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.
Track names
My computer was not connected to the internet and the files came up with no names.
So, I don’t think that there is embedded metadata.
Just Count Vlad continuing to try to screw with Deadheads via the internet.
This release sounds awesome!
“Just thought you’d like to know” (PF The Wall).
Roll away the dew.....
Remix v. Remaster
Thanx for the education but I'm aware of the difference. Remix for us deadheads would be the 1971 versions of Anthem and Aoxomoxoa. Remastered on the other hand is what The Stones do every 2 or 3 years to get us to by the same title again hahaha.
As I said the Dead don't call the reissue of Vault 2 a remaster, but an upgd referring to the extra tracks, liner notes and hdcd. Hdcd by itself is not a remaster if you don't do anything with the original. But it's irrelevant we're both happy with the newer one and I've seen these discussions degenerate into silly ugliness which I don't believe either of us is interested in. To be honest I don't know why they bother since it isn't being supported and few have it. They should have gone with dual disc SACD at least the hardware is still available. I just bought a new 5 disc sacd player carousel 3 months ago
DaP 29 - The Dew
..and how about that Morning Dew standing all by itself at the end of the release. A powerful testament to the balance of power and finesse they had mastered by 1977. The recording shines here too, and it represents the sonic upgrade surprise contained in this release. Remarkable.
Of the 60 shows played in 77, they only played Morning Dew five times or 8%. Morning Dew is unique in the respect that it was pretty much played throughout their career (starting January of 1967 through 1995 with the only gap being the hiatus year, but they really did not play it that often, on average one in ten shows and much less in some years.
I'm not sure how this table will paste in, but the following shows the number of shows by year, the # of Dews and the percentage of shows that year where Morning Dew was played. It seemed they only pulled it out when it met the occasion in some way.
Year Shows Dew % Dew
1965 15 0 0.0%
1966 106 0 0.0%
1967 122 6 4.9%
1968 131 7 5.3%
1969 150 39 26.0%
1970 149 22 14.8%
1971 83 8 9.6%
1972 85 16 18.8%
1973 72 15 20.8%
1974 40 3 7.5%
1975 4 0 0.0%
1976 41 3 7.3%
1977 60 5 8.3%
1978 82 1 1.2%
1979 76 1 1.3%
1980 87 4 4.6%
1981 86 7 8.1%
1982 62 8 12.9%
1983 66 7 10.6%
1984 64 9 14.1%
1985 71 7 9.9%
1986 46 2 4.3%
1987 86 17 19.8%
1988 80 13 16.3%
1989 73 9 12.3%
1990 74 8 10.8%
1991 91 8 8.8%
1992 55 9 16.4%
1993 81 8 9.9%
1994 85 8 9.4%
1995 47 4 8.5%
___________________
Total 2,370 254 10.7%
Dylan's "Up To Me"....
....it speaks volumes about an artists talent Dennis, when a song THAT good is in the unreleased category of one's work. Incredible song.
Dew? No, Sugaree
Nice count on the Dew point. I had a request last night from a woman I work with, she wants all the Sugarees. This came to over 15 gigs of space. They added up to 134 hours of "Sug". Out of 703 cuts of Sugaree, 408 are by the Grateful Dead. (there are some dup's in that count since my search will find audience copies and official release copies) The other 300-ish versions are JGB, Phil & Friends, Walker 7, The Dead, Furthur and more. I put them in date of show order.
She better really like Sugaree :-)
Vguy & The Bob
Off that More Blood collection I LOVE the 7th cut on disc 1, "you're a big girl now". That cut is a billion times better that the one on the album. Simple guitar and Bob's voice sounds so mournful. The echo reverb off the album really sucks.
re: Sugaree...
...I mean, the question is then, what is the best Sugaree ever?
I would daresay the one off of Dick's Picks 3 from 5/22/77. That sucker is a country-pickin' barn burner and I would love to be challenged here.
Sixtus
Shake It
I have to agree with '77.. 5/25/77 Hartford is hard to beat too.. both are outstanding. I don't think there was a subpar version the entire year.
Just don't tell 'em you know me.
Now that I think about it.. the PITB from the Swing ranks, a mighty fine way to end the first set.
Jimmy
.... funny you mention that Playing in the Band sammie, it's actually turned up to 11 at this very moment heading into the wheel ...
... I completely concur, the drummers are moving so fast it's making me Delirious. It's pretty Exquisite the entire trip there and Back Again to end that set.
It Ranks.
