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    Pacific Northwest ’73-’74: The Complete Recordings Boxed Set

    WHAT'S INSIDE:
    6 Complete Shows On 19 Discs
    • 6/22/73 P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C.
    • 6/24/73 Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR
    • 6/26/73 Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, WA
    • 5/17/74 P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C.
    • 5/19/74 Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR
    • 5/21/74 Hec Edmundson Pavilion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
    Mastered in HDCD from the original master tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering
    Masters transferred and restored by Plangent Processes
    Original Art by First Nations Artist Roy Henry Vickers
    Photos by Richie Pechner
    Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 15,000

    Includes an immediate digital download of "Eyes Of The World (P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada 5/17/74)"

    "We were in the Pacific Northwest...between somewhere in Washington and some other where in Oregon. The road took us to the lip on a ridge, from where we could see around us for many miles in all directions … It was breathtaking to behold, but as we watched, we had a firm realization that we were witnessing something even more beautiful than our eyes could ever take in … Life causes life. Heaven and Earth dance in this way endlessly, and their child is the forest. And so there we were, epiphanously watching that grandest and most glorious dance of life—of which we are just a tiny part—awed by a magnificence without beginning, without end..."

    Bob Weir, “Sell Headwaters—Everyone Wins,” San Francisco Chronicle

    The Pacific Northwest offers up a rich feast of land, sky, and water. It is ripe with influences, abundant with symbols, deep and spirited. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that the Grateful Dead played some of their most inspired shows on these fertile grounds. It does, however, sometimes take a breath for the elements to re-align years later. It seems for us, they finally have and we are able to present not just a glimpse of the band's extraordinary exploratory tour through the region, but a two-tour bounty as the PACIFIC NORTHWEST ’73-’74: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS.

    For PACIFIC NORTHWEST ’73-’74: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS, we've paired two short runs made up of six previously unreleased shows - P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C. (6/22/73); Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR (6/24/73); Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, WA (6/26/73); P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada (5/17/74); Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR (5/19/74); and Hec Edmundson Pavilion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (5/21/74). Each show has been mastered in HDCD from the original master tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering. The transfers from the masters were transferred and restored by Plangent Processes, further ensuring that this is the best, most authentic that these shows have ever sounded.

    PACIFIC NORTHWEST ’73-’74: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS comes in an ornate box created by Canada’s preeminent First Nations artist Roy Henry Vickers (more on this tremendous artist soon). To complement the music, the set also includes a 64-page book with an in-depth essay by Grateful Dead scholar Nicholas G. Meriwether and photos by Richie Pechner.

    Due September 7th, this release is limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies and available exclusively from dead.net. You'll want to grab a copy while you can and sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks.

    Looking for something a little more byte-sized? The collection will also be available for HD digital download in FLAC and ALAC, exclusively at dead.net, on release day. You can pre-order it now too.

    Get it while you can.

