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"The Grateful Dead picked up their instruments and hit the first note with perfection. They never missed a note for the next three and one-half hours. People followed the flow of the tunes. Down on the floor in front of the stage was a sea of heads keeping time with the music. No one sat still. No one, except the youngsters behind us sat still. They were still and stunned." - The Power County Press
And what a stunner it was, that show at the Boise State University Pavilion in Boise, ID on September 2, 1983. Dave's Picks Volume 27 contains every stitch of music from this mid-80s show (our first in this series), one that's as good as any other in Grateful Dead history. When the Dead were on, they were ON! Straight out the gate with a definitive take on the old standard "Wang Dang Doodle," the band swiftly switches back to a setlist of yore, firing off 70s staples like "Jack Straw" and "Brown-Eyed Women" and wrapping things up with a terrific trio of "Big Railroad Blues"/"Looks Like Rain"/"Deal" (don't you let that epic guitar solo go down without you). Primed for the second set, they tackle the complexities of "Help>Slipknot!>Franklin's" with heart and ease. It's clear there will be no stopping their flow - Bobby and Brent hanging in for a fantastic pre-Drums "Jam" and Jerry and Bobby in the zone on a not-to-be-missed melodic "Space." Not a skipper in the whole lot!
Dave's Picks Volume 27 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.
Dave 27 @rayski
Hey Rayski:The keyboardist on this show is Brent, not Keith; the drummers are Billy & Mickey.
Live shows and live recordings-Jeff, raykski
I like the distinction you draw between seeing a live show, and listening to a live recording. I saw countless concerts in the 1970s and 1980s that were great nights out- for all sorts of reasons-the music being just one of them. Sitting at home, now, listening to a recording-its a world away really. I love listening to live recordings-but just because I had a great time at a particular live show is in no way an indicator that I would enjoy listening to a recording of that live show at home, now.
Cousins..
You're right my mistake. I was overtaken by my despair over the sound quality. I have rarely commented on any release here. I always accept the quality of play for the Era I'm listening. You expect a different sound, dare I say even style, in each mini era. But for me the quality of this mix is just so poor. I believe it is possibly the poorest recording they've released. Even some of the very early 30 Trips recordings as weak as they were far surpass this thing. :(
Awesome release, sounds fantastic
Now that I've had a few days to absorb this release with a few listens through, this is easily in my top 5 Dave's Picks.
Sure, there are a few botched lyrics (was listening to 7/31/74 recently as well, and there were even botched lyrics and cues, even in this era...nothing new), but the playing is top notch.
Wang Dang Doodle - became pretty standard in the '90's, but this version has a more psychedelic gleam to it. Well played.
Jack Straw - energetic high octane performance. Jerry was clearly playing his ass off. Doesn't feel ruched to me. Seems just about perfect.
They Love Each other - a nice tight version that well played.
Mama Tried > Big River - these cowboy Bob tunes are as solid as any other versions played in any other era. They rarely botched these tunes, even in the later years.
Brown-Eyed Women - definitive for this, or any era. It's like they step it up another notch in a show that's already off the charts for awesomeness.
Minglewood - typically solid.
Big Railroad Blues - if this version of this song doesn't do it for you, then you probably aren't a fan of the Dead in the '80's and beyond.
Looks Like Rain - good solid reading. Inspired.
Deal - if this version of Deal doesn't do it for you, you may want to reassess how loyal of a Deadhead you really are. This version is deninitive for any era. One of the best ever performed.
Help > Slip > Franklin's - A few botched lyics aside, the performance is to notch. Slipknot hits spaces right up there with any versions performed at anytime in their career. Franklin's is also well played.
Estimated > Eyes > Jam - pure awesomeness.
Drums > Space - typical for the era.
Throwing Stones - cool early version and nice to see how it evolved into the staple it became. The message still applies to current events, and probably even more-so. Our country, and the world on a whole is in a particularly shitty place now, and getting worse. We proably will leave this place an empty stone if we continue to allow the types odf debacles to unfold that has over the last year-and-a-half.
