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    clayv
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    "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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  • Tramjams
    Joined:
    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?

  • Mr. Ones
    Joined:
    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!!

  • bolo24
    Joined:
    Hungry?

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

    https://archive.org/details/gd1976-10-14.143276.set2.sbd.goodbear.shnf

  • Vguy72
    Joined:
    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.

  • icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    The drummer wrote the lyrics!!!!!!

    Still doing Rush observances,
    Just finished watching the Time Machine BluRay.

  • icecrmcnkd
    Joined:
    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

  • Oroborous
    Joined:
    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.

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    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.

  • billy the kid
    Joined:
    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.

  • JimInMD
    Joined:
    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!

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"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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Just fyi friends...the "Warlocks 1989 Box" is available for only $19.99 via digital download here on site...One of my fav runs from fall 89--incredible buy....great version of "Death Don't Have No Mercy" --10/9/89

Merry Christmas!

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This book is an underrated, illuminating read. Like most of Crowley's output it can be rambling and inconsistent at times, however bookended by brilliance.

I gave it as a gift for the second time this Christmas, to another fiend - er, friend. Anyone interested check it out. Most aspects of the man's life have been stereotyped and sensationalized.

Merry Christmas everyone!

\m/

Nice to see old Edgar Rice Burroughs pop up on here earlier in the week. Our reach is wide indeed. You often read that although Burroughs wrote all those Tarzan books set in Africa, he never actually went to Africa himself. Although he also wrote many science fiction books too, no one ever says that he never actually went to Mars. Makes you think.

Happy Christmas one and all !

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Two great Christmas songs, Merry Christmas Baby by Charles Brown and Santa Claus by Sonny Boy Williamson. Right now listening to T Bone Walker 1940-1954 on Mosaic Records, great box set. T Bone Walker influenced B. B. King, Eric Claption, Jimi Hendrix and so many many more great guitar players. Merry Christmas folks,, have fun.

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My wife either really loves me or she secretly loves the GOGD despite her complaints. She got me the subwoofer that I wanted, and this thing is going to make the house shake...lots of Phil Bombs in my future!!!

Merry Christmas Dead People...Have a safe and happy holiday!!!

KCJ

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War is Over! if you want it
Happy Christmas from John & Yoko

Still has meaning 49 years later

“Merry merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, lets hope it’s a good one, without any fear” .
Thank you David Lemieux , Steve Vance, Ivette Ramos at Rhino. You helped me achieve one of my dreams. To the Grateful Dead, thank you for helping to create a better World.
To fellow Dead Heads. Don’t ever let anyone break your spirit. (Collective and individual) .

It snowed overnight here on the “old Pecos Trail”.

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Have a Grateful Christmas everyone!

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May the new year bring peace, prosperity and happiness.

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Going back a few threads here . Looks like the official unnofficial story on Townsend's Gretsch 6120 and its infrequent stage appearences is that it was too difficult to keep in tune:

http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/gretsch.html

Which brings me to another thought that has frequently crossed my mind since I've gotten into the Grateful Dead hardcore. Why do they have so many problems keeping their instruments in tune? Is it because they never swap out instruments in the middle of a show? That would be my guess. You go to a concert nowadays and there's no time spent tuning instruments between every third song. But still there non swap instruments that much. Thinking back to Alex lifeson on the Hold Your Fire tour, and he used that white guitar with the little circular emblem on it the entire show pretty much. Or Trevor Rabin and and that funky customized strat (?) he used the majority of his days with Yes.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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Everyone here on this site makes my day more fun, happier, and often more informed. Thanks all for great ideas and comments throughout the year. May we all have a fun, prosperous, peaceful new year.

Listening to last year's stadium box (was it last year?) Sugaree is kicking off the second set. Gonna cook a Christmas day ommlete for family and open presents. Shake it, Sugaree.

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jerry xmas and a happy new weir to yall beautiful freaks

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To all you turkeys out there, happy holidays and a drunk new year's. Peace. P.S.- thanks to you know who on the Woodstock box. Right on.

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Hope all have a fantastic holiday and New Year!

