An institution in American rock music, the Grateful Dead continue to surprise the ears with new arrangements and altered styles. If their playing continues with the force that was heard in San Bernardino, the spirit of the Dead will live on. - Sun Telegram
We are more than pleased to kick off this year's Dave's Picks series with the much requested and quite spirited complete performance from Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, CA 2/26/77. The Swing ’77 show was a unique beast, unlike any others from this era: as the band’s first concert of the year, it bridged the gap between the new and re-emerging sound of the returning 1976 Grateful Dead and the precision excellence of the spring ’77 Dead. Debuting two of their most intricately crafted songs of the 1970s, “Terrapin Station” (to open, no less!) and “Estimated Prophet,” the Dead demonstrated right from the start of this new touring year that they were not going to be a nostalgia act; they were going to be as adventurous and ambitious as they were at any time in their career.
Join the adventure as they soar through tried and true ("Playing In The Band," "Tennessee Jed"), well-loved covers ("Mama Tried," "Samson and Delilah," "Dancing In the Street"), and epic new jams.
Rounded out with three songs from Santa Barbara, CA 2/27/77, this one was recorded by Betty Cantor-Jackson and has been mastered to HDCD specs by Jeffrey Norman.
Dave's Picks Volume 29 is limited to 20,000 individually-numbered copies*.
*Limited to 2 per order. Very limited quantity available.
You Know It's A Good Release When...
...you really can't decide which disc is hotter. Had a chance to listen to all three discs so far and this is a nice release. I have never heard the show before, but it appears to live up to the hype for it on these threads the last couple of years. Particularly dug the Eyes on this one, but the H-S-F and the Playin-Wheel-Playin were smoking as well. As far as the filler, I liked it and I am with Seth - if filler is included at the end of disc 3 I'm all for it, if it breaks up the primary show on the release, not so much.
Spacebro, I really can't understand how you make a post with a mild criticism of those who complain about DaP 27 and once again the vitriol of the responses to your post seem more hostile and antagonistic than your original post. As VGuy noted, I didn't really see anything that harsh in your post, and a general statement that haters abound seems far less confrontational than some of the responses to your post. Honestly, I can't remember the last time you posted anything untoward or rude on these threads, but maybe I'm just not as easily offended and riled up as others.
cold (rain) and snow
I used to complain about getting a lot of snow until I talked to a dude on here from Buffalo. Either way, my back is going to be quite sore tomorrow! It's not really the light, fluffy stuff and there's a lot of it.
https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1980/11/26/cold-rain-snow?source=925…
Cold Rain and Snow
I have always liked a good snow day.. reminds me of being a kid and getting a day out of jail free card (snow day). In fact, I like all four seasons which we seem here.
Like the others have said.. how often do you get an all out jam sequence on each disc.. and a Morning Dew tossed in for good measure. A really nice release.
Vguy
A man commented that volume 27, the 80s release, was a sonic mess. Space broth,'s reply was: - Vol 27 is awesome and sounds great. It's an excellent show. Haters still abound here I see.
I have also been called a hater by space broth providing criticism about an 80s release. And it happened to be my first post here ever. So that is his pattern. Somebody complains about an 80s release, which is a non personal evaluation of a piece of music, and he responds with personal insults about the people who post. I was simply reminding him that that's no way to go through life son, fat drunk and stupid.
(ilovethisrelease)
Splice in Franklin’s? Read some notes on archive that there was reel switch. With my listening tonight I noticed a few other hiccups on an otherwise silky sexy ride-- a certain premature bomb at the end of Minglewood, a flubbed Sugaree lyric after a dizzying guitar solo, an accidental sigh from Donna in Samson before Bobby was done with his business, blah, blah, blah…. but no disc skips and that’s the only thing that’d cause me to give a rat about. The rest is beautiful flutter.
What took me to archive in the first place though was looking for first hand reactions at hearing the Terrapin and Estimated breakouts. What was it like there out on the floor? Amazement? Blown away? Tepid? Meh“? Typically debuts don’t win a crowd over, but exceptions prove the rule and there has never been anything typical about GD. I’m still reading through all the comments and I haven’t found anything yet, although I did come across an encyclopedic account of the rig experimentations going on:
https://archive.org/details/gd1977-02-26.sbd.wizard.32009.sbefail.shnf
Looking forward to another listen this weekend. Got some Michigan lake effect snow coming in at some point. Hot dog Perfect! :0D
Sonic mess....
