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    heatherlew
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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.

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  • KeithFan2112
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    Dark Stars
    alvarhanso, very interesting you spoke highly of the DaP 19 Dark Star. I've never considered this one of the stronger ones, but I'm going to give it a re-listen right now, sans The Other One. I have a little bit of a mental block on 1970 dark stars. They seem to either be in a class of their own or sound exactly the same to me. I'm not saying that as a fact just an impression. You also spoke of the Rockin the Rhein bonus disc Dark Star. This one's in my top 10. I read about someone on the Steve Forum site not liking this one and could do nothing but a Scooby-Doo "whaaaat??" I hunted that bonus this down for years on eBay and then ended up putting on two of them in the same week thinking I wasn't going to win both auctions, but I did. Ended up trading the second one for the closing of winterland bonus disc and one other, I forget which. The February 2nd 1970 Dark Star is also one of my favorites, if not top 10 definitely top 15. This first 10 fill up very quickly. Jimbo thanks for the reminder on the 1019 Dark Star. I've been meaning to merge the Mind left body track that follows it with the actual Dark Star for some time now, but I always forget. I'm going to take care of that this morning. I figure, it do it on a few other dark stars, you know, include mind left body is part of the Dark Star. The real motivation is having the two pieces of music run contiguously on shuffle play. I'd like to start merging all of my China Riders as well. I'm on the fence about some of the other big ones. I merged all the dark stars with there medley tracks on Europe 72. I just keep them at the end of the tracklist in my digital music folder for each record. Definitely retirement activity, if that day ever comes.
  • JimInMD
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    Re: Dark Star
    I don't have a favorite Dark Star. To complicate things.. I find my mood and willingness to invest in what is often at least a half hour song impacts what I think of it. This sucks a bit.. but without a little mood enhancing help, that's just the way it is. Plus, I'm pretty busy as are likely most of you. So I have learned not to judge or invest myself into the outcome... just let it be and when I am rewarded I try to simply enjoy the moment. This approach seems to work just fine. The last one I listened to? Happens to be 10/19/73. It's currently my favorite but tomorrow never knows. Imagine that.
  • alvarhanso
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    Re: Dark Star
    I love Dave's 6 2/2/70 and 12/21/69, featuring two magnificent Dark Stars, each very different. Veneta 8/27/72 is just amazing, a 30 minute one that breezes by on a lysergic wave of energy before winding up in El Paso sung by a freaked out Weir. One that it reminds me of in an odd way is 11/11/73 Winterland, this one covers a lot of ground from a fantastic jazz excursion to some nice melodic weirdness towards the end of the nearly 36 minutes into a Mind Left Body Jam in double time. Dave's 13 also at Winterland 2/24/74 is another fantastic venture into the realm of Dark Star. My last listen to Dave's 19 1/23/70, I really enjoyed that one, too, but it did come out of That's It For the Other One, which adds extra oomph from the jump. And a show we probably all want to come out 2/18/71 with the infamous Dark Star> Wharf Rat (debut)> Beautiful Jam> Dark Star. One Normanized Star I want to hear is 3/24/72 from Rockin' the Rhein bonus disc. One Dark Star I avoid is Dave's 9 5/14/74, that one gets a little too dissonant for my tastes and does it for so long. Every time I try it again thinking I'll get over it I don't. But there's many other awesome Stars to focus on. For latter day versions, 3/29/90 of course and 4/1/91 Greensboro.
  • Thin
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    Slow dog re 12/12/73
    Actually it's 12/12/73 and thank you - never heard that show. Crazy-fun soundcheck setlist, a late 2nd set China>Rider that smokes! And a happy birthday Dicky Betts (maybe he hung backstage but didn't play? I checked the 12/12/ date and it was not an ABB double-bill - or maybe they were just going for an easy cheer from the Atlanta audience). And yes some nice Keith in there! Thanks (to you AND Charlie Miller!).
