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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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  • icecrmcnkd
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    DaP 28 defects

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Dennis
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    Idiot Wind

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

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

  • Mr. Jack Straw
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    Just completed my first…

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

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

    Bring on the Swing.

  • muleskinner_blues
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    Mary

    Yes! I love the Idiot Winds.

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

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

  • muleskinner_blues
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    Dennis

    Got it, just sent you one back.

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

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

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

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

    This is a test .…..

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

    Still waiting for my copy of More Blood.

  • Gratefulhan
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    Dave's 28

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

  • Gratefulhan
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    10-31-91

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Listening to it sequentially is like eating an IBM machine.. it took me six months to fully digest it.

It gets mixed reviews, probably deservedly.. there are a few tent pole shows that make the whole thing worthwhile, and many absolutely killer shows that come in just under that bar. There are a few that might not be mandatory revisits, and the project created a precident where patches and cuts made their way into official releases which many were not used to. But once you get that behind you, it's the off the radar shows that seal the deal. 84, 87, 91, 85 and the later era shows come to mind (I think I left out some highlights..it's late). Even 86 has wind beneath it's sails.

I don't know if its a must have, but I still drink from that well regularly and still find surprises and new areas to explore. Expensive? Yes, but simply because there is so much there.. the per disc/ per show price is the same as it ever was.

Edit: I think the sound, excluding the shows where the masters were subpar (the cassette master years), is very good.

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No regrets here, that box is among the highlights of my collection. As Jim noted, it does take a while to fully digest, but there is a ton of good stuff there. I have listened to the shows from '69-'75 the most, multiple times each, followed by '77, 82, and '87, but I have listened to almost all the shows a couple times or more. The '82 show is probably the worst recording quality in the box, but the show itself is strong enough that the sound quality is no too distracting once I adjust to it, and the '69 Dreambowl show is, in my mind, neck and neck with 2/27/69 Fillmore West show, the source of the classic Darkstar on Live Dead. I could go on, but suffice it to say, it is full of good stuff. Arthur Morgan would approve.

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In reply to by Charlie3

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Summer 85 isn't exactly a secret, but I agree with Jim and others...some nice gems in this box to be found from the 80s. The 85 show is one I go back to more often that I would have thought. Actually the shows from 82-87 in general have been played a lot in my house. All great stuff.

....yes. He probably would, but you know he would steal it, not pay for it. I know a few of you are playing Red Dead Redemption 2. Simply the most incredible video game i have ever put my hands on. Rockstar pulled out all the stops on this one. All my horses are named after Dead songs. Now if you excuse me, i need to go brush Supplication and feed him some apples.

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I suspected I was not the only one on these threads that might be digging that game. Definitely a game that elevates video games to something more than they have been in the past. That western vibe puts me in the mood for some of the Dead's cowboy tunes.

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the inspiration for me to write my first sci fi short story, I was only 11, and it wasn't very long, but I still remember how his super hero's lit up my imagination, what a story teller. I was and am a huge fan of all things Marvel, I still remember when I was a kid going to the store and pulling those new issues off of that turning wire rack, I couldn't wait for the next issue, they were only a dime. Where does the time go...via con dios Mr. Lee.

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....I discovered comics. Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk, and on and on. And that's just Marvel. Still have a dozen long boxes of them. I'm younger than Unkle Sam, so in my day they were a 20¢.... I knew this day would come. Doesn't make it hurt any less. Excelsior to you. The Hugh Hefner and Jerry Garcia of comics. Godspeed Stan. Thanos ain't got shit on you. 💪

I think Dave does the best job when not only the release fills you with joy, but inspires you to spend more time with additional shows from the era. This release does exactly that (at least for me). I've done nothing but listen to shows from 1976 for the past 2 weeks. Been mostly spending time with the June shows but also listened to the Cow Palace NYE show the other night. Man, what a great show. Cool setlist, cool and different vibe to a few of the songs, a PITB that stands the test of time...and then out of seemingly nowhere, a Morning Dew that blows the roof off of an otherwise chilled out show. thanks Dave for sending me down this rabbit hole

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Finally got hold of DaP28, looking forward to listening, not listened to much 76 compared to most years.

#23 has to be the lowest number I'll ever get (I care about the numbers more than most, no idea why since they're pretty meaningless!), so that was a nice surprise.

Can't wait for the new year of DaP and another box on the way!

Hope everyone's well!

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I noticed you didn't mention the 1978 show from 30 Trips. Possibly the most overlooked show from the box. It ranks very high against other '78 shows, IMHO. Contains the only officially released Mississippi Half-Step from that year (and a damn good version of it). 17 minute Let It Grow. Also one of the best standalone versions of this tune, top 3 in my book. Killer keyboard work from my compadre Keith on They Love Each Other. Very nice Cassidy and Brown-Eyed Women (check out Jerry's solo). And that's just the first set. Solid Samson & Delilah, which benefits more than most from the Wolf; and one of the top 3 or 4 Estimated Prophets (complete with extended early solo from Jerry - almost 2 minutes of pure bliss there). Anything in 1978 after April was hit or miss, and they definitely hit on this one. Oodles better than the two shows on DP 25, to my ears anyway.

