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    heatherlew
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    Dave's Picks Volume 28: Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ, 6/17/76

    This year's Dave's Picks series comes to a close just as the band's getting back together again in '76. By the time the Grateful Dead hit New Jersey’s Capitol Theatre - for the very first time - on 6/17/76, they were buzzing from their reunion, armed with new and revived material, the Rhythm Devils reformed with the mischievous Mickey Hart once again behind the kit. They'd skived off the unwieldy Wall of Sound and scaled back the venues from cavernous arenas to intimate theatres. Quite the treat!

    During the first set, the Dead's playing was nuanced ("Cold Rain And Snow"), detailed ("Looks Like Rain"), and intricate ("The Music Never Stopped"); the singing struck softly ("Row Jimmy") and raised hairs ("Ship Of Fools"). But it’s the big barreling energy of the second set you’ll want to brace yourself for, replete with a disco'd "Dancing In The Streets," a low-down funky “Help”>”Slip”>”Franklin's” and a wind 'em up to wind down "Let It Grow">"Wharf Rat">"Around and Around." Can you keep up? There's only one way to find out.

    This complete show, balanced out with a couple of bonus tracks from 6/23/76 and 6/28/76, was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman.

    Dave's Picks Volume 28 is limited to 18,000 individually-numbered copies*.

    Grab a copy before they're gone, gone, gone.

    *Limited to 2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

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  • icecrmcnkd
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    DaP 28 defects

    Yes, my Let It Grow skips at 1:40.
    I bought an ala carte copy to give as a gift and it also has a defective CD 3, you can actually see a defect in the silver surface.
    Customer Service says it will take at least 2 weeks due to the high volume of replacements they have to send out.

    Maybe defective CDs is actually done intentionally to screw scalpers. At this point you would be crazy to buy any Rhino release that is still in the plastic wrap. There is a high probability that a CD could be defective and you might not be able to get a replacement if you don’t have the original order number.

    I better go back and check CDs 1 and 2 more closely for skips.

  • Seth Hollander
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    Two Community narratives I see this release involved with

    The first is the "Billy alone is so good, why bring Mickey back?" narrative that has bounced around these comment threads for a few years now. Like GratefulHan, I really noticed the drummers on this release. I think this release really shows what made the band like having Mickey back. The drum interplay is SWEET!
    I do agree with those that say Billy sounded wonderful alone, though.

    The second is "why do the discs have playback issues?". The Birdsong on my copy of PNW Best Of had the skip at 13:39 that several people mentioned. And now my copy of DaP28 has a skip in the Let It Grow that at least two other commenters have mentioned. One commenter mentioned 2-3 other skips I don't have and many previously mentioned skips in other releases haven't been heard by me, so I believe my CD machine (a Yamaha C600) is pretty skip-resistant, but the skips are getting to me these days.
    A worrisome trend.

    10/31/91 is fantastic and would be a lovely DaP. Let's have 2 Dark Star DaPs in 2019!

  • Dennis
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    Idiot Wind

    ONE of my fave off that album. Comments by Marye and Muleskinner now have me hot for it. Volume 13 really blew me away with all the different cuts/arrangements.

    ...you'll never know the hurt I suffered, nor the pain I rise above and I'll never know the same about you...

  • Mr. Jack Straw
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    Just completed my first…

    Just completed my first listen to DaP28. I'm probably not the most unbiased reviewer since '76 isn't my cup of tea. The Help > Slip > Franklin's is (as expected) the highlight of this release, one of the few sequences where they don't sound hesitant. I also enjoyed much of the Scarlet, but these '76 versions are just screaming to be linked with Fire. Without it's younger brother, the jam just kind of loses direction.

    For me, it's a B- show, that becomes a C- when compared to other Dave's Picks. Its certainly not a bad show, but I can't think of something that I'll come back to with any frequency. Maybe disc 2. The only pick I can say with certainty that it outpaces is DaP 20, but at least that one has a rip-roaring Satisfaction that makes it a bit of a novelty.

    Bring on the Swing.

  • muleskinner_blues
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    Mary

    Yes! I love the Idiot Winds.

    I was giving my thoughts to a friend earlier on the NYC vs. Minneapolis takes. I think If You See Her, Say Hello and You're A Big Girl Now are infinitely better in the NYC. Going the other way, I find the NYC Lily Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts to be interesting and kind of a different animal as a folk ballad, but it's tough to beat the drive on the Minneapolis/album version.

    Idiot Wind and Tangled Up In Blue are their own thing. I think the NYC and the Minneapolis ones for those two are essentially different songs, both essential. If I had to pick, I'd take NYC Tangled but Idiot Wind is tougher. It's just a whole different animal than the album version.

  • muleskinner_blues
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    Dennis

    Got it, just sent you one back.