GDTRFB - like deal earlier in the show, if this version doesn't do it for you, you may want to reassess your status as a Deadhead. It rocks. Jerry plays and sings extremely well.
Black Peter - I think this version is the highlight of the entire show. A top 5, or perhaps top 3 version of all-time. Absolutely hits everything in every possible way, and beyond. jerry's voice brings an emotional level, as does his playing. I had to relisten 3 times in a row. Worth the price of the entire years subscription alone.
Sugar Magnolia - solid rockin' version.
It's All Over Now baby Blue - as good as any version from any era.
In regards to sound/mix quality, to my ears, this sounds very upfront and kind of in-your-face. The bass is very punchy. All of the elements are there and clear within the first couple of minutes into the show. Where reel tapes tend to have a softer more rounded feel, this is raw, up front and indicative of a well mixed FOH.
All in all, this one will probably get more play from me than most of this series, because I like this era a lot, and desire to hear mloits more of it. I like all era's and this one fills a void that needed to be filled. The last couple of years I've been more focused on listening on anniversary dates, or close to them.
The next big release is the PNW '73 and '74 box. At almost $200, it's currently beyond my budget to place an order, and if it doesn't sell out anytime soon, I'll eventually and hopefully be able to get my own copy. It's nice that, for a change, we get a release from the 80's that isn't a part of a $200, or $250 or $750 box set, for a change.
Failed Experiment
I think Dave must have picked the most horrid chalkboard scratching recording available from the 80's so he never has to release another pile of stinking dogshit like this. I don't know how anyone can say this is a good quality recording. If this is the best of the 80's I don't need to hear any more. Not only is the recording bad but Jerry sounds like he's been on a 3 day heroin run, him and bobby can't sync up at all and even the guitar playing is questionable. I've listened to this 3 full times and while every now and then there is something almost promising it soon goes back to the hellish sound. Even my 16 year old daughter who is subjected night and day to the Dead asked why this recording sounded so bad. Not just the recording is bad but the timing and execution. I too went to dozens of 80's shows and most were much better than this and even under the influence I could walk out of a show and know it wasn't that good. This is the Dead at its worst and should be called Warts and All. Please don't waste 25% of my subscription cost on another one of these turds. You guys that were clamoring for an 80"s show need to dig the wax out of your ears and stop justifying this because you were so desperate for the 80"s. I know there is way better stuff out there. For example Frost Amphitheater in 82, both nights were great and even the crappy bootlegs I have on the dc90 cassettes sound better than this.
Space - How do you do it?
Love ya, and I do like this release, but if all you do is blow 100% ozone-unfiltered sunshine about every aspect - sound quality and EVERY single song (even saying Help On the Way is top-notch) - it's hard to take your review seriously. Every release has it's pros and cons.
But we get it - you're super-excited about this release. And we're all in awe of how much of a "true" Deadhead you are.... How do you do it???
Heywood Jablome
Best screen name ever.
Agree with everything you said. I was looking forward to this release, as the Dead shows I saw were almost all in the 80s. But it's a debacle almost from start to finish. You know you're in trouble when Wang Dang Doodle is the highlight.
Let's face it, many of us have a shitload of versions of these tunes. I have over 1,200 folders on an external hard drive, each of which has a live show in it. That's about half of the Dead's live career.
So why do we need so many shows? It's because they never played a song the same way twice, right? Well, for me, a big part of it - the main part - is Jerry. And why do I love to hear Jerry solo so much? Because he could play a nice, unique, tasteful solo in any given tune.
But even Jerry couldn't do it on this show, as evidenced especially by Throwin' Stones. I could not believe it, but I actually heard him play a solo that sounded like it was a solo for some other song. I winced throughout it. By that point, I couldn't wait for my "test listen" to the discs to be over. This is the first time I have ever played a Dead show all the way through and was anxious for it to be over.
