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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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  • flounderfe
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    80% Solution?
    Honestly, if you have 6/9/76 from the Road Trip Series...you have 80% of this show already. Seriously, compare the set lists. I was really hoping for 1991 (8/16, 9/26 or 10/31). I guess I can chalk this up to yet another miss. I have yet to get one correct. Cool art work as usual, on a positive note.
  • kevjones
    Joined:
    Playin' from 11/15/72
    Soaked in this Playin' from OK City this afternoon. It was pretty cool, I thought I picked up on a little "Caution-like" jam towards the end, also heard Jerry toying around with a Slipknot! type melody and even a few chords that sounded like the intro to Terrapin. Jerry also toys with a weird UJB tease before they go back to the reprise. It's amazing the little things you can dissect when listening intently
  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    Quoting said William & Mary's Supplication....
    ...."a little bolt of inspiration". 1976 is AOK in my book.In regards to the boyz and girl finding their footing in '76, that's part of the magic. I've noticed that during '76 Playin's, Jerry seems to play a couple of octaves higher than other years. Going down tight on the fretboard. Personally, my household is stoked for this Pick.
  • Mr. Jack Straw
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    This pick
    I'm among the unenthusiastic. I'm open to my mind being changed, however. 1976 is my least favorite year from 1967-1980, and June is probably my least favorite month. They sound like they're still searching for their footing.. I've always really disliked DL 4 (6/18/76), if only because Garcia is nearly inaudible on the entire show (it does pick up in the second set). June 1976 is really hit or miss for me. I enjoy 6.9 and selections from the Boston shows, and I do like 6.29 as well, but there's not much from 6/17-6/28 that's ever intrigued me. I haven't listened to anything from this run in a VERY long time, so last night I dug out 6/19. Let's just say my opinion is unchanged after the listen. I've changed my mind about shows before, so I'll give this one a few listens. And I'm happy for everyone else who is psyched for this. I do agree with those (admittedly few) who have voiced their disappointment in the 2018 Dave's Picks. I suppose it was a bit handicapped by the Pacific Northwest set that prevented prime years of 1973-1974 from being considered for a selection. Right now, my personal tastes are decidedly narrow, and I really want to see more from 1968-1970 as well as Fall '72 and ALL of 1973. 1971, 1974, 1977, and 1978 have been mined pretty exhaustively, and unless they pick 11/7/71, 12/15/71, 2/23/74, 6/23/74, 2/26/77, or 10/29/77, I'd be satisfied not seeing anything from those years for a LONG time. An inspired Brent pick would also have been more welcome than this one. Sorry if I offended anyone with my negative outlook on this pick...just my personal tastes.
  • Vguy72
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    Snow in Denver this early....
    ....Is great news for us states further down the Colorado River. Just finished watching the Dolphins win in OT vs Chicago. What a game. Busting out Dave's Picks 4 now. And to those that call '76 too slow (including me on occasion), check out the Playin'->Supplication->Playin' and the Slipknot! if you have it.
  • hendrixfreak
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    6-19-76 was a hot show
    Pretty sure I was at the third night, which started with the "new" Help on the Way medley, not the 17th when that medley opened the second set. Ticket stubs are long gone. A friend had scored something like 6th/7th row tickets in the center, the closest I think I ever got in maybe 75 shows -- close enough that the backline amps were louder than the side PA and crackling with electricity. It was loud that close up. Looking back, the Help medley provided some peak excitement as it was new and mesmerizing. We were keyed up to see the band, after a drought after an October '73 show -- no GD in '74 (I was on the road, hitchhiking coast-to-coast, turned 17 on the road) or '75. And this was the third night in a three-night stand, which offered the band a chance to settle in. I remember at the time the newly crafted harmonies and often slower pace, but loved the new material, which included Lazy>Supplication and plenty of other rocking material such as Might as Well. I have never really enjoyed the disco Dancin' in the Streets, though some jam out quite nicely. Generally, in this day far removed from the actual proceedings, I don't care for '76 GD, at least compared to other eras that really deliver for me today in the era of just listening to the tapes. The question for me is whether this particular show will stand up as a recording vs. the event itself -- the perennial question when a show I attended is released from the vault. Englishtown seemed to match up with my experience and the two '78 Red Rock shows produced some mild flashbacks -- more accurately, moments of genuine memory, sans the hallucinations. And this show is not the one I attended, so who knows? I'm genuinely interested to hear how this sounds and if it seems a break from other '76 shows that I find a tad too slow to embrace. I believe the 19th is release-worthy as well. As it's '76, I have little doubt that this was a returned tape and will bear the ABCD Enterprise mark. Just musing on a snowy Sunday in Denver. Cheers all!
  • KeithFan2112
    Joined:
    Digging it All
    Lot of interesting comments. Simonrob, I believe there's plenty left in Vault. PNW has some of the best sounding stuff the've released from '74 yet, as well as some kick ass material from '73. Everyone's done plenty analysis on the quality of the material. I think it's a winner, and a sign there is no lack of content. I have not heard 6/17/76, so I would say, as long as the audio is in the neighborhood of Road Trips 4.5 or DaP 18, we're just fine. I saw some comments about 6/18/76 having a better set list. Hmmm. I like my Cold Rains & Snows and my Help / Slip / Franklin's. Looks like a cool Let It Grow in there. Also a Scarlet. Music Never Stopped, Cassidy, and Wharf Rat. They had me at Help / Slip / Franklin. Jimbo - I think you laid it out as accurate as can be, based on our info, and the future's looking bright. Jeff Smith - thanks for the artwork once again. I see we have our first Dead Bear on a Dave's Picks - I was wondering why those little fellas hadn't made an appearance!
  • JeffSmith
    Joined:
    Early Cover Art for a Change
    Here’s a link to a crisp image of Dave’s 28’s cover art. Thanks to one of our fellow travelers who forwarded it to me with a note: “From Twitter. Should save us all some work. Enjoy!” https://www.dropbox.com/s/jbpnnvvddfh6l3c/Dave%27s%2027%20Cover%20-%20B… Looks like the square “Booklet Crop”. Plus it’s a pre-print version without the printer's half-tone haze to deal with! Wish TPTB could/would include links to quality artwork like this on the deaddotnet page for each release. It seems like at one time they did. . . Won’t get into the personal preference discussion about 28’s cover art, except to say the facial hair’s gone in the slack-jaws in the foreground. At first I thought that guy on the right in the ’76 tank top was lighting farts, but now I’m not sure exactly what the turquoise ameboid is – there's gotta be a story about some legendary blotter that circulated that night. . . I will say that I really am liking Vicker’s Pacific Northwest artwork – it reinforces Nick Meriwether’s observations in the PNW book about how locale and geography could influence the GD’s music and state(s) of mind. The art definitely imbues the box, digipaks and music with an unmistakable “sense of place”. Onward!
  • twoswans
    Joined:
    SLOW is GOOD!!!
    I’m listening to Vol. 4 of the Download series right now and I find the slower tempo to these songs to be really nice. No ones in a hurry and there is a sense that everyone is sharing the space. Dave’s Pick 27 was the exact opposite. The band played almost the entire show at warp speed as if large amounts of cocaine was consuming everybody. Nice set list on #27 but I just couldn’t hear any soul in it. With the exception of the last song. At least 76 was more relaxed and they all seem to be really listening to each other. As Billy mentioned in his autobiography, cocaine doesn’t make great music.
  • daverock
    Joined:
    9/28/72 Stanley Theater
    Talking of Fall 1972, one of the interesting things about collecting tapes in the late 1980s was that I didn't know which shows were regarded as classics, so my enjoyment wasn't prejudiced by general opinion. For the first few years of collecting-say from 1987-1993-this show, 9/28/72, was my favourite-well, second favourite after Binghamton 1970. But it doesn't seem to get mentioned much in terms of being a great show. I haven't heard it myself for many years-but if memory serves me well, it would be great if this one turned up as a future release. Any release from this timespan would be great.
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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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In reply to by Sixtus_