Sixtus
Hey Stoltzfus
I guess y'all are getting whomped by some of the same snow we've been here in WI. Did I hear the SeaTac area has gotten over a foot so far? Hopefully you, Monte and C are staying snuggled up and toasty warm during this wintry snap! :-)
Tiny Tim on LSD
Sorry.. sorry to even mention it, but eventually we all knew it would happen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZSrkckLGpo
The silly thing, I'd give better than Vegas odds that he was not on acid, or perhaps never did it at all.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Best Sugaree ever? Ok, I'll bite
The Sugaree from 12/16/78 in Nashville has always hit that sweet spot for me. The loping tempo, the little slide flourishes underneath by Bobby (I think it's Bobby), the world-weary but on-pitch vocals from Jerry, the just-right keyboards... And then Jerry absolutely nails some dazzling leads that are both fluid and fiery. Really, just a perfect version that clocks in at 14-plus minutes. Unfortunately, this otherwise great aud loses the first couple of bars:
https://archive.org/details/gd1978-12-16.sonyecm250-no-dolby.walker-sco…
I dunno, maybe I just like it because it's one of the first I ever heard (after the One From the Vault version).
Or maybe it's because 12/16 is my mom's birthday.
But I really think it scorches. Anybody else? And has this show ever been released officially? Because the whole show is pretty killer, with a peppy Big River (great keyboards again), a solid Scarlet/Fire and a uniquely free-form outro on He's Gone...
I see your Sugaree's....
....and I raise you this.
https://archive.org/details/gd1983-10-17.senn441-u87.eaton.miller.91126…
....Check? Or raise? House rules. No need to scroll down. This Sugaree clocks in at 16+ minutes and is unleashed right out of the gate. 😉
....keep listening, 'cause the entire first set of this Olympic show is nailed. Not bad for the 80's, hmmm?
sugaree 10/17/83
That one was featured on 30 Days in 2012 so there is a direct-from-the-vault 320 kbps mp3 of it floating around somewhere (read: all my hard drives)...
P.S. I might go with 9/2/80 in addition to the usual suspects.
Sugaree.... wow that's tough to answer
So So So many good ones to pick. I am going to go with one that gets me because it is an audience recording. The 4/29/77 Sugaree from the Palladium does it for me, sort of like how the Hard to Handle audience version from 8/6/71..... There is a quiet part around halfway through where you hear Keith play very unique on the organ and then between Jerry and the drums it almost reminds me of being on a carousel!! There is a board version of this that was filler on 4/30/77 Download series also..
Box
Do we still think there will be an announcement for this year's box in February.? I need something to look forward to, it continues to be a brutal winter here in MN. Will 2017 be a fluke, with the GSTL box in the spring and the RFK box in the late fall? I hope not. Does anybody have any insight for this year?
Re: The 2019 Box
Hi there, DeadVikes. I happen to remember that the GSTL box was announced on February 16th, 2017. So perhaps we are due for a 2019 box set rollout any day now. That may be overly optimistic on my part, as we all know that the PNW box set announcement came forth somewhat later in 2018. Just a thought for this snowy February day in the wilds of the Northeast!
Vguy's Sugaree Saw
I went to check my copy of 10-17-83, funny thing, I had two copies. Both sound great. I think one is the Miller you posted, I think the other is a Seaman matrix. This must have been one of the shows I kept different copies because I couldn't decide which sounded better. Tough spot to be in, huh?
What a show!!!
Just want to express that I am really enjoying this release. 2/26/77
I have never fully digested this show before. I remember the tape being around in the 90s but no real memory of listening to it. I heard a section of this show on a podcast - deadpod?- a few years ago and was really impressed.
But this release - Wow! Has to be one of the great first sets of all time. To open with the first Terrapin sounding as good as it does. I really enjoy the Playing jam as well.
Second set also fantastic. For me this show really seems like one of the most freewheeling of them all, in the sense that it doesn't really follow any of the set formats of the era. Big jams in the first set. Multiple big jams in the second set. They are just feeling it and and play one helluva show.
This show is now very high on my list for both 1977 (maybe the most downright exciting of the year?) and for the Dave's picks series.
Bravo. Very Grateful!
Andoverdeadhead
February 16, 2017. I remember that day very well. Spent 7 hours on this site trying to but the GSTL box. The traffic broke the site and I could not believe when I finally got through 7 hours later via the Rhino site. And of course the next day or so they announce The all music edition.
Not sure if any future box releases will be able to match that one as far as the rush to purchase, but you never know.
10/17/83 Sugaree
Vguy, you are right that 10/17/83 Sugaree is also superb. (And also from an unreleased show, am I right?) I really, really like the organ sound bubbling in the background throughout, but them I have always been a fan of that particular kind of organ chirping. And Brent's backing vocals hit a sweet spot too.
So I dunno, do I see you, raise you, or fold? Shoot, you're the Vegas guy, I'm the uptight New Englander...