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  • RobbZ
    Joined:
    1989 Recommendation
    Not sure why, and probably listen to it a bit more than I should, but July 4th, Buffalo has always been a favorite of mine.
  • RobbZ
    Joined:
    Sports Fans!
    Sports?? I’ll watch/wager on just about any sport. However, I closely follow the NHL and College Football equally (viewing depends on who is playing whom on any given evening). Then the NFL, College Basketball, The NBA, Boxing (was the Mayweather-McGreggor fight boxing?) the CFL, and lastly Baseball. Now don't get me wrong about baseball because it's last on my list...I grew up in Cleveland, minutes from the old Municipal Stadium and watched & cheered many Indian greats such as Ray Fosse, Gaylord Perry, Lenny Barker, Albert Belle, Rick Manning, Mike Hargrove, Super Joe Charboneau, Buddy Bell, and Toby Harrah to name a few. Now a bit later in life, I just prefer a faster game, with an actual clock ending the game. I can't spend 5 or 6 hours watching a baseball game anymore....It's me, not you...LOL @The Outer One…I was actually tuned in last night to the opening of the CFL season, but that lightning delay lasted until I went to sleep. But you can bet I’ll be following the season this year as it progresses…including the Manziel saga in Hamilton. Johnny won me an ass-load of money when he played with A&M…I still talk about that Bama game…LOL @Vguy72…did you not mention the Knights/NHL in your sports post? Blasphemy!! I drove down from Utah three times last season to watch the Knights, would have gone more games but as the season progressed they got better and better and tix were getting expensive. In the mean time I watch the Utah Grizzlies…LOL
  • Thats_Otis
    Joined:
    Happy Friday, DeadLand!
    Here's a little something special from this day in Grateful Dead history - 6/15/85 Greek Theater https://archive.org/details/gd85-06-15.oade-schoeps.sacks.24586.sbeok.f… The AUD sounds really nice too. Perhaps more famous is 6/15/76, which I am enjoying right now, but that 85 Greek show is something special! TONS of energy, and perhaps one of Garcia's finest ballad moments on "She Belongs to Me." His guitar solo is a thing of pure (American)beauty. Hope everyone has a great weekend! PS - Love all the chatter about July 78 Box. Arrowhead is my personal fave - just a compact, tight, smoking show! I also really like St. Paul... aww hell, they're all good! Peace
  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Boblopes
    Thanks, another great story!
  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    89 Philly
    Right on 80sfan!
  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    Baseball, 89, and hangin with Jer
    BASEBALL; I would of died for baseball when I was a lad, was a pretty good player too, varsity etc.. But like all sports I sadly watched money ruin the game....I was a huge Cardinals fan (used to listen to them on the mighty KMOX) Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Ted Simmons, Joe Torrey, yeah baby. Dug the Red Sox too, but such heartache. In Wesren NY most kids at the time were big Mets fans, or worse, ahem... So like most things I had to be different, the outcast, the other one! Probably a part of how I came to be a dead head and identified with all you weirdos; ) 89; personally parts of 89 into summer 90, before Brenski started to unravel, is one of my favorite eras. I know that’s contrary to the popular belief of a small but prevalent group on here, but don’t let that stop anyone from checking it out and coming up with your own conclusions.... Alpine for sure, Hampton, 10-16-89 is imho one of the best releases EVER! Philly was awesome, really wish they would get those out. When they played California Earthquake right after the Earthquake it was as good as any big moment in sports, trully powerful experience, at least live anyway. Not as familiar with the rest, of course the Miami DS etc.... EVIL TWIN; thanks so much for the stories! Please keep them coming. That’s perhaps my favorite part of this site; hearing great stories, especially from those who were there during those earlier glory years. 78 Box; even I dug it and I like that era less than some others, like??? Oh I don’t know like.... 73/74!!! So psyched for this new Box. Mostly enjoyed the “Mickey Godchaux” stuff of recent years, really liked the RFK, but I’m dam near Sh#&&ing myself waiting for this one! I’ve stated before I’m not a “taper” or obsessive collector like some. So that influences my wish list differently. I would like to get all the shows I was at, some other must haves or interesting wierd stuff, and I try to get at least copies of all the “official” stuff. Therefore I am not familiar with these shows and at first glance the set lists are perhaps meh? But thanks to all y’all’s comments about monster jams, and after watching Dave’s chat, well it got through my thick skull that these will be some real beauties eh! I mean Late 73 has always been one of my top, if not the top eras, I just wasn’t familiar with earlier stuff and though I like 4-3-73, it didn’t blow me away like say 10-19-73....(although that HCS and subsequent jam are sweet!) In fact how bout the rest of the late fall tour in a box? So there is always that awkward period like Ralphie in the Christmas story where he gets everything except that —“redriderbbgunwiththecompassinthestockandthisthingythattellstime” —when they release something I wasn’t at, but this time that lasted like 5 minutes. Now hopefully Dave’s 27 will come soon as a diversion, because I don’t know how I’ll survive until September! Yee-gads Thanks to Dave and all the gang who work so hard to bring us spoiled, whiney little be-atches all this amazing glory, especially the full led sonically enhanced stuff. And thanks to all y’all that help enlighten us dilatantes to the finer ports of these shows. Happy Friday All!!
  • Slow Dog Noodle
    Joined:
    Cash Grab
    Had a salad for lunch yesterday. I didn't get to make it myself, but it was delicious. It was a total cash grab though. They didn't really care whether or not I liked the way the radishes were cut into those little swirly shapes. And the way the cashier pressed those buttons on the register with no elan, I could tell his heart and soul just wasn't in the transaction. I knew by then they were just in it for the money. I shook my head in disgust but proceeded to sit alone and eat the salad - even the radishes, in spite of it all.
  • Oroboros
    Joined:
    Cousins- SpaceBro often provides informed recommendations re: 89
    But being a Midwesterner, I would point to the Alpine Valley run 7/17-18-19/1989, as an outstanding representation of the boys from that era. And my touring had reduced significantly with the arrival of my three sons, so my knowledge of this era is limited. And Robbz, you asked for another story (sorry cohorts who have heard this one, here it comes again) there is a 'prequel' to that 1978 story. Back in 1977, my girlfriend (now wife), myself, and two buddies decided to road-trip from Lincoln Nebraska to the Winterland for the New Year's Eve run of shows in San Francisco. I toted along with us a clay sculpture that I had made the prior year. It was a one and 1/2 foot (in circumference) dragon that was biting/consuming it's own tail. I had 'scraffitto' (carved designs) into the entire beast's 'hide' and then it was fired and stained. It was the biggest piece of clay sculpture that I have ever made. And I thought it would be fun to give it to the band on New Years. So away we go, get to the venue and secured tickets for the run (12/27-29-30-31-77). The shows were unbefuckinliveable and Winterland was such a great hall. But on the 31st, we were sitting on the sidewalk waiting for the doors to open, talking and watching the circus, ready to hurry and get in for the 'activities' ie. freak volleyball and Bill Graham was going to show us movies (Ray Bradbury's Illustrated Man and the original Beatles Magical Mystery tour) before that evening's show. I thought "I better try to unload the dragon aka 'Oroboros' now, it's heavy and I don't want to try to talk my way though the front gate with it." I spied a door that said 'Backstage' and began knocking on the door. No answer. The line of people on the side walk started getting up and moving toward the entrance. Banged even harder thinking "I've got to get this dragon in there so I can go in the front and join in before the show", and as I pounded harder, the door yanks open with a force that it yanks me into the doorway. This doorway is immediately filled with a gigantic black man in a red event t-shirt, who puts his hand on my chest and leans