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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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  • twoswans
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    Up the numbers!!!
    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???
  • mcgrupp216
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    Clue
    Wait, so HE had not met GD?
  • ClubMax15
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    PISSED OFF (LIKE OTHERS)
    I received my e-mail today at 1:21 PM. Sold Out! How did all these other people receive e-mails at 10AM?
  • SteveGold425
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    whew....looks like Ill be a 2019 subscriber!
    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!
  • kyleharmon
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    daves 28
    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.
  • jfab73
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    Watch out!
  • wissinomingdeadhead
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    SOLD OUT
    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
  • guit30
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    Just missed it
    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
  • bob t
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    Dave should call this Bear's choice II
    Love this show!!
  • greatnorthspecial
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    Love '76 and will take as many 70's shows as you release!
    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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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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Just got my copy in the mail today. Spun the first disc absolutely loved it, but CD #1 skips on Promised Land. Made sure it was clean, all to no avail. Went to Disc #3, and it gets stuck on Wharf Rat. Errrrr! How frustrating. Really poor Quality Control. Hope Customer Service will help in the morning.

Yea it's a little weird, anybody from Rhino on these boards want to send out or post what was initially intended for this release

Going to Chicago for Bob Weir and Wolf Bros Halloween , Might As Well take this for the ride

Eyes of the World -> Drums -> The Wheel ~ Capitol Theater

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and it looks like it was run over by the ups truck, no marks on the outside packaging, just the inside product looks like they used it for 3 point shots. Really not impressed with quality control here, just more of the same bad packaging and bad product. And it seems to be getting worse.

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That’s three Dave’s Picks in a row with Help>Slip>Franklins sequence and I love it! Wonder why Disc three of DP 28 has lots of issues. Mine has a nice cut on the edge but doesn’t appear to affect play.

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Yeah somebody mention the other day it was the third release in a row with help slip Franklin . That's awesome how they went from 1 to 4 of that ever so necessary piece of dead history that they rarely played after 1976 . I never understood that . what can I say it's awesome so far. The sound quality is top-notch. V guy I also think the music never stopped is special. They haven't quite gotten into that extended Jam that they do at about three and a half minutes once they get into the late 77 1978 period, but this is definitely one of the best early versions I've heard. Donna Jean just lights the place up. I love her. Romantically. I think cold rain and snow sounded best in 1972 and 1976, and this one is no exception. Ironic that Dave titled his article Paradise Waits, and Jerry kinda mumbled through that lyric. I was never too much of a 1976 van until Dave's Picks 18 came out. At that point I had never heard road trips 4.5, and between those two and this one there is some fantastic 1976 going on. I get why people think it's slower. Because they pick so many slow damn songs in the setlist, holy mackerel. Still, it's a nice change of pace in my book. I couldn't be happier with this pick from Dave. Still scratching my head about the William & Mary show. It seems like the recordings were better in June and July. I thought the Cobo Hall Show from 30 trips sound atrocious. And yes, Donna does also sound great on the Wind and The Willows.

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It is odd that they would choose articles from Portland, however the booklet inside the CD cover adds a little clarity. The Portland shows on June 3rd and 4th were the first shows of this tour following the hiatus, which make the articles a fitting intro for shows on this tour. The first article is also quite funny, which makes it worth putting in the liner notes. The author doesn't seem much of a deadhead, nor much of a rock and roll fan. She probably felt a little out of place at that show! I quote:

"The excruciating volume and resulting sound distortion usually found in hard rock music were noticably absent during the Grateful Dead set, and the improvement in the audience rapport was unmistakeable. There was far less fidgeting and roaming around the lobby than is usual for a rock concert"..........."A highlight of GD's first set was "Keep on Dancing," (TMNS I assume...LOL) an audience favorite with the crowd. The percussion effects and Donna's vocals were superb in "Wind In The Willows". (aka Scarlet Begonias)

The second article is much better written, and the author seems to be a little more knowledgable about the scene IMO. I will let you all read it for yourselves, along with the inner booklet for the connecting thoughts by Dave. Some nice words about BCJ in there and a couple more articles about the tour.

Overall, a nice selection of articles from around the country at this time, which bring to light the level of excitement that this tour brought to deadheads across the land. Not to mention the mix, and sound quality, is about as close to perfect as you can get. I love this release, and after three listens, without a doubt, my favorite Dave’s Pick release of the year! Thanks DL, JN & TPTB for continuing to provide the goods!!

Loud and proud Dead People!

KCJ

I haven't received the Pick yet, but I would agree that the above triptych is always welcome. Music Never Stopped has stood the test of time quite well for me, too, especially in these early years of performance.

