During the mid-1970s, the Grateful Dead saga was unfolding like a Greek classic. The Sisyphean Wall Of Sound had nearly broken the band. From it spawned a Medusa head of countless side projects, all deliciously fruitful but woefully not the same as the whole. The chorus lay in wait, pondering the reemergence of their heroes, and wondering if "THE LAST ONE" had really been it...
But in early 1976, Apollonian light and healing would shine upon our intrepid wanderers once again. No more epic battles for the people with cops and lines and tightness, the Dead would return triumphant in smallness, playing intimate theaters and renting equipment along the way. No more ticket scams and greedy promoters, they'd give back with first ever mail-order ticket program, one that had a few kinks to work out but eventually served the fans well.
Musically, June 1976 signaled a Golden Age of harmony and prosperity for the Dead. It marked an Odysseusian-like return for Mickey Hart. Donna Jean was in lock-step with the sirens' call. Jerry and Bob delivered orphic delight with solo musings like "Mission In The Rain" (the only tour they ever played it on), "The Wheel," and "Cassidy," emboldened by group effort. There was fresh repertoire from Blues For Allah, breathing new life to the Dead's continually morphing sound - as Weir once said of the '76 tour, they wanted to play "a little bit of all of it." Old favorites were re-envisioned with cascading tempos and unique sequencing, making the crowd question if they'd ever heard these songs before. And there was comfort and joy in the familiarity of watching the band make it up as they went along. By all means, it was clear that the bacchanalia of live Dead would reign on.
And now the revelry from this epoch, evidenced by the near-studio quality sound captured on two-track live recordings by Betty Cantor-Jackson, lives on, bolstered by Jeffrey Norman's HDCD mastering. It's housed for posterity in a handsome box featuring original art work by Justin Helton. It’s documented in liners by Jesse Jarnow and photos by Grant Gouldon. And it’s ready for a spot on your shelf.
As part of our pre-order for this Dead.net exclusive boxed set, we'll be delivering downloads of each listening party - one for each show included in JUNE 1976 - to purchasers from now until the March 20th release. Order at any time before release and you'll receive all the listening parties to date.
Individually Numbered, Limited Edition of 12,000
What's Inside:
- 5 Previously Unreleased Complete Shows On 15 Discs
- Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA 6/10/76
- Boston Music Hall, Boston, MA 6/11/76
- Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 6/14/76
- Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 6/15/76
- Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ 6/19/76
- Sourced from Two-Track Master Tapes, Recorded By Betty Cantor-Jackson
- Mastered in HDCD by Jeffrey Norman
- Restoration and Speed Correction by Plangent Processes
Good Point Charlie
I have not conceded, nor have I accepted any ill-perceived squareness.
Speaking of hip.. and consider this off topic, of all the GD cover art.. I have about five or six favorites. One being the cover of the Winterland 73 Box Set. It's the video part of the China>Rider youtube on the link. That and Aoxomoxoa are perhaps my two favs.. wait, add Lille France on E72 (the Bolo pic). Yes my three favs. Does any of this make me more or less hip (speaking as I click in my Grand Funk 8 track into the hi fidelity kraco stereo in my lime green 1970 Ford Pinto).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0wA0WW3GCY
Liked it so much I scored the Giclée.
Howdy Folks - random thoughts
All you regular posters feel like old friends, though I don't post much myself, it's good to check in - keep it going!
I've gotten some great ideas here, including the Plenue D lossless digital player, Ipod replacement. Thanks to whoever that was!
- Does one talk of "top 10" versions of songs that aren't really jam songs? What say yee about live Brokedown Palace? Dave's 22? ???
- All the July '78 love is agreed - definitely a great box! - Dave's 23 Eugene, the Close Encounters show, led me to that purchase. Some 23 love here!! IT comes out of nowhere - what a trip that must have been for those there HA
- Last 5
Road Trips Denver '73 - that PITB triple sandwich gets a bit scary at the third slice! awesome!
Dave's 18 - some '76 juice with a killer jazzy Comes A Time
Flower Kings - Waiting' For Miracles - their new one - Roine Stolt is an amazingly soulful lead guitarist!