By the way, I have those Frost '82 shows, and yes, my mp3 files of that show sound better than this release. I love much of what's in those performances. Contrast the Throwin' Stones from this show to the ones from Frost, and you'll see what I meant above. I wish they would put one of those in the series. Who cares if they're not in the vault? Pull the SBD files off the archive, rip discs, and they'd be light years ahead of Vol. 27.
Performance-wise, this show is just mediocre at best, terrible at worst. It's more embarrassing than the Dick's Picks '83 release. At least that thing had an interesting Scarlet>Fire. This release...one and done for sure.
Top Notch
This whole show is top notch (performance wise)...even Help On the Way...does a few minor vocal flubs really turn you off of such a powerful performance?
And "no cohesion at all" ...really? none at all? Really? None at all...wow.
At the very least, I'll consider myself grateful for not hearing what some of you are hearing...but I still wouldn't want to be in a band with any of you.
Jeffrey Norman Save Yourself
Dave Lemieux goes out of his way to throw accolades at Jeffrey Norman for the mastering work he did for this release. Possibly the originals from which this release came from were so poor and Mr Norman did do a marvelous job. But we're not afforded the opportunity to hear the masters for this - just the final results. I'm guessing that many who have found this recording acceptable might have been lulled after 30 minutes or so of thinking "ah this ain't half bad". But I suggest stopping in the middle of Eyes of the World or Estimated Prophet after being into it for a good hour and a half, throw on any other show they released. You'll be amazed just how bad the sound of this one is. So much of the music is flat out missing. I'm not talking a specific instrument, though some are very hard to hear, but rather the musical range you're left with, the missing sound frequencies. And then there is the whole mix issue. Jeffrey I have to believe this isn't a recording you'd share with your professional peers to demonstrate your skills unless you also have the master to show what you've done, because by itself it is a disaster. If it were me, I'd have my name removed from the credits.
Wow - DAVE PICK #27 = SUPER!!
Glad to get such a good release for DP#27, and of course to get back into the 1980s(about time). This show is really good, there is a total energy throughout the show...even on the few sleeper songs. You can really tell Jerry was into it on this night, not just mailing it in or "tired" ;) as he was at some points in 1983-1986. This is a great start to get the ball rolling for this series in the 1980s, I know DL mentioned that DP#28 "probably" would not be a 1980s show- who knows? I think the obvious year for #28 will be 1979(maybe 1981-82). I think we will see a hot show from 1979 for the DP#28 release, most think 11/25/79 or 12/1/79 are the two go to shows for the next release…..I think a better & more obvious choice will be 9/5/79: GREAT show, GREAT setlist, & GREAT venue. If not 1979, I believe he will venture into the 1990s with a show from 1991. The obvious choice there would be: 6/7/91, 9/4/91, or 9/26/91...
BOTTOM LINE- It's great to see the Dave Picks series move to the 1980s, LET'S KEEP THAT DECADE GOING! Also, I know there is always chatter about sound quality/kick drum etc for 1980s shows as far as being unreleasable....BUT MY GOODNESS- think of all the 1973-1978 shows released that even with a nice recording were ruined because of DG's howling 'er singing (IMHO)
A HUGE thank you to JeffSmith
Jeff, thanks so much for the high res cover art. I will be upgrading several of my digital files this evening. I appreciate you sharing with us.
Can't wait...
I can't wait for this to make it across the pond and hear it for myself. What people have said here about it are pretty much the most diametrically opposed sets of views ever to grace these boards. On the one hand there are the known 80's fanatics (nothing wrong with that) and a few others who are spurting out verbal orgasms of praise on both the sound and performance aspects of this release. Their comments are so over-the-top as to be hardly credible as subjective reviews. On the other hand we have the people whose favorite period was probably not this period, together with some who saw all their shows in the 80's who largely seem to pan both the mix/sound quality and the performance. Can it really all be that bad? Is there nothing to redeem it? We all (should) know that a PA mix is never going to sound like a Betty Board, so there is a maybe a hint about about the quality of the mix. Typically a reel-to-reel recording will have better sound than a cassette simply due to tape track width and speed considerations so that is maybe another hint. I suspect the reality lies somewhere in between the views of the opposing camps, but just where it lies is something I will have to decide for myself when I finally get my copy which shipped a week ago so, with luck, should arrive in a weeks time.