....tbh Butch, I thought Spacebro was referencing #29. Not #27. Guess I should've read it four times. My opinion? Yes. Boise is a sonic mess, but blame that more on Healy, rather than the band. That is, if we're talking the recording, not the performance.
....edit. Jerry flubs the lyrics in the Swing U.S. Blues encore pretty bad. I don't care.
Dean Wormer
Hey Butch, nice Animal House reference in your last post, that movie always puts a smile on my face.
...
or read it after four beers. That works too.
Anyway.. the original comment wasn't that bad, but it was unnecessary and put the original poster on the defensive, plus sure to draw someone out of the woodwork looking to relitigate old fights.
Hopefully we can move on without all hell breaking loose.
I had an employee once that we nicknamed Flounder. He lasted about as long as his brothers 66 Lincoln.
not individually-numbered
My Dave's Picks Volume 29 copy arrived without being individually-numbered. The back reads Limited Edition: . That's it no number! Did anyone else encounter this? While being a rather insignificant problem, it did rob me of the ritual I share with a friend. The game of who got the most desirable number (lowest wins). The music contained within is of course what matters. This stellar show sounds fantastic and thank you for the 2-27-77 dessert
hey Spacebrother
glad you posted, good to see you here again. I applaud your posts, unlike some. The internet is a great place for some to come to be hostile, it's just the way of the those who have no real personal opinion, but just don't like what you say. The truth is but a lie, I like apple pie.
DSTAR59
mine was unnumbered, too. i just assumed it meant they sold more than the limited number that they advertised. my only beef is that i pre ordered the year, and it would be nice if we got the numbered ones, and those buying individually get the unnumbered. i know it's quibbling, because the music is what counts, but i like seeing what number i get, too, though i don't have an ongoing wager...!!!!
* I concur...
...I have forgotten who posted that each CD was great in its own right. I concur!!! Each CD is Great from the start til the end, #1 #2 #3 Pick one and I guarantee it will bring a smile smile smile to someone’s face every time ! IMO folks... love this release/ Daves Pick 29 for over a week now on my listening journeys, primo ; )
No Skips and Was Individually Numbered ...
... best of all GREAT show. This is the first CD box that didn't skip out of the 4 releases I purchased. I bought my subscription about an hour after receiving early-bird email last November. Mexico must have finally bought a decent press.
MP51 - I got #2 out of 12,500 on one of the early Dave's Picks. What do I win?
- blueboy714
Second Chance listens 1978 Box Set
Sorry I can't remember who said a few days or weeks ago that they listened to The Dicks Picks 72 Stanley Theatre show and enjoyed it a lot more after dismissing it after the first listen. This week I was driving down to Stamford and 7/5/78 Omaha show came on Sirius. I have been a big fan of this box set since it came out, but wow was it awesome!!! Just hearing it on the noon show on Sirius gave me a complete different perspective!!! If you don't have this box set please check it out before it is gone. If you are an old tape trader like myself 3 of these shows were never available on Sound Board, the Red Rocks shows were!! Have a good weekend everyone... bob t
Dave Picks 29: not numbered?
Yes, my Dave's Picks 29 is numbered (16988).
All my Dave's Picks are numbered EXCEPT:
DaP 15 - 4/22/78 Nashville Municipal Auditorium
ALL my official releases play without error/skipping, very rarely do I have any compact disc skip during play. I attribute that to my players and there's no problem with them. Only one, an early Sony (1986?) I forget that model number, but it was bad. To make a long story short, I bought a new Onkyo (I forget the model) and never had a skipping problem wth any CD in that Onkyo or any player since - including OEM car players.
The first live Terrapin just spills out....
....into a glorious rhapsody. Relistening now. I also have to give kudos to the Samson. The Cow Palace NYE take is my favorite one ever. This one is like a first cousin. Sounds grate. Top Shelf Dead. The bottle was dusty, but the liquor was clean.
