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a complaint about complaints

I've gotten to the saturation point really. With PNW 73-74 filling in two holes spectacularly I find a Dave's Picks subscription to be less of a necessity every year. The only recent Dave's in heavy rotation for me are #13 (2/24/74), #16 (3/28/73), and #21 (4/2/73). A pre hiatus fan has FW 69, Ladies And Gentlemen, Europe 72, Sunshine Daydream, Winterland 73, and the Movie Soundtrack. 1977 and 1978 are covered well. The 80s had hot shows but recent releases show problems with the quality of the soundboards. 1988-1990 were a peak and are well represented. Any special shows (think like RFK 73 or Watkins Glenn) will get the box treatment. What's left for Dave that I need? I don't know. I am going to re-up this year because the 10 minute sell out is scary, but for me 2019 is kind of a make or break year for an automatic renewal next time.

listen to Closer by Joy Division superb album

6/10/7311/19/72 7/18/72 something 80s

I am among those that really enjoy 1976, the weird setlists, bust outs, and some pretty lengthy/interesting jam segments are all reasons to check out the year. I can think of quite a few shows from 76 that would make great picks, having said that, this pick from mostly 6-17-76 does seem somewhat lackluster or average. As for the artwork, for me its about tied with DaP 11 for the worst of the series. I don't mind the skeletons as much as some, though I agree that they are overused and often way too cartoony. My opinion is that if we are going to have skeletons, then I'd prefer they were more like the one used/depicted for/on the DaP 18 cover (which is also easily one of my favorite releases). Sold out quick though!

Gotta disagree with ya there. You are implying the '70's Scarlet's were better than the '80's. I will agree that '77 Scarlets blow away the '76 Scarlets which always leave me wanting more. But '80's Scarlet>Fire's were mythical beasts that we're the reason I kept coming back. '77 had some great versions for sure, but they were just foreplay compared to the rip-snorting later ones, imo. The reason the '77's loom so large is the jaw-dropping quality of the recordings. Dick himself once wrote in a blog his fav Scarlet>Fire's, and none were from 1977. He chose: 09/02/78 Meadowlands 08/08/82 Alpine Valley 06/25/91 Kansas City 02/05/78 Cedar Falls 10/14/94 Madison Square Garden (i was there) 10/21/83 Worcester 03/27/88 Hampton VA 05/23/82 Greek Theater, Berkeley 3/22/90 Ontario And one of the MANY reasons they focus so heavily on the '70s is that Betty was making pristine recordings LIKE THIS ONE mixed for headphones ("doin' it just for you") with added reverb where needed (see 5/8/77 for an example of reverb overkill), not just supplement the stage sound. 80's show SBD's were mixed for the room listeners ONLY = vocals/keys much louder than the guitars, and they were mastered on a crappy cassette instead of high Q reels - as a result I usually prefer to listen to the '80s audience recordings just so I hear a truer image of the show. Plus the ravages of drugs and time compromised the music heavily in the 80's until Jerry cleaned up in '89.

Sorry for negative vibe but the art has been too cluttered with goofy skeletons doing silly human stuff. Cartoonish but not in a good way. Certainly not stylish psychedelic. Gives off a juvenile sensibility.Change Please.

You ask, "What's left for Dave that I need?"Well, Swing Auditorium or Dekalb '77 would be pretty enticing. But I get your point. Most of us probably don't "need" more GD but I love the anticipation of each new release, the excitement of finding it in the mailbox and picking out a special IPA or bottle of red to enjoy while digging the new show on the big boy stereo. I don't see much downside to subscibing at all.

This was my first show and Really want this. Can I get on a wait list for cancellations or other reason?