Spock's Beard - V (weird (bad?) name for a band) - been on a bit of a prog run - going to spin some Jethro
SF Jazz Collective - 2018 Antonio Carlos Jobim artist cover - their 2020 release in March is Sly Stone's I Want To Take You Higher and Miles Davis' In A Silent Way both released in '69 (call it a 51'st anniversary run) - should be hot!
Marinsmith snuck in some Jethro....
....don't think I didn't see that. Cool reminder. Might check them out before bed, in fact.
By the Way
By the way, as per usual, the people up front are getting horribly crunched. Bugged eyed!
*Re/ 2nd Boxset Due This Fall 2020
..”wait till they get a load out of ME!” ...💀🌹🤠
Who is waiting/want more Pigpen?!
I Do!🙏❤️🤠
Will there be a condensed,…
Will there be a condensed, shorter version? I don’t want to leave 20 CDs in my car!
Unhip
Nice clip of Homer Simpson on Grand Funk Railroad - I've never seen that before. I never heard Grand Funk in the 70s, but they were often compared to Black Sabbath in the British music press, and were always mocked. I liked Black Sabbath ( and still do), but I never got round to Grand Funk. I used to see their album covers when I was flipping through to see what Dead was on offer, too.
In 1976, The Ramones first album came out and that was a complete game changer. Overnight almost all of the classic rock bands suddenly seemed dated . Any late 60s or early 70s band I hadn't already heard would have to wait 15 years or so for discovery.
Not many bands escaped this purge, and the ones that did were the less successful ones in the time frame-1968-72. It was a case of....say goodbye to Crosby Stills Nash and Young...say hello to Iggy and the Stooges and the MC5.
Grand Funk Railroad
Wow, flashback. These 3 guys were so big back in the late 60's early 70's. I was a big fan and did finally catch their live show back in 76, we're an american band tour. Mark Farner was a good guitarist and the power trio had the world by the balls back then. The first exposure to them for me was the Live 2 record set, which had smoking versions of paranoid, inside looking out, t.n.u.c. and into the sun. All very loud and rockin'. After that, I had to hear their first lp, the red one and on time, but their big hit was I'm your Captain>Closer to Home from the Closer to Home lp. Survival was the follow up lp to that and it had a couple of great tunes on it, I can feel him in the morning, feeling all right (traffic cover) and Gimme Shelter (rolling stones cover). My old roommate was from Michigan and had grown up with them, he knew them when they were Terry Knight and the pack. Terry Knight had somehow convinced the band that they should sign over the rights to all of their music to him and they were in court for years trying to get their music back. I hear Mark Farner got religion and was into gospel and religious music for a while. I guess all those drugs and groupies took their toll on Mark. But back in the day, they could fill up stadiums and pack any venue they played at and they held the record for a while as the loudest band ever, until the Who broke that record. Haven't had a flashback in a while, nice colours.
2nd 2020 box
Will be a retrospective of the first five years of grateful dead it will be 10 to 15 shows.
Every five years a similar box will be released celebrating all six eras of grateful dead.
July 3, 1971
On that day almost 50 years ago, Grand Funk Railroad made their much-hyped British debut by headlining a free concert in Hyde Park, London. Naturally I felt obliged to attend. Being an open air job in England in rained of course. Not like at Bickershaw the following year, but rain never improved a day out. Opening act was Heads, Hands and Feet with Albert Lee on guitar. A bit of a supergroup, sadly I remember nothing of their set whatsoever. Maybe it was something I consumed. Second up was Humble Pie with Peter Frampton on guitar and the irrepressible Stevie Marriot. It was quickly apparent that Grand Funk Railroad were going to have to be a bit special to better Humble Pie's excellent set. Grand Funk Railroad had been widely hyped up as the loudest band in the world and beyond that us Brits knew nothing about them at all. What was instantly obvious was that Humble Pie had been louder than the loudest band in the world. Grand Funk Railroad's set lasted about an hour and was just a collection of uninspired heavy riffs, a bit like a poor man's Black Sabbath. High point was the drummer attempting a snare drum solo with his head. That that was the high point says it all. Nobody in the crowd had much in the way of expectations and so it turned out. But it was free. Rock on Humble Pie.
Grand Funk Railroad
Funny to see them come up. They could certainly jam back in the day.