  • Thin
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    jaydoublu/McGrupp, DaP27 sound
    Thanks McGrupp for posting the link. As the article states, Rhino paid a lot of money for an exclusive 10-yr "licensing deal". The GD did not "sell the vault". Buying is different than leasing. Pretty nifty payday - the Dead got $30 mil and no longer has to hire staff, maintain a vault, and deal with the overhead, headaches, inventory, monthly business meetings... yet they retain "creative control". Smart. As for the DaP27 sound Q, Sounds a lot like the 10/15/83 Dick's Picks. Not horrible, but not great either - one of the better '80's recordings, which is kind of a backhanded compliment. Vocals are a little high in the mix since the guitars in the room also had amplifiers and didn't need to be as prominent out the PA. And yes the drums are as virile as a wet brown paper bag. However I'm relieved the drums don't seem to have quite as much kick-drum "Wap wap... wap wap...." as some of the '84/'85 recordings. But I'm glad that we get some '80s representation in the DaP series. Also, I don't mind aud patches. It suddenly transports you to a seat in the arena.
  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    Damn Dark Stars....
    ....they can fit in any musical category if you look at them right. Like the Boxilla '68 Greek one, which just cued up. Or the Miami '89 mindfuck thats on deck. Worth the ticket price alone. Everything else is icing.
  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    Re: 2/2/70
    It's been a while since I gave that one a spin, will have to change that. ..I've never met a Dark Star I didn't like.
  • philledawg
    Joined:
    DAVE'S PICKS 22 w/BONUS/LITHOGRAPHS
    BRAND NEW/SEALED/BONUS LISTED ON AMAZON @ WARNERMARKET............DAVE'S PICKS: VOLUME 22 SEALED w/Bonus...$29.95! HIT IT!
  • Hippychic
    Joined:
    2/2/70
    Like JiminMD says, the best Dark Star is whichever one happens to be the most recent one I listened to. I like this from 2/2/70 on Dave's Picks 6 a lot but its too short so I put it on again. I don't remember this ever getting much hoopla before. Is it really that great or am I just in a happy mood? When Dave's 27 arrives I feel like I want to start with disc 2.
  • deadtony
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    Speaking of Dave's 17, Im
    Speaking of Dave's 17, Im surprised it doesn't get much love, just like vol.15, i think its a awesome show.
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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.

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Jason, Icecream, Alvarhanso: Interesting. So...basically we need 84, and 93-95. I've been saying 84 for some time and I recall a lot of really crisp boards from back in the day floating about. But I think definitely 93 and 94/95, as well, are very underrated years. The top shows from those years are really excellent, and of a whole other nature. Garcia ballads (dirge-like), drums/space, etc. Billy talks about it in Deal, that whole "missing album" (much of it featured on disc 5 of SMR) really could have been their best. Not holding my breath on these for DP28: Thinking 79, 76, or 70.
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Why do chicken coops only have two doors?Because if they had four, they'd be chicken sedans. Ararar.......... Nope, Vguy's funnier.
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I've now listened to this release several times. Disc 2 is such a fun time and will probably get repeated playings especially when I'm in the car...or jacked up on caffeine. Otherwise I'm not sure when I'll revisit the rest of show (though as I've mentioned, I really do like the release). Starting to turn my attention to the box set coming out next month. Spent the morning listening to DaP 2 (7/31/74). I still cannot believe we're about to get 6 shows from two of the best years the band ever had. The last few years have just been a barrage of amazing (and in some cases legendary) releases all happening at lightning speed (at least compared to the past). After this one though, it's all gravy.
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This refund is for the following item(s): Item: Dave's Picks Vol. 20 CU Events Center, Boulder, Co. 12/9/81 Quantity: 1 ASIN: B07 Reason for refund: Item out of stock Well, that's a bummer considering I got a "shipped" notice stating it was arriving tomorrow.
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I heard discs 1 & 2 today (so far) it's a strong show. not legendary, but strong and hot enough for a "three smiles up" rating. it sounds like classic 83 GD to me. yes, there is the splice in Eyes. Some other minor things here and there. I can live with that easily. I like this release a lot. I like that it is from the early 80s. more, Dave, please. release 6/10/73 and 11/19/72 first, and then more 80s.