HDCD (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying about Audio Decoding)
I have numerous CD players and an AVR that all have HDCD decoding. Recently I purchased a Cambridge Audio Azur 651 blu-ray player that also has HDCD. Interestingly, the HDCD decoding on the Cambridge can be turned off. So I took out what I consider to be one of the best-sounding GD releases (the RFK 1989 two-show box), and put that in. I played it for a minute with the decoding on, then a minute with it off. Back and forth, back and forth. I'll be darned if these 48-year old ears could tell a difference. I'm no longer convinced that HDCD decoding is crucial on playback.
I also recently acquired a Denon 2910 (which has HDCD, but also SACD). That player allows one to easily switch between the SACD and regular Redbook layers of a disc. Again, back and forth, back and forth, over and over, between the two layers on a certain SACD. I could not tell a difference.
And all this is through a very decent Onkyo receiver, played through some Magnepan MMGs. Your mileage may vary.
Huh? What?
I'm glad I don't have dog ears like a bunch of you folks think you do. Jeeze.
I just enjoy it for what it is...the greatest band on the planet.
HDCD
Deadheadbrewer, I had been wondering how much of a difference an HDCD player would make. Not wondering enough to get an HDCD player, but curious nonetheless. I am far from having dog ears myself, but I do like to maximize my listening pleasure. Currently my cd player is hooked to my receiver with the digital connection so the DAC in the receiver is actually doing the work and the cd player is really just reading the disc and sending the digital data to the receiver.
Best sound quality
It can be a bit tiresome, trying to work out which way to get the best sound when you have multiple options. The King Crimson box sets, much as I love them, stun me by enclosing multiple mixes of each single album- each with different sound options over a range of formats-cd/blu ray/dvd.
These "I am not a robot" questions don't get any easier either!
Best Sound Quality
Third world problems to be sure.. Still, we all want it to always sound exactly perfect.
Does anyone remember hissy audience tapes? :D
Back to Gainesville.. isn't there a problem with the first set soundboard? I always assumed this was destined to not be released for that reason.. we are used to splices but an entire set might send some of us buggy. There is a great Jim Wise / Charlie Miller audience out there too, which is what I assume everyone is listening to. The early 80's had same audience tapes.. the crowd wasn't as rowdy as it would get by the mid and late 80's.
Hissy cassettes?
Yeah, I remember them, had a bunch of them.
How about a muddy, hissy digital file?
Try this one on for size.
gd76-07-13.sbd.bertha-ashley.9978.sbeok.flac16
Can a robot detect hiss?
Deadheadbrewer
Thanks for the info Deadheadbrewer on HDCDs. I think you answered my question that you really can't tell much of a difference. Of course SACD and DVD Audio are a completely different ball of wax. Again here we are talking multi channel audio which is just awesome. I chased these formats for years and there is just not much affordable material out there and of course no Dead live material in these formats. I do have some great DVD Audio of Steely Dan and Frampton Comes Alive. And some studio Dead releases.
The Dead have released some of their new releases in FLAC, has anybody listened to any of these releases in FLAC?
blueboy714
#2...!!!! I've never got one that low. I think I got one in the hundreds once, but that's it. But watch out, I'm certain to win w/#30. "I got no chance of losin' this time."
@ Bob T - DaP29, SCHWING!!!!!!!
First off, Bob, that Summer 78 Box is so good! I'm amazed that it hasn't sold out. Personally, 78 is not my favorite vintage Dead, but that set sounds so great, and the physical box with that amazing artwork may be my favorite released yet.
On to Swing - this may overtake DaP 5 for the best of the series... the only drawback is that I, along with many of you, had already known this show in a crystal Betty tape. That being said, to hear the work done on this to balance it all out, plus the wizardry that is Normanization, I feel like I am hearing this show for the first time again - and what a show it is!!! This is taking the place of SkullFuck and/or Europe 72 as my "If you haven't 'really' heard the Dead, listen to this" recommendation. (One petty criticism - I too am getting really sick of the skeleton artwork. This one is really nice, but the overall theme is getting tired. It just seems like there is so much an artist could do for these releases... skeletons are cool, but...)
I hope you all are having a great weekend! Port Chester 2/19 was on Sirius as the wife and I were doing errands today. Made me miss our friend Forensic Doc. Doc, if you're out there, I hope you're killing it! (though that would be a dark way to get business :)
Also, did you hear about that guy in Colorado that was attacked by a mountain lion and killed it with his bare hands?