Maybe a good time to dust off Blues For Allah in preparation. One of their best studio albums-in fact the best one they made after American Beauty. In my opinion.

I have to agree, Daverock.. I recall vividly my first listens to that album. In fact.. it became the soundtrack for the summer. To this day it still sounds fresh and has something left to say.

It has 2 small green/blue specks imbedded in the plastic. I washed it but they did not come off. Will see how it plays. I expect the specks to cause skipping.
Will play all 3 CDs before contacting the good Dr.
CD1 sounds good so far, just finishing TN Jed.

Now, how ‘bout some reCAPTCHA word/picture association quizzes......

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Got me some reCAPTCHA crosswalks. Those are clearly the most popular.

The thing about these reCAPTCHA exams is that they generate data for AI programming so that in the future your personal robot butler can take and pass the reCAPTCHA exams for you, and you can just kick back on the couch listening to GOGD.

Well, I just got crosswalks, I’m hoping for storefronts next.

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This is just way too different and uninviting.

Just wanted to say thanks Dave, thanks Mary, thanks Dr rhino.

Donna should not sing backup vocals on Wharf Rat. Not because I think it sounds bad, but I think because it sounds better with just Jerry like it was from 71 to 74. Same goes for Ramble On Rose and Sugar Magnolia. And Uncle John's Band. But yes, I love looking at those little........

I don't care what era it's played, H>S>F sounds like a party every time I hear it. The blend of sounds and styles just always get me in a good mood. Slow tempo, fast tempo-all good to me. I love it from 1976, I love it from 1994 (10/1/94 opener is full of great energy). I know they played it 95, just struggling to remember when!

This is a really cool release-really enjoying it and hoping for more June 76 in the years to come...

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In reply to by 80sfan

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Yes, this HSF is "Vary Noice".

I had a defective disc 3 as well. Cracked!

Use ad-blockers to defeat the captcha monsta.
I just have to click a single box, once.

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In reply to by Guss West

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....if I just leave tabs open on Chrome and revisit them, I can get to say, what I want to say, when I want to say it. And I will say this. Paradise Waits. Booga booga. And who doesn't love a tight Slipknot! (?).....ALL CAPS! (as in the Capitol Theatre). I've got like four dead.net tabs open on my phone at all times. My phone isn't smarter than me, even though the women might be.

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In case you're wondering: 3-29 and 5-26...maybe another or two?

That's pretty much what I have been doing.. keeping the pages open. I don't have to pick my way through the sidewalks, street lights and crackhead captcha's.

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....of Trey Anastasio's solo band, TAB. I'm Smokin' & Thinkin'. (I wonder what would happen if I said I was a robot.)

I recommend taking two. Don't call me in the morning, but feel free to post about it tomorrow night.

Edit: Oh.. and if things get really weird.. play Dicks Picks 36 in it's entirety.

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50 years ago tonight the MC5 recorded their classic Kick Out The Jams album at the Grande Ballroom Detroit. One of the most explosive live albums of all time.

Also recommended is guitarist Wayne Kramer's recently published biography, "The Hard Stuff". From a time when rock n' roll, the way the MC5 played/lived it, was a revolutionary act.

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I listened to this latest release once so far and liked it. Some complain that '76 is too slow but I find the sound here, besides being really clear, is sort of nice & relaxing. A more laid back approach then the coke fueled DaP27. I like it.

Rock on

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The Circus is BACK in TOWN
too many Clicks to the ... whatever
Keep walking your dogs and cats

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This release is really good. Sound is great and what a performance.

If you don't have it yet, I highly recommend Live at The Cow Palace, 12/31/76. 16 track Plagent Release. Unbelievably great sound and show.
Also, Dick's 20 from September 76, two great shows, with some nice surprises!

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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These releases will hold up well down the road for audiophiles. For the very same reasons vinyl is back in town. While not perfect, the format has uniqueness. That subtle waver you hear from time to time, those glissading cymbals, the slight boxiness of the bass, its all likable character. Je ne sais quoi, as one might say in Lille. And very era specific. On a good system, it's easy to imagine the source reel mounted up and spooling across the playback head, cases stacked up to the side.... an imagined physicality. Creates a tactile relationship with the listener. Can't find that in digital recordings!

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I like everything about this release except the skips. Gave this a second listen this afternoon and again found Franklins to be a highlight and the skips in LLR, LIG and Wharf Rat to be a real downer. Waiting to hear back from Dr. Rhino/customer support on replacement discs for this release and a still waiting to receive a replacement disc from the PNW box. Really a shame as this is a great release and I am a fan of the slow '76 shows.
Edit: LIG, not WRS. Oops.