    I'll probably finish my first pass through More Blood today, it's been great so far. You're not going to see as much tinkering as on The Cutting Edge, alot of those songs he was basically writing in the studio. But the singing, especially on the ones with just him and his acoustic, is fantastic. Really can change the mood of a song just by how it's performed.

    The stuff with the Deliverance Band fiddling through different versions of You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome and the blues numbers was cool too.

    Listening to the new Dave's in the car, I like the '76 They Love Each Others. the slow plodding, random two-drummer clanking seems to work something special with that song.

  • marye
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    Mule
    Funny, I stopped at about the four hour point too. But Idiot Wind Take 4 (both versions) is worth the price of the whole box set, especially since I've been trying to get it back since about 1978 when the bootleg vanished.
  • Dennis
    Joined:
    Mule Skinner and More Blood, plus

    This is a test .…..

    Hey Muley, I sent you a pm, let me know if you got.

    Still waiting for my copy of More Blood.

  • Gratefulhan
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    Dave's 28

    Segueing from 10-31-91 to the main topic, Dave's 28, I have to say I am really enjoying it. I spinning it now, and I am finally able to give it a good listen. I have listened to it 2 times prior, but under less than regular conditions ( @ work). Sound is great, playing is great. 1976 shows have grown on me over the years; I can't believe I was initially somewhat dismissive of shows from this year when I first got into tape trading. I think the playing during this year as a whole is stellar even if it may be slower and less jammed out at times. For Dave's 28 the sound is so good that I am actually noticing the drum interplay a little more than usual. Along with tunes, and the extended hiatus, I know the return of Mickey is often brought up for this year. I think it is nice to hear how all of this played out, and to my ears it played out well. Although I will likely never own Dave's 4 due to the insane secondary market prices (subscribe!), I need to pick up the download of 6/18 to round of the rest of Dave and Co has given us. I will keep my fingers crossed for a 6/19 release one day too.

  • Gratefulhan
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    10-31-91

    I agree with others' assessment of this show. Great show, I have had a nice sounding SBD for a while. It didn't happen too often where one show has a Help > Slipknot > Franklin's, a Scarlet > Fire, and a Dark Star. Now a show can't always be judged by the set list but this is well played. I love the Standing on the Moon, and Tom Thumb Blues is always treat. The Kesey rap is poignant and chilling at the same time too. I would be all about seeing this getting an official release. I wouldn't care if it is the next Dave's after The Swing, or just a plain old vault release.

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Dave's Picks Volume 28: Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ, 6/17/76

This year's Dave's Picks series comes to a close just as the band's getting back together again in '76. By the time the Grateful Dead hit New Jersey’s Capitol Theatre - for the very first time - on 6/17/76, they were buzzing from their reunion, armed with new and revived material, the Rhythm Devils reformed with the mischievous Mickey Hart once again behind the kit. They'd skived off the unwieldy Wall of Sound and scaled back the venues from cavernous arenas to intimate theatres. Quite the treat!

During the first set, the Dead's playing was nuanced ("Cold Rain And Snow"), detailed ("Looks Like Rain"), and intricate ("The Music Never Stopped"); the singing struck softly ("Row Jimmy") and raised hairs ("Ship Of Fools"). But it’s the big barreling energy of the second set you’ll want to brace yourself for, replete with a disco'd "Dancing In The Streets," a low-down funky “Help”>”Slip”>”Franklin's” and a wind 'em up to wind down "Let It Grow">"Wharf Rat">"Around and Around." Can you keep up? There's only one way to find out.

This complete show, balanced out with a couple of bonus tracks from 6/23/76 and 6/28/76, was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman.

Dave's Picks Volume 28 is limited to 18,000 individually-numbered copies*.

Grab a copy before they're gone, gone, gone.

*Limited to 2 per order. Very limited quantity available.