forward and bellows "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Startled, I held out the dragon with both hands and stuttered "to give this to the band". The giant took it in his immense hand and his face curls into a grin as he held it closer to inspect it and I watched my dragon shrink to the size of a key chain. He exclaimed "Wow, what is this, I'd like one" and I explained "it's an oroboros and that is the only one there is." He grinned and said "Cool, who do you want me to give it to?" and I said "to Garcia, give it to Jerry Garcia." The giant disappeared as quickly as he appeared and the door slammed shut like the the first time Dorothy tried to get into the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz. So, I happily gain entrance to the show and needless to say, it was something, 'freak volleyball' followed by the movies, Graham's copy of Bradbury's 'Illustrated Man' followed by a 16 mm Beatles "Magical Mystery Tour". The colorful/wonderful crowd, wonder gal 'rainbow' Rose with an eyedropper of liquid party favor "just one dollar per drop. On your tongue or for the adventurous, a drop in your eye". Oh, and when each person walked through the entrance the staff handed us a piece of paper that had a message about a "Good things come to those who wait, surprise at midnight" with steal your face logo. When you entered Winterland, you could go into the big 'hall' surrounded on all sides by an elevated balcony, (with theater seats). You could also go into a bar, which played some black and white videos on a 'big screen' taken from pro shots of the Winterland stage when Hendrix or Airplane or etc played. Very entertaining on many levels. Hey, the New Riders of the Purple Sage are starting, got to get in there, the sound is loud and they are rocking the house. Anticipation was high and the Dead came out for the first set. Our party favors are now starting to engage..., things began to sparkle, and the old Winterland venue takes notice, and her walls start to sweat and, then to sway with the strains of familiar music as the Dead coaxes this old hall to dance with us. This is such a delight, I know the vista cruiser is engaged and then I notice when the house lights went down, and the stage lights went dark in between songs, then I saw 'it'. On top of a monitor, in between Billy and Mickey, there was a flame, it was a white candle sitting in front of a dragon consuming it's tail. It was Oroboros, ON STAGE WITH THE DEAD! I watched as Jerry walked over and lit a cigarette off the candle next to the ceramic beast. They took a break and the surprise for the second half was Uncle BoBo (as Bobby liked to call Graham) dressed up as Uncle Sam on a motorcycle sliding down on a cable suspended high from the back of the hall (over us) to the stage. They put spotlights on him (as the Dead made appropriate musical anticipatory noise) and he approached the stage and it was hilarious. Because as Graham came to the stage, the weight of the bike and BoBo was too much. He and the bike were far below the lip of the stage, so the stage hands had to rush out and drag him onstage. Which triggered the explosion of Sugar Magnolia, complete with the dropping balloons. And flanking the Dead a gal and guy dressed in a diaper as the 'New Year' babies. I was 'sittin' on top of the world (Dead reference intended). What a night!! Hey if you pull up 'YouTube', type in Dead NYE show 1977- Fire on the Mountain video, and right at the end of Fire on the Mountain, the camera does zoom in on the 'oroboros' for a couple of seconds. RDevil here on Deadnet found that 'view' a couple of years ago and he clued me into it. And then I showed it to my 3 sons to demonstrate the old man is not full of beans or any other'brown material'. Anyway, what a treat that run in 1977 was. At many levels, the return of China Cat-Rider, my being able to 'gift' our band, who poured out so much to us. But unknown to me, the best would be yet to come. We walked out into the cool San Francisco early morning and drove through the fog back to Nebraska. This is not the end of the tale. Fast forward to 2-3-78 and another road trip to Madison, Wisconsin. The Dead were on a roll and this was really a killer show. That Cold Rain and Snow to start out and the tremendous second half with Estimated>Eyes>Wheel that will knock you into orbit. The next morning before I left the hotel, I got a wild hair and called the front desk and asked "Could I have Jerry Garcia's room please?" and the phone rang and Jerry answered! I said "Hey, I'm the guy that brought the dragon to the New Year's show" and Garcia immediately said "Meet you in the coffee shop in 20 minutes". I couldn't believe what was happening but stumbled into the coffee shop at the appointed time and looked around and saw Jerry Garcia seated at a table with a ravishingly beautiful raven-haired gypsy woman. I walked over and introduced myself, and 'shook the hand, that shook the hand, of PT Barnum and Charlie Chan'. Jerry beamed that smile and gestured and said "sit down, man". He asked me "How did you fire that dragon so that it didn't explode in the kiln?" and I explained how I had cut it in half and hollowed it out and then joined it back together. I told him how I had used a guitar string to 'halve it" and we locked eyes at that moment and he burst into laughter and I said "Ironic, huh?" and Jerry quipped "No, man that makes perfect sense." And then we laughed some more. Then the gypsy/beauty said "where are you from?" and I replied Nebraska. And she shot Garcia a glance and stated "he came all the way up here from Nebraska to see the band!" To which Jerry shrugged his shoulders and quickly retorted "we didn't ask him to come". Garcia looked over to me and we both howled with laughter again. No deadhead was she. We talked more about art and the dragon and I didn't know at that time of Garcia's interest and practice in art (this kind anyway). He was completely engaged in the topic of art, but quick witted with 'turn on a dime' twists, turns, and little commentaries on a variety of topics. Jerry was also focused on listening, not acting like he was the important one, giving me time and locked in on our discussion and talking about our shared interests. The gypsy woman frowned in disbelief as she asked me "You went out to San Francisco for New Years and then you came up to Wisconsin" and I said 'yes.' She looked perplexed. Then I turned to Garcia and asked him "Why don't you bring the circus back to Lincoln, Nebraska?" He quickly replied "You mean to Perishing Auditorium?" And I corrected him "No, it is Pershing Auditorium, after the army general" and he quickly retorted "No man, it was perishing, really!" And we both burst out laughing again. At that Lincoln, Ne. Dead show on 2-26-73, there were a bunch of drunk frat boys yelling 'boogie, boogie" at the top of their lungs.., but that show is top-notch! Anyway, I asked Garcia "could you bring the Dead back to Nebraska" and Jerry grinned that Cheshire cat grin and said "who knows?" I took my leave (their breakfast arrived) and drove home. Then that summer the Dead came back to Omaha, Ne. on 7-5-78, and I taped them with my NAK 550 in FOB, and followed them to their/my first Red Rocks shows. What a run! And now it is available in all its Plantagenet glory. I will always claim that Omaha show as mine. So that is my story, Jerry Garcia was totally gracious, engaging, enthusiastic, and kind to a deadhead who approached him at one moment in time. I know, I repeat myself, such is my lot in life at this juncture, but thought I would 'complete the circle' of this story. Anyway, sorry for the repeat, but 'looks like the old man is getting on'. Forgive me and give me a day and I will conjour up my account of my first show at the Des Moines fair ground in 1974 (which is more in line with this wonderful Northwest 73 & 74 offering). This era is when I first saw the Grateful Dead and was swept into an extraordinary adventure 'on the bus' and have been 'enjoying the ride'. "It ain't what I don't know that gets me into trouble, it is what I know for sure, that ain't so". -Mark Twain
  • tncorey
    Joined:
    Oroboros Winterland 77
    New story to me...and much appreciated!
  • 80sfan
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    Joined:
    89 recommendation
    Fall tour is well documented with the Hampton shows, the Nightfall of Diamonds meadowlands show and the Miami 30 trips release...but the Spectrum run (10/18-10/20) is really excellent. 10/19 is one of my favorite shows of all time. Reach out if you'd like a copy...
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Pacific Northwest ’73-’74: The Complete Recordings Boxed Set