I saw them awhile back, probably circa 2005 or so, at a local festival. They still put on a good show and this being Michigan, they drew quite a crowd. If you've ever wanted to see several thousand UAW members simultaneously rocking out in a park, that was your best shot :)
Fun fact: There is an actual rail system called the Grand Trunk Railway, which starts in Montreal and winds through Ontario and into Detroit. That's where they got there name presumably.
Like with many bands, they were best before they got big. The red album "Grand Funk" is a banger.
Here's a funny bit of commentary I found on AllMusic.com
Built on fuzzed-out blues riffs, simple lyrics, and at times *seemingly unnecessary jamming*, Grand Funk's songs are mild in nature.
There is no such thing as unnecessary jamming. Unnecessary singing, maybe.
..
Time to upgrade that old ford Pinto for a 1976 lime green AMC Pacer. Fortunately, I finally found my dream car audio system, the rest will fall into place nicely.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-NEW-OLD-STOCK-IN-BOX-KRACO-KS-699-8-TRACK-…
Partay on folks.
Unnecessary jamming
Generally frowned upon by the music industry and the majority of music ‘fans’.
What a sad life to not enjoy extended jamming.
Grand Funk RR
On the Wikipedia page there is a photo from Flint where the wording on a Grand Trunk RR bridge was changed to Funk.
This was commented on by Michael Moore, who is from Flint, in the movie “Roger and Me” (I believe that is the movie where he mentions the Grand Funk graffiti).
*Re/ 1976 New Release.
https://shop.realgonemusic.com/products/grateful-dead-dicks-picks-33?_p…
Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 33
...”Fresh from a year-and-a-half touring hiatus, and back to full, two-drummer strength, the Dead opened for The Who as part of Bill Graham’s historic Day on the Green concerts in 1976. This 4-disc set—which is among the cleanest soundboard recordings in the entire series—captures both dates in their entirety, and features one of the most monumental medleys (and that’s sayin’ something!) in band history with a 60-minute, 10-song journey through St. Stephen/Not Fade Away/St. Stephen/Help on the Way/Slipknot!/Drums/Samson and Delilah/Slipknot!/ Franklin’s Tower/One More Saturday Night on the first day. Day two offers excellent takes on two solo Garcia favorites, Might as Well and The Wheel, that were new to the concert repertoire and a particularly fine Ramble on Rose. Bill Graham had honored the Dead by selecting them to close the year’s stellar series of Day on the Green concerts, and that—perhaps coupled with the presence of formidable co-headliners The Who—sparked some of the band’s finest performances of the period.”
Songs: DISC ONE 10/9/76 (Set One): Promised Land; Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo; Cassidy; Tennessee Jed; Looks Like Rain; They Love Each Other; New Minglewood Blues; Scarlet Begonias; Lazy Lightnin’/Supplication; Sugaree DISC TWO 10/9/76 (Set Two): St. Stephen/Not Fade Away/St. Stephen/Help on the Way/Slipknot!/Drums/Samson and Delilah/Slipknot!/Franklin’s Tower/One More Saturday Night; U.S. Blues DISC THREE 10/10/76 (Set One): Might as Well; Mama Tried; Ramble on Rose; Cassidy; Deal; El Paso; Loser; Promised Land; Friend of the Devil; Dancing in the Streets/Wharf Rat/Dancing in the Streets DISC FOUR 10/10/76 (Set Two): Samson and Delilah; Brown-Eyed Woman; Playing in the Band/Drums/The Wheel/Space/The Other One/Stella Blue/Playing in the Band/Sugar Magnolia; Johnny B. Goode
Going to listen to the Winterland box that never was
Starting off today with the Anniversary of 2/22/74!! Have a good weekend everyone bob t
Here Here. A tip of the glass
To the 74 box set that never was.. same goes to BCT August 72.
Holding out hope for the Fox Theatre October 72 box set. That would be something...
That Kraco system....
....sure brings back some memories. Price actually isn't that bad!
Grand Funk again
Sam, Simon, Roguedeadguy….thanks for your recollections of Grand Funk Railroad, which made for good reading. Never having seen them, my impressions are based on that "Trunk of Funk Vol 1." box set that came out a few years ago, comprising their first 6 albums plus outtakes. Its quite entertaining - I played "Survival" for the first time last night and it hit the spot - great version of "Gimme Shelter".
Jim totally agree on Fox Box 72!!!