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First double post in a while.. '77 Swing, FE 1/2/1970. Wowwy.

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In reply to by MDJim

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Pass the whiskey round

10.27.79

Dancin'

Dancin'

In the streets ~

Roll Away

The Dew ~

Won't you tell everybody you meet

The Candymans in town ~

You Better

Roll Away

The Dew

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Hi all! Just seeing that there is talk of 1/2/70 being Dave's 30. Did I miss the announcement somehow? Will it be both shows? Guess I'll poke around the site a bit.

If that's true, I'm a happy guy... good to have another Dark Star in the collection. Still waiting on that Shakedown tho...

Changed my avatar for the new site, though I do miss the rainbow boot. Perhaps I'll switch back someday.

Peace

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In reply to by Thats_Otis

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6/30/85 Merriweather Post would be a nice one... Great Shakedown, fun show, 3rd of 5 late era Crypticals. The recording is pretty good by 85 standards. Vocals are a little rough in spots, but.. one of the better shakedowns.

Cycled through a two shows today with Comes a Time today (Riverbend 85 and Cal Expo 86, both from 30 trips). Love Comes a Time and She Belongs to Me. Two songs with a lot of heart.

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Yes indeed....1/2/70 and 1/3/70 coming at us in May 2019....finally I can exhale

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Yep just testing

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I'd like to wish all of my fellow Deadheads a very Merry Chriskwanakkah and Happy Holidays - May your New Year be filled with wonder!