The only thing I think that gives the edge to 12/16/78 is that the 83 version is almost too peppy... it trots along, which is fine, but lacks a little of the weariness that the other version embodies... Okay, I'm grasping at straws here. Although Bobby's lilting harmonics at around the 5:00 minute mark are awfully nice too.
Just to make things even more complicated, there's also the Alaska Sugaree from 1983. Another great version, and another great show opener... and yet another unreleased show. Great keys from Brent again, and some nifty effects on the guitars around 5:15 onward:
https://archive.org/details/gd1980-06-21.mtx.dan.28470.sbeok.flac16
There is another smoking one from 5/6/78 at the U of Vermont. Again, a slightly slower pace, moodier and introspective, not so pyrotechnic. Nice loping bassline from Phil:
https://archive.org/details/gd78-05-06.sbd-aud.cotsman.13726.sbeok.shnf
2 questions:
1. Were Sugarees usually at their best when functioning as the show opener?
2. Would anybody other than me buy a 2-disc or 3-disc compilation of JUST Sugarees from various unreleased shows?
12/16/78 Nashville
I just checked that one out and in addition to being a very good version it sounds a little different from most '78 versions. Jerry was using the Bean. It's also from the generally underappreciated 'From Egypt With Love' tour. The next night's show is also very good and one I like very much for personal reasons. Some people like the 12/19 show from 3 nights later in Jackson, MS which I believe is only available as an AUD. There are some very great shows to be had from Nov./Dec. '78.
From Egypt with Love
I have never heard of the shows following October 1978 referred to as The From Egypt With Love tour before. I have only heard that title in relation to those Fall 1978 shows. I'm not suggesting they weren't-just that I haven't heard of it before.
Incidentally, those Fall 1978 shows at Winterland are also excellent, it should be said. Pity they were chopped up into highlights and put out in the Road Trips series really-the complete run would have made a good box .
DaveRock
Caveat: I may have made up the moniker. I just refer to the whole tour as that as the Egypt influence permeates musically a lot of the shows immediately following the visit. I may have been influenced by the title of RT 1.4 as well. Is anyone able to provide contemporaneous reporting? I'd be interested to know if the tour actually had a name.
1 Big Box, or 2 smaller Boxes.
I’ll take all of the above.
Small Box in April, larger Box in July, small Box in October.
We’re not getting any younger here Dave. Time to open the floodgates.
A few I would like to receive (not necessarily in this order):
Winterland Oct 74 with video
Winterland Oct 78
Summer 73 with Allmans
6-10,11,14,29-76
Alpine 89 with video
A Plangentized/Normanized FW 69 (50th Anniversary Dave!!)
Brent’s last 7-21,22,23-90 with video (we know the video exists because I’ve seen it, but it’s grainy).
And for the annual post-78 DaP, 3-9-81.
Working my way through 8-25-72, another awesome DaP.
Contemporaneous Reporting
From Egypt with Love works for me..
More Sugarees:
Songs of Their Own (Jackie Greene and Friends)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPpX0tcc7q8
Teresa Williams / Hot Tuna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbCVJvuJ5PQ
Jorma Kaukonen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsttcz5601k
Tedeschi Trucks Band (Angel from Montgomery > Sugaree)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrSK-0-MQ8s
So many great Sugarees, so little time.. and not just from the Grateful Dead. Provides a little support and pride towards Grateful Dead music.
Maine Dave
That 10/17/83 Sugaree was part of 30 Days of the Dead in 2012. I still listen to it all the time....!!!
Morning all , any UK…
Morning all , any UK subscribers got your DaP 29 yet ?
Still waiting for mine 😾😾😾
today and tomorrow
Does anyone need these ?
https://themidnightcafe.org/2018/01/30/lossless-bootleg-bonanza-gratefu…
https://themidnightcafe.org/2018/01/07/lossless-bootleg-bonanza-gratefu…
Between these downloads, the Bear's Choice album, and Dick's 4 you can splice together these whole shows.
Love the new Dave's. I think someone else said this earlier, but if you take Dave's 28, then the Cow Palace NYE show, then this show in succession you can practically feel the easy, loping vibe of 76 morphing into the tighter more powerful groove of 77.
No Dave's Picks-Perithecat
No, I haven't got Dave's Picks 29 yet, either,here in sunny England. It takes an age to get here, but the great thing is that when it does, we no longer have to pay tax and import duties when it arrives. As opposed to when we order a box set. Word of warning-costs nearly as much again in tax etc. when you order one of those bad boys!
New Dave's Pick Series
We need a New Dave's Pick Series with Plangent doing the transfers.