10/17 is on Jam of the Week this week also. I forgot that 2/22/74 has 3 debuts on it as well as a 3 set show. Ship of Fools, Must've been the Roses, and US Blues... Could you imagine seeing a Throwing Stones>Not Fade Away in the 80's in the second set, and have Bob say we will be back in a little bit....
2020 2 Boxsets
I am really looking forward to this June 1976 Boxset.
With all this talk of a 2nd Boxset coming out in the fall, I hope it is of equal or smaller size than June 1976. There is only so much I can afford........
2nd Box
I am inclined to think we may get a second box simply by the fact Dave L. in his seaside chat eludes to a big year. He then adds they wanted to give this June 76 box it's time to shine. So there is definitely more music on they way. Yet I am just speculating about a 2nd box.
Now I think it is safe to say that we will likely get deluxe versions of Workingman's Dead and American Beauty as 2020 is the 50th anniversary. I can easily see bonus discs with live material (please!). Maybe there will be something tied into those like a 1970 box or some other single show release. Now it is also the 40th anniversary of the Radio City Music Hall and Warfield shows from 1980 as e all know. So like some have said already this could be territory for a 2nd box.
I will buy just about anything that gets released. Personally I am rooting for the Fall 72 box but I am going to happy with ever comes out. A long shot but still on my wish list is 11/30 & 12/1/79.
Releases for Rest of Year
I'm not sure that we'll get a second box this year, but there should be 50th anniversary releases for Workingman's Dead and for American Beauty, or maybe some combination of the two with some 1970 shows for the bonus content presented in a box set format. Either way, based on the earlier 50th anniversary album releases, there should be at least a bonus disc of live stuff with each one if they are released separately.
At this point I'm just looking forward to this 1976 box, it looks like a cool run of shows.
There were 8 Winterland Runs between 1972 and 1978
Tough to rank but here are my thoughts:
1 Oct. 16-20 1974
2 Nov 9-11 1973
3 June 7-9 1977
4 Feb 22-24 1974
5 Dec 10-12 1972
6 Oct 17-22 1978
7 Mar 18-20 1977
8 Dec 27-31 1977
Workingman's and A Beauty
I guess they could combine them into a box of some sort. Even if they do it up like they did Anthem and Aoxomoxoa, we will be getting two more shows or partials from late 69 through early 71 which would be special and big year material.
Dave does always hype things up a bit.. but that's part of his job. I guess time will tell.. when would this announcement come, late summer early fall?
Workingman's Dead/ American Beauty 50th
Hopefully, they put out a full show for each release. I would like to see 9/20/70 for one release. There are a lot of great choices from April 1970 from The Fillmore West and The Family Dog. I'd love to see them find a tape of 6/11/69 California Hall and release that, but unfortunately, I've heard that the show wasn't taped or the tape was lost.
"Big things are in store for 2020"....
....I can't wait!! Need some 1970. Stat.
2nd Box
It's possible when thinking how early in the year 1976 came to us. They could wait 8 months and release it before Christmas.
I am listening to the 1978 Road Trips Scarlet Fire and it is tons better than I remembered it. I wish Shakedown Street made it onto here. Maybe I'll pull a JiminMD and add it from a different date.
Later in the Year
Per Dave, "Later in the year we have other stuff coming out that requires it's own space"... Time will tell of course, but he mentions it is a big year in archival releases. Those releases don't seem to be anniversary rereleases of past studio albums. Seems to point to the potential for another box, but I have been wrong before, just ask my wife.
Thanks for the link to Dick's 33 LMG. $58 for a brand new version of this release is a steal. If you don't have it, I would jump on it. Two shows from October 76 that smoke, performance and sound quality!
My Dicks 33 radar pinged....
....i cannot resist it. Day on the Green, going in.
40th anniversary of the USA beating Russia. The US alumni were celebrated at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas. I almost went.
VGK won btw. As it should be.
2nd Box, Last 5, etc.
I think this early box means a second box is likely. 2017 saw the Get Shown the Light Box crash the site in February, then in August/September they announced RFK '89, which was a small box, but a box, nonetheless. But this is already a big year as mentioned with Workingman's and American Beauty both likely to have single disc shows or sets included, and 5/9/77 vinyl RSD, and 3/1/69 to come at some point as well, not to mention the comic book with '68 show that I need to go ahead and order. Which leads me to think the box will be small, 2-3 shows, so either The Ark 4/69 or Fox Theatre, St Louis 10/72. Neither would likely be sourced from returned Bettys.
