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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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  • simonrob
    Joined:
    When something is wrong...

    The recent epidemic of malfunctioning discs should not be ignored or dismissed with comments like "It will all come good in the end." It should not have gone so badly wrong in the first place and Rhino should be left in no doubt that their market finds this unacceptable.

    Whether or not it has anything to do with cost cutting is something Rhino is unlikely to divulge. That the discs are noticeably thinner and more flexible than the norm and that they are made in Mexico may or may not contribute to the problem, but most sentient beings could put 2 and 2 together and get 4 as the answer.

    To dismiss complaining about this situation as endless whining seems so absurd that it seems aimed purely at provoking a reaction. I hesitate to use the "T-word" but how else should it be described.

    My message to Rhino is: Give us quality products for our money. Surely this is not too much to ask?. What may be too much to ask is for the elusive Dr. Rhino to post an explanation of what has gone amiss recently, but it would be a nice gesture to those having so much trouble trying to resolve issues that they have with recent releases that came to a head with Dave's Picks Volume 28.

  • daverock
    Joined:
    In praise of speaking out

    As I understand it, the people who speak out against receiving a poor quality service make more of a positive contribution to the culture surrounding the product in question than those who don't. Surely, if a profit making organisation can make more profit by cutting costs, they will do so. If, in cutting costs, the quality of the product deteriorates, then it is up to everyone who purchases that product to point out what has happened, with a view to rectifying the situation. If they care about what they are buying, that is.
    Hopefully we have got way past the point where we are mere passive recipients.

  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    Happy Day After New Year everyone!!....

    .... sorry I'm late, but to say I tied one on New Year's Eve would be an understatement. Didn't wake up until noon yesterday, and no, I didn't wake up to find out that I was the eyes of the world. I woke up looking for my Excedrin. Here's to a grate 2019 for everyone! Dave's Picks so far sure don't hurt very long..... shameless plug into this!!....
    https://youtu.be/r0oY7OEg4Ik
    ....the chills start at the 15:00 mark. The chills peak at 16:45. There's an I Know You Rider in there trying to escape. Sploooooosh....then it gets really dark, and really weird. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

  • DeadVikes
    Joined:
    Where's Bolo?

    Have not seen a post from Bolo in a long time. Maybe concides with this release and the defective CDs?

  • Trainwrecked
    Joined:
    It's your incessant complaining Sam

    Lol, no I don't work for Rhino. But that's telling, that you think a rhino employee would talk to a customer like that. It just shows how out of touch you are, and belligerent toward the system. The reason I posted my comment is because you are a drag. If it were one time that would be one thing, but you complain about everything, all the time, multiple times. That's reason number one that I posted. You are a buzz kill.

    Reason number two is that I don't want you to f*** it up for those of us who don't think that the occasional exchanging of discs is worth sandbagging the organization that brings us all of this great music. It has never taken me more than an email thread to resolve a product defect. I'm talking mere minutes. You on the other hand make it sound like they're pulling your fingernails out, repeatedly, about the same damn thing. I consider myself a stakeholder and you drive down the stock every time you shoot off your loud mouth. So no need to guess about my motives, you have them right here.

  • icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    Caveat emptor

    Included on Dick’s Picks to let you know that they weren’t studio recordings and the tapes might not be in the best condition.
    Probably should have used it on the PNW Box to warn that Wall of Sound shows often start with fiddling of the controls to get it just exactly perfect. Seems that a lot of people think they have defective discs because the vocals drop out.

    Now disc skipping, that’s a legitimate defect.

    A new caveat emptor is now needed to warn that your CDs might contain skips.
    My replacements of DaP28 CD3 are supposedly in transit but, based on the post from Judysparty, I’m wondering about the quality of the redo. If it still skips on Let It Grow then that would suggest that the negative used for pressing is defective and wasn’t replaced.
    At this point I wonder if they even still physically stamp a blank, or if they just bought a couple hundred duplicators and now just burn discs.

    My past defects:
    5-5-77 CD2
    8-24-72 CD3

    Golden Road and Beyond Description Boxes (I didn’t try to get replacements):
    Skull Fuck, Dead Set, and another that I don’t remember at this moment.

