Dave's Picks Volume 32: The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 3/24/73

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October 22, 2019 - 7:44am

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clayv

Joined:
March 14, 2018

"Cause it's always like that with the Dead, you know - it's always the whole thing." - News Journal

As we close out the 2019 Dave Pick's series, we deliver on our promise to give you the "whole thing" with the complete performance from The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 3/24/73 and what a show it was! An upstanding "musical eulogy" to the recently departed Pigpen, the Grateful Dead conducted a potent study in contrasts on this bittersweet night. They found easy balance between tidy jams like "They Love Each Other," "Wave That Flag," "Playing In The Band," and introspective moments on "Stella Blue," "Sing Me Back Home," and a poignant "He's Gone." It was all laid down with a discipline and a polish unheard of in any of the truly exceptional shows that had come before it. Yes, you might say, they cleaned up nice to carry on the legacy as Pig would have wanted.

Limited to 20,000 numbered copies, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 32: THE SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA, PA 3/24/73 has been mastered to HDCD specs from the 7" and 10" reels by Jeffrey Norman.

GET IT WHILE YOU CAN

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

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January 15, 2020 - 7:36am

#201

Tramjams

Joined:
October 30, 2014

Tuning

A while back you all were discussing the tuning between songs. I bought myself the yellow 71 box for Christmas. I highly recommend it. Especially for those like me who still haven't received Dave's 32 yet. The 7-2 show is worth the price of the box! Anyway, it is funny to me that during the first sets of these shows they spend 1 to 3 minutes tuning between every song but very rarely tune at all in the second set. Did the instruments cosmically stay in tune for the second set?
January 15, 2020 - 6:10am

#202

Mr. Ones

Joined:
July 25, 2017

Riding Down The River In An Old Canoe

So, for some reason, it seemed a good idea to check out 1968 from 30TATS today. Short show (or set), but 65% Pigpen on vocals. Short and sweet, just like "they" say. C'mon Dave's 33!!
January 14, 2020 - 8:35pm

#203

bolo24

Joined:
November 25, 2009

Hungry?

Here's a tasty little Dancin'>Wharf Rat> Dancin' sandwich:

https://archive.org/details/gd1976-10-14.143276.set2.sbd.goodbear.shnf
January 14, 2020 - 7:53pm

#204

Vguy72

Joined:
June 29, 2007

Rush's Time Machine tour....

....thats the one I went to!
Getting back in some Dead after a self imposed sabbatical apparently. Been binging on South Park big time so forgive me.
Postcards Of The Hanging got my attention, so I answered. The only Dylan that is better than Dylan is the GOGD doing Dylan.
And if case some didn't get my dad joke the other day....Thermos Tat. As in thermostat! Don't touch the thermostat! I'm guilty of saying that quite often, but I'm a dad.
And yes. Neil Peart was Rush's primary lyricist. A lot of people don't realize that.
January 14, 2020 - 7:08pm

#205

icecrmcnkd

Joined:
October 20, 2015

The drummer wrote the lyrics!!!!!!

Still doing Rush observances,
Just finished watching the Time Machine BluRay.
January 14, 2020 - 3:55pm

#206

icecrmcnkd

Joined:
October 20, 2015

Oroborous

It’s Hopslam season.
Watch for it in a store near you within the next few weeks (hopefully it makes it to your area).

https://www.bellsbeer.com/beer/specialty/hopslam-ale

Still drinking Two Hearted?
Two Hearted River:
https://youtu.be/wO08WJMp1FQ
January 14, 2020 - 1:07pm

#207

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

Acoustic sounds

Back in the day they only had mics, pickups were not usually used on acoustic instruments. In 1980 they were and more importantly the technology had improved greatly. Even better is the use of both mics and the direct line pickups. That’s what they utilized in 1980. Also, the mics they used back then probably weren’t as high quality like they used later on....
The signal path back then was probably a passive splitter with one leg to the main mix/PA board and another to the tape system, or possibly only 1 feed to the main board with some kind of Aux mix out to tape. This is hard to do because your trying to mix 2 completely different things with just one board so the EQ is usually not good on at least one of the mixes...unless your aux is before the EQ stage. But I’m not sure they had that kind of functionality back then?
In 1980, it overall would have been the same, but most likely using an active splitter and much more processing etc.
The old stuff sounds so bad mostly because they were trying to get acoustic instruments as loud as drums and electric stuff I.e., the bass, and there is no good way to accomplish this, especially with the tech back then. Thus the mixer would often roll off certain frequencies to try and get more gain without feedback, but that’s why they often sound bad; sacrifice tone for hall volume etc..Today there are feedback suppression devices which help too.
January 14, 2020 - 12:26pm

#208

JimInMD

Joined:
June 27, 2011

Thanks Billy

That's what I thought. I have to admit.. I like the clarity of the 1980 acoustic sets but I often wonder how the older stuff might have sounded if it were better recorded.