Keithfan, the instruments largely go out of tune due to conditions such as weather like heat and humidity in outdoor shows and indoor shows as well. It could also be the instruments themselves. The Gretsch in this instance has a whammy bar, and whammy bars are notorious for sending guitars out of tune with usage. Also, Townshend is not exactly a light player on his strings, and he bends them quite a bit while playing, as well as attacking them with a windmill motion. There's many jokes about bass players not tuning up for years at a time, which is hyperbole, but basses usually stay in tune longer, despite longer necks, and longer strings, as long as they are set up correctly, so you'll likely see more guitars being tuned at a show than a bass. Technology has made the guitars sturdier and more stable, but those conditions can still send the guitars out of tune. Why the Dead took so incredibly long to tune up is another question. I would bet that they tuned so often between songs due to Jerry bending strings on solos, and Phil having perfect pitch. It probably drove him nuts hearing out of tune guitars. Just a supposition there. Hope that helps!

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… the new-ish pink Floyd box set - the later years. Big sticker proclaims "limited edition",,,, I can't find what the limit is?

Anyone?

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Hi folks...hope everyone had a swell Christmas...we had about four inches of snow fall here at the edge of the world which compared to the nearly two feet that fell for Thanksgiving was quite doable...anyway for my anniversary show today I will be listening to 12-26-70 El Monte Legion Stadium...the start of a three night run which I was lucky enough to attend...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2hmh579Cd8

a lot of changes going on as "Workingman's Dead" had been released the previous June and "American Beauty" had just been released in November...Happy New Year to all and rock on...

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Taking you up on your offer, however I'm opting for the Terrapin>Drums>Space>UJB segment. Thanks for the recommendation! :-)

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There's still a lot of tuning going on during shows, but everyone has pedals now and bypass the house while they're tuning, so you don't hear it.

Last 5:
Winterland '73: - 12-9-73
Giants Box: one of the 89 shows
Neil Young: Harvest
King Oliver
Charlie Parker

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7 years 7 months

In reply to by Slow Dog Noodle

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I can't get enough of the 5 Disc release of the Grateful Dead movie soundtrack. Multi Track Wall of Sound music. Is there anything better than this. Disc four has one of my all time favorite Uncle John's Band. The energy is unreal.
Recorded by Bill Wolf. Who was he? I don't remember that name.
I know it has been talked about for years, but these five nights with video would be a box dream come true. We know the tapes are there.

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Is a primo 1974 performance, every time I give it a listen I can’t help but smile smile smile! 🙏❤️😎🌹💀🌹💀

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Ditto.

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aka Dick's Picks 5

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Anybody else excited about the Cream "Farewell Tour" 4-cd set coming in February? It should come soon after Dave's 33, so 2020 is all ready to get us started early.
Music is the best!!

Yes, I'm looking forward to this one, too. There have been a few dodgy Cream releases over the last year or so ( ie Detroit 1967-great playing - average sound), but this new one looks like the real deal.

I haven't played 26/12/79 this year yet, but that's a great second set. Rocking Alabama-Promised Land to close set 1, too. It dove tails nicely into 12/28/79-a Road Trips release as well. Good synth playing from Brent in both second sets, as I recall.

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I didn't realize they sound checked Black-Throated Wind at that show. Interesting bit of trivia...

Thanks for the link P Hill.

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smokey the tiger

https://archive.org/details/gd1981-12-27.143630.fob.beyer.m160.streeter…

Set I
New Minglewood Blues >
Sugaree
Cassidy
Deep Elem Blues >
C.C. Rider
Friend Of The Devil
Passenger
Althea >
Looks Like Rain >
Deal
Set II
Samson & Delilah
To Lay Me Down >
Playing In The Band >
Drums >
Space >
The Wheel >
Playing In The Band Reprise >
Wharf Rat >
Sugar Magnolia

Encore:
It's All Over Now Baby Blue

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Thanks for the thoughtful guitar tuning reply. You know what else just came to mind - I've read some stuff about how difficult it used to be to keep Keith's piano in tune (even the elecric stuff he was using by the late '70s; the Egypt run was notorious for it). Maybe he was the troublemaker.

I can imagine them carting around the grand piano by the time they hit the road for the wall of Sound tour, but I wonder if he was stuck playing some house piano at other places in '72 (in '71 he used a stand up, which you can prominently on a lot of those October recordings, like DaP 3).