Remastered 2FV
I can definitely hear an audio improvement in the 2007 re-release of Two From the Vault. I believe it must have been remastered, I don't think there's any other term for improving the audio than remastering. I assume there different qualities to remastering that can be applied, and even on this page it refers to HDCD as a form of mastering, so to go from non HDCD to HzDCD must be evidence that remastering was done, no?
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.
I wish I had a HD player!
happy 2/13/70 anniversary
49 years...I was 6 years old...wow...living in Wisconsin, I'm pretty sure...maybe Illinois...
also, there is a thingy on youtube that has some video (yes video) from 2/14/70's Dark Star and other parts of the show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmPhb-tWgBg
:)))
Arrival in Europe...
Those in England still waiting shouldn't have to wait much longer with any luck. Mine arrived in Holland yesterday. Maybe UK deliveries have to undergo an extra Brexit check which could cost months, if not years.
Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but I sure am looking forward to it.
Re: February 1970 FE
One of my favorite all time shows. I had not seen that footage before.. grainy as it was, still a nice piece of world history.
Thanks man.
This silly site still thinks I am not a robot. When will they learn?
RE Fourwindsblow - Plangent Process the Dave's Picks!!
Absolutely agree with Fourwindsblow and feel any available technology should be used to get the tapes in as great a shape as possible. I'm happy to pay more for my subscription to cover the additional cost of PP'ing the Dave's Picks!
re: HDCD Playing
I could be totally, completely wrong here, but when you play a CD in a blu-ray player, doesn't it automatically "upgrade" the sound/output? or is this totally off base? I am definitely not a self-proclaimed audiophile, but I am a self-proclaimed Lover-and-Listener-of-Good-Ole-Grateful Dead.
On this release, I particularly enjoy the super-casual way they start off Eyes of the World and each member sort of rolls into it once Jerry starts on the rhythm. Someone also had mentioned the St. Stephen tease right before this...I had never actually caught that before on prior listens as I don't recall it being present on the tape I had. They made a good choice to head into Eyes but its always fun to hear the teases.
Sixtus
HDCD Playing
Sixtus, playing hdcds in a blue ray or 4k player will not upgrade to HDCD. They will still play in regular 16 bit CD format. To enjoy the HDCD format, you need an HDCD player. It has always been strange to me that Grateful Dead Productions or Rhino has decided to release all of these releases in HDCD, when 99.5% of them will ever be played in HDCD players and therefore will not enjoy the benefits not this added process.
Rogue Dead Guy
Thanks for the heads up on those two 70 shows, I seem to have both, but downloaded these. Will find which is the best and most complete :-)
My copy finally arrived...
in Canada. #13875 (I think it's telling me to listen to One from the Vault next). I'm pretty new on the bus, so I haven't heard this before. But I'm a bubbling banana for it. Terrapin and the jam sequences are of course incredible. I'm particularly loving the journey through Playin>Wheel>Playin. But I must say that I'm most surprised by the shorter tunes. I'm usually pretty quick to dismiss Mama Tried, but this version is so unique and groovy and sad. It's a cowboy dirge. Best I've heard.
cold rain and snow
day 3 of school closures due to snowy weather in "the city in the rain"
did a bunch of shoveling ("every day I'm shovelin'") to clear the side road this morning. the cell playing YouTube. Ever shovel snow to Black Sabbath's Paranoid album, followed by a GD73 Eyes of the World (exact date unknown)?
:)))
"bubbling banana"
I know what's _really_ bubbling. I count four hundred twenty bubbles in all.
Did someone say 420?
Barely noon here, but close enough....bubble, bubble, bubble....exhale!
re: Deadvikes
...thx for setting me straight. Little that I know....I know little.
Anything these days is better than a hissy old cassette, although I did of course cherish my swath of XLII's.
SIxtus
* ‘Cold, Rain & Snow’
...always love when the Grateful Dead start a show with this number! 12/2/73 Dicks Picks #14 starts off with a beautiful ‘Cold, Rain & Snow’ and ends with a primo ‘Morning Dew’!
I’m listening to 2/14/68 Road Trips Volume#2 Number #2 this afternoon, love my PigPen! ; )
2-14-70 Dark Star on vinyl
Long Strange Trip Soundtrack on vinyl.
Get the Limited Edition Expanded version from Amazon, has extra LP’s.
Weir / Dark Star / 30 Trips 1972
This 9/24/72 show is the one where Bobby's way up in the mix. He plays some really cool stuff here in first 12 minutes.
I may prefer 2nd half '72 Dark Stars. Icecreamconekid is right - we ain't getting younger. Release the '72 shows.
All of them. One big box. One box to rule them all... Sockatoomee, sockatoomee, sockatoomee, sockatoomee.
Really cool "best of" song review, featuring the song title, short review, and "key later version". Jimbo, your Eyes of the World is in here.
https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/10078-the-grateful-dead…