..but that's just me. Still glad they did it. 15 years before MTV Unplugged you have the Grateful Dead.
January 14, 2020 - 12:14pm

#209

billy the kid

Joined:
December 3, 2019

JiminMD/ acoustic dead

The Dead just played to the mics in 1970 and in 1980 they were plugged in. I read an interview with Garcia and Weir saying how they got sounds that were not really musical while playing to the mics, maybe they were referring to feedback. I personally liked the 1970 sounding acoustic guitars more than 1980.
January 14, 2020 - 10:59am

#210

JimInMD

Joined:
June 27, 2011

1970 is Magical

Too bad they didn't record all of it.

I have been pondering something for years.. and think I might have figured it out. To my ears, the acoustic stuff on 5/15/70 sounds better, by far, than any of the other 1970 acoustic stuff with the exception of Bears Choice. So my question or hypothesis is.. did they plug in the acoustic guitars or were they playing to the mics and the mics were wired to the reel to reel mix?

For Warfield/Radio City they must have had pickups on the acoustic guitars, they sound so clean and were recorded on multi-tracks. ..but most of the 1970 acoustic sets sound muddy to me.

Does anyone know the answer to this? My hypothesis is they were playing to the mics in 1970 but it's not a well informed hypothesis. For a point of reference, on the 1987 Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band run at Lute Fontaine, David Nelson's guitar was picked up by the mics, it was not wired directly to the tape mixing board.

1970 is Magical (at least the good shows :D )

..as for 80's Matrix releases, I agree Dave's Picks 8 Matrix (11/30/80 Fox Theatre) sound great and is an improvement from both the soundboard and the audience (at least to my ears). It's a win/win. I can imagine redo's of this are more problematic than one might guess. First, we need absolutely killer audience tapes (Thanks Dr. Bob.. that Wagner source is sublime) and second, there must be a willingness from all parties to do this, likely meaning the audience masters need to be donated for the cause. Then there is the remastering process. I bet it's tricky.
Fingers crossed though, #8 is great!

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Dead Store Products

"Cause it's always like that with the Dead, you know - it's always the whole thing." - News Journal

As we close out the 2019 Dave Pick's series, we deliver on our promise to give you the "whole thing" with the complete performance from The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 3/24/73 and what a show it was! An upstanding "musical eulogy" to the recently departed Pigpen, the Grateful Dead conducted a potent study in contrasts on this bittersweet night. They found easy balance between tidy jams like "They Love Each Other," "Wave That Flag," "Playing In The Band," and introspective moments on "Stella Blue," "Sing Me Back Home," and a poignant "He's Gone." It was all laid down with a discipline and a polish unheard of in any of the truly exceptional shows that had come before it. Yes, you might say, they cleaned up nice to carry on the legacy as Pig would have wanted.

Limited to 20,000 numbered copies, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 32: THE SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA, PA 3/24/73 has been mastered to HDCD specs from the 7" and 10" reels by Jeffrey Norman.

GET IT WHILE YOU CAN

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

Dark star Daves 32

... I was asked this question before right around the time before the shipments went out and I shared have the same opinion ,so did thedeads team before production. Whaat is the running time is it four minutes and 10 seconds is it four minutes and eight seconds four minutes and seven seconds or minutes and three seconds lol primo Post andbthinking sixtus &keithfan! ;)...Rock On my Brothers and sisters have a grateful day God bless 🙏❤️😎💀🌹

Dark Star

There is little doubt in my mind that if the 4 minute passage had come before the 20 minute jam that it would have been tracked as a 24 minute Dark Star

After the excitement of all the box sets diminishes....

