Tony Rice and Ricky Skaggs from the album Skaggs & Rice (is on youtube). Two and a half minutes long, and their voices and acoustic instruments mesh like brothers. Both wistful and comforting at the same time.
Condolences to you and yours.
Vguy - Country/Gospel song
Check out If We Never Meet Again, by either Elvis or the Delmore Brothers.
pianer
been really enjoying this pick, i thought the felt forum pick was fantastic but for some unexplainable reason i like this one better, maybe because its most recent but i think it is something else, glad someone else mentioned the piano sound, that loud and sustain-rich piano sound i have only heard in a couple other shows, specifically a tape of fox theater st louis 12/10/71 that i obtained while attending high school in st louis in '83 has that sound mainly on playin and sugar mag also throughout to lesser degree, of course that show has been recently available in the dreaded yellow box, this albuqurque show has it in spades, the piano is not only extra loud (but not too loud) but he seems to use the sustain pedal a lot to great effect, wish he had done it more
also the idea of 2 shows with very similar setlists with and without piggy grease works very well, I don’t actually rip all these picks to itunes like some of yall do but that was needed def for ann arbor to get the song sequence right
btw the guitar, drums and bass also sound as good as they get
thanks dave!
Vguy, here's another
My most sincere condolences... only can offer the thought a quick and peaceful passing at home is way better than life wasting away in nursing homes as I am sure many of us have seen.
For my father's memorial, I selected music from things I knew he loved. There are numerous versions of this piece in many different styles, music by Dvorak from the New World Symphony iirc. Lyric by someone else it is titled Going Home.
It is presumed by some to be Christian hymn but it is so much more.
keithfan - may the 4th
The figured that out right after they figured out the only day that gives a command,,,,, March 4th!
There is a Dark Star on DaP 36...
... in the first four minutes of Bobby McGee.
"Ring Them Bells" by Dylan
Amazing song from the "Oh Mercy" album. My bro and I have agreed this song is played at the funeral of whoever goes first. FIND THE STUDIO VERSION ON I-TUNES. It's not on youtube. If you think Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is powerful, you will love this. Some of Dylan's most powerful lyrics:
Ring them bells ye heathen from the city that dreams
Ring them bells from the sanctuaries cross the valleys and streams
For they're deep and they're wide
And the world is on its side
And time is running backwards
And so is the bride
Ring them bells Saint Peter where the four winds blow
Ring them bells with an iron hand
So the people will know
Oh it's rush hour now
On the wheel and the plow
And the sun is going down upon the sacred cow
Ring them bells Sweet Martha for the poor man's son
Ring them bells so the world will know that God is one
Oh the shepherd is asleep
Where the willows weep
And the mountains are filled with lost sheep
Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf
Ring them bells for all of us who are left
Ring them bells for the chosen few
Who will judge the many when the game is through
Ring them bells for the time that flies
For the child that cries
When innocence dies
Ring them bells for Saint Catherine from the top of the room
Ring them bells from the fortress for the lilies that bloom
Oh the lines are long and the fighting is strong
And they're breaking down the distance between right and wrong
DaP 26 - my take
Gave the CD proper a one-time through listening session (not the bonus disc yet).
I find the Albuquerque show to be interesting in that most everything up until Cryptical feels like the band is still working out the songs. Embryonic. Kind of throwaway material in my opinion. Cool as a historic document and reference to see how they grew into the newer material and Keith's recent addition.
By the time they hit Cryptical though, it's like a switch gets flipped, and the band goes from rehearsal mode/working out the kinks into what really makes this band awesome. Transcendent.
The Ann Arbor portion on the other hand, awesome from start to finish. pigpen's presence clearly lifts the band considerably, and keith plays and sounds the best here of his entire time in the Dead. A true Keith peak. The piano has never been mixed better prior or after in my opinion.
I understand wanting to release shows that the Dead didn't have in the vault, and welcome them all, but man, that Ann Arbor run should have been released as it's own standalone package. Those who didn't subscribe, but were lucky enough to score one ala carte, are getting totally gipped out of the best part of this entire release. I oftentimes find these bonus discs to surpass the actual release.
I've had the legendary Ann Arbor shows forever, and in good quality, but this is by far the best and cleanest I've ever heard of this first nights show. Absolutely amazing. Another legendary show cannibalized as use for filler. Yikes. (just like 3/24/90 and 7/12/90 and many others...wtf)
Sometimes these marketing decisions leave me scratching my head. Hopefully 12/15/71 won't be stuck into some $1500 box set and/or hacked-up into multiple releases. Waaaaay too important of a show for that.