    And a weird one with Road Trips v1n2+bonus where it plays fine on the stereo but has many skips when copied to a hard drive. I used two different computers and burners and both copies had skips and dropouts, but in different places. After making 5 copies I was able to piece together the good fragments and get a copy on my music player.

    Rockin’ the Rhein:
    CD3 was missing.

    Other people have reported other problems over the years that I never experienced. But, it seems that the frequency and overall number of defects is increasing.
    That’s not a good sign.

    I forgot who said it below, the box cutter blues may have been annoying, but at least the CDs were not defective.

  • unkle sam
    Joined:
    trainwrecked

    I was acknowledging a previous post and I also have been buying literally hundreds of discs and I can only go by what has transpired in the past with what is transpiring now. So, you do what you want to, no one told you to do anything that you don't want to do. You go ahead and blindly purchase your product and I will wait till the reviews come in and we will see who is the happier for it. I guess you have all the time in the world to chase defective disc replacements, I do not. I agree with you that most problems are corrected and Marye is the best person for getting that done. I also agree that you have every right to disagree with what I said, but your tone is rather harsh, do you work for rhino? I know in the past there were no problems with disc, then, all of a sudden, there are, what would you contribute that to? I never mentioned Mexico or inflated costs so where that came from is anybody's guess, I did state that I missed the good old days when Grateful Dead products were made in the USA, yes, and that is true, I do miss those days, but don't try and put words into the conversation that I never said. Also, if you don't think that rhino is making a rather substantial profit from these sales, than you are delusional. Finally, I stated that I would gladly pay more for a quality product, so no one was bitching about the cost, again, you jumped to your own conclusion which is way off base and just, well, wrong. I stand by what I said and if you don't like it, oh well, some folks just can't connect the dots as you put it. I do know one thing, I don't care what you think about my outlook or my grasp of reality, which, by the way, is your opinion, which is wrong again. I don't follow the limited 2 per order comment, but you started to ramble then and the rest is gibberish. I can tell by your demeanor that something I said pissed you off, might it have been the wall/bridge comment? Anyway, something I said upset you and for that I say sorry, but I call them like I see them. 2019 is going to be a great year for me, and my outlook is nothing but positive, and based in a brighter reality than you seem to have and I will continue to speak my mind even if you try and tear me down, "bro"

  • Trainwrecked
    Joined:
    Yawn, give it a rest Sam

    You assume too much. Like for example, how do you know that the problem stems from the discs being made in Mexico is the reason there is a problem? You don't know that making them in the USA will solve anything. And how do you know that the defective disc issue resulted from a move to increase profit at Rhino (and NOT a move to prevent cost increase to the buyer?)

    I've purchased literally hundreds, probably over a thousand Grateful Dead discs from Rhino at this point, and have had very few problems. The problems I have had in the past have been resolved by either Customer Support, marye, or Dr. Rhino.

    Go ahead and cut off your nose to spite your face if you want, but I for one, recognize how fucking good we have it, to be able to purchase all of this music at normal prices. And the prices are normal, you just have to buy in bulk to make the system work. So don't bitch about their profit or what you're paying either.

    You see that sign that says "Limited 2 copies per order?" That's Rhino listening to the people, so get that straight in your head too bro.

    You'd be a much happier person with a more positive outlook, not to mention one that is better set in reality, because you do connect a lot of dots on assumption. Maybe 2019 will be a better one for you.

  • Strider 808808
    Joined:
    1/2/70, 12/31/81

    January 2, 1970, Fillmore East was my first Grateful Dead concert. 49 years ago today. I remember it quite clearly. How much tickets cost ($4.50, $5.50), where our seats were, the light show, the opening bands, thus spake zarathustra, the scene on the street. "If I told you all that went down it would burn off both your ears". 12/31/81 was my first New Years Eve Dead concert. Wild times. Thank you Ken Kesey. As for the quote "If you remember the 60s you weren't there", is inaccurate and misleading. And I love Robin Williams and Grace Slick. As for defective discs, some of you remember the 1972 Rolling Stone interview with Jerry Garcia when he talked about defective Skull and Roses vinyl that skipped and how it pissed him off. The Dead have always stood for high quality. Get it together Rhino. Happy New Years.