I find myself listening to the November 1973 Winterland box the most. I know there are only 3 shows, but I tend to gravitate towards this run more than any other!! The cold part of fall has arrived here in Rhode Island!! Have a good weekend everyone..... 11/9/73 Going on one day early!!! Bob t

Bullfrogs

SMBH; love that song, Merle’s is great but I think Jer makes it his own and thus takes it to another level.
It’s like watching old yeller, how the hell can you really listen to this, especially after some psychedelic, emotional roller coaster space voyage, and not get choked up. Like Jim said about third person....imagine you’ve spent that kind of time with another human being, no matter what their crime, and so you’re kinda going through all that with the person, truly heavy shit, which is powerful to imagine. I understand some folks might not be comfortable with such heaviness, and yes the guy did a terrible thing, but hey, isn’t that the one thing ALL humans have in comman....we’re all fuckups and do horrible things to each other? So to stand in that persons shoes emotionally for a few minutes is really powerful. To offer that tortured soul that one “kind favor” in spite of what he did, isn’t that also what makes us human, that ability to be em empathetic, to forgive, to occasionally be “truly excellent to each other”?
To me the juxtaposition between all that heaviness with such awesome, powerful, and emotional vocals etc, phew, gives me goosebumps just talking about it! I’ve said before, one of the things that makes the Dead so great is their use of dynamics. The ebb and flow between all that R&R energy and the power, and emotion of the ballads. The ridiculous loudness balanced by the quietness. That to me is it right there, their ability to be so quite that it’s loader, and more powerful than the loudest, most balls out rocker! Perhaps Dew is the best example, though you could through Stella and others in that mix...and the lyrical content, not too many smoochy syrupy sappy crap, real intellectual stuff, real meat and potatoes, shit to make you think! Real thinking, something truly lacking these days...
Also, besides the back story of how prison changed Merle, Johnny Cash Playing there while Merle was there supposedly had a huge influence on him too. I guess sometimes you get shown the light in the strangest of places.....
VINCE; too funny! You know the more I listen to Vince, the more I’m opening up to him. I think a lot of my indifference to him was because of those often cheesy sounds that weren’t his doing but Braloves. That and I’m sorry to offend any aficionados, but I couldn’t stand Way to go Home. One of a few in the late days that I wasn’t a fan of...
But what I meant to say was I was disappointed because when I saw Kids post I was thinking “our” Vince, that’s right folks the one and only Vguy! I’d give up my front row seat in Hell to see a video of OUR Vince playing WPOD! Lol
CASEY JANES; .....and so it begins😉
Well, hopefully I can finally check out 32 tonight, it’s been a very long week and ole uncle Pedro needs to go bye, bye for a few hours and I’m hoping number 32 will do the job!
Hope all y’all have a great weekend!

This Day in Grateful Dead History...

November 8, 2019

1969 (Dick's Picks 16 - MONSTER 2nd Set, Dark Star Medley.. if you don't know it, you deserve to. You'll thank yourself later.)

1979 (Cap Center - My good friend's 1st show, 40 years ago. Check out the SUPER slow Stagger Lee, solid Scarlet>Fire, Brent's first Dew, and I believe the only one played in 79... it's def. different, in a good way I think :)

1985 (War Memorial, Rochester - The one I am listening to now... great sounding AUD! Seriously,... if you don't think you like AUDs, check this out! I'll post the link below. Great energy, Jerry in fine form, a little sloppy, very interesting set list, including the rare Brent tune "Baby What You Want Me To Do", a "Revolution" 2nd set opener, and an absolutely GORGEOUS "She Belongs to Me" - If you check out anything from this day in GD history, this "She Belongs to Me" should be first on the list. Why did they drop this song so quickly? - also, anyone else notice that they tended to play good/great shows at the War Memorials? Rochester, Buffalo, and in honor of Veteran's Day, New Haven -- though not technically called War Memorial...)

https://archive.org/details/gd85-11-08.aud-oade.dwonk.22023.sbeok.shnf/…

1987 (Oakland - admittedly, 87 is a year I know little about, but this show certainly looks good on paper, and I listened to yesterday's 87 show, and it was really good. This one has an Iko opener, and a rare Tom Thumbs Blues encore.)

Oh, and there is a Jerry Band from 76 that was released as GarciaLive Vol. 7

Not a lot to choose from, but all choices are solid. And it's a Friday... it's a good day :)

Peace, and have a great weekend everyone!

On its way to the UK

I have had an email telling me #32 has shipped. No indication of how so I can’t currently try to track it, at the worst it should be with me by early December. I am looking forward to hearing it.

On a separate point. I was a long time subscriber to a UK based magazine fRoots which finally closed down this summer after 40 years writing about folk and roots music from around the world. The editor, for the whole 40 years, Ian A Anderson has been hit by a large cash demand from the banks which after 40 years of dedicated promotion of so many musicians and types of music seem harsh. A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay the debt. If anyone has a spare few dollars they could do worse than assist him. The address is below.

www.gofundme.com/help-ian-a-recover-after-froots

Let’s hope for some more great GD music next year.