Last 5 incomplete mostly:
DaP 33 10/29/77 Might As Well, Jack Straw, Looks Like Rain about to get more Might As Well than I, or anybody, can handle, but this one really rips. Was digging the LLR, too!
Crimson, White, & Indigo 7/7/89 Let It Grow thru Fire On the Mountain, keithfan you saw a tremendous show
11/18/72 Hofheinz, Houston He's Gone (my favorite one), Jack Straw, Playing in the Band (also my favorite one)
6/24/73 interrupted a complete listen for the above as the soundtrack for the commute to and from band practice, but got up to Eyes. That Dark Star is great up to the verse, after that, it really loses steam it seems like. That Phil jazz line just breaks the Dark Star wide open really quickly.
6/22/73 oh yeah, this one has had a reputation for a long time for a reason. Magnifkcent Bird Song and Here Comes Sunshine as well noted, but that Truckin> (untracked) Jam> The Other One is just terrific, and you get He's Gone and Wharf Rat bookending that segment as well! How has the PacNW box not sold out? How did it take 3.5 years for July '78 to sell out? These and other questions will remain unanswered...
More of Jerry's tapes from '70-'71 in the pipeline?
"Imagine our surprise when, in mid-2013, M.G. called to say she had a few reels of Grateful Dead shows from 1970 and 1971, from Jerry's own stash. A quick listing revealed performances that we'd never heard or never knew had been recorded." - From Dave's liner notes to the 4/18/70 Family Dog acoustic release (2013).
Have any other tapes from this collection been released since 2013?
If there are more reels from 1970 I have my fingers crossed we will hear them in this anniversary year.
*Re/ listening & vinyl
...anyone remember this release or have it?!
I gave it a listen yesterday for good ol times, still enjoyable after all these years! 🙏❤️😎
Grateful Dead Lp ‘For The Faithful Live’1980 Acoustic Reckoning Radio City💀🌹
* Dead Vikes , your welcome my brother!🙏
I like the tempo of Direwolf from 2/23/74
Making my way through my Make Believe Winterland 74 box...
"It's a Sin Jam"--And the Psychedelic Blues......
Thanks to all for bringing up Road Trip series...with all the recent releases, I've neglected these shows the last few years.... but it got me gleefully back into one of my all-time favorite shows-- Freedom Hall, Louisville, Ky 6/18/74
The Weather Report Suite>Jam>The Other One>It's a Sin Jam>Stella Blue is just sweet perfection....and still sounds just as perfect today as the first time heard it, many, many, many moons ago.
If it's been a while...I highly recommend it!
Last Five....
Umphreys McGee - Similar Skin
Ozzy Osbourne- Ordinary Man (brand spankin new and pretty decent)
Phish - 2.21.20 Mexico
GOGD - Day On The Green - Dicks 33 10.9.76
MMW - Radiolarians 1 (I like them)
....my tastes change on a daily basis.
Anniversary Show
It was 20 years ago today, Sgt Pep.....
No, no, no, completely sidetracked for a second there.
I'm a day late on this February 22nd excerpt, but, that just means it's aged a little bit longer and sounds a little bit better.
No, not Port Chester, the renowned week-long run I've been enjoying the past few days - they were recuperating that night I suspect, so no concert scheduled.
No, not the (also) much talked about 1974 Grand Opening run that would have made a great three-show box set to compliment the '73 & '77 Winterland sets (I've always envisioned this as looking exactly like the other two except in red): Feb 22, 23, & 24.
I'm talking about my genera....damn, sidetracked again.... I'm talking about February 22nd 1973.
Here's a great Bird Song, Dark Star and Eyes of the World from my google drive. It may require a boost in treble / EQ adjustment, but once you get the right tone in place it sounds really good.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CZ6sqxJsV9leLYI0wtljhxoS6ZBlPvX…
Last 5-Etc.
My last 5: Billy Strings-Home
Talk Talk-Spirit Of Eden
Pat Metheny-From This Place
Soundtrack-Miles Davis:Birth Of The Cool
Road Trips 4.5-6/9/76
And now I'm curious. Does everyone list their last five most recent first?? Or 5th most recent on down??