simonrob
I usually try to avoid reading too many of the "review" comments here on the board before I get one of these Picks, because the over-the-top praise is usually just not realistic at all. That leads me to be disappointed almost every time. Let's face it, almost none of the shows released in the series is on a level with the Europe '72 tour or Fillmore '69 - in recording quality (2-track) or performance.
However, for you, it might be good, because at least it enables you to keep your expectations low. I really did have high hopes for this Pick, as I saw my first show in '82 and most of my shows were during the '80s. I had just watched the New Year's Eve '83 show on YouTube recently, and it didn't seem to me to be as bad as this show. It was a real letdown. The patches, Jerry's voice, his playing...just about everything. Well, the cover art is cool anyway.
As a means to keep my own expectations low, I starved myself of listening to the Dead for a good week or more before my copy arrived. I figured that way, I'd be hungry for my dose of Jerry and boys, and wouldn't so much mind some sub-par performances or recording issues. But once I got past the first track, I was dismayed many times throughout. I guess a few people dig it, but for me, it goes to the bottom of the list...even below that '81 Pick, which I got rid of almost immediately after it arrived.
Reviews
My copy won't arrive in England for a few weeks yet. I like reading these reviews, though. Its quite lively, the way one unconditionally positive review is followed by one unconditionally negative one. Its like watching a game of tennis. Nothing I have read has led me to expect it to be one thing or the other-but the controversy around it makes me very curious to hear it.
The more the better.
I think modern technology will always be able to improve a multi-track recording far more than a 2-track, simply because one has the ability to remix a multi-track. The Fillmore '69 box, Europe '72 box and the Spring '90 box (the other one) are almost bound to sound better than a Dick's Picks or a Dave's Picks. The multi-track 1967 & 1989 shows from the Thirty Trips box sounded far and away the best of the bunch, whereas I thought the majority of the '80s shows exhibited disappointing sound quality, for the very reasons I mentioned in my previous post. You can't polish a turd, but if it is solid at least you can try!
As for trying to avoid "Review" posts, that is easier said than done when you know your copy will take 2 weeks or more to reach you. In that time, all manner of cool subjects could be discussed on here that I would miss. We haven't had a beer discussion for a while. I've been consuming bottles of an 11% Belgian bier lately. So far, I'm not showing any ill effects! The old bottle-in-front-of-me vs. frontal-lobotomy dilemma rears its ugly head again.
The Golden Road To (Un)Limited Devotion?....
....holy shit?! This board is like channel surfing between CNN and Fox News. I love it.
I heard someone say
"A good performance will get you through times of poor sound quality, better than good sound quality will get you through times of poor performance."
name this band:
Won't you show me how yaWon't you tell me how ya
Won't you show me how ya
Got your mind so crazy
P-s-y-c-h-o
P-s-y-c-h-o
P-s-y-c-h-o
One two three four
Uh-Oh
Seems I have to reassess my status as a Deadhead. How do I do this? Is there a form? Can I do it online? Was I supposed to have my status as a Deadhead calibrated when I signed up to dead.net? Is there a Deadhead status value they assign you and this needs periodic updating? Do you get discounts on merchandising if your Deadhead status value is over a certain grade or percentage? Help me out here!!!
Those meddling Russkies
Its bad enough they plied their divisive (and derisive) rhetoric during the 2016 election, now they appear to be doing the same to us here.
Ain't gonna work, Vlad. We infiltrated your Duma years ago!
We're Deadheads, and we are everywhere!
I failed my math exam because I couldn't remember....
....how to write 1, 1000, 51, 6 and 500 as Roman numerals..
.
