Grateful Dead

Smokin first set, ok Dave, now we have the smokin first set release, how about a great second set release, unreleased Dark Star time? I usually steered clear of shows that had a sunrise in the set list, just seemed to me to bring down the entire vibe in the arena. Back in the day, Jerry was know to "disappear" from time to time, go back stage and ?. Who really knows what he was doing, except maybe the rest of the band and Parrish. I can see it now, Jerry sees an opportunity to take a quick break, and does, and the show just gets better after that, but this time, I think the "pink Peruvian" might have got the best of him.

Spun through this show a few times now; as others have noted it's a pretty high energy show and a very solid first set. Second set is good too; I probably enjoy the Fire on the Mountain and Wharf Rat the most; I did have one audio observation though (I think?) - does Jerry leave the stage or just stop playing immediately after the final line of Scarlet Begonias? He hits that one note, then he seems to disappear from the mix until about seven and a half minutes in; during that period the transition just sort of plods faintly along between Bobby and Keith mostly, until Jerry seems to reappear. I assume this happened from time to time, but was more curious if that is indeed what happened, or if I am just missing him in there in the mix. No mention of this in the liner notes, but perhaps someone has a recollection or other feedback in retort... Ahh, the mysteries of the listen. Sixtus

This box is remarkable for its quality, certainly worth chasing for a great well-preserved copy. In 1982 a friend of mine recorded the set for me on his high end system, unfortunately to cassette but fortunately on a solid dual capstan deck (Yamaha, I think). Those cassettes, particularly Revolver, Sgt Pepper and the White Album, were among my most treasured belongings for many years. Analog sources wear out... if I had the set and the means I would make a few different reference copies, including on reel tape, for repeat enjoyment.

I have a few of these, they all sound amazing; best ones in my opinion were released in the 80s: The Band 1st LP, the Stones & Beatles box sets, American Beauty, Mars Hotel, Elvis in Memphis and the Sinatra box set. Highly recommended!

I finished listening to DaP25 last night. My verdict - smokin' hot 1st set, really great energy and performance! 2nd set was meh IMHO (did like Wharf Rat and Truckin'). One of the rare times where the 1st set is better than the 2nd set.

These lp's are the best sounding lp's ever made, period. I got into them back in the early 80's and have many of them. The process they use is unique and brings out the best sound available from the master tapes. I started with the Beatles lp's and just went wild with them, will never forget that time we got back from a concert and were quite out there, put on the White Album and listen to it in that state of mind, it was about the 4th time listening to that particular side of the lp and the sound was unbelievable. Found out later that it takes 3 or 4 plays before the needle gets into the groove at just the exactly perfect place and it is just pure joy. The song that still sticks in my mind is Revolution, the slow version, wow, you could hear them breath and you could hear their fingers on the strings sliding up and down, it was uncanny. There are still many available and they make new ones occasionally, if you still or are just getting into lp's, these will make you think you are right there, with the band sitting right in front of you. They did put out American Beauty on MFSL, Dark Side of the Moon, Clapton, The Band...all the heavies, unfortunately, they are limited so if you don't get them when they first come out, you might miss out of some exceptional sounding recordings. Mr. Pete, I agree with you, lp's are the way to go and I find myself going back to mine a lot more than cd's. (a lot of my friends got rid of their albums, I kept all of mine) glad I did. Most lp's sound better than cd's but there are a few exceptions, Blue Oyster Cults' first lp is way better sounding on lp that on cd, and these new cd's by the Dead sound real good too, but we don't have an lp to compare them with. Back in the day, you could get an lp for 4 bucks or so, where as the MFSL lp's were about 18.00, which was a lot back then, but well worth it. That Beatles collection was great, Sargent Peppers never sounded so good.

My last several Dave's Picks have had creases, buckles, or dings on the spine. Not sure if they drop them or pull the wrap too tightly, or the post office crushes them. And I buy 3 each year for people. One I shipped to my buddy this time, and his has a folded in edge along the top of the spine. The two I received were in different packages. One has a buckled spine (you know, as though something heavy was on top of it and it creased in the middle). The other one has a mused in top corner. Three different packages, no good cases. For whatever reason, this is happening now but not in the past. My Dave picks one through 18 are fine. I guess in the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal, but I do have these on display in my family room, so of course I notice it. Anyone else have this?

Your send button is stuck, give it a jiggle :)

You are correct, the Panthers didn’t win a cup, they made it to the Finals but lost to the Avs. But due to my disdain for the Avs, I try not to acknowledge that win.