Lol good point

I think it was last year when Dave announced they had enough quality shows to go another 22 years; it might have been 40, but whose counting. Was this before or after the 50 Betty reels were returned? Does not matter. The point is, there are at least 150-200 shows to still be released as Dave's Picks, boxes, or stand alone's. And, as we have seen, more "lost" reels might return in the near future. This might not be my favorite year of Dave's Picks, (I do like 26 and am looking forward to 28) but we did have the chance to purchase a top 5 box ever released (opinion) Got to spread the love around. I do have a question. If the Dead did have the 69' Ark or New Year's Tea Party shows in the vault, (which I think they do) Does it matter if they are released next year or could they wait another 5 years? If reels are stored properly, does it matter? Positive vibes ladies and gents! Sam T

Double Double

Nice Nirvana reference, timely.

I thought I was at the saturation point once before. I won't make that mistake again. This release looks promising to me, I really dig that slow dead vibe in '76. I'd ask who could complain about a show with Help-Slip-Franklins, but that question has apparently been answered already.

“I’m posting on here for the first time to bitch about this show selling out before I had a chance to buy it!” Well, my man, you need to SUBSCRIBE. That way you will never miss out. “You don’t understand, man- I’m a REAL Deadhead hippie, I’m too broke to afford that subscription and too high to figure out a monthly budget.” Hmm, I can empathize with that. But surely you have a credit card, right? Because the greedy bastards who run the show here are no longer letting us order stuff by shipping money orders and index cards in intricately decorated envelopes off to San Rafael. “Well, yeah, I do have a credit card. You mean I would have needed to use that today to buy just this one show?” Indeed. It’s not an American Express card, right? “Who the hell uses an American Express card anymore? That’s like eating at Arby’s, people only do that on TV.” Perfect. So your credit card lets you carry a monthly balance, right? “I suppose. But the credit limit is only $111!” That’s ok. You can order the early bird subscription with shipping included for about 110 bucks. “Yeah, but what if I don’t want all the shows? I don’t need more music from an era I hate, like the entire Seventies!” I feel you there. So, let’s say you have your heart set on Dave releasing Boreal Ridge from 1985, but he does something completely lame like putting out the entire Fillmore East show from September 20, 1970… “That’s the exact scenario I was thinking about!” Well, here’s what you can do. You can take that show you don’t like, and sell it on Ebay after you receive it. If you keep it in its original packaging and price it reasonably (say 50 bucks), it will sell quickly and you will actually be helping out another head who couldn’t get a hold of a release he really wanted. “Go on, I’m listening…” The best part is that you are effectively subsidizing the cost of the subscription by selling one of the releases. Instead of keeping a release that you don’t want, now you have just reduced the cost of your subscription for the year and you have some money to pay down that credit card balance! After accounting for postage and Ebay fees, you could easily be paying about $70 for the 3 releases a year that you do keep. That works out to about 23 bucks per Dave’s Picks! “Well, thanks for this new perspective.” You are welcome. “See you back here on January 11th when I will be bitching about Dave’s Picks 29 selling out so quickly!”

I love you man, but all I can say is, what does Dick know about Scarlet Fires when he doesn't even have JFK '89 on the list? I trust you more than I trust Dick. I love the guy but he was a bit fickle when it came to favorites. I enjoy 74 Scarlets more than 77 because they're hot with one drummer and Jerry plays some mean ass solos. Especially once they started branching out from the 5 to 6 renditions to the 9 to 10 minute ones. And I enjoy 76 Scarlet more than 77 because they don't sound in such a hurry to get to Fire on the Mountain (case in point, 5/13/77, oh my, they were tearing up one of the best I've ever heard and before you know it, they were maybe six or seven minutes into it and started Fire on the Mountain). Peace, love the great talks. This pick is a winner if the sound quality is there. Really looking forward to another 1976 Help Slip Franklin, it's been way too long. Jack Baller that's some funny shit, and proof that the only thing that's going to make you happy is if Dave hand delivers whichever pick you want to your door.