WHAT'S INSIDE:
6 Complete Shows On 19 Discs
• 6/22/73 P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C.
• 6/24/73 Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR
• 6/26/73 Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, WA
• 5/17/74 P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C.
• 5/19/74 Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR
• 5/21/74 Hec Edmundson Pavilion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Mastered in HDCD from the original master tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering
Masters transferred and restored by Plangent Processes
Original Art by First Nations Artist Roy Henry Vickers
Photos by Richie Pechner
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 15,000

Includes an immediate digital download of "Eyes Of The World (P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada 5/17/74)"

"We were in the Pacific Northwest...between somewhere in Washington and some other where in Oregon. The road took us to the lip on a ridge, from where we could see around us for many miles in all directions … It was breathtaking to behold, but as we watched, we had a firm realization that we were witnessing something even more beautiful than our eyes could ever take in … Life causes life. Heaven and Earth dance in this way endlessly, and their child is the forest. And so there we were, epiphanously watching that grandest and most glorious dance of life—of which we are just a tiny part—awed by a magnificence without beginning, without end..."

Bob Weir, “Sell Headwaters—Everyone Wins,” San Francisco Chronicle

The Pacific Northwest offers up a rich feast of land, sky, and water. It is ripe with influences, abundant with symbols, deep and spirited. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that the Grateful Dead played some of their most inspired shows on these fertile grounds. It does, however, sometimes take a breath for the elements to re-align years later. It seems for us, they finally have and we are able to present not just a glimpse of the band's extraordinary exploratory tour through the region, but a two-tour bounty as the PACIFIC NORTHWEST ’73-’74: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS.

For PACIFIC NORTHWEST ’73-’74: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS, we've paired two short runs made up of six previously unreleased shows - P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C. (6/22/73); Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR (6/24/73); Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, WA (6/26/73); P.N.E. Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada (5/17/74); Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR (5/19/74); and Hec Edmundson Pavilion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (5/21/74). Each show has been mastered in HDCD from the original master tapes by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering. The transfers from the masters were transferred and restored by Plangent Processes, further ensuring that this is the best, most authentic that these shows have ever sounded.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST ’73-’74: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS comes in an ornate box created by Canada’s preeminent First Nations artist Roy Henry Vickers (more on this tremendous artist soon). To complement the music, the set also includes a 64-page book with an in-depth essay by Grateful Dead scholar Nicholas G. Meriwether and photos by Richie Pechner.

Due September 7th, this release is limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies and available exclusively from dead.net. You'll want to grab a copy while you can and sit back, relax, and enjoy all the exclusive content we'll be rolling out over the next few weeks.

Looking for something a little more byte-sized? The collection will also be available for HD digital download in FLAC and ALAC, exclusively at dead.net, on release day. You can pre-order it now too.

Get it while you can.