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in his sunglasses and dirty grey hair, sitting back and coolly strumming the Baba crash cords with I guess the Tiger guitar, that looks like the old Gibson SG. I would love a still of that (i.e. Shirdeep's video posted below) Weir looks hysterical doing his Townshend-esque jump and pseudo windmill, but I love him still. Who's guitar dude #3? Also looks ridiculous jumping like Townshend. But it's all good fun, they know they look silly. First Baba I heard was an Napster download with no TNK attached to it (probably edited out). I have no idea from where it hails, but it sounds like a AUD recording, and the place goes bonkers when Vince sings the opening verse.
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I think it might be RFK '92. If it is then guitar guy #3 is Steve Miller. He opened the show & joined the boys during their set as well.:o)
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Folks, I'm trying to figure out if the recording/mixing quality of DP 27 is as marginal as most of my discs sound, or if perhaps I received some poorly "pressed" discs. The show is obviously great, but only song on all 3 discs that sounds like an "A" recording/mixing is the very last song, It's All Over Now, Baby Blue. This last song sounds fantastic, but most of the previous songs sound OK to marginal. Particularly, on Disc 1, Bobby's voice sounds like he was separated the band and was singing into a bad mic... or something like that. Anyone else experience this? I'll feel better is so. If not, I'll contact Dead.net to inquire about getting a replacement set. Thanks!
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Uh, no, there is nothing wrong with your discs (unless they have skips or won’t play), they were designed to sound like that. That’s what was in fashion in 1983. Put your seat back in it’s upright, locked position and hang up the phone. Do not call customer service (unless you actually have a defective disc that won’t play). Wait, maybe you should call customer service...... For more information on the special qualities of 1983 recordings just scroll down this page and take in all of the informative opinions.
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Nope, back on the phone with customer support. You have to ask them for the rose-colored glasses they send with some of these sets. A lot of people think it sounds great.
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Gene Lopez, is that a bit? Sort of amusing
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14 years 11 months
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I like this recording. After the first track, things seem to sharpen up. This isn't the best, but it most certainly isn't the worst.
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14 years 11 months
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Have you folks realized that this Amazon account isn't legit?
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14 years 11 months
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Hey Ummmmmm...can you expand on your statement? Thanks!
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...yeah, no. The "surplus" discs are coming from the returns department. In all likelihood, like we've already said, these are extras slated as replacements for defects. So, again as we've already suggested, they must be clearing house; and seem to have already cleared house. I was able to grab some of the DP, but had my order of Hampton box cancelled (sold out- as someone else here had for DP20). Re: Hampton cancellation, that makes sense, as I think when I ordered it said only "3" remaining.
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I took a shot, ordering Dave's 22 & 20. Scheduled to arrive today... they cancelled 20, so I'm interested to see what or if anything shows up.
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If this isn't the worst Dave's Pick release then what is?I've read a lot of posts on many other releases and have never seen so many people that think this is a king size turd. You have to work hard to justify and fool yourself into thinking this is great. I've given this 4 listens front to back now and still don't get it. Finally the last song was good. It's not even the sound quality, I can deal with that. It's the total lack of cohesiveness, horrible vocal harmonizing, and the guitars sounding like they're on different songs and tempos. This like defending your favorite restaurant even when the food has gone so downhill it's inedible.
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11 years 1 month
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if ya hate it so much why not stop listening to it?Pick something else and relax.
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12 years 5 months
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Perfect idea and already executed on, will probably never leave the expanding row of releases ever again. I listened to it enough times to be sure I wasn't being overly critical.... I wasn't. This is the first release out of 27 that I've ever complained.
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It's definitely Warner. You can tell by because they seemingly don't have a solid grasp on the amount left in inventory. I find it all quite humorous.. at this point, it's a gift to those that didn't get them and now can at cost, so it's hard to be bitter about it all. But this is not a scam vendor. It will be interesting to see how many 30 trips are left/how long they stay on sale. These things have become impossible to get.