OK, what's the justification for the clues? Brent had clearly met Silver by 1976, that's the year their album was released. What does New Jersey have to do with the Ohio, Missouri, and Mississippi rivers? In what sense is the word "clue" a clue? These clues are less credible than Q-anon...

"If the Dead did have the 69' Ark or New Year's Tea Party shows in the vault, (which I think they do) Does it matter if they are released next year or could they wait another 5 years? If reels are stored properly, does it matter?" I hope they release them sooner rather than later. It's the deterioration of the deadheads who were at those shows that matters.

Digging the art on this end. It's got a fun vibe ("So the kids they dance and shake their bones..."). Nice composition and color scheme too. Then again, I'm a skeleton and skull fan. My studio is full of them in assorted shapes and sizes. So it's not a theme I'm ever gonna grow weary of, though I think my wife's had her fill (she finds them morbid). As for the art being too cartoony or silly, the "Touch of Grey" video comes to mind. I mean, that bit of cornball is rolling around out there for all eternity. None of this cover art seems any goofier to me in comparison. Dancing turtles, dancing bears, dancing skeletons, dancing in the streets. If the music's great, then everything else is just everything else.

Miss the old 3M reel boxes from Dicks early days. Very authentic and nostalgic IMO.

Is it confirmed that Dave did make it out of the woods alive or was that his last seaside chat

Per Merriam-Webster: an arrangement for providing, receiving, or making use of something of a continuing or periodic nature on a prepayment plan: such as a : a purchase by prepayment for a certain number of issues (as of a periodical)

I do not remember Dick's Pick ever selling out but I could be wrong. Maybe going forward for the subscription you could release shows from a set of years, say 72 to 74 or 88 to 91, that way those of us who would be interested in that era could subscribe instead of the random year release. My older brothers stated seeing shows prior to this release and started dragging me to shows in the 80's once I was old enough that mother would not kill them. I have all the stuff I like on CD's/Tapes from the years prior to me seeing shows that they turned me onto or was released/bootlegged in record stores in the 80's and 90's. I definitely would be a buyer if this was the case as you can tell by the posts many of us have a love for the shows/era where we were "double twist when you hit the air" compared to shows that where prior to our time. That being said I probably listened to Live Dead going to sleep at night 200 times Junior and Senior year in High School with the head phones on, the forces tear loose from the axis...... Anyone who sweats like that must be alright!!!!!!!

I have an extra copy. I accidentally ordered two subscriptions last year in the midst of all the chaos. Sent you a PM

Is a very bad plan. And will never happen. Because it is a terrible, no-good plan. Subscribing to this existing plan is the only plan. Unless you plan to return to entertain us with further tales of your poor planning. Meanwhile, I think someone said 1976 is the most underrated of years. I have sort of thought that for quite a while myself. I might be right. I usually am. But if it’s only even slightly true — and judging from the several complaints about supposedly sleepy slow seventy-six, it surely is so — there will be an absolute cornucopia of copies available at almost no markup on eBay for quite some time to come. So probably plan on getting one there if you didn’t subscribe and missed out today. That, also, would be a grand plan.

As per decades, tours, years, line ups, or whatever. I seem to find myself getting in to everything from every year they’ve released. Obviously everyone has their favorites and more power to ya, but as I continue my journey through the years of Grateful Dead I find something to love about all of it. Sometimes I go back to a show that just didn’t hit the mark and in revisiting it I get it completely. This band had some pretty awful shows, but they haven’t released any as far as I can tell. Yes I have my favorites but except for the first spring 90 Box and 5 or 6 bonus discs I own everything that’s been released and depending on the day, I like it all. As far as the artwork, they can release the shows with a blank white cover and I’ll buy it. I’m interested in the music and the sound quality, because that’s really what it’s all about for me.