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Speaking of top versions of Estimated Prophet, yesterday I listened to 11-13-87, and that one went straight to the top. If this version isn't in your top 3-4 give it a listen and let me know what you think.

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Thanks for the reminder, I'll have to go back and give that '78 show another listen soon. That 30 Trips box has a ton of great stuff, particularly that awesome '73 show you referenced on the DaP 2019 thread.

Honestly, since the 30 Trips Box came out, which was right after I finished picking up the Europe '72 shows, there have been so many great releases that I haven't fully digested all of them. I've listened to it all at least a couple of times, but I don't think that I fully absorbed the details and intricacy of each show. I'm on about the 3rd or 4th listen of the PNW Box, that has been my primary dead listening since it came out, sometimes I can't get enough of that '73-'74 sound.

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Is that an official release? Driving right now, limited hands.

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In reply to by KeithFan2112

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Keithfan...that show features my all time favorite Samson.

Also, if not mistaken, there is a really wild Around & Around. Really high energy show - definitely worth everyone's time.

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In reply to by Slow Dog Noodle

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No, not an official release..

I'd be surprised if VGuy wasn't there??? I will have to give that a listen too. If anyone wants it, (or anything else really that hasn't been released) send me a PM and we will figure out a way.

Free Phil stream tonight on Nugs.net. 8:00 PST.
http://nugs.tv/

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That is a cool profile picture.

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Thanks, took it a few days after seeing Dead and Co in Boulder last year, in canyonlands, trip of a lifetime. That second Boulder show was incredible start to finish. Apparently the one this year wasn't bad either. Great part of the world

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A tremendous picker and nice guy all around; at least one tune in common with Jerry: Magnificent Sanctuary Band

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In reply to by Cousins Of The…

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Oh man..

I can't say Country is my thing, after a few Me and My Uncles.. I need a break..

But I had a lot of respect for Roy Clark. He was a great guitarist.

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In reply to by MDJim

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yesterday's weather brought the NYC/NJ area to a standstill (thanks to poor planning...)

While I was stuck in the car however, I got some quality listening time in. I moved off my 76 phase and dove right into late fall 79. 11/5 & 12/1 were on my list yesterday. Man, I'd love to see more releases from this era (though the ones we have are pretty sweet).

Re country: also, not my thing, but I do love El Paso, mama tried, and big river in particular. MAMU was definitely done to death, but the versions from 1970 or so are pretty solid and always worth a listen...

To me, the year the Dead really got to grips with country , live, was 1971. The country songs, and country based songs they played at shows during 1969 and 1970 always sound a bit awkward to me. But in 1971, both in terms of singing and playing, the pieces all seemed to drop into place. And stayed there. Having said that, both Workingmans Dead and American Beauty are great albums. Its just that the songs on those albums didn't translate to the live arena straight away.

But I never really got into country music per se either. Not like I did with blues. When I realised that a lot of the music I liked was based on blues I started listening to as many real blues musicians-as opposed to rock musicians playing blues - as I could. This would be in the late 70s. Everything from the early 1920s onwards. For some reason, country music never captured my imagination in quite the same way.

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Not really a big country music fan, but some of it is essential. Johnny Cash for example has a number of classic songs, and really the entire Live At Folsom Prison album is essential in my view. Folsom Prison Blues is a masterpiece and the performance live at the prison is beyond compare, I can't play it too loud. And later on his take on Rusty Cage and Hurt Myself Today are just about perfect, especially his version of Hurt Myself Today which is haunting. And what about Boy Named Sue? Is there a song with a better story? Can you listen to that song and not feel something?

A turning point on my country music appreciation came when I was fiending on Grand Theft Auto V, cruising around listening to the in-game radio stations, and eventually listening through the country station playlist of classic country - Willie Nelson's Whiskey River is now etched in my brain. Willie's song Crazy is a classic, whether he performs it or whether it is Patsy Cline singing it. Definitely worth checking out some of the classic country music, can't really say anything about modern country as I haven't checked it out. Just my two cents on the country music topic.

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In reply to by Charlie3

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Yes-that is a great album. I used to love listening to that on the longish-long for England-drives cross country I used to do a few years back. I actually saw him live, too, round about 1987. I can remember he did "Big River" which I only knew as a Dead tune at the time. But he had a great voice. Whenever I hear a record by him, and he starts singing, I stop what I am doing, or thinking about, and tune in.