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This year's Christmas chart-topping single in the UK is "We built this city on sausage rolls", a remake of the ghastly Starship song. You couldn't make it up! Hahaha.

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"We Built This Shitty" has to be one of the cheesiest pieces of schlock the 80's gave us. Still, I suppose it was catchy in a dumb-ass Cyndi Lauper kind of way, and God knows it paid for plenty of divorces and vices given that bunch (Kantner, Slick, etc).

Every time I hear it I want to take steel wool to my brain and scrape off just enough cells to erase the memory.

Still, Jefferson Starplane did give us a few classics, from White Rabbit to Miracles, Find Your Way Back, Count On Me, and of course, the immortal Jane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXmrMMYpQL4

\m/

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In reply to by LedDed

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Some people in England based their opinion of Jefferson Starship on singles like that. I can remember one bloke saying that I was the only person he knew who was brave enough to admit to liking Jefferson Starship. So not only did they damage their reputation, they damaged mine too. Such as it was.

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In reply to by daverock

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A lot of it came from England.

But yeah, We Built This City is really bad. And Bob’s video? The only explanation can be that all the drugs fried his brain.

Happy Festivus!!!!!

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Good music was hard to find anywhere in the 80's.

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So in the decade where cocaine was (arguably) the cheapest, most plentiful and purest good music was hard to come by..

I wonder if there is a correlation? :D

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It was also the decade when greed became acceptable, was even celebrated. Music became commercial, a commodity. Even album cover art was generally bland. I'm sure the availability of Columbian marching powder only exacerbated the situation. A decade better forgotten, I reckon.

Wishing everyone a very happy festive season and hoping 2019 is good to all.

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Good point. The Greed thing doesn't seem to be working out too well either. Imagine that.

Yes.. happy holidays folks. Many hopefully have a few days away from work, many spending some extra time with family and friends. A good time to listen, reflect, plan and care. Oh yes, and celebrate.

Hopefully some of us are heading to Kauai on New Years for a little fun, warmth and GD.

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...and peace for all. It's going to be an amazing 2019!

Love

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Keithfan, there's a Family Guy that talks about how awful that video is, and they play the entire video. And afterward Peter says, yes people, we let that happen. Good laugh.

I'm listening to 30 Trips 1967 from the Shrine, and I just have to say that Pigpen's Hammond ability should never be questioned. You cant play that instrument any better. And he does solo quite a bit on some tunes (Viola Blues for example).

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In reply to by Butch

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And now that we know Dave's 29 and 30, I guess we need to start thinking about the box set possibilities for 2019. I know the 2018 73-74 Pacific Northwest box set was a big surprise, although I believe LoveMyGirl may have called it.
I sure hope we don't have to wait until June for next year's announcement. I would love a May release like we had in 2016 and 2017.

I think 73-74, 77, 78 and 1990 are out. Would love to see the fall 80 run released, but of course the long held belief is those tapes were recorded over. Will Dave ever confirm that one for us? Who knows.

Maybe LoveMyGirl will give us some hints again?

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Just catching up to the party here . . .
I see I'm not the only one who's really geeked for 30.
I love the recent trend of the Bonus Disc Pick giving us nearly two full shows in one release.
Got Dave's 26 queued up in the ole MP3 player for work today. (Lossless of course).

Peace

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I think we can expect the source tapes from this years box sets are either multi-track or well recorded (Betty-like) masters. That seems to have been the precedent. Or something older that is recorded very well (like the Ark?).

Since we got a 73/74.. and there is likely to still be a few copies out there by the time they announce the next box, I would be surprised if they pulled it from this period. There are still a few copies left of the July 78 Box and there are still quite a few 77 GSTL Music Only Editions available, so 77 and 78 are unlikely. Oh, and there seems to be plenty RFK 89's left as well.

I don't know what we will get. There are still 5 unreleased shows from the Capitol Theatre 71 run, there might be a couple from 1980, but I am doubtful on this one.. we could get the Ark, 12/5/71 is multi-track I believe. Also, isn't 11/11/67 still available and recorded on 8 Track, plus potentially several from the PNW 68 tour? I am not sure Anchorage will be released as a box set, but people are always calling for this one. ..Not sure what else exists from multi-track that has not been released yet, but I asked Lemieux about this a few years back and he indicated there were 'many..' left to pull from.

So the drum roll begins. I am sure I left out a lot of potential picks..

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Yeah, you said, maybe LoveMyGirl will give us some hints again? Has he ever given us something that wasn't a write-up from another website? Seems like he hears about the vinyl release on the RSD site, copies the article and posts it here. There was another box that that was supposed to come out over a year ago that we haven't seen yet.

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Hey DeadTony, I was wondering the same thing as I am still waiting for my replacement discs to arrive as well. It would be nice if the quality control level was a bit higher for the 2019 releases, seems like there were quite a few defective discs in both the PNW box and DaP28. They did replace my defective disc from the PNW box, so I am still expecting things to work out with the DaP28 replacements, but it would have been nice if it was right the first time.