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74 bermuda triangle
81 salt lake city
72 kansas city
69 electric factory

maybe gainsville

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Good call on the China Rider from the DaP 14 Bonus Disc. You made it a while ago but I'm listening to it now. It's actually a great self-contained one disc chunk of Dead. AOM March '72 for anyone with a head full of bong weed.

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thats right folks it is time for another game of guess that dead show

funiculi funicula
you can call me ray or you can call me jay or you can call me r j j or you can call me johnny or you can call me jaimey or you can juney but you doesnt have to call me johnson
when they come to take you down etc

first prize will be a funky winterbean golf ball and a handful of flinstones vitamins
two dinosaur and 3 bam bams

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In reply to by daverock

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Love that band.

But it looks to me like you are essentially getting four identical concerts. Mehhh.

At least throw in a Tales of Brave Ulysses or Badge in one of the shows.

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gimme blind faith or harmony row any day at that

ive worn out a few copies of ginger bakers stratovarious yet in my younger daze

gem of an album

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word on the street is the aniversary album will come with a bonus disc

that one is a good listen always has been always willbee

although i still wish they had stuck with calling it go to hell with the black suits and flames and what have you

dog gone arista

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You can't get four identical concerts with improvisational live bands. Even if the setlists are very similar. I was also disappointed to see the Cream set lists, but there must be something there worth releasing. I would hate to think that Clapton is allowing this to be put out just to help the Baker and Bruce families. He could do that himself, he's worth $300 million.

A case in point (beyond the obvious - GD) is that last Hendrix box. Many songs played multiple times, but each take quite different from the others, which allows each show to feel like a fresh listen even with songs being repeated.

Where I really learned to appreciate Cream was their initial box, Those Were The Days. Go buy it now and be blown away. The radio never plays anything beyond White Room and Sunshine, and there was so, so much more.

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I have to agree with ledded. Cream is similar to the dead and Hendrix when it comes to live shows. They may have the same songs but each is very different in a great way. Just dont listen to them in row. Give each live concert venue a day apart.

Even the four FW69 shows had more variety in the setlists. All I am saying.

It still remains one of their top two releases.

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In reply to by Angry Jack Straw

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Another point of view is that the more limited the set lists, the more expansive the playing. A bit of a generalisation,but sometimes, certainly with The Dead from 1968 to mid 1969, dedication to a relatively short amount of songs meant that they stretched and recreated those songs in ways they might not have done had they been played more sparingly. Sometimes, maybe the more extensive and varied the set lists are, the more trivial the playing of those songs becomes.
I don't agree with this all the time...its just another way of looking at things.

Having said that, those Cream set lists do look very samey ! The 4 cd Humble Pie Live at the Fillmore East 1971 features essentially the same set 4 times over...and although its a blinding set, and sounds fantastic ( much better than the single disc edition) I would be lying through my teeth if I told you I could tell the difference between one set and another. So fingers crossed with Cream - it has to be bought, no question.

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In reply to by stoltzfus

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6/9/1977, what a show! Is there a better Franklin's Tower? I don't know. The whole box is just so damn good. So, we have DeKalb in about a month or so and the Dave's 34 announcement should be coming soon. Looking forward to more releases and another box set in 9 months.

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In reply to by DeadVikes

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Is there a better Help-Slipknot-Franklins? If there is, I haven't heard it.

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Music - is it an addiction? Is addiction bad? Does addiction mean loss of control and will, or just total surrender to that which inspires one's muse? Can one be addicted to something good? Or must the line be drawn at being an "aficionado, enthusiast, or fan?"

It would indeed be good to have a Brave Ulysses or Badge on those Cream sets... but, alas, there isn't. Folks might be surprised to know that Clapton has dug deep into the bag over the years and pulled out stellar live renditions on the Crossroads I and II sets, as well as his Crossroads Guitar Festival lp's and assorted other live releases, paying homage to Cream.

God bless Eric Clapton. There have been uninspired releases over the years to be sure, but there's plenty of that from any artist of that era. McCartney, The Who and the Stones have put out their fair share of crap.

I got guitar playing buddies who are "bored" by Clapton. My theory is it's because he wrote the goddamn book on blues-rock soloing and the licks everyone has stolen came off of that tree.

Anyway, to each his own, but I love Eric Clapton. Going back and watching that Cream reunion from a few years ago it's striking that he is all that remains, but he is still strong and I hope he will remain on limited display for a while longer.

\m/

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