First, ...if folks did not get an email until later today. Sorry if that's the case. How many people got an email a week ago today? ...I did. I am not even a subscriber, however, am considering it in the future and do own various DP's...not all, and have most the Dick's picks. As for the sampling...love another year and as always a different version of each song as each was unique. 76 gets overlooked in favor of juicy 72-73-74 & 77-parts of 78. I find it fun & exploratory with the band as they were segueing into another chapter of their evolution. Enjoy everyone!!!

Someone mentioned that the night following this release was included as part of the download series. How was that show? I only vaguely remember hearing about it but guess I never bought it. Looks like it's available to download on iTunes so may check it out to get in the mood for this release...

and me. I am actually listening to that one now for the very same reason. Been at least 10 years since I listened to this one. Closing out set 1 w Cassidy, ++ at the moment. Crazy Fingers was a real highlight so far.

....I like it, but it's my wife's favorite year by far. So I am very happy, because happy wife, happy life.

1: Clues?2: I don't need your stinkin' clues no more, man! 1: Mellow out, man. 2: VISUAL - glares 1: VISUAL - smiles, flashes a left-hand peace sign 1: Thursday. 2: Thank you, you're cool, I love 'em, man! If I recall correctly, tickets were impossible to get for this run. My run was next - 6/21-22-23-24/76 Tower Theatre Upper Darby, PA. We didn't get tickets for the 21st but were able to get into the 22nd, 23rd & 24th. Then someone came up to us and made us a very good offer, but not one we couldn't refuse. Bye-bye 24th. As it was, the boys and gal choked on the 24th, the "weakest" of the Philly run. The show was broadcast on WMMR-FM. Hmmm. There's a Jerry story about the Dead blowing the "big" ones. Standing in line either on the 22nd or the 23rd, I recall other people raving about The Capitol run and the first night being far-out and great, the best thing since sliced cheese. So we have the first night, professionally mastered by Jeffery Norman. I like this Passaic '76 run very much.

Folks, give this pick a chance.I am NOT a '76 guy. I am mainly a pre-hiatus guy, with a smattering of '77-'78, and a tiny smattering of 80s. I actually complained about the last '76 release from Dave, Vol. 18. I found it too slow, and kind of boring - slow, the common complaint about '76 shows. I already have a copy of this show on my phone. I only have five shows from '76 available to play in the car, and this is one of them. Why? I'm not even sure. I haven't played it in a while, but let me just say I am very, very picky about Dead shows. I get more annoyed over vocal flubs, out of tune instruments or singing, or bad mixes than most Deadheads around here. So why do I keep THIS show, of all '76 shows, on my phone? I suspect it's the Help>Slip>Frank, but it's probably just the whole show overall. It's got to be pretty damn solid if I haven't deleted it. It's a Betty board, and it's got to be one hell of a lot better mix than DaP 27. So let's relax and enjoy.

NFA: a scorcher

Some call it slow, I call it "slinky." Those tall ships really lifted the nation's spirits after Watergate.

The first time the Grateful Dead came into my life was when Jerry's death was reported in the news I didn’t give it a second thought, I was 17. At a friends house, later that year for a party when I heard Grateful Dead music for the first time and it was not intentional. A friend was playing a CD, Zabriskie Point soundtrack and it had a Dark Star excerpt that lasted 2 minuets 33 seconds. Being already relaxed when that music played, that song, I was so confused it did not fit into anything I currently knew about music and blew me away, it seamed other worldly. Everyone passed out and I made the decision to steal that CD (I know not a cool thing to do, karma kicked my ass later for it)not because I knew it was Grateful Dead but instead to learn what it was. This was before the internet or cell phones, taking a pic of the CD and getting on Ebay was not possible. That snippet of music drove me to discover the music and love what has been given to us. Grateful Dead music is the only music that brings tears of joy when I listen. We all have our favorites mine is that 2:33 of Dark Star from Zabriskie Point that I still have in my collection today.

Interested in what Dave gear Dave was fishing with. Looks like about a 6 weight fly rod, but who made a 50th anniversary reel? Maybe a florescent streamer tied on? Bears love those.