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In reply to by Charlie3

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I'm a big early Country fan(early Blues too); check out the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, the Delmore Brothers, Bob Wills, Tex Williams, Red Foley, Hank Williams, Roy Acuff, Sons of the Pioneers, Hank Penny, Merle Travis, and so many more.
In my opinion Johnny Cash's 50s Sun records are his best(I walk the Line, Hey Porter, etc.)
Whoever said 1971 was when the Dead started to sound good on C&W tunes was spot on.
By the way, I can't find the comments section for the PNW box...anyone else?

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What seems to work for me is picking the "Community" option top right. Then faced with a number of headed options, I go for "Dead products", bottom left. Hey presto, a list of topics under discussion appear. They seem to be in a random order, but all recent releases-Dave Picks, the 73/74 box, the new dvd/bu ray, the subscriptions are there if you scroll down.

The easiest way to get to them is to bookmark them the first time you visit.
To do that you can go to the Community page as Dave said, or on the store product page click on the comments button towards the bottom.

But why is this comment page formatted differently?
http://www.dead.net/30daysofdead/nov-17-2018

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If anyone is looking for this or any of this year's Dave's Picks, shoot me a PM. $25 plus shipping. The bonus disk is an additional $25.

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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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Ordered Oct ‘77 Road Trips from the Warner Music Store on Amazon and it came with the bonus disc.

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just testing to see if this pops 28 back to the top

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I go to this web page to find "comments"

http://www.dead.net/recent

they seem to be listed in "most recent comments" order.

Also on the capcha shit, I'm seeing more spam then on the last site.

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I went to the foundations' website and this show is no where to be found there. Sure looks good, early Tuna before they were Tuna, but still very hot. Gonna need to do some more research on this one quick. Thanks for the heads up Mr. Simonrob.

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Three old favorites and 4 new unnamed songs until this release, from 69. On sale for 15.00$ Pre Tuna, interesting name, but what would they call themselves back then? Post apocalyptic Airplane trio? Psychedelic Blue Seafood? Got any ideas?

Old, New Tuna? Very interesting indeed..

Happy Thanksgiving to all.. may your cup be full.

A special congrats to those affected in the Northeast.. I believe today marks the first day you can buy weed legally in the Eastern US as MA opened its first recreational dispensary. I honestly never thought I would see this in my lifetime. The times they are a changin'

I got in a nice revisit listen to DaP 28 yesterday, still sounds fresh. I put it in the same category as say Nashville 78 simply because the recording exceeded expectations and the show was solid. Not sure if it's the best Dave's Picks ever, but it's a solid release. Which reminds me.. we need more new music, that new car smell is beginning to fade.

Really enjoying the fall, but the bittersweet winds of Winter have arrived.. (darkness falls and seasons change). Hoping for a great winter..

Bring on the swing, happy holidays and blue cheer to all.

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In reply to by MDJim

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Funny you mention that - I go back to that show often. Great sound, great show. Maybe one of the better first sets in all of 1978. This is a pick that I can see going back to quite often as well. I love when we are surprised like this. Life is good...

Hope everyone has a great thanksgiving. Our dinner is fairly small (my family + 1 other family) so there isn't much drama, but there is a lot of wine. Good times all around.

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In reply to by 80sfan

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Finally obtained a copy of Dick's 33. Two unbelievably great shows from October of 1976. Recording and mix are top notch. Not quite as good as The Cow Palace show, but very close. Expensive but worth it.

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Like many '76s until 10/15, at first seems slow. But I got a good long undisturbed listen in twilight, loud, and man does this deliver. The (somewhat) slower pace on most songs gives Jerry a chance to really sing. Tennessee, Wharf Rat, Ship of Fools, TLEO, FOTD--all good. It's a chamber music era, the emphasis is on the melodic and harmonic dynamics, not the volume dynamics.

Thanks to all!!

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Still haven't received Dave's 28. Bummer

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Jim, I agree, today's historical day in Mass. is one I had long ago accepted as a pipe dream (pun, intended).

I recall watching the show 'Weeds' through to its conclusion, wherein it time jumps like 7 years into the future, and pot is legal. It was an interesting, winning end to the show, and I remember thinking how liberating that would really be. Amazing it has now come to fruition in my state of residence. Soon to follow will hopefully be enough dominoes to change this on the most basic of levels to the positive.

Also wanted to chime in a say Happy Thanksgiving to all, near and far. Be well.

Sixtus

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I have finally come around to the seemingly majority opinion that this refit of the website has led to the death of the community that I have been a part of these many years. Pretty bummed.

Part of the problem is clearly how difficult it is to find the discussion threads. Perhaps we all agree to follow one of the threads on the community page - maybe we could collectively decide to park ourselves on one of the permanent forum pages... I don't know. I do know that checking this site has become less and less of a daily thing for me, and that makes me sad. What the hell am I supposed to do at work now?

Peace

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