Thank god he had bear hands... (giant paw motion required...)
Peace
Edit: Also, I am surprised that this Swing show wasn't a mass release. Perhaps they are moving away from those.
Thats_Otis....
....DaP 5 is my favorite Dave's as well. Schwing gets into the top 5, but Pauley still rules.
Top five Dave's, off the top of my deadhead....
5
11
23
29
10
....a plethora of goodness.
That Schwing Samson tho. Can't get enough.
Hissie Cassettes?
Wait a minute, did somebody forget to push the Dolby noise-reduction button? Or you just forgot to buy a high bias tape?
Ah, yes, while I missed the Dead tape collection period, I was heavily invested in Maxell XLII-S tapes for the preservation of my vinyl collection, which ended up eating it in a flood anyway, and of course tapes are now a thing of the past. If I knew all that money would eventually have been wasted I would have tried coke in the 80s.
Captcha is kicking my ass today.
DaP 5 is priceless, for sure. I was just listening to Eyes the other day - perhaps the best '73 version. I think this Swing Aud show compliments Dave's 1 beautifully. It may be in my head, but I DO think there is something extra special about that 5/25/77 show from the Mosque. Even for May, the performance is near-perfect, the vocals are dead-on, and the set list is excellent. It also captures Keith after he retired the Moog-like synth / organ he was using in early '77. I'd put DaP 1, 5, and 29 in my top 7 without a second thought.
Vguy - very pleased to see DaP 10 so high in the list. I'm not sure how that one slipped through the cracks for many, but I think it's one of the best T.C. era releases out there. Such a great set list, and then the bonus disc just kicks the ass a bit more. The UJB intro is worth the price of admission for me.
@ VGuy - Top 5
Off the top of me little head...
I'd love to have the time the sit and listen....
29
5
3
13
11...
So many decisions, but i'll stick with my gut. (If I always listened to my gut, I'd have shit for brains...)
Peace
Cost me a buck and a quarter for my pony ride!!!
Feeling in a Pig Pen mood tonight listening to 4/17/71 Dillon Gym... Haven't listened in probably 20 years!! What a great Pig Pen show... 19 song show, with a Big Boss Man, Hard to Handle, a 28 minute Good Lovin with drums, King Bee, and a Turn on Your Lovelight.. I think the Paris May 4, 1972 is a really good example of highlighting Pig Pen. This Princeton show rocks... Please listen to the Good Lovin after Drums for a great Pig Rap!!! Besides From the Vault 3, there is a big gap in the early 71 era... Not the longest shows so I don't know if that affects a release... Have a good night everyone, and Pleaseplease.. listen to the Good Lovin....... bob t Edit I forgot about the 3/18/71 show on 30 Trips... ooops
Otis, 2-19-71
Listening to it right now.
The other day someone pointed out that in From The Vault Box 8-13-75 had been remastered. So I ordered it, and it arrived today. Went 1-2-3, and am on 2-19-71 CD2 right now.
Haven’t yet compared 1 and 2 to the older copies I have, but both 1 and 2 sounded great.
Now that I’m half way through a bottle of Brooklyn Brewing Black Ops, 3 seems to sound better too......
C'mon children, C'mon children....
.... c'mon and clap your hands. The Schwing MNS ain't no slouch either.
The wife and I downed a bottle of white zinfandel....
....and proceeded to tear a rug to the Schwing Dancin'. Happy wife, Happy life. This show is so full of energy, it should be illegal. Limited edition indeed....
...love how sly Jerry sings…
...love how sly Jerry sings US Blues.... sliding around the hardwood in winter woolies...
Vault 2 and hdcd
The person who said vault 2 upgraded was responding to me and my comparing original nonhdcd to reissued hdcd. They claimed it was remastered therefore I couldn't make a valid comparison. In the Dead's own word's it was upgraded to hdcd, 3 cds and new packaging. Nothing about remastering. I stand by my point that hdcd is noticeably superior and vault 2 is a good way to hear the difference
Dave's Pick 30
Dave's Pick 30 is going to be 1/2/70......anyone have any info on this show?