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Not a bad pick, although I’d be more excited if it were the June 29th show in Chicago, with a couple extra cuts from the Jersey run for filler. Also, it’s a bit of a downer to say goodbye to Tim McDonagh as the DaP artist. I think his covers for the series has been the most consistently excellent so far. (Justin Helton comes a close 2nd place.) Nice style, cool imagery, and extraordinary use of palette. Hopefully he’ll be back again soon. (DaP 2020, please?!?) And kudos to Dave for a solid run of shows this year; I never would have thought there’d be a series wherein the 80s show was my favorite.
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Wow that sold out fast but I am not surprised. Glad to be a continuing DP subscriber. If the road trips Boston Music Hall is any indication this is going to a fantastic release. Need to get going on the PNW '73 and '74 box set before this comes! Thank you Dave!
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When I logged on, it was available, looks like a great song list. I was at June 22,1976 at the Tower Theatre (a small venue)on third row,they did a 4 night stand there, with only a couple of the same songs played. So, why didn't I jump on it, I knew it would not be available long ,I was thinking about all of the debt I had, 30 bucks is a lot for me, so with less than 10 minutes, it was sold out. My local Barnes and Noble has the last single 3 disc sale for about 22 dollars, the one that is a sampler of the last big disc sale from this year that had sets from 73-74, which is a bit odd, I think they sound so different recorded on the "Wall Of Sound". Should be a good set of music.Have a great weekend !! Jim
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I received an email from dead.net regarding DaP 28 at 1:01PM EDT it is now 2:29PM EDT & it's sold out. That is why I subscribe. It's Friday DeadLand PLAY DEAD & play em LOUD
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good to see something from the NJ area getting picked. I heard tale NJ was known for it's rowdy drinking crowds. sounds great on the sampler. patongonian fox: I hear ya, in a perfect world the series would have 1 from the 60's, 1 from the 70's, 1 from the 80's, and 1 from the 90's.
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Ive been lucky to be available right at go time for the last 4-5 releases , but why take chances? They are selling out faster and faster so Ill be a Daves 2019 subscriber for sure!
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Wait, so HE had not met GD?
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I received my e-mail today at 1:21 PM. Sold Out! How did all these other people receive e-mails at 10AM?
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Although we are on the subscription program I really wish Dave should up the numbers of these shows. It seems to me that the demand justifies the increase in numbers and they should limit the amount for each pick should be one per customer not two. Evil Bayer’s are reaping big profits at the expense of loyal deadheads. It’s just not dead like to me. Isn’t it really about the music???
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1976 was a good year for the Dead but not one of the best. June was a good month for 76 but not one of the best. 6/17 was a good night on this run but not the best. 5 stars out of 5.
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it was the go to year from the 1970-1978 comfort window, oh well - 1981 will have to wait until DP#29....this show looks good on paper, but no doubt will sound like every other 1976 release- slooooowwww!! I think it is time to start a subscription series based on decades..jus sayn'
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Decades subscription series, hah, I like it! Meanwhile, since we're on the topic...I agree with some earlier comments and disagree with others about upping the numbers. It does seem like they've found the right number. 24-27 are basically available at cost on secondary sites, with possible exception of 26 (1971, bonus disc, etc.). 27, might I remind y'all, is still available via the Instagram site. So maybe let's take it easy and not imagine that they don't have marketing researchers identifying the exact number that they can optimally make $. Would be surprised if 2019 is more than 18K. 17/76!
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bring it on, bring it on yo, everyone: SUBSCRIBE, please. I learned the hard way. I truly feel for people who missed out. You gotta bite the bullet and subscribe. the peace of mind is worth at least 50% of the cost.
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I love 1976. Subscribe. \m/
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11 years 4 months
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Shake it Filler Sign me up for 2019 subscription rhinos while I got some extra cash to burn 1970 X-Factor
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mmm, love me a good 1976 h/s/f. More played in 76 than any other year (17)- and most played in June (9). (Incidentally, 1983 second most played year.)
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10 years 10 months
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Just got the e-mail, logged on.....SOLD OUT!!!
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17 years 2 months
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Can be found on second sell sites for 40$ because its DaP 27.
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Can be found on second sell sites for 40$ because its DaP 27.
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9 years 8 months
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Yo guys at Deadnet , You need to make more copies so everybody can get one. C'mon man don't be bogartin'!
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This year they upped the number 2k I believe, I feel with them almost selling out the subscriptions for the first time they will do around 20k next year. Just my thoughts on the number they will produce.
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With a bajillion and a half Dead Heads out there worldwide,only 18,000 copies.Just like a gajillion other posters here,I received an email last week and was waiting,by the time I received the email today and clicked the link,,,"Sold Out",,,really.Oh yeah,I received the email @ 1:29PM EDT,,,well after being sold out. I think it is time to re-evaluate the "Limited" amount of production copies as well as "2 per order" which will turn up on ebay for an exorbitant amount of money.
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Come on, all. If these are selling out in so quickly, please consider increasing your production. I really wanted this. Folks work and some can’t afford to be checking their e-mail and logging on a minute’s notice. -Disappointed Dan
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That picture is great! Thanks for the laugh.