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You are probably right about most of your post.But one issue I'll never change my opinion about: the Dead were mediocre in the '80's and into the '90's (a great show was rare) and that is when their popularity soared.
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I'm almost through the first complete chronological listen. I'm up to the massive Seattle 74 Playin', scheduled for tonight's listen. Wonderful sound overall. On first listen the 73 Vancouver has a better mix than the other two 73's. The 74's sound better than the 73's. I chalk that up to their perfecting the Wall configuration(s) in 73. True also the first sets have many repeated songs, but they are played so well! Every show has really strong jazzy jams that were the hallmark of 73-74. Most of the shows have a strong Bobby presence, which I really love. I love to hear the awesome wierd imaginative chords he plays. However, I'm listening to Seattle 74, and he seems lost in the mix, kinda there, but not prominent. Funny thing happened on the way home with my box. My box was delivered to work. I was on the train coming home with the box on my lap, and a guy sitting across from me was eyeing the box and said: "Pardon me, is that a box of smoked salmon?"
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compared to any other live shows in the 80s there were few bands worth seeing more than once a tour as most popular bands played the same exact show every night for the whole tour. now most of the SBD recordings of that time are flawed and because of the nature of the mix the flaws become accentuated, but a good AUD allows you to hear what the people in the concert heard and it is not as bad as the SBD tapes make it seem.
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I saw the dead regularly in the 70's 80's and 90's right to the end in '95, and they were rarely mediocre. I will admit Jerry was AWOL a little in the latter 90's. But musically show after show, run after run, they were guaranteed to be the funnest, best shows in town, over and over again. All those shows I attended people everywhere around me were bopping, dancing, swirling around if there was room. Clearly people enjoying the music. They grew and grew in popularity due to their allowing tape recording of their shows, massive tape trading, and a reputation for great shows. Then along came MTV's "Day of the Dead", and "In The Dark" with their radio hit "Touch of Grey", and that bumped their attendance up a lot. Some would say too much, as they began losing some of their coolest venues. That is the true downside of their growing popularity, the parking lot scene got way out of hand, and even when the show was happening inside, there was a huge group of folks outside who just came for the parking lot party. Mediocre? Hardly.
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A rare person will agree with me, so let's just say to each their own."bopping, dancing, swirling"...so what? It's easy to dance to any music with a beat. I listen INTENTLY to every note of the music - Jerry's guitar and how the band interacts musically. Not just the "funnestness" of it! LOL! Is that a word? Compared to their earlier music, they were truly mediocre in the later years. I compare them to their own best music, not to what else is out there at the time. It would not be hard to beat what was happening musically in those later years, but they could not compare to what they themselves did earlier. And by the way, MTV destroyed music. When they came onto to scene, music became showmanship and true music was lost. "I will admit Jerry was AWOL a little in the latter 90's" Yeah, he was dead.
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First of all, I completely respect your opinion. At the shows, I also listened intently to all the players, how they interacted, and especially Jerry's solo's and his singing. I surrounded myself on the floor with 20 friends who were all silently listening and enjoying song after song. The band continually changed, adding new songs, changing older ones, reworking their sound, and the 80's versions of the band were different than the 70's and 60's, and clearly not your cup of tea. I respect that. Perhaps they were still musically interesting to the careful listener, like myself, even in the 80's and 90's. I appreciated all the versions, and listened to each one.
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To me the Dead were all about the free form, experimental, jam music.At one time Garcia was the greatest improvisational guitarist. He just couldn't keep that up as the years went by and he got caught up in hard drugs, due to keeping the Dead going. Some people like the "songs". They are okay as filler to me, but it's his jams that I wanted to hear. Even the jams later on became kind of rote. I'm all into things like disk 2 of Dick's Pick's #8, to give you the best example. That is the greatest Dead ever, and they never lived up to that again. As I've said before, I wished they had quit after 1977 and Jerry could do solo stuff and maybe lived longer. He died trying to keep the Dead machine alive because he was employing too many friends and didn't want to quit on them. Anyway, I'll stop. To each their own.
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I dig '80' Dead, it's just another chapter in the book. Things can change with age and still be good. For example, I find that the ageing of Jerry's voice makes some of the later era versions of Black Peter just that much more poignant, and some of the '80-'90's drums-space sequences were awesome vehicles for some improvisational jamming and wicked transitions from space into whatever came next. And yes, relatively speaking, the Dead were the best game in town in the '80's, a decade in which there seemed little to excite me musically. As far as the parking lot scene, I dug that too - who doesn't like a big, mellow, party before a show? There did seem to be a little more of a frenzy about the scene later, but I attribute that to the increasing difficulty in getting tickets due to the increase in demand, and perhaps a lack of discretion amongst some of the eager partier's in the parking lot. Really the only show that I left disappointed was a '94 show at the Meadowlands in NJ, that one I left bummed. On another note, deadnet can't seem to decide if I'm a robot or not - took me like 3 tries to get that captcha to work.
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..on 5/21/74-every minute justified. I wondered, with all the talk of its signifying length, whether that would be its main recommendation. But its not-a fantastic jam is a fantastic jam, whether its 6 minutes or 46 minutes. I wasn't that aware of individual instruments during this jam-just the amazing wash of sound-but as soon as US Blues fires up, I find myself listening to Keith again-so maybe he doesn't feature so much on Playin'. After all that-now 10/26/89 from 30 Trips is playing. Possible the first time I have listened to an 1989 show this year-way out of my comfort zone. But it sounds pretty good. Nice contrast to the epics in the box-yin and yang and all that. Short first set, too-its just ended.
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Wow, Harpur College 5/2/70 - the radio broadcast was the show I played over and over in summer 1972 and convinced me this was a cool band I wanted to see again. I loved the entire electric sets.
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9 years 7 months
