Grateful Dead

I like Phish, but I love the Dead. I just saw Phish again at the Bill Graham Civic. Great show. Also really loved the Sweetheart of the Rodeo Byrds half reunion at the Mountain Winery last Sunday. Recent spins: Bonnie Raitt Nick of Time Fleetwood Mac Rumours Kinks Muswell Hillbillies Traffic John Barleycorn, Low Spark, Shoot out at Fantasy Factory The Animals Animal Tracks Buena Vista Social Club And, of course lots of Dead

I like it. I'm easy, I like all years, and agree with the thought expressed recently that that's what makes them so listenable, they change over the years. I liked LLRain, Deal, the Eyes Jam, Black Peter and that sweet Baby blue. I did not appreciate how fast they were playing so many of the songs. Whew! I got tired just listening to that pace. The other thing I found issue with was it seemed like the whole level of sound would change from time to time, even in the second set, so I could not just leave my amp at a certain level, I had to get up and adjust it from time to time. I'd also say, having attended many shows over the years, the Dead were a gamble every time you went to see them. Frequently it would take them a while to warm up, they would be a little rough. That was part of their charm, they were not a "show". Why did I keep going? Because they could slowly build to some real magic moments, that would stun me. I found myself seeking and collecting those magic moments. One other thing: I like the brief patches, because they briefly give me a feeling of what the sound was like in the room which can be very educational. I'd rather have a patch than a cut. I've listened to most of the release twice, and before I put it on the shelf for a while, I'm going to listen to that LLR, Eyes Jam,and Baby Blue again. I like the idea of a 79 release, too.

Frequent reader, infrequent poster. There is always a bit of conflict on here regarding various aspects of these releases but there are a few things that I'm not sure got mentioned or that I haven't seen mentioned. I cannot say I've read every single post in this ever-growing thread but I'm just attempting to get a few things thrown out there. FACTS: 1) The Grateful Dead never intended to record all of these shows for later official release. They were merely for their own listening purposes after the shows. Obviously there are exceptions to this and we all know what shows/era those are. 2) in this era, the band no longer had a member of the crew designated as a "recording engineer" tasked with making a live mix at the show solely for the recording. They simply ran a cassette (lower quality than the reels from earlier eras) right out of the PA that was being mixed for good sound in the hall/theater/arena. That does not necessarily translate to good sound for a live recording and there's certainly limitations to what Jeffrey has to work with. Apples and oranges. 3) Those of us that are "all eras" fans are fortunate to even have some of these recordings to reflect on and we are ALL fortunate that we have the even better recordings of the eras that many of us consider the best. 4) Jerry was not in the best of shape in 1983. Sad, but true. 5) Cocaine increases tempos. 6) Dave's subscriptions are "blind" buys. You don't know what all four shows will be when you decide to pre-pay. This involves a risk. Assuming each of the four shows should be completely satisfying to YOU and be YOUR preferred releases is both unrealistic and borderline narcissistic if you really believe that. 7) If you don't like the show, the 80's, the artwork or anything else about a selection you can sell it, give it away or shelf it if you insist on collecting the series. 8) The next pick will NOT be a mid-80's show (I feel comfortable keeping this in the fact column). 9) Three out of twenty-seven picks (and over six years) being 1980's releases are not quite panic-worthy statistics for worried subscribers. OPINIONS: 1) This show is fun! Not perfect. Not a TOP 5 or 10. It's fun and energetic and represents an era rarely represented in our favorite band's history. Early to Mid-80's fans, enjoy! 2) It doesn't sound as bad as many would have you believe. It's inconsistent in places. It's cringe-worthy in others. Trying to compare this to the 5/8/77 release or to some other 70's Betty Board is simply not fair (see FACT #2). You somewhat know what you're going to get with a cassette master 80's release sound-wise. At that point, you start to consider the playing, the energy, the setlist and again, thinking about how fortunate we are to even have this catalogued history to look back on all these years later. 3) I love Brent. The amount of heart and soul that came through that man's voice and playing of the keys is simply amazing to me and I will never understand the Brent hate (this is the opinion list, I can say that) but I respect your right to disagree. 4) I don't love all of these releases but if you just realize that not all full-show releases are all good all the time, you learn to look for interesting pieces you do like and can listen to again. Now, we look forward to #28!

Main system is Onkyo digital receiver, Polk towers up front w/ bookshelves on the side, 4.0. With any hefty volume, sounds like Bobby is singing in my living room while the rest of the band is playing out on the front porch. Second set is smoothed out a bit more though. For head phones, my cans are Sony MDR7506 (plug in analog). Sound is great. Nicely leveled, crisp, just what any discerning deadhead would want in a listen. Regarding my opinion of the show, it is a fun filled, choppy frolic that’s also of the GD ethos. Albeit more Bozo than Dilbert. Captures a time period when it was about barefootin’ it with a pair of Vaurnets and playing Frisbee in the park (rather than getting carpal tunnel from a smartphone). Back when it was okay to laugh and chuckle without much reason to do so. Sounds like there was as much of a party up on stage as out in the crowd. Playing is naturally loose, Bill and Mickey being the exception though. From a first listen last night, they sounded really tight and clean, kept it synchronized.

I wonder how many hardcore 80s Dead fans missed out on this, and would love to have one? I've played my copy once and found no skips or defects. I'd be happy to trade it for an original mint copy of Dave's Picks Vol. 10, 11, 12 or 13. Please PM me if interested.

I'm listening on earbuds that I have suspended from the ceiling about 6 feet above the floor. The sound doesn't bother me at all.

It will also help to hold a 9V battery to your tongue

....I use two tin cans and 15' piece of string. Am i doing it right?

For those who think the sound sucks, what type of speakers did you hear it through?Obviously, computer speaks are the wrong tool for this job. For those who think the sound is great/good/acceptable, what type of speakers did you hear it through? I suspect that SpaceBro has a Wall Of Sound replica in his house. Combine that with his unbridled enthusiasm (Seinfeld reference) for the era, and he’s in pure ecstasy. I’m using Bose 301 speakers that are about 5.5 feet in the air on stands (helps to fill the room), an Onkyo subwoofer, Onkyo receiver, Onkyo 6-disc changer. I do have to turn the volume up past the ‘normal’ point for DaPs. Most DaPs are pretty consistent in the sound level on my system, ‘40’ on the Onkyo display. For DaP 27 CD1 starts at 44 but I just had to turn it down to 42 during Deal. These numbers are a little arbitrary and are influenced by how much I want my neighbors to hear the GOGD. Just turned it up a tad to 43 for H/S/F. It’s Saturday afternoon, not like it’s In The Midnight Hour. I can clearly hear all the instruments on Slipknot!, with Jerry right up front.

....came through Vegas recently. I didn't even know.