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Those guessing this was going to be 2/7/69 kind of got my hopes up for that show. Probably irrationally. Oh well. Anyway, I'm a fan of 6/14/76, hopefully this is in that vein.
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#LedDed - I think '76 is the most underrated year. I used to not like it so much because it's so mellow sounding, and Jerry's guitar sometimes sounds squeaky, but it's the most unpredictable year, and there are a lot of great jams. This show, though, doesn't look as jammy as some of the others. Still waiting for 8/2/76.
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Does it need to be said every single time? Yeah I guess so. Anyone disappointed is disappointed at themselves. Stop your whining. The subscription has never sold out thus no one has gotten locked out. It's their business and their business plan. If you can do better make them an offer. The only caveat I would add is if the sub ever does sell out they keep it open until their planned closing date
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Is there another artist who might be able to think/feel/sense/imagine past an animated skeleton? Is that the only viable inspiration in this huge GD universe...? These releases deserve high-functioning art minds, this was never a "dumb" band. Quite the opposite. Thank you!
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did you see that note at the bottom of the email about Dead.net being offline next week starting on the 16th? like they are having a big party for Bob and none of us were invited.
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Not surprised by this choice. My guesses would have been either '70, '72 or '76. Would have loved to see something from '67-'69, another '80's release (which I knew wasn't going to happen) or a step into the Vince/Bruce era. This one looks good and I recall having heard some of it at some time. I'll always welcome a Help>Slip>Franklin's show anytime. Still making my way through the '73-'74 PSW box and had to give 10/12/84 it's obligatory spin. My wishes for 2019.....more variety in the Dave's Picks series.....more two-three show boxes.....bring back View From The Vault releases to coincide with the Meet-Up at the Movies....oh, and an Alpine '89 DVD/CD complete box.....and more '80's.
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To the fine gentleman who sold my girlfriend and I some excellent blotter, while we were waiting on line that night- you made a great night, even better. Sitting second row certainly didn’t hurt either! Can’t wait to hear this show. An excellent choice for DP #28. Thank you Dave!
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The slow songs were great this year and the Slipknot jams were some of the best. When will the 2019 subscription be available? Thought it would be announced today, along with the finial pick of the year.
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Love 1976. It is the single most unique year in the band's history. With that being said, this year's Dave's picks releases have been fairly tame by recent standards. Last year's releases might have been the best of the series with the Eugene '78 show and Boston show from '73, as well as the unreleased Felt Forum show. This year's releases seem somewhat uninspired. There was no "WOW" factor, and all shows have been widely available for years in trading circles, with the exception of ABQ (but I'm not a Fall 1971 guy). Really wish we could hear something from 1987 (Roanoke?), 1991 (Sandstone or final night of Boston Garden), or some acoustic Dead from 1970. Hell, even a Spring show from 1971 would be awesome. Maybe some more magic from 1979-1981 as that was some of the best playing of Jerry's career IMO? Hoping for a little magic in the 2019 series. 2018 was the first year I didn't subscribe. The biggest crime committed by Dead.net at this point is breaking up those From Egypt with Love shows from October 1978, and putting them into a Road Trips. I have been revisiting all of those shows over the past week and they are so good. Note 10/20/78 wasn't included, so that might be a release some day--hope so, since that 1/2 Step>Frankin's is an all timer. Not a complaint, just an observation. Hoping to get a discussion going.
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I agree. Same old red, orange, busy skeleton patterns. Looks kind of cartoon childish already. I guess I’m okay with skeleton motif but it could be simplified like in the DaP 18. Kind of silly “Art” here to represent such great historical recordings
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I couldn't agree more. The skeletons and silly dancing bears court derision from those who don't know the music, and deservedly so. The Dick's Picks series was nice in that the artwork changed with every sixth release. In particular, I liked 13 - 18 and 31 - 36.
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My sentiments exactly, such an average year...save for Day on the Green...praying for a 68-69 release next year...and for those of you who enjoy 76...enjoy
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Wow. That was quick.
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I agree they are getting old. Speaking of others perspectives it brings to mind a story of years ago. Back in 85 I brought my 12 year old Godson to a couple of Worcester shows. He loved them got to see Bill Walton backstage. I bought him a t shirt with skull and roses. I found out from him later his mother obviously a close friend wouldn't let him wear it due to the skeleton. Oh yeah 68/69 and the 80's would be nice
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You had me at Help Slip Franklin's (and it's a Betty!) I'm excited about this one but apparently not as much as "Cousins of the ..." I love this year, I love this month, I love this show. Skeletons are overdone. Morbid, redundant, unimaginative. VERY interesting that they are including filler songs - possibly the first time in the DaP series? I wonder why they start this now? I certainly take this to mean there is no intention to release these shows.... I predict we'll see additional tracks from these 2 shows in the November Download series. Space - Agreed the '89 Alpine run needs to get out someday. The was a high point. I was there and yes the moon was sitting above the stage for Standing on the Moon. (Duuuuude)
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'Cause the 70's were the best that is why. In the 90's Jerry's voice was trashed. So for those asking, why the 70's, this is why.
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Already have decent soundboard copy of this show free from the internet. Good show but never stood out to me to be a Dave's Picks. Hope we get some Primal Dead in 2019.
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Already have decent soundboard copy of this show free from the internet. Good show but never stood out to me to be a Dave's Picks. Hope we get some Primal Dead in 2019.
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