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So Harpur College is the best show of all time? Well to each his own.Stopping after 1977 as well? No '85? So The Europe'72 tour was all just a waste of time and money. And speakin' of great boxed sets that's the one. 9/21/72,9/17/72,9/27/72, 6/10/73,3/24/73,3/15/73,3/16/73 none of this is worth it to you? As far as '74 nothing there either? Nothing in '76 or '77 Huh? And nothing at all in the '80's? I will say after Brent passed that was the end of The Grateful Dead.The '90's were horrific. Harpur college was a great show no doubt about it,but the BEST,nah. But that's just me.
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15 years 8 months
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Harpur College, 1970.That concert was so amazing, Garcia was completely beside himself. I loved my bootleg so much that I tried to convince Dick a number of times to choose that concert for the next Dick's Picks. And he did! I got a letter acknowledging my input. Cryptical Envelopment > The Other One. Nothing better than that version. Hands down. By the way, don't put words in my mouth. I never said anything else was a waste. Not as good, but not a waste. At least not until after 1977.
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14 years 10 months
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anyway, 5/17/74 strong show 5/19/74 potent show 5/21/74 first set is tasty interesting thing: listening to disc three of 5/19/74. After Saturday Night it went to start of disc (Truckin'). "huh? oh well. complete recordings must not have included the encore" I look at packaging and see US Blues. I put disc back in go to track 6 and there is US Blues. WOW.
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14 years 9 months
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there used to be a coffee shop in Seattle called Sir Real EspressoThursday nights were GD nights many good times the proprietor always wore a Ringling Bros/Barnum & Bailey hat he played 5/19/74 at least 5 times over the 3 years of that one night he moved by trippily right as the Truckin' Jam went into NFA a treasured memory
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17 years 4 months
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....is a segue for the ages. But the best part, the BEST part is the segue from NFA into GDTRFB. And better than that, is how they end the GDTRFB. That whole sequence will never get old. Disc 16 is pure gold. And sounds amazeballs....I'm gonna put in on again right now in fact.
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10 years 2 months
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It was my favourite show for years and years, from when I first heard it on a tape, round about 1988. Now, it seems like something of a final peak of the psychedelic years, before they concentrated more on songs and perfecting the more country based material. They seemed to start doing this during the second half of 1969, shorter songs interspersed with the jams-and this carried on during 1970. Binghampton seems like something of a final blow out for one particular version of the band. And although I think of it as a peak-I can't think of another show that is really like it. Its a killer alright. Incidentally-its a topic that has cropped up before-but I wouldn't say Jerry died because of trying to keep the band together. He died because he made poor health choices. Whether this was due to trying to keep the band together or not is open to conjecture. No one thing leads to us becoming addicts or to making poor lifestyle choices.
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10 years 2 months
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I have noticed that quite few people who used to post on here no longer do so. Maybe they failed the "I am not a robot " test.
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13 years 1 month
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In the never ending debate about the "best" era of Dead, I think it is fair to say to each his own. But I would push back strongly on the idea that post Keith & Donna Dead was mediocre. It certainly was MUCH better than that. Now, there were certainly some low points ('83, '84, '86, and the last couple of years in the '90s for certain). Even then, there was some spectacular moments (Unbroken, etc). I think the Songs vs. Jams camp is easier to see. Jams camp is gonna say '69 is tops. No later than '74. Songs camp will say later. Bobby thinks '89-'90 was tops for many the songs, and I tend to agree with him on a lot of tunes. Certainly, there was much better variety in the 80's with less repetition. Maybe lost some jamming, but anyone who listens to the Hornsby era and says no interesting jams is not paying attention. Ditto late Brent. I will say that the quality of the mixes declined a lot in the 80's. That is no in dispute. Get a good AUD tape (or a matrix) and you are better off than with a SDBD.
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17 years 5 months
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As I mentioned earlier, having paid UPS a ransom to get them to release my box, I subsequently received an invoice from them for the same amount in the post. Amongst other things it said that this amount should be paid immediately and threatened sanctions and surcharges if I failed to do so. Today I called UPS customer service to hear what they had to say about it. It only took 12 minutes on hold to get through to a human. The friendly woman on the other end of the line was quite happy to explain that I had indeed already paid and didn't have to pay a second time and that the invoice was purely for my personal bookkeeping. She also added that the wording on the invoice is "confusing". Right. Why send an invoice when a receipt would have been somewhat more appropriate?
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7 years 7 months
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What a trip.. My guess is if we ever got to the bottom of it, the letter was generated by an eager, yet ill equipped person trying to work their up at UPS International, most certainly having the title Financial Analyst II. Their resume now reads, "Targeted and developed outreach program that identified for collection €13M from Import Duty avoiding hippies." Hopefully by the year they will reach their lifetime ambition of being a Financial Analyst III. We can only hope... ________________ Did someone mention Dicks Picks 8, Harpur College? Yes.. a worthy a show, incredible. I'd imagine it periodically floats to the top on lots of peoples favorite show list. It's currently half-played on my phone (which I use in my truck).. currently on pause in the middle of It's A Mans, Mans, Mans World. .but it wouldn't mean nothing, nothing, ..without a woman or a girl. Love that tune.. love that show. Explosive.
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9 years 5 months
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could it be a faulty translation from US english to EU english?
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16 years 9 months
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After paying $ 63.98 for shippimg and handling when ordering, I had to drive two hours to the next UPS depot and pay about $ 70 for tax and UPS fees to get my salmon box. That's really a lot, I think, for even this box. (And by the way: Though liking 73 and 74 a lot, but so many songs without vocals is no fun at all. Sorry.)So to those in command: please, please, please no UPS morning glory delivery no more, please never ever! Nevertheless looking forward to the next Dave's Picks, the 2019 subscription and the next 2019er big box.
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7 years 7 months