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As seen on an ancient (1988) tape trader's list: 1983/09/02 - Boise ID, Pavilion, SBD - B+ --- What we really have here in this Dave's Picks 27 is a B+ (trader's sound quality rating) cassette that was painstakingly transformed into a three compact disc set by Jeffery Norman, supplied by Dave Lemieux.
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....I'm not sure if that is praise or sarcasm. I like it. That's the most important factor to me. I would give it a solid B- though. Of course, that ancient review was before the discovery of Normanization.
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Heywood I hear what you're saying and I agree. This show is so very mediocre at best. Band is tight half the time and completely out of sync the rest. Audio is all over the place. It may be good for 83, but I can't think of an official release from the 70s that it's better than. I think it's a necessary step for the powers that be, to keep the guys who want 80s shows coming back, but fellas, perspective, it ain't great by a long stretch, and it's not in the same league of anything that's come before it. Except DaP 20. It's a far cry from the series mission statement. I'm fine with an 80s clunker every 8 - 12 releases since it keeps the machine moving.
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9/25/91avoided it for a long time finally gave it a proper listen H>S>F Roses > Dire Wolf all Disc 2 is great filler on disc three is 3/31/91 Eyes, 20+ minutes 9/26/91 would have been better, in my opinion, but this one's ok.
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Some of my earliest Grateful Dead collection consisted of a couple of tracks from Dicks Picks 17, Throwing Stones and the Mighty Quinn. At the time I was not yet a fully trained Jedi, and was cherry-picking songs from all of the available releases I had at my disposal. I loved throwing stones, especially the jam and solo, and of course I was a sucker for all of the great covers, so I downloaded the Mighty Quinn as well. Eventually I bought the whole thing, and quite frankly I love it. There's a smoothness to Vince's keyboards that I enjoy - thanks for the reminder Stoltzie, I think I'm going to put this on.
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Dick's Picks 17 was one of my early purchases as well. I've always been a sucker for Jerry's anthemic guitar solo on Throwing Stones but on this version, Bruce's piano absolutely steals the show! Pretty solid '91 release as I recall. It's been a while since I've listened.
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Anyone have an extra Dave's Picks 12 they want to sell? I have 25, 26, 27 to trade as well. PM me if so
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17 years 3 months
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I completely agree...came back to see what others were thinking. This is a first - albeit big - disappointment from Dave's Picks.
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9/26/91 was a better show to pick for Dick's Picks 17. Someday, and hopefully very soon, 9/26/91 will be released. But the fact was already established to hold back on some of the jem-of-a-show for later and not to release all the best shows first so later down the road there would be no more great-to-excellent shows to see official release. The only parts of Dicks 17 I listen to anymore is the Help> Slip> Franklin's opener and the 2nd disc: Victim> Crazy> PITB> Terrapin> "Boston Clam Jam" Drums> Space. The Drums> Space really is neat when you're stuck in slow traffic. Most, if not all of my listening of music is done when I'm driving my car. I am totally grateful that this show was released.
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It looks like these verified fan presales are selling out fast. Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara sold out in 15 minutes, but there are a couple of VIP seats left.
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17 years 3 months
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Not even close. This is a nice release and it sounds fine. Now April 24, 1978 aka DaP 7, I might call a clunker. Never been a fan of that show, the sound of it or the performances. When quoting the "Bee Gee's Saturday Night Fever" during the "cowboy songs" is the big highlight, it's not a good show. In contrast, Jerry's playing on 9/3/82 far surpasses the dredge from 4/24/78. The show from 2 days prior, 4/22/78 (DaP 15) on the other hand, is a great show and far better.
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17 years 3 months
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Wash your ears with soap, it helps.
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16 years 11 months
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So uneven. A great time was had by all, however. You didn't "have to be there", but it certainly helps contextualize some of the awful GD archival product we occasionally hear.
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Working on another HD gift for a member of this board who contacted me for "more shows". I love being able to pay forward the kindness I've been blessed by from the good folks here. Sir, if you read this post please check your PMs. 76 is loaded, I await your instruction.
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