  • marye
    Joined:
    12/31/81
    Was my second NYE, the first one I had any idea what was going on (first show 12/31/80), and it was and is one of my all time favorites.
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8 years 2 months

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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In reply to by Lovemygirl

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I too have the disc 3 skip. Not used to having to deal with a replacement disc issue.
Anyone have the Dr. Rhino email address handy? Thanks.

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In reply to by Lovemygirl

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..arrived today, and I've just been listening to the first 7 tracks on cd1. So far so good, although, I have a slight feeling of trepidation, which will increase as I get closer the dreaded 3rd cd. The music sounds great, though-lovely mix with Keith' contribution very evident and enjoyable.
The music is quite a contrast to the sturm und drang of live King Crimson cds I have been overdosing on of late. As different, in musical terms as day is from night.
Incidentally, on the cellophane wrapper, I noticed a statement that the discs were "Made in Mexico". Maybe they have been for a while, but its the first time this has been drawn to my attention on a release.

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In reply to by MrHeartbreak

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I think you can pm marye, too. And then, she will forward the requests to Dr. Rhino. I don't know if she's collecting them, or forwarding them real-time. But, I'm supposedly in the queue for a replacement. I let her know over the weekend. Anyone know what the standard defect rate is vs. these? I hope it's not getting worse!

Thanks to all who did the service of mentioning their skips early so we could all check it out!

Recent listens:
Joaquin Rodrigo Fantasia
RT 4.5
MSG 10-15-94
DP 23 Disc 3
9-13-87 set I

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so sorry, but yeah, send me a PM
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Look perfect but only a listen will tell if it is a fully functioning product. Again the "Made in Mexico" warning rears its ugly head. Although I have nothing but disdain for your orange president, I have to admit that he does have a valid point when he says that US production should be brought back to the US. Maybe he should send Rhino a similar ultimatum to the one he sent to Ford.

I am looking forward to hearing this and sincerely hope that all discs play as they should.

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10 years 8 months

In reply to by marye

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I too have also received a defective disc 3, lots of tiny dots in the middle of the discs optical surface, it skips briefly during Let It Grow.

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10 years 3 months

In reply to by Sydney Prentice

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Yes, skips briefly on my 3rd cd too, during "Let it Grow"-round about the 1minute 45 second mark. The first cd also sticks towards the end of the first cd, during "Promised Land". Shame-superb release. 1976 shows are always (usually) better than I am expecting them to be-and this has to be one of the best.

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Thats a really good thing mate. Like a historical event itself.

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In reply to by dexterbrown

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Marye -

Getting same skips as everyone else - esp. Disc 3 at the 1:40 minute mark (Let it Grow). Small skips on Disc 1 too. I tried on 4 CD players and 3 PCs and skips on all of them.

Had similar problems with Pacific Northwest ’73-’74 release - they sent me 3 replacement discs and all of them skipped so they finally refunded me the money.

What the heck is going on with your manufacturer??? I noticed that the CD are made in Mexico - wonderful.

... good morning my brothers & sisters, I’m loving and been loving the lastest Daves Pick #28 since it’s release date. 1976 - 6/17/76 - Summer Time Good ol’ Grateful Dead - primo recording / audio ... besides the faulty CDs that seem to surround this release , I’m quit certain DR RHINO and the Dead.net Team can and will bring this error to a fix! , this Daves Pick is PRIMO in all aspects of a excellent performance and packaging product.
The Grateful Dead still shine through the clouds after all these years. Let the Sun Shine in my brothers & sisters! ...Listen to this part of the performance, Primo Dead... Looks Like Rain’, ‘ RowJimmy’ ,’The music Never Stopped’, ‘Scarlet Begonias’ and ending with ‘Promised Land’!!!
This is a special release and I’m grateful Dave and company shared it with the Fans. Rock on Deadheads :)

Yep, mine does too... It is the third disc, but only skips on High Time. Also noticeable blemish/smudge on the outer edge if the disc. I emailed the good doctor around Halloween and was told a replacement is on the way...However i have read here that others had to fill out some type of form to process this, I was not asked to or given one...Should i be worried?