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..sort of. If you need a break from the box and want to try something different, this show's unique (oxymoron I know... but). It's a Charlie Miller, relatively recently seeded show (less than two years ago). There are two unknown guests sitting in, a sax player and a fiddle player. Listening to the interplay on Dark Star, they seem to have a deep understanding of the music. We wouldn't hear noises like this on Dark Star until the midi days 20 years later. As an added bonus, the sound is quite good for the era - definitely release worthy. David Gans brought it up on The Golden Road yesterday which piqued my interest. https://archive.org/details/gd1969-08-03.137365.sbd.miller.eaton.flac24… 08/03/69 Family Dog at The Great Highway - San Francisco, CA Set 1: Hard To Handle Beat It On Down The Line Hi Heeled Sneakers High Time Mama Tried Dark Star Alligator Drums Alligator Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) And We Bid You Goodnight ok.. back to our regularly scheduled 1973 and 1974 flavored programming.
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17 years 5 months
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Indeed there are sometimes enormous differences between US English and EU English but no, this invoice was entirely in the Dutch language. It is apparent to me that something went catastrophically wrong during the development of the Dutch language, making it nigh on impossible to express things as one would like to. Even most Dutch people seem to have great difficulties with it. The grammar is mostly impossible for mere mortals to master. Hey, didja see that I slipped in a cool bit of alliteration there? And on a Monday, too.
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7 years 8 months
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Which are, of course, Purple, Priest, and priorities. Saw Purple and Priest last night with some band called, The Temperance Movement. Amazing, amazing singer like a young, snarly Chris Robinson. Decent band, could use better songs. Next was Priest. I say they are tighter without tired, old-ass Glenn Tipton. Richie Faulkner is a metal god. At 67, Rob Halford has lost absolutely nothing, and he stands as the finest metal singer of all-time. There is absolutely no arguing that point. At 73, Deep Purple's Ian Gillan has lost much of the power he commanded right on through the 1980s. He was a shrieker for the ages. However, he uses what voice he has left wisely and he delivered a fine performance. People say his voice is shot, well, no, that would be Ian Anderson and Don Dokken. I now accept Steve Morse into the band. The only knock being, he isn't Ritchie Blackmore. Ritchie can't play his way out a wet paper bag these days. He's even more faded than Ian Gillan. It has to be said, Ian Paice remains a monster. My God, how he still flies around the top of that Paiste kit is a thing to behold. Oh yeah, last, priorities: if your priority is to avoid endless postal/shipping hassles on official Dead releases, move to the United States.
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15 years 10 months
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Excellent Book, much better than the movie, though I like the grundgy movie and Daryl Hannah is hot as Pris and Rutger Hauer was an awesome villian... LedHed, never heard of the 3P's - Back in my college concert production days we used 7 P's: Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance Sorry to hear that you get to experience the "Stamp Tax". As the Bostonian in me that drives by the site of the Boston Massacre, the snarkiness in me says "payback' a bitch" - but only in jest... As KG pointed out, maybe worthy to get the digital medium. Just like last night's Family Guy, I am kidding, it's only a joke ;) I see the point of all people's comments (opinions/personal preferences) regarding era's, song evolution, jamming. I'm from the camp that wants the "creme de la creme" put out there regardless of era. I want the best recordings of the best shows no matter the lineup. I trust Dave in his deadication to putting out what's worthy while dealing with all the variables & requests he has to juggle while working a business model that will continue for years on end while letting some very worthy shows see the light of day. I forgot who mentioned the point of the Dead retiring after 1977. My Favorite JGB era is 1978 - I love Donna and Maria singing with Jerry. I wish more releases would see the light of day from that tour. The Capitol show someone mentioned a few years back was awesome. Seems like they're more into the artwork releases. I'd be psyched if they'd do another Pure Jerry run (re-release) so I could fill in the blanks of the shows I passed on at the time... I would love each and every show was given the plangent treatment. Still loving the new release but still stuck on repeat on the early shows, which is not a bad thing ;) Anyone make it to the hidden vault to get the golden key?
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17 years 5 months
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What's with all the international shipping cost gripe posts? Is anyone really surprised that it costs an arm and a leg to ship one of these things around the globe and none of these transactions are ever executed smoothly? Haven't you people read any Kafka? I'm willing to debate more topics than most on this board, but the peccadilloes of shipping firms international tax and fee policies is where I draw the line. Good day sirs.
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11 years 9 months
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I'm gonna be broke this coming November...what with Nov 2nd being the release of the More Blood More Tracks box set by Dylan and on Nov 9th both the Electric Ladyland and White Album box sets will be released and of course next year's subscription payment will be due....this is why I can't retire yet!
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16 years 1 month
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I just don't think people should come here to tell what to listen to how to listen. Music is an art form and is subjective. You like what you like let others like what they like don't come here to blast people.
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17 years 2 months
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I have the same issue with 5/19/74 and assumed it was just the source tape, but someone has posted in the latest "jam of the week" that the digital copies don't have that dropout. I have an email in to customer service about it. Have you found anything else out? Regards, Yusef
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17 years 5 months
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I am interested to know exactly what Kafka had to say about international shipping costs. As for the gripe posts, as far as I am aware, domestic customers have the options of standard or expedited shipping whereas us aliens have no choice. Normally international shipping is by USPS, the cost is reasonable and the shipping time is 2-3 weeks (depends on where on the planet one lives, naturally). Fortunately, these transactions are normally executed smoothly. Occasionally, for reasons best known to themselves, the powers that be choose to use someone like UPS. This results in a far shorter shipping time which most on here have praised, but the downside is that that shipping costs are much higher which nobody is happy about. However, everyone who ordered this box was prepared to pay that. The complaints posted on here have mostly been related to the inconsistencies regarding the level of duty levied by UPS in the United Kingdom and other ineptitudes in the UPS system. We also often see complaints from domestic customers on here who whine that there delivery has taken what for them is an illogical route and is going to take one day longer than expected. This is the age of instant gratification and if people do not get exactly what they want at the exact moment that they want it and for the price they want to pay, they will complain. That is the nature of the 21st century beast unfortunately. Toodle pip!