The Byrds-The Dead 76
Having recommended Goin' Back by The Byrds earlier today, I decided to listen to its parent album-The Notorious Byrd Brothers. Superb album-both the songs and the laidback flow. Earlier albums, Younger Than Yesterday and 5th Dimension also surely pass the acid test.
Things were less happy in Deadland. I decided to listen to DaP 4-24th September 1976. I haven't got to the 3rd cd, which looks promising, featuring as it does Help=Slipknot-Franklins-but the first 2 cds are a bit ordinary. I am not sure I would welcome a 1976 box...I think I've got enough of this sort of thing already.
First Set
I thought the Playing and Cumberland were exceptional. Throw-aways? I don't know.. I consider the first set more a spicy but excellent breakfast burrito myself. To each his/her own I guess. I think both shows are well played and find myself liking them about the same.
I could be alone here.. but I also like the fact that we pretty much got two shows in close proximity to each other date wise with similar setlists packed into one release. Both shows are well played, they seem relaxed and having fun.. yet both are vastly different in my opinion.
Had they come out as separate releases at different times I might not have given them comparative listens. It really brings to the surface what the Grateful Dead were so good at.. improvising and making each show different and special.
Just my thoughts, certainly no wrong or right here.
Have a great weekend all.. I'm heading out for what promises to be a grand adventure.....
DaP 26
Currently finishing up a second full listen of this release, and while I like all of it a lot, I would agree with Spacebrother's description of the Albuquerque sequence starting with Cryptical Envelopment and continuing through Wharf Rat as indeed transcendent. The same is true of Ann Arbor sequence starting with Cryptical Envelopment through Wharf Rat on the bonus disc. I really don't know which sequence I like more at this point, but both are definitely highlights. There is just something different about these Other Ones, I lack the vocabulary to adequately describe the difference, but the difference is in a way that helps blunt the long dry stretch between Dark Stars in the recent Dave's Picks. Also find myself taking notice of the Sugaree's and the Pig contributions on this release as well. The more I listen to it the more I like it.
The sound quality is top shelf as well. I used to worry that there would be a decline in release quality over time, but that does not appear to be the case, they just seem to sound better and better.
No Right Or Wrong?
I don't know Jim, your post sounds right to me.
And Another Thing...
...that Next Time You See Me from Ann Arbor is sublime.
DaP 26 and RT V3No2 Austin
Well, earlier i was finally reading the liner notes late at night and Dave discussed the Austin Road Trips release from 11/15/71. I have a tough time buying a la carte on the web with the prices these command, but with DaPa 26 playing, and a head soaked in red wine, I found one at a nice price on Discogs. It just arrived two days ago, I've been spinning that heavily. It is nice to listen to Austin and then Albuquerque. Both really good recordings. I'm turned on to 1971 like never before.
Concerning the fist set, i'm enjoying these songs, there's an exuberance to them. I really like hearing the strong harmonies and vocal inflections that changed or got lost over time. They have young voices and the recording highlights them well. I'm also digging Billy's drumming, played like a lead instrument. So much already said about the single drummer years, these recordings are just more testimony time to that. Keith's playing is great, i like that it's right up in the mix and driving the songs along.
Just a plug, RT Austin was my first purchase on Discogs, and it seemed to me a more laid back, personal event. Check it out. Kinda between craigslist and ebay?
Re: DaP26
Both shows are gems and stand strong on their own merits, but Albuquerque hits the sweet spot for me (though it may not be as smooth as Ann Arbor). Nothing sounds embryonic or remotely throwaway to my ear. The first set line up may not be as exploratory or as expansive as they would quickly become, but the band is clearly in the zone and firing on all cylinders. And, more importantly, they sound like they're having one hell of a good time. There's a collective enthusiasm that radiates from each gig, with and without bacon.
Quick thought
I haven't listened to these shows as closely as some here, I like them both. You can argue about close setlist of both. But as Jim pointed out, gives a nice comparsion of the two shows/two lineups. But I think I speak for everyone here when I say what a GREAT recording. It will NEVER cease to amaze me how these things were recorded out of habit with no thought of commerical gain at the time it was done. Sure, some recordings were done with sale in mind (E72), but a Wednesday night show, in some outhouse, in podunk, usa, and it was not only recorded by many a fan, but captured by the band. Wow!
1971 is my new favorite year....
....the Doc knows his shit. So does Dave. So does the kind soul that pressed that record button. On the road again. And we're off....
Usually Dont Comment
On the artwork, but this one, for me, Fantastic!
Time to crack the shrink wrap.
product sku
081227931605