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first appeared on Dave's 20. Is there a way to research how much rhino could be saving by not having these discs made in America? How much could it be and is it worth having to replace multiple badly pressed discs? Does rhino really not care about customer service or putting out the best possible merchandise that can be made?
Remember back in the day when all Grateful Dead products were proudly made in the USA? It really wasn't that long ago was it?
I have several Dave's picks that have not been opened, should I be worried? What if when they are opened and if they contain flaws will I have a path to replacements?
I never thought I would ever have to think about these things, but with all this talk of faulty discs, it sure does make one think.

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In reply to by deadtony

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OK...here goes. I recently moved across the country and had my mail forwarded. So far everything of any importance has made it's way east to my new domicile. Not so with Dave's 28. It has been returned to sender. I have contacted "customer service" and informed them of the details of my delima,including my new mailing address.
The response? "Uhhhh...we're sorry but you're stuff has already been readdressed(to the old PO Box,not the new address) and not even shipped out yet,but we can't change anything so if you don't get it this time we'll just refund your money."
So as a loyal customer & loyal subscriber you folks are basically telling me you are not willing to send me something I've already paid for?
Probably had defects anyway from what I can gather with the comments. On the heels of a goofed-up PNW '73~'74 Box that I still have had no satisfaction with. Customer service my ass.
I already regret sending hard earned $ for the 2019 sub. Will you honor that subscription or just wing it with no concern for your loyal fans.

Jeez...I don't know whats going on over there between you & Rhino but it ain't good.
A very befuddled ex customer.
:o(

I'm not finding it that easy to send a personal message. I thought I had sent one to marye this morning, explaining about the faulty discs 1 and 3. But I've just checked to see if I've had a reply, and it seems I just sent the message to myself. Anyone know what I am doing wrong? Everything, by the looks of things!

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when you say they refunded you your money on the PNW skipping discs, was the refund for the entire box? a percentage of the box? just interested in how rhino is handling these problems and what you had to do to get replacements. Since my dissatisfaction with 10 discs in the E72 box, the subsequent 1 year wait for replacements and my very vocal statements on quality from Rhino, I have received with every purchase since a "return label" that states I must enter a quantity in the RTN QTY box and select one of the return reason code numbers in the RTN CODE box next to each of the items I am returning. Did you have to send back your faulty discs? It also states that I am responsible for all return shipping costs and original shipping and handling fees are non refundable. Did you get one of these forms with your purchase? Did you fill out this form and return it with your faulty discs? How much was the shipping costs if you did return discs? Am I being singled out with these labels? Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks for any information that you can pass on to us all.

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In reply to by daverock

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this also happened to me, I tried to send a pm and it just went back to me. Who knows what's up with that, it's a right wing conspiracy I tell ya. ;)

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16 years 2 months

In reply to by unkle sam

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I just sent Marye a message and you must type in her name under members or it won't get to her, I think.

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7 years 9 months

In reply to by unkle sam

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The format of Personal Messages has changed. There are five fields: Created, From, Subject, Member(s) and View. When you send a PM to someone, it shows up in your inbox, but the From is from you.. if I were to send you a message right after that.. it would show up in your Inbox, but it would be from me (MDJim).

My guess is you did send it to MaryE, but it shows up in your inbox from you and the members are you and MaryE. Am I correct in how this is showing?

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In reply to by MDJim

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Yes, you are correct Jim, it shows my name and maryes' and I hope she got it, I will await a reply and see if it did. Thanks for your input and all clarifications.

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Unk:
When my GDM shipments arrive the same form is in my package. As I have never asked for replacements, I think the form goes with all packages and is not directed towards specific customers.
Now that I have had skips in my last two GDM products (one bought via Amazon), I think I will be contacting MaryE/DrRhino on future problems!

JFR68:
I have read for years on these threads about the propensity of this organization to completely fuck up accomodating address changes that have been submitted by customers. My 2019 DaP sub was placed with a new "ship to" address since I am moving in Jan/Feb. I am thinking I may never see any of my DaP2019 sub!

MaryE:
Had to log out of Dead.net day before yesterday due to computer sluggishness. Had been leaving computer awake and logged in to Dead.net to avoid having to do the via-email login procedure. Doing so eventually rendered my browser (FireFox on a Macbook) too sluggish to use calmly. Logging in today required the via-email process, despite my now having created and supposedly saved three differerent passwords!