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In reply to by Charlie3

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Late to the party.. and happy belated Halloween to all.

I finally got a solid listen to DaP 28 yesterday.. all alone in a somewhat remote canyon nearby. I took most of the day off and was outside the reach of cell phones and really anyone. A great day.

Love this release.. This and #26 to my ears are the strongest of the year but man did this exceed expectations. Really, really good.

Not an effort to compare shows.. but I am comparing my first listens.. this sounded as good both sonically and from a performance perspective to the first time I heard DaP 12, Colgate University 77. What a great sounding board, happy to see this get released. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

Trip or treat? Lets just say I was not dipping into the candy jar. :D

Favorite Halloween show, easy.. 10/31/71. Enjoyable under the radar honorable mention, 10/31/85 and 10/31/80 (well that one not so under the radar, but....).

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Don't forget 10-31-91! That one is supremely heavy and up there with the all-time Halloweeners...

The entire Halloween panoply: '69, 70, 71, 79, 80, 83, 84, 85, 90, 91...Did I miss one or two? There are some JGB ones in there too I'm certain to be missing...

For an Halloween Treat, try 10-28-77 Candyman (the holiday vibe is there)

-edit- Trip or Freak
https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1977/10/28/candyman?source=91026

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I haven't listened to this yet.. it has slid under my radar until now. I will have to get to it.

Holy cow what a setlist! One of the better things about this site is getting shown the light on shows (and other music).

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I always thought that one was smack dab right in the center of the Radar.

Many thanks to you as well, Jim for all of your astute observations and help over the years.

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You all know I fully support ole Brucey and his myriad contributions to this band. The Halloween show in 1991 is no exception and I fully concur with it's greatness. If memory serves there is a great Help>Slip>Franks to open; and equally fun Scarlet>Fire (complete with cool midi-transition) and a pretty monstrous Dark Star with some Ken Kesey rapping in response to the very sad event of Bill Graham's recent passing at the time...

A fine contender for a '91 release IMHO.

Be well People.
Sixtus

p.s. about 2 1/2 listens through this wonderful seventy-six(tus) release and I truly dig the TMNS/Scarlet in set 1 as well as pretty much all of the second set. Still waiting for 6/11/76....one fine day perhaps.

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I love this one.
Love it.
Donna sounds great. Jerry's voice is silky smooth.
Love it.

Peace and love,

How about 10/31/90 in London? I was there at that one, and it opened with a great-well it seemed great at the time-Help-Slipknot-Franklins. Musically, this show may have been the best of the three they played in London in 1990. This Halloween date was the middle show-and the following night we were treated to Dark Star. But despite the heavy hitters on these last two nights-the show I enjoyed the most was the first- a great, great night. Just the atmosphere, having a seat right close to the stage, the interpretation of the songs-even ones I wouldn't necessarily list as favourites. Just goes to show you cant judge a show by its song list.

I am really digging this mighty fine Seventy Six release as well. It might just be my favorite of the year.

I dare not give a thumbs up five stars for fear of public flogging (not that there's anything wrong with a little public flogging or being tarred and feathered from time to time)..

But this show to my ears seriously rocks. It has all the right stuff including a stunning mix and recording.

Have a great weekend all.. live dangerously, live large, enjoy.

On an ending note, I appear to have it another day without being a robot and my credit card company seems sure I am still alive. Bonus.

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Amazing release. Don't post much but man seriously digging this one. Great dovetail into the Swing too!

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I don’t know Jim, I think you should just go for it for sure!

5 Old Steely Dan Stars for me!

Been listening to some 84 today....Ashes, Ashes all Fall down indeed!

I’ve said it before, 10-31-91 should have been in 30 Trips and 9-10-91 should have been an unlimited release so that everyone could enjoy Branford.

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New Site

PNW Show #4 (it's Nobody's Fault But Mine)

Dave's 76 (Single Barrel)

Dylan: More Blood, More Tracks (Only four hours in..death kept followin, trackin us down, at least I heard your bluebird sing)

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh my. People come and go so quickly here..

Damn the man, Save the Empire.

I woke up on the roadside
Daydreamin bout the way things sometimes are
Hoof beats pounding in my head
At breakneck speeds and makin' me see stars
You hurt the ones that I love best
And cover up the truth with lies
One day you'll be in the ditch
Flies buzzin' around your eyes.....

Blood on your saddle

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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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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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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.

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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.
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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...

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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!

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