“W-M-M-R. Phil-a-delphia”. Forever etched in my mind.

Dave's got an Abel fly reel - goes for north of a grand. Those are some expensive salmon!

...VARIED SET LISTS. way back when the taping compendium first came out, I remember reading the set lists and thinking, "wow, those are cool" (in Butthead voice, perhaps). GD76 is unique in sound. it is indeed "slinky" and just plain fun. it also sometimes sounds like someone playing a saw. aye; good pick, Dave

about ordering Daves. if you are new to the Daves game, and truly didn't know about the subscription, then I sympathize. if you knew about the subscription, please follow my own hard-learned advice, and subscribe. a la carte is dead! long live a la...never mind. it's really most sincerely dead. you gotta subscribe in order to get a copy. you just do.

....and a Friend Of The Devil came up that late in the show, I would have lost my shit. Y'all know what I'm talking about.

'76 I can definitely do without but I'll be financing part of next year's subscription with the proceeds from its sale on ebay. A few shows I'd like to see released: 04-08-78 Jacksonville, 10-02-77 Portland, 07-26-72 Portland, 02-23-71 Port Chester, 05-13-73 Des Moines, 05-26-73 Kezar Stadium, 05-20-73 Goleta (a May 1973 box would be nice, but I suspect there would be too much overlap), 08-21-68 Fillmore West, 09-20-74 Paris, 06-23-90 Eugene, 06-24-90 Eugene, 06-17-91 Giants Stadium, 06-??-91 Denver, 05-25-95 Seattle, 06-21-80 Anchorage, 05-12-80 Boston, 05-10-80 Hartford, 06-14-80 Spokane, 02-23-74 Winterland, 08-13-87 Red Rocks, 06-15-85 Greek, 08-01-82 OKC, 08-03-82 Kansas City, 08-06-82 St. Paul, 08-10-82 (I forget where), 07-22-84 Ventura, 05-07-84 Eugene, that's enough, there's always more...

As mentioned in my earlier comment, 1976 is the the most unique year in the bands history. There was a radical departure from the 72-74 sound,yet you can still find some of that Good Old Grateful Dead from the pre-hiatus days lurking around. Stand alone 1st set Playin' jams are available and many of the songs like Big River, Promised Land, Sugaree, US Blues and Row Jimmy still have that pre-hiatus feel. More importantly, the wealth of new material that was radically different from what the band had composed before was prevalent. This was probably that last "best batch" of songs the band ever unleashed on its audience. Lazy Lightning/Supplication, Help>Slip>Frank, Crazy Fingers, Music Never Stopped, Mission In The Rain, Samson, Might As Well, The Wheel, and Cassidy are just a few that come off the top of my head; many of these songs became show stoppers. One could consider the wealth of new material that debuted in early 1977 to be an extension of this highly fruitful period--Terrapin, Estimated Prophet, Fire On The Mountain and Passenger as the jet wash of 1976. Note, with the exception of Lazy Lighting, the majority of these songs remained in the bands repertoire for the duration of their career. (Mission in the Rain for JGB). Finally, what is the most unique cherry on top for 1976 is the reimagining and rebirth of so many songs from the pre-retirement days. St. Stephen, High Time, Cosmic Charlie, and Dancin' were all completely re-imagined. Not to mention new arrangments for Let It Grow, FOTD, NFA and Eyes of the World. All in all a crazy year, and don't even get me started on those imaginative setlists. Probably the most diverse song pairings in the band's history. Where else are you gonna find a Dancin>Cosmic Charlie?