Can anyone FIX Dead.net/GDM? Will anyone?

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thanks for the response, good to know that I am not the only one who has received the return form. I have read that many have gotten replacements in the past, did they have to return their discs? how much did it cost to do so if they did? what good is a faulty skipping disc to rhino and why would they want it back? just to make sure that I'm not lying? Hey Rhino, the customer is ALWAYS right. period.

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12 years 1 month

In reply to by unkle sam

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So far they really do suck.

First I can't seem to delete?

But worst, is the way it shows "conversations", if I PM something to "A", when "A" replies, it's not under the same "slot", instead I get another slot. So my PM page is filled with back and forth, but each slot holds running talk. Like it sent the pm but didn't condense down the replies.

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In reply to by unkle sam

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Unkle Sam -

I bought the Pacific NW 3 disc set and after Marye and Dr. Rhino got involved and I tried multiple replacement discs I was refunded for the full amount. I went and bought the digital version and made CDs.

I've had some success on past Mexican Skipping CDs (not to be confused with Mexican Jumping Beans) that if I try copying the bad disc to another blank CD (via PC or I have a high speed CD burner) that the burned CD works fine with no skips. Maybe the "Made in Mexico" CDs are poor quality and not their CD pressing plant. NAFTA at it's finest.

**

I sent dead@wmgcustomerservice & Dr. Rhino an email telling them about my skipping discs on Dave's Picks #28 and got this reply email:

Thank you for your email.
Due to a high-volume of email traffic, I will respond to your email within 5 business days.
If you have a media and/or promotional inquiry, please contact:
http://media.rhino.com/contact
I am very sorry for the delay and thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Dr. Rhino

So looks like we wait for them to figure this out.

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10 years 3 months

In reply to by unkle sam

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Thanks for the feedback on sending pms. I have just sent another one to marye, and this time her name and my own appears under the members heading. The one I sent this morning just listed me under the members heading. Anyway-hopefully she will receive it. What a hassle!

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In many ways 1971 is really the standout year. The year everything came together, live; tight arrangements, great interplay, the acid-y vibe still playing a strong card over and over... shades of the two worlds, old vs. new Dead, gelling.

Transformative.

It sure as hell is different around here, on these message boards... the frequent, witty banter, horrible bitching and just general folksy interplay has been largely absent, replaced by "engineer speak," prattling on about the whys and hows of defective, product, yadda yadda.

I'll stick around, for awhile. We'll see where it goes.

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In reply to by LedDed

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I'd say 1966-1974 was the standout year. Every phase relating to the other to form a composite whole. A different mind set seems apparent after 1975, but there were still many, many great shows. As evidenced by Dave's Picks 28.

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Just played this straight through. Good news is that all discs played faultlessly and skip-free. I enjoy the laid-back pace of '76 shows - reminds me of the pace of JGB shows. This is a top-notch show well worthy of release. I prefer '60s versions of "Dancing in the street" but that is just a personal preference and certainly doesn't detract from the quality of this show.

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In reply to by LedDed

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I know right, god forbid we bitch about a product we can't listen to , of all the nerve...

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10 years 6 months
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Maybe part of the problem is that the supposed "Comments" forums for official releases have become the first/last resort for folks with shipment and product problems.

Lots of people are having trouble confirming if they have a problem and, if so, how to go about getting them corrected. Sounds like Customer Service is taking care of folks, but they're also up to their ears and sluggish right now. SUGGESTION: Why not create a "Make it Just Exactly Perfect" forum dedicated to customers needing to discuss defective orders? Then each release's Comments pages could get back to focusing on commentary related to the Dead and their Music.

[I didn't have to play Whack-a-Recaptcha-Mole in order to preview or post this comment! That's progress!]

Maybe it's because I remember Dead.net when they had better phone customer service - now their "Contact Us" will only take orders via phone - but won't help with customer service ("How do I contact customer service for the Dead.Net Store - Unfortunately we are unable to assist via phone.") - essentially they will take your money but don't care if you have a problem (sounds like a Dead song).

I feel like I did something wrong if the CD or product I bought has a problem when I have to contact Dead@wmgcustomerservice.com, Dr. Rhino, or Marye. Ever since Rhino Records was bought out by Warner Music Group the quality of customer service has gone in the toilet compared to what it once was 30, 20, or 10 years ago.