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Funny to see the comments about the 2019 Box set, I was just starting to wonder about that myself.

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In reply to by icecrmcnkd

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Interesting.. the RFK link is gone from here, but it is still for sale basically at list price on Amazon from Warner Music. Makes me think they still have inventory but it somehow didn't make it to the newest version of this website or something. Looks to be a snafu or an oversight.

I agree with the 69ish focus, we are due. Wasn't there mention of a returned Mountain Girl box five or six years ago.. material above and beyond the stand alone Family Dog 69?

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Jim it was one of the items that popped up on the December promotion!! As far as a prediction for 2019 box, i think they need something big.... Maybe the 6/9 6/10/73 shows will finally clear legal hurdles.... Happy New Year all... bob t

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That's right.. I do remember seeing that now. At a pretty good discount too.

I must be getting old, when the memory slips and holiday dinners revolve around pervasive talks of Power of Attorneys and questions like, "do you still use this.., can I have it?.." you know the end is near and the nursing home close. I wonder if all my boxes will fit in the nursing home cubicle? Will anyone steal them when I nod out? Do they make edibles you an get to with a bendy straw? Nurse Ratched!! My Meds Please!

I'd really be stoked for either
- Ark 69
- Fox Theatre 72
- BCT 72
- Something old, preferably not well known.

I'm not sure what makes me say this, but I don't think all the Berkeley 72 shows are in the vault even though we know good masters exist. I forget what makes me think this...

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Does anyone know how to go about getting a replacement disk for dap 28 disk one? Thanks

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In reply to by Thats_Otis

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... just saying what we're all aware of... 76 was the best year for ol' Charlie...

Any 69ers out there care to weigh in?

Donna sounds so sweet on them, perfect refig of that tune.

Peace

EDIT: Box Set - MSG 79, Hogs' n' All

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In reply to by bob t

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I lack the dedication to focus my listening on anniversary shows-though it seems like a good idea. But I do tend to look back at past shows from the month-well, season-that we are currently in, and give those a listen. And this has led me to Dicks Pick 14. No less than two complete shows from Boston-11/30 and 2/12 1973. Both shows are quite slow paced-the second set of 2/12 STARTS with Wharf Rat- but the playing has a wonderful relaxed flow to it. The highlight for me is when the jam starts on Playing in The Band on 2/12-there is a complete and sudden drop into space almost as soon as the song part has ended-no gradual build up, it feels like they just drop off the edge straight away. A very spacy peaceful jam follows-nothing like the internal combustion of the 1972 Playing jams. The shows are also pleasingly palindromic, too, if there is such a word, starting and ending with Morning Dew. All this makes me think that, as far as 1973 is concerned, maybe less is sometimes more. These are short shows, by the standards of the day, but everything feels beautifully put together and aesthetically "right".

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In reply to by Thats_Otis

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Yes, I agree, Dick's 20 is a gem, fantastic two shows, great mix. I would also add Dick's 33 to the list, another two great shows that sound unbelievably good. And one of my all time favorites is Live at The Cow Palace to close out 76, multi track recorded by Betty! One of the best Around and Around.

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....my wife's favorite Dead year. After twenty-three years with me, she knows when a '76 show is spinning. Bless her heart. Peak Donna. Peak Cosmic Charlie. Peak Let It Grows. My phone's battery power is at 76% as I typed this. I don't believe in coincidences....

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I love the High Time's from this year!! Also Looks Like Rain,(and Mission in the Rain, but that's cheating)!!!

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In reply to by bob t

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....walking along in the mission in the rain, come again. It's only cheating if you're caught.

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I also hear if you're not cheating you're not trying!! I know Jerry kept playing Mission in the Rain, but I wish 6/29/76 wasn't the Dead's last version!! Also my favorite version.......

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In reply to by bob t

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Powerful and emotive. One of my favorites and yes.. 6/29 is gravy.

I saw an interview once where Garcia was asked why the Dead quit playing it after just a few times. He said something to the effect that Reflections was recorded in parts, some with the Garcia Band and some with the Dead and it just seemed they were better performed that way too. This doesn't explain They Love Each Other and the few Missions that did slip out though.

Anyway.. what a great song.

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Daverock, I got a kick out of your phrase "pleasingly pallindromic". That was alluringly alliterative.

Ark, Ark, Ark, as Robin Williams used to chuckle in his role as Mork.

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In reply to by frosted

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Shakedown Street

Spinning the last few days

Dave's Picks 6 * Fillmore Auditorium
10.27.79
11.30.80
1.22.78
12.26.79
12.28.79
12.29.77

I suspect that you will receive a complete DaP28 around the same time that the replacement CDs are sent out.

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