@Snafu
Hi Snafu, I made the comment. Processing audio to HDCD is, in and of itself, an element of the mastering process, so to go from standard Red Book CD to HDCD, as you mentioned they did with Two From The Vault, by definition, is remastering the CD. But that info alone does little to advance the discussion.
I think you may be mixing up the term remastering with "remixing"? To remix is to go back to the multiple tracks that comprise the master recording, and re-work the levels and effects from scratch. This did not happen to the Vault trio. It was remastered.
Re-mastering is a much simpler process that takes the original tapes and re-processes the existing, previously mixed, two channel audio, implementing various techniques to enhance the sound (like applying an EQ to make the sound clearer, using "limiting" and compression to control loudness, and of course, reducing noise).
I don't have an HDCD player, but the Two From The Vault re-issue sounds better. This is the result of the remastering that went into it, not the merits of the HDCD encoding, which I cannot hear, because I don't have an HDCD player. What I'm saying is that Two From the Vault is not a good litmus test for evaluating any improvements resulting from HDCD encoding, because they did additional processing to improve the sound quality, and this additional processing can be heard on an ordinary CD player.
The best test for evaluating the benefits of HDCD encoding would be to listen to the HDCD on your HDCD player, and then, if there is a button to disable the feature, go ahead and disable it. I'm not familiar with HDCD players, so I don't know if that is a realistic option. The next best option would be to have two CD players hooked up to your system, and then just listen to a track once on the HDCD player, and then a second time on the regular CD player. Unfortunately, this is not the most reliable method, because you would be introducing other variables when you play it back on the regular CD player (for example, even regular CD players that are non-HD possess different gradients of audio playback quality, primarily along the lines of error correction and output hardware & type).
#13542 has landed. Skips a bunch, bummer
This copy is a dud. Might need some Viagara so I can Schwing to the Swing. I really hope anyone , including myself that got sent a defective one does not get shut out. I have contacted Rhino customer service and requested a complete replacement.
Not sure what they will do since it's sold out and they may have not held any back for subscribers and sold the rest a la Carte. The case was dented up too on the spine. Definitely took some hits in transit. I was going to let the cosmetic issues slide but when "Terrapin Station"started to skip on the first play. That did it. New Minglewood , They love each other skip city. I really hope they send me a full replacement , new product. because when I had disc skip issues ( 2 defective discs out of 19) for the Pacific Northwest box set I got replacements , however the replacements I received are different from the original. The original discs have color and artwork. The replacements were bland looking compared to the original , lacked the color on artwork.
2.26.77 on hold for now.
Spinning August 1971 shows
For the Dylan Fans
I have discovered Dylan's tune "Up to Me" on the More Blood, More Tracks collection (track 9 cd 1).
Found a nice article about the cut. Some might be interested.
https://www.theringer.com/music/2018/11/7/18069418/bob-dylan-up-to-me-b…
highly highly highly recommended
Grateful Dead
9/3/67
Rio Nido
If you like the GD, you absolutely must hear this show.
This would make a superior release.
Would you please recommend this show for release, Dave? Dave? "Dave, I really think I'm entitled to an answer to that question."
:)))
@Stoltzfus 9/3/67
If you have Fall Out from the Phil Zone, the In the Midnight Hour was on it, all 31 minutes!!!! Think it was released in 97.. bob t
From The Vault comparisons
On my non-HDCD Onkyo, both of the reissues of 1 and 2 sound better than the originals.
The reissues sound cleaner and fuller, have more bass, and are louder at the same volume setting.
Glad I bought the Box.
9/3/67-Stoltzfus
Yes, in answer to you question I highly recommend that this show be officially released. Both The Midnight Hour and Viola Lee Blues, as so far released, are excellent. Hang on....were you asking the OTHER Dave? (sorry)
I didn't notice that Two From The Vaults had been re-released with better sound. Quite an omission on my behalf-I'd better get looking.
Trac and folder titles
A weird thing on my discs was the titles and folder names created during the burn. Factory embedded Track titles were all ordered wrong and misspelled, some in rather humorous ways and then split into about 12 different sub folders. Disc folder names were auto generated and even more amusing some were labeled as old Gov't Mule shows, others as Larry Ayers albums?! Never had ANY of that happen before, save for the occasional misspellings of song names, discs play fine though.