Thankfully Marye is online on Dead.net and Dr. Rhino is available via email - they are extremely helpful.

Thanks for the heads up about the 50th anniversary release. I was going to get this just for the live show, but I'm having second thoughts now. I think I'll spring for the new Mott the Hoople box set, though. But maybe you really did need to "be there" to make that a worthwhile purchase.
Back to Hendrix-I did get a couple of superb studio outtakes cds earlier this year released on Dagger records. " Morning Symphony Ideas" and "Burning Desire". Mainly instrumental recordings with Buddy Miles and Billy Cox from 1969-1970. They have been out a while-but if you like late period Hendrix they are worth checking out.

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Widely panned, I had to check this out. It's not bad! Starting off slow and with a few missteps toward the close (C'mon - the Dead never did Beatles songs worth a shit), this is actually a well-recorded good listen. I think sometimes the mythology that builds up around these things supersedes the truth.

Having heard all the latest releases multiple times now, I went in search of new listens. The other day I took my change jar into a Coinstar machine and got over $100 which I parlayed into an amazon giftcard (no fees, "free" from Coinstar). I used that to pick up a bunch of cheap-ass, multi-disc radio broadcasts. I've always been a fan of throwing a few dollars at a broadcast cd to see if it's worth it's weight, and they usually are. They don't sound like a D's Picks, but, what the hell, if the show is officially unreleased I'm excited to have it.

Then I listened to 7/9/95 again. Jerry isn't very present musically, but he has a few little fretboard runs left in him, and he sings so heartfelt and plaintively on the ballads. This tour was plagued by bad karma and has long been dissed, but like a band of brothers those guys held together pretty tight and even without much Jerry, this is not a bad listen.

I've been Googling "worst Dead show ever," out of curiosity, and listening to some of those. Nothing is really that terrible. Even when off, this band was always interesting, and the not-just-exactly-perfectness is one of the things I find most endearing. Some women won't leave the house without makeup. The Grateful Dead were not that girl.

....about that. A running inside joke to some. To others, it's a shitshow. I give it a solid C-. Only because it's not very good. The Boyz do get a participation award from me though. Btw. The all caps in the posters name and titles triggers my OCD. Yay!!

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One show I recall really enjoying (being there) is more or less panned by ..well.. by everyone. Harrisburg Pa 83. I think it's so widely abhorred because it was a B show and no good recordings circulate (poor aud's only, which really does make a difference).. so it went down in history as quite the stinker. I think I enjoyed it because the scene was a trip.. and I recall eating some good mushrooms which took effect on the long walk to the show. It took place in what seemed to be a high school football stadium type of place with (almost) the 3 mile island power plant in the distance just four years after the near nuclear disaster.. lots of room not claustrophobic at all. I loved Jerry's emotional outburst in I Know You Rider plus there was a nice Spanish Jam and the 3 Mile Island Nuclear Jam (space). Sort of a stinker with some moments. So that's my Boreal Ridge story and I had quite the good time.. no regrets.

71 a pivotal year? Sure.. lots of folks here agree including the good doctor. It was a big year for me early on because so many of those old FM broadcasts circulated. Additionally there was Skullfuck, one of the quintessentially great live albums of all time. The Going Down the Road (including the transition) is etched into my frontal lobe not to mention the other high points including the great Other One. But I really like 1970 and 1972. A lot.

I do find myself agreeing with DaveRock.. I put late 67 through October 74 in the same jug which I drink freely from whenever I can. It's really a sweet spot not taking anything from the later years which I also love. So why the long winded build up? I don't think we can have 71 without 70, 70 without 69 and 89 builds on what came before it as well. With the Grateful Dead, I don't think any year can exist without the year prior and the year after.

The Swing is next and it really got me thinking.. This is one of the truly great shows and about to get a Full Norman. It's no mistake that we get this as they expand the run size by 2k copies. With the return of the Betty Boards I think they have the next 20 or so years pretty planned out. They are going to give us the great shows presented pretty much side by side with any and all other releasable shows until they run out. I expect Dave will save just enough mindbenders to last to the end gently dispersed and mixed with the quality of shows close to what we have seen for the last six years.

