Dave's Picks Volume 27: Boise State University Pavilion, Boise ID 9/02/83

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October 3, 2017 - 1:26pm

1,815 replies

heatherlew

Joined:
October 12, 2016

"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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August 3, 2018 - 9:29am

#951

mcgrupp216

Joined:
November 1, 2017

Re: Dennis

I'll second that, Dennis. We're also not discussing the fate of Western civilization, we're discussing a band- a band beyond description?
August 3, 2018 - 8:51am

#952

Dennis

Joined:
November 1, 2012

Wow

Can we stop with the name calling? Let's assume nobody here is stupid and even if they are, the "smarter" ones should be smart enough and classy enough not to call them stupid. I've always agreed with the basic premise that all releases sound better than the cassettes I had. Maybe some people knew Betty and got tapes directly from her, but I got from a buddy, who got from unknown people that he met at shows. Is the recording of this show better or worse than others, of course. But I also go with the assumption that the "official" releases are the best available out there. True? I don't know, I just assume that. I'll take all official releases, it's the anal completist in me. On this release I like the Looks Like Rain, this is the closest to the greatest Rain ever done (4/16/83 Meadowland, NJ). Don't believe me, take a listen, Garcia's on fire in the last minute or two, his notes hit like raindrops at the moment it goes from a drizzle to a downpour. And Weir yelling is in perfect form (can't take no more fuckin rain today) https://archive.org/details/gd83-04-16.sbd.miller.28294.sbeok.flacf/gd8… Don't agree, then you're a fucking idiot :-) (notice I didn't say stupid :-)) I agree with whoever below that I seldom will listen to a whole show, but listen to "parts" and there is ALWAYS a good part. Finally, where is Jim (JiminMD), I'm assuming on vacation, but I still worry.
August 3, 2018 - 8:47am

#953

Thin

Joined:
June 21, 2013

McGrupp

Agreed. But the recordings generally stink compared to the 70's offerings. Your comment totally ignores this fact. For each quote from someone saying the 80's had some great shows, there are 10 more quotes from Dick, Dave, and yes Blair Jackson questioning the 80's recordings' viability as official releases. Do you want to add some of those quotes to balance your comment, or should I?
August 3, 2018 - 8:29am

#954

mcgrupp216

Joined:
November 1, 2017

Re: Thin

No, I agree with you. And some of those patches are definitely sorta cringe-worthy. But as someone mentioned: they also highlight how much of a general improvement the sounds quality here is. Dave spoke (in the liner notes) about the "unfortunate at best" recordings from June 83 or in his words, "magnificent full shows for which no usable recording exists." My response was more so to snoone about the quality of the 83 performances (not the audio).
August 3, 2018 - 8:08am

#955

mcgrupp216

Joined:
November 1, 2017

Re: snoone (um, so basically pre-hiatus?)

Hmm, so basically releases should be just pre-hiatus? So the 30-yr GD legacy is really about the first (less than, actually) decade? If the Dead were just a 9-year band, I would've stopped listening long ago. This is from Blair Jackson's Garcia bio: "Despite Garcia's plainly visible malaise, the Dead played better in 1983 than they had in 1982. In fact, they improved each year through the first half of the '80s, as if Garcia's deteriorating physical condition almost didn't matter." Of course we know he gets busted in Jan. 85 and (presumably) starts cleaning up. BJ continues, "The Dead's tours that summer and autumn [of 85] were unusually strong, with especially varied set lists, crisp and purposeful jamming and a higher level of energy onstage than anyone had seen in quite a while." No question, that summer of 85 is hot. And 89-90 is some of my absolutely favorite years. But so is 83-84, more so the more I listen to them. There's a sort of rushed (or is urgent the right word?), yet raw, 80s psychedelic sound. At the risk of hyperbole, it's the best, most energetic and raw sound since 73- so in nearly a decade.
August 3, 2018 - 7:58am

#956

frosted

Joined:
August 8, 2016

Gratefulhan

Nice, balanced post on your review of DaP 27. Just thought I'd say it, 'cause it hit a lot of the same chords I was feeling after a few listens.
August 3, 2018 - 7:34am

#957

mustin321

Joined:
August 12, 2011

Bird Song

Are there any bad Bird Songs out there? This is one of those songs were it got better over time, in my opinion. 7/26/87 is great. Loser & Cassidy both also got better over time, in my opinion.
August 3, 2018 - 7:15am

#958

icecrmcnkd

Joined:
October 20, 2015

Stealing a quote from Jim Cramer

“A subscription business is perhaps the most reliable and predictable form of revenue” I’m ready to subscribe to Dave’s Picks 2019!
August 3, 2018 - 7:00am

#959

icecrmcnkd

Joined:
October 20, 2015

7-27-73 Bird Song

Not saying it’s one of the best. But it is one that I always liked.
August 3, 2018 - 6:53am

#960

Thin

Joined:
June 21, 2013

Butch re 11/17/72 DaP11

Yes, for only 11 minutes long, this is a very concise yet perfect Birdsong. Not only is the beginning of Jer's first solo great (the slinky "get ready" bends you mentioned), but check out the 2nd guitar solo at 9:15~... Jerry starts with a few building licks over several measures (once again, kinda of a "are you ready?...) until he reaches a peak, THEN resumes the soaring, bending "bird in flight" thing all over. I've said it before, but if you showed Mozart the general gist of "Birdsong", THIS is how he'd map it out: each part of solos seem to logically connect to the next.... intro>body>conclusion. Despite the fact that it's not long, never goes too far "out there", and the energy is controlled and deliberate, this version is simply stunning. Kind of like a perfectly mapped-out studio version that they executed live, flawlessly. One of my favorite GD tracks of all time. But I'm curious to hear your answer to icecrmconkid's question.... If this recording is a "1" out of 10, What '83 releases or other early/mid 80's recordings do you feel are better?

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

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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.

081227931599