IM LIVID
mhammond re: "true head" status.
I'm lost as well. 52 shows, bought every release (even Infrared Roses!) and suddenly my status is revoked! Maybe there's an appeal form? I keep googling for it, but all that comes up is a GIF of Jerry saying "Thanks for playing, man!". It's OK though - Nickelback could use some enthusiasts... we can just go there. Nickelheads? Hamilton's on the nickel, and he's pretty trendy now, right???
@ mhammond12
Do you still have your r.m.gd.* decoder ring? It's the silver one with an large sized stealie on front that opens up to a secret dial, twist it left and right and you'll get all the music and answers you need - everything - for the exception of Jerry's shoe size and Pigpen's (well I can't tell you anymore in fear of the Men In Black and Pig's B-3 organ)
*r.m.gd. = rec.music.gdead (look it up)
Refresher course
Eur 72 has numerous overdubs
http://deadessays.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-europe-72-overdubs-guest-pos…
Don’t use Eur 72 as a comparison of what you think a ‘live’ recording should sound like.
Who 1968 Fillmore East
Just finished my first listen and I like it, except......CD2 has a 33-minute My Generation, which is pretty cool, but there is 47 minutes of unused space. Why no filler?
As I monopolize this board....
Would like some of Simonrob’s Belgian bier......
Dap 27
Well, after some sound adjustments I was able to here more of the instruments in the mix especially during the singing. The show is not all that bad, and after drumming most of the first set I have to say it rocks I was praying for LLR so I could get a break.
Next 10 Dave's
9-2-8010-16-81
3-9-81
7-28-82
5-10-87
7-31-88
10-19-89
some shows from 6-85
some shows from 6-91
Cal Expo '89-'90
Any Heads exploding yet? Just having some fun! Be kind everyone ;-)
Caveat Emptor
"Warning: This is not an audiophile recording! Many of you may have read the numerous Dick's Picks Caveat Emptors over the years and thought "Oh yeah... sure... whatever." Well, this old analog recording source exhibits many audio flaws including high distortion, low vocals, tape hiss, and missing pieces. No fair calling Customer Support and complaining! However, let it be known that this CD also includes some pretty damn exciting and historical music, and for that reason is brought to you with pride."
~DL
I really like licorice. Be it
I really like licorice. Be it 60s,70s,80s or 90s licorice. Yummy
Last five beers per simonrobs request....
....Superfuzz by Elysian Brewing. A blood orange pale. 6.4%. Actually, it will be last six in an hour or so.
Last 3 beers
Bell’s Oberon, 5.6%Bell’s Oberon, 5.6%
Bell’s Hopsoulution, 8%
It being Tuesday, and a worknight, I had to cut myself off after 3.
"Finest kind"...it's actual name
Smuttynose ipa (My favorite and always in the fridge)
Simply Awful So Far
Ha, I guess I'm also reassessing my "loyalty" as a Dead Head. This Deal barely made it into my top 100. It's easily the worst I have. And when I sort iTunes by song I have 99 versions. Has nothing to do with the audio quality. While it is poor, I can still hear everyone but Weir, and he's inaudible half the time anyway. This is played so fast I expect to hear the chipmunks start singing the vocals, like when you play a 33 1/3 LP at 45 speed. But that tempo might be fine if they were tight, but they're not. It's just this big garbled mess where everyone is playing something different and off time. The rhythm section is in chaos. Space Brother I don't know how you do it, but shit, you definitely like it man, good for you my friend, gooood 4 U.
Wang Dang Doodle was nice. Brown Eyed Women, yikes the chorus sounds awful. In fact most of the chorus vocals sound awful, just a bunch of people shouting out of sync and resulting in nothing that sounds like harmony. Jerry slurs through half the vocals. First set among the worst of Dave's Picks.