@ Craigeyler, here's what I got for starters: 4.21-23.1969 Boston (Ark Box!) 12.28.1969 Hollywood Pop Festival (best Mason’s Children ever) 12.29-69.1969 Boston (Tea Party Box!) 5.14.1970 Meramec CC 9.19.1970 (epic Dark Star) 9.20.1970 (period) 2.1971 All Port Chester shows 8.24.1972 Berkeley 2.9.1973 Stanford 2.15.1973 Dane County 2.24.1973 U of Iowa Fieldhouse (you turned me on to this amazing jam!) 5.26.1973 Kezar Stadium 6.9-10.1973 (RFK Box- hello?) 7.27-28.1973 Watkins Glen 12.18.1973 Tampa 6.23.1974 Jai Alai Fronton 2.26.1977 Swing Aud 6.30.1988 (Green Onions, baby) I would agree with you on 2.23.1974, but that’s my ex-wife’s birthday, so…

This pick came upon me quick. I'm ready for the early bird. Strap a rocket on your back and fly, fly from the dream squashers.

Glad to see the releases continue to not have the same band incarnations, back to back.

I tend to be drawn less to 1976 shows than any other year featuring Keith and Donna. But when I DO play one, I usually enjoy it. The music does seem genuinely exploratory to me, as though they are feeling their way without too much premeditation. Very different from 1977 shows, where they sound very sure of their footing-shows that fly like an arrow from a bow and hit bullseye with amazing consistency. 1976 shows seem to wander about a bit, as the band look for direction. But 1976 does have links with the jazzier feel of 1974. The singing is good in 1976, too-Jerry's vocals-Stella Blue comes to mind from this year - sound as good as they ever got. And there are no nasty surprises from Donna, either. I am not familiar with this show-but I'm pleased to see that they have chosen one with Help-Slipknot-Franklins in-a signature suite for the year.

So DaP 28 is looking really good to me. As many have commented, 1976 is different year on the whole for the band, but I like it. I used to view it as a “soundcheck” for 1977, but that was completely wrong. There are some great shows in 1976. One that I have been listening to a lot recently is the Cobo Arena show from 30 trips. Now this particular run of shows from that Capitol have been on my radar- I have watched 6/19 extensively on YouTube. 6/18 is there as well, but only the second set. I haven't listened to this show so this is a real treat. I am continually surprised at the ramblings about the limited release and sell outs because this series has existed since 2012. So if people are not subscribing by now then there is not much to say. These sell out fast, even #27 which was debated in terms of music quality, sold out. We are 6 years into this series, and quick sell outs have become the trend. I will subscribe to the Dave's Picks series for as long as it is being produced as I think it is one of the best things any band has done for their fans. Seriously how could you go wrong, I mean getting 4 (actually 5 at this point with the bonus discs) shows per year delivered right to your door? It is a dream come true, at least for me. Speaking of DaP 27 and now 28, I do find the discussions of the specific release in terms of music quality and year/era interesting. I have already commented on my feelings towards 1976. Yet I do feel that we are going to continue to get more shows from the 70s, and the 60s to a lesser extent. I don’t think the 80s (or 90s) will get the same volume, which I think the recording quality that has been cited for 80s shows being the main deterrent for that decade. Plus I think this is a reality, but the bulk of shows with both good sound quality and good playing will land us in 70s more often than not. Please understand, I am not against other decades, I am just looking at what has occurred thus far. I hope they mine the vault for the best shows possible. There will certainly be a show or two released from any decade/year/era that will be a little underwhelming but that's OK. I am going to listen to whatever is released because I trust Dave L. and his crew. In the end I love it all and I really look forward to the these Dave's Picks coming every 3 months.

Excited about this release. 69 is of course coming - honestly I can wait longer than most on that one - there’s plenty of it in the meantime and not nearly enough official 76. As for Dave’s, this is a subscription series. A la carte, as stoltzfus put it, is dead. It’s like the leftover crumbs- you can all fight for it. Only way I see an increase in production coming is if subscriptions start selling out- or really approaching it. Really not there yet. PS: replay right now on Sirius, DP 28 preview!

When you say "there are no nasty surprises from Donna", you mean like she didn't always flush the John or something? Well then. 1976 was a good year.