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9 years 5 months
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It must be from the R Crumb edition.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introducing_Kafka domestic buyers had the preorder choices of regular or expedited, but preorders all ship at the same time so it's a waste of money to expedite a preorder. until the boxes are officially on sale they are willing to take the added fees from people willing to give it to them on the preorder to make sure it's working as an option on the page when it moves from preorder to on sale. if there hadn't been a monday holiday, i would have gotten my standard delivery on the day of sale, instead i got it a day later on saturday, which is usually an added cost delivery option. those VAT taxes, added taxes on the COD shipping fees and usury charges definitely make the digital option a more economic choice.
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10 years 2 months
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Your comments would only be credible would be if you yourself paid higher international shipping costs than others in your country. maybe you have been reading the wrong Kafka.
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17 years 5 months
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If we're talking Robert Crumb, then I'll take Honeybunch Kaminski over Kafka any day of the week!
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10 years
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My disc 5 starts skipping at China Cat. There is a visible scratch. I contacted Dr. Rhino last Monday and received an email on Thursday that a replacement disc would be sent out ASAP. It seems like the condition of the discs in these box set releases are getting worse and worse. The majority of my discs had fingerprints and small superficial scratches on them but luckily only one disc skipped.
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6 years 9 months
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Does anyone know if the Eyes of the World from the Long Strange Trip release was remastered? It would be cool if there's a sound Improvement over the Dick's Picks 31 release.
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6 years 9 months
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Which songs have low vocals on CD but not digital download?
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6 years 3 months
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YIKES. Donna gets a little feisty here. Was jamming to the first Scarlet Begonias I've heard from this set and suddenly I get assaulted. She has her ups and downs.
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17 years 3 months
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I know that no Dead recording is perfect, but the Pacific Northwest seems to struggle the most in terms of recording quality. Numerous cuts have the vocals almost complete absent. Others have the guitar almost inaudible while the piano and drums are out front. Like I said, no Dead recording is perfect, but this seems to be the most inconsistent box set I remember; and I have them ALL. Anyone else feel this way, or am I just being too picky?
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7 years
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She howls on that one like she sat on the remote control with no panties on. WhoaaaaAAAAHAHHAHOWWWWW@! I love her. I believe the people who saw them and said she wasn't loud like that on the house mix. Jerry wouldn't have tolerated it. Ned, guitar's low on the 73 shows. Some of it's still great, like the big Truckin and the Bird Song.oh well, what can you do. Better than nothin I guess. But the 74 stuff is hands down awesomeness with a bong hit on top. Theres a couple tracks where the vocals disappear, but it's like hearing an instrumental of Jack Straw. You're definitely not nitpickingbon the 73 shows though, that's a little disappointing in places to have Jerry so low.
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17 years 4 months
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....Skull & Roses was released 47 years ago today. And no Donna for those that don't enjoy an occasional nail on the chalkboard.
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15 years 1 month
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The official GD calendar is not quite perfect. It was released on October 24th.
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17 years 4 months
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....hint to the general public. Don't believe everything you read on the internet.
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15 years 7 months
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Skippys Andoaragain has just arrived. It looks and sounds amazing, 3 cds, great liner notes, re-release of the year?Yep.
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15 years 7 months
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I have loved Oar for 45 years, only now listening through the outakes I realise that in an alternate reality, Oar would have been a fine starting point for another record;: Workingmans Grape?
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14 years
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When should we expect a new Dave's Picks? Mr. Pete--------> aging hippie
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9 years 5 months
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November right before they announce the 2019 subscriptions. hopefully the announcement will include a new addition to the series of "Now with Plangent processing" or maybe announce a 2nd subscription series. Däve's Choice Cuts, the new Plangent Processed Betty Boards subscription series. THANKs for the reminder Dogon. Andoaragain is still a preorder in the US, but i'll have it on friday the day of release.
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10 years 2 months
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Its a pity, what with all these vocal fade outs that Donna never seems to get faded out. Very strident throughout-she really comes in strongly at the end of Playin' on 5/21. Maybe they could have faded her out a bit and pretended it was a problem with the original mix (only joking). I've just been listening to 5/19/77, and she sounds fine on that. Shame. I don't think Bob is at his best vocally on these sets, either. A bit shouty-none of the warmth and depth he had in 1971, for example. Still a great release, though.
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10 years 2 months
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I'm probably the only person on here who doesn't know this, but where do the bonus tracks at the end of the second cd come from ? Wharf Rat and Around and Around are presumably from the night before-but Not Fade Away? There doesn't seem to be any info in the box saying where they are from. This isn't a release I have played very often - something of an oversight, it now seems.
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