Help and Slipknot! are decent, but vocals are uneven and slurred half the time in Help, so that's a bummer. Franklin's sounds good. I feel tired and pressed by the tempo, but all the other shit I complained about isn't happening too much on this one, but really, that only demonstrates they're not so far gone that they can't manage a two chord song. It hurts to hear them like this. Estimated Prophet oh boy what a travesty, I won't even get into Brent's voice, apparently it's awesome to everyone but me. The sound is getting worse on this one. It's clear as a bell but for some reason I barely recognize what they're playing. Maybe that's the muddle, mix, sorry. Phil's laying down a groove, that's nice, oops, where'd it go. Why doesn't the output of these four musicians make music???? I'm not a musician somebody help me out, is it all in the same key or whatever? I hear four guys playing on this Estimated Prophet outro but it's not making cohesive music like on Crimson White and Indigo. Eyes of the World chorus, okay, now we're sounding good. Dig what Brent's up to on the keys, this has potential!!! WHOA Noooooo!! The patch is at the sometimes the songs that we hear verse???? And I've just been utterly kicked in the balls. That is the story of Dave's Picks 27. Right when you think they've caught the old lightning, bam! Night in the ruts.
I get why Dave released it. He's got lobbyists. By rights, this historical snapshot should be relegated to the Download Series, as it doesn't hold up to the quality standard of a Dave's Picks release, either sonically or performance-wise. The DaP series would certainly not have subsisted this long on 27 picks of this caliber, but that's okay for me, because the game is to keep as many people happy as possible, and this will keep the hardcore 80s fans coming back for 2019.
Wait, caught the groove on Sunshine Daydream. I better cover my nuts, here it comes.
This version of the band never would played their way out of San Francisco if this was the beginning. But this was not their swan song. They still had In The Dark and Mega Dead on the horizon, and they kept it together on the road for 30 uninterrupted years, God bless them.
So, tomorrow brings another Days Between....
....I have a hate/love relationship with that week. Mostly love, but I do get a little melancholy. I'm only human. And I miss them. Even the Boise '83 version. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
name this band stoltzfus
I think the song you've quoted is by The Plasmatics. I think they chain-sawed a car in half while performing the song?
Critiques of DaP 27
As someone who listens to a lot of jazz from the 1920's and 1930's, and who came to love the Dead through cassette bootlegs, I've discovered that once the music begins, your ears adjust to the fidelity of the recordings. Issues like hiss or limited dynamic range, for me, fall away quickly. This release, though not from my favorite period (I love '76 shows best) surprised me with the energy and occasional novelties of the performance. There are downright rocking songs and Jerry gives several songs a real workout (looking at you Big RxR and Deal, among others) and some fascinating moments (Bobby's slidework, the sinister Slipknot jam, the fragile & pleading LL Rain, a spanking Minglewood, and the post-Eyes jam into drums as well as Bobby's unusual riffs in the Space portion) It's a show that deserves to be blasting out of your minibus while you're parked on shakedown watching folks spin and dance by.
Idaho ‘83
Haven’t posted in awhile but there’s nothing like an ‘83 Idaho firecracker to ignite my two cents worth on this release. So briefly- Is the recording good? Not really, no. It’s unbalanced, lacks clarity, and sounds like- it was recorded on a cassette, because it was. On the bright side of this sonic experience, this show feels far from the best of what exists in the vault from the first half of Brent’s reign. There is however almost a manic energy to the performance itself that’s exciting at times. So, for me, it’s a worthwhile release, because it’s another snapshot of history, not a modern professional recording. And here we’re given another portrait- this time from Idaho in 83. Do I think people that attended this concert heard it like this? Not by a country mile. To me it’s no small coincidence how highly regarded the Spring of ‘90 tour is, coupled with how well recorded that tour was. The recordings are our map- our snapshot of history. And this recording unfortunately paints a foggy picture at times, whose landmarks are tougher to discern through the somewhat blurred imagery. But it’s a fun night in Idaho, sounding as best as they could make it. So I enjoy it for what it is, and regret how good it could have been.
Zuckfun, my old friend....
....good to hear from you. Spot on, as usual.
product sku
081227931599