Fivebranch

Thanks for the observation about SMBH. I just got the pick in the mail so I'm not there yet, but I'm looking forward to the 3rd disc in particular, and I love the context you put the song in. So interesting how bands like the dead and phish can change your perspective on a song you thought you knew just by setting it up in a particular way in the set list.

Otis/85 Crochfester

Yass, yass, yasss twas a fine evening, that turned into my Bday...
Great fun, did the fungal high step in front of the SB, although one of the 2 nights I was front row for the first set?
We basically owned the nearby hotel those 2 nights. Seemed like we knew everyone that was staying there and TPTB left us all alone. Listened to 84 Rochester yesterday at work for the first time.....better than I recall, not a bad show. Unfortunately don’t remember much....maximum veggie overdrive in the front row!
Thanks for the link, that’ll get me through today. Perhaps that 11/8/69 monster tonight, then, finally, 32 tomorrow?
But of course the great 73 box anniversary this weekend also....so much great Dead, so little time!

@ Oroborus

Man, sounds like a nice time! Oh to actually have that Wayback Machine up an running...

Reminds me of a time in Hershey, PA where the entire hotel was filled with heads after a Phish show... we didn't have a room, but there were so many funky looking people in and out and about all night, we were able to catch winks in a conference room, as long as one or two of us was a lookout, sleeping in shifts. Oh, to be a teenager again...

Have a great weekend, my man!

Way Back Machine

November 8 anniversaries

11/8/70

oh, for soundboards of those Port Chester shows

Don't murder me

From my experience of life, people who are convicted of murder are not necessarily any better or worse than those who aren't. Two people I remember particularly-a woman who killed her abusive partner, and a man who killed someone who had been sleeping with his wife. As I understood it, neither planned it. Drugs, alcohol, anger...I don't condone violent behaviour, but it surely helps to try and understand people rather than condemn them out of hand. By convicting them, the law has already done that.

In case you didn't notice

Dave has the Dark Star>Stella Blue from 7/25/74 on this weeks Tapers Section... I just noticed myself

Re Sixtus

What time is house warming tomorrow?? I'm down in R.I. Both kids in college... Bob t

It's All One Big Dark Star to Me

Reminds of the 28 minute Jam on disc 3 of Dicks Picks 12 (6/28/74 Boston Garden). To me.. it's one big Dark Star hold the vocals.

When I heard the seaside chat language on the long jam into the short Dark Star, I thought.. the Dark Star Jam's in the beginning this time and didn't give it another thought. How many E72 versions are there where they don't start singing until like 20 minutes into it?

Ok.. helavu week here, and I am now freezing my ass off. I think I am going to warm up the headphone amp, hit the hot tub and watch the sun set.. add in freshie listen of The Spectrum, some of Washington's finest and welcome a well deserved start to the weekend.

Jam>dark star

Dap32- Jam just melds so quick into D.S. that it's over before you can enjoy it. I still think bertha is a great one on this Dap. Warts and all. p.s.- thanks jim.

Nice

Sounds mighty fine Jim. I've got to go host the outlaws for drinks and dinner. Not the end of the world but its no splif in the hot tub in front of the sunset either. Whichever way the cat jumps I'll be listening to the dead at some point tonight though. I hope everyone's enjoying the new Spectrum show. I'm loving it - and only through Tenn Jed so far.

I must make special mention of the Look Like Rain. What a great version.

fwiw

it seems like this Dark Star is, instead of the genie emerging from the bottle first, the genie is slowly returning to the bottle.

FAR OUT.

Stoltzfus

Good prospective.

right on cue

Just as predicted. He dropped in after it actually arrived and all the sudden the simple question that we got the runaround answer for over a week ago is all the sudden plain as day easy to comprehend and answer straight. Day late and a dollar short as usual.
This is embarrassing please just stop.

Jigawatts

One point twenty one jigawatts!!! One point twenty one jigawatts!!!

Sound question

I feel ridiculous for asking because I thought someone would say something already. It's driving me pickles so out with it. Is the one drum REALLY loud? I don't know if it's my old speakers or something universal.

1.21 gigawatts!!

Carlo you are a funny dude.

Mind-Left-Body I hear you man, what a fool. All the sudden a precise answer is given 2 weeks later after nobody needs the info anymore. Who would even think to post the answer at this point in time anyway. What is the mindset right? Oh, the current discussion reminded me that I didn't answer the question the last time around. I don't think so. I think it's more like, now I have the information, maybe nobody will remember.

Hippiechick, it's the kick drum yeah. Loud. How come you don't answer my dirty calls anymore?

Train

Right, it needed to be said. Mabey everybody just forgot. It has been 10 days.