So as we ride out 2018 into the New Year and beyond.. I am at peace with what they are releasing. If only they could fix the quality control and outsourcing issues.. but perhaps that's a topic for another day. Have a great weekend all..

I went to 6/18/95 (which includes the infamous wharf rat). It was not my last show (that would come a couple weeks later in Pittsburgh) and while I clearly remember thinking that Jerry was in rougher shape than even the last time I saw him earlier that year, and that the band needed a big time break, I still had a blast with my friends and (extended) family.

I'd rather be at the worst dead show than anywhere else in the world.

Partial video
https://youtu.be/dC6N-gfR0ZI

My Boreal Story:
Looks like a crappy ski resort.
But behind it is Sugar Bowl which has some really nice terrain.

My panned show:
7-2-95

7-8-95 doesn’t get a lot of love either, but I got my only Visions there and that was worth the $35 ticket.

Subscription:
Early bird didn’t sell out, yet people will still complain about being shut out on the ala carte.
I considered ordering a second early bird as a back up against defective discs. But then I received my 2 copies of DaP 28 (oredered an ala carte to give as a gift) and both copies had a defective CD3. So I abandoned the idea of ordering 2 copies of defective Dave’s 2019 CDs.

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People’s names are only capitalized when I am logged in.

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I didn’t have to do reCAPTCHA on the second post. It remembered me from the first post.

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That would be if you didn't have to jump through the reCAPTCHA hoops at all.

Yes, you are right-all the years connect with each other, right up to the last shows they played. Late 1967-1974 are just my favourite years, but the same principle of continuity is evident throughout their career. There can't be many people who favour 1990s shows who don't at the very least have knowledge and appreciation of the music and the context in which it was played during the 1960s. In fact, maybe it would be impossible to really enjoy 90s shows without this prior knowledge and appreciation.

I listen to all the years.
Each year is listened to in context of what came before and the foundation that was built.
Seeing shows from 89-95 was totally with an understanding that those weren’t the golden years of the band, but that I was still witnessing an amazing band with an amazing history, and those shows were still better than any other band I had seen or heard.
And in between shows I had cassette tapes of the older shows, which reinforced that fact that I needed to keep going to shows during the later years. Because those shows were still a lot of fun, and that band was still really amazing.

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Imagine my surprise, I bet you were too, when I took out the booklet on this release and discovered a new format, probably due to the content.
Cool articles and photos.
One note of interest, the assertion that the band would be releasing a live album soon from the upcoming tour of Australia, Japan, New Zealand. What happened to this tour? Cause as we know the next live album was from the 1980 Warfield/Radio City shows.

That pretty much sums up my attitude and position when I saw the band in 1981 and 1990. Also, knowing how songs developed adds to the interest of earlier, less developed versions. Listening to a "Playing In The Band" from 1971, for example, is enhanced knowing how that song would develop during 1972 and beyond. Many others examples exist where themes crop up in jams that are later developed, and its great to hear those ideas in their formative, less well developed stages, with the hindsight of knowing how they would mature. So the continuity angles works in reverse, too.

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Not to be obvious, but the all-music (cd) version of the 80-disc 30 Trips box is back onsale here for under $700. Look under "box sets." They must have unearthed a few stray cartons in the warehouse, or they were expiring. I have visions of the last scene in "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" imagining what's in Warner's vault. If you missed out the first time like I did and are on the fence, pull the trigger. A must-have if you can, endless hours of pure listening bliss. And what a fascinating historical audiodoc, a show a year from the most profound live band ever.

The biggest kick in the pants for me has been digging the later-era shows. I had my head in the sand for ever, focusing 95% on Ron/Keith-era Dead. Now that I'm more open to 80s and 90s shows, it's all new again. What a blast.

To concur, I hear what's left of golden-era songs in what they have morphed into in the late 80s/90s. Jerry's lead lines, for instance - he can only string together a weak phrase or three at a time, but now and then a lick from the early seventies will kind of reveal itself... in listening to 1971, you hear the seeds of what will be. As was just posted.

In 1993, 95, I'm hearing the ghost of what once was... like an archaeological dig. Bittersweet, fascinating.

\m/

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