No shipment

Am I the only one still waiting? I’m still waiting...I’m still waiting...still waiting...still....

A Flux Capacitor

If I had to guess, this is probably what Jim is missing in order to get the way back machine working....1.21 Jigawatts and a Flux Capacitor. Then you have to bring it up to 88mph of course...

He’s a wolf...dire though he may be, the mindset is that of a predator

Jim

I think c.janes is right. the jigawatts clue that poped into my head then into c.janes noggin might just be the power you so desperately need to go back in time to whatever it is you need to fix.....
Man, do I need hobby or what?

How

How do you remove a whole comment. It only edits, but does not remove it completely.

Delay

I noticed it says on the FAQ section there's a a 3 to 5 week delay on domestic orders for in stock items. At least it says this so I know not to worry about the charge or getting this sweet box.

November 8, 1969...

50 years ago tonight I was at The Fabulous Forum in Inglewood CA for my first Rolling Stones show...co-bill was BB King, Ike & Tina Turner & Terry Reid...two shows that night that ran late because of an afternoon sporting event...Terry was dropped from the 2nd show yet we still got home just before Sunrise...if I knew how to post a photo I'd attach the LA Times concert ad to this...it was my 19th Birthday, what a way to celebrate, which of course makes today my 69th...ouch....where's the Geritol?

On Line Blogs

Hey guys, maybe you should let it go. There are a lot of honest dead heads on this site, that is for sure. Impossible to verify everything. Keep the faith for the good ones, you know who they are.

Bob T. Love the Winterland 73 box set, so good, and how about a three song encore on the closing night. I know we would have killed for that closing in the 80s.

I just bought a rotary phone....

....just because I kinda miss them, and I want to confuse my son. Double Dip.

Carlo13's question on how to delete a post/question....

.... here. Take my hand. Wait for it.

*

Or, one could change the post....

....before it falls into the wrong heads.

last 5...

Keller Williams & S.C.I.~Breathe
Phil Lesh & Friends~There And Back Again Bonus Disc
Phish~Billy Breathes
Grateful Dead 1991-06-16 Giants Stadium
Gov't Mule 2018-10-31 Clyde Theater~Fort Wayne,Indiana
:O)

32 is on deck...

Billy Breathes....

....THEE best Phish studio record. 👍
Because it has Waste on it.

Billy...

Some o my favorite Phish on this one.
Vguy may be correct on this.
~Free
~Character Zero (my personal favorite...)
~Taste
~Cars Trucks Buses
~Billy Breathes
:O)

But....

....Waste.
*
*
no bad song representing.
Rift is great as well.

Happy, happy,

Joy, joy to ole Nappy! That musta been one hell of a night! I just did 11/8/69, phew, that one covers a lot of ground. Perhaps THE transitional axis show? 11/8/85 at work today thanks to Otis!
ROTARY PHONE; too funny, that’s one of the things I kept of my Mothers after she passed 3 years ago, her rotary on Wall Phone that was in her kitchen until right before we sold the place. I plan to eventually at least hang it somewhere (if not hot it up) as not only a remembrance, but to honor her Luddite self!
Old Lee Estee and the gang used to be able to pump out a few gigiwatts on some nights! If only we could bottle the shit!
WAY BACK/SIXTUS and the gang; now if only Jim had that damn way back working he could swing by and pick us up and get us back to the Start of the Sixtus house warming shin dig!

Weird

Thanks vguy. I did that once (the 2 asterisks) but I was embarrassed it was a rookie way to delete post but now I feel (less) of a dolt thanks to you.

*....

....*

Luddite....

....a new word for me.

S.K.

Stephen kings the dark tower had a city called Lud. Creepy.

The Stones in 69

It must have been amazing to see them ( indoors) in 1969 - and with B.B. King and Ike and Tina Turner in support too. Get Yer Ya Ya's Out has never dated.
Having said that, I don't think I'll be rushing out to get the new super deluxe bells and no whistles 50th anniversary edition of Let It Bleed .

1 point 21 point 71 jizzawatts

Pretty much unknown show

Check it out

Wish 1 22 71 2nd set were available

Some good stuff in set 1

Stolztfus

Why are you up so early on a Saturday?
Did you catch a red eye to Boston last night so that you can attend the Sixti bash?

McGrupp216

Check your PM

Tapes

According to the Guardian newspaper this morning, there is a cassette revival taking place in Britain at the moment. Apparently, "Cassettes give every album an overture of clunk and rattle, and they confer a strange, transgressive mastery on the listener:" Also..."if you decide you don't like the music, you can just record over it with something better." Fancy that.

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