For the record, I list most recent first and go backwards.
Lastly, it seems to me that there are some (older) bands that if you didn't catch them as they came on the scene, it might just never sound the same later on. I could be wrong of course, I usually am. My first Grand Funk Railroad album was "Live Album" from 1970. It's one of the first albums I played so much, that the vinyl almost wore out!! I immediately went back and got the first three-On Time, Grand Funk, & Closer To Home, and then bought every one thereafter, on the day of release. GFR is definitely not for everyone, and the critics excoriated them. Nothing but hate. I think it made me love them even more. They were never the same after Terry Knight stopped producing(to me at least), but Todd Rundgren produced a couple of good ones, and Frank Zappa produced their last very good album(to me at least), "Good Singin', Good Playin'". If you missed that boat, there were many, many other boats that followed...... Music Is The Best!!
Recent goes from the top down....
....just because I play video games with the Y axis inverted, aka up is down, doesn't mean I'm a savage.
And to whoever brought up Medeski, Martin and Wood, thank you. Mrs Vguy hates them. Lol.
I think they kick some serious ass.
https://youtu.be/LD2W6cASmzQ
....had me grinning.
Last 5 -70s rock
Yes, its the most recent on down for me, too.
Mr Ones...I think you are right that for a lot of bands you had to have been there a the time to really get it. It also seems to me that part of this is the age we are when we first hear things. There are a lot of bands I liked in the 70s that I would hesitate to recommend now. They fit me like glove when I was a teenager...but the likelihood of some of my opera loving friends, who are in their 60s appreciating a first listen to something like "What a Bunch of Sweeties" by the Pink Fairies now is slight indeed. Having said that, I only heard Grand Funk for the first time last year - their first 6 albums, and I like them. A proper band. Curiously, I don't like heavy rock bands that recorded after about 1975, though.
Last 5? Of course.....
Live in Paris 3/22/74 King Crimson
Freddy King Sings Freddy King
Live Wire Blues Power Albert King
Feelin' Good Jessie Mae Hemphill
Survival Grand Funk Railroad
Next stop....Cactus.
Last 5
I've always done these from least to most recent -- "peaking" at No. 1 which is often what I'm listening to as I'm typing. Not this time tho.
5) The Complete Ric & Ron Recordings Vol. 1 & 2. (Technically two albums worth but I'm counting as one). Vintage New Orleans R&B to get in the Mardi Gras spirit. Livened up a boring ass Friday afternoon entering a bunch of tasks into the backlog list for work. (Not actually doing any of the tasks . . . just entering them . . . because that's what *someone* wanted)
4) Dylan - Slow Train Coming.
There was a slow train running through my head Saturday morning. It mighta been The Devil, mighta been The Lord, it mighta been too much Mardi Gras spirit, I dunno but this album seemed to fit the mood nicely.
3) Chuck Berry "In London". This was a Record store Day release from last year that I bough on impulse. I thought it would be a live set (its not) and not all of it was recorded in London, but that doesn't matter. Its a parade of one great Chuck Berry tune after another. The man was simply incapable of writing a bad tune. The sound is terrific on the LP too. If someone is looking to freshen up their Chuck Berry stash, highly recommended.
2) Rolling Stones "Exile On Main Street". One of the all time great albums in rock history. Nuff said. There's a really nice new vinyl reissue out there, if you're into that sort of thing. It was right below the Chuck Berry In London at the bookstore that day, so I HAD to get it too :)
1) GOGD 02-02-70 from St Louis, aka the first half of Dave's 6.
I've been doing my own personal deep dive into 1970 this year, in anticipation of the American Beauty / Workingman's drop. Last weekend I listened to all 3 of the New Orleans Busted On Bourbon Street shows, so I picked up where that left off. This has an interesting Dark Star . . . its not an intense mind-melter, but more like a pleasant, afternoon matinee type of Dark Star. Coming out of that St Stephen is a little wobbly, but he finds his footing at the end heading into a scorching Mason's Children. It concludes with a replacement level Lovelight - Not Fade Away sandwich which pales in comparison to the epic from the night before.
2-6-70 from the good ole Fillmore West is gonna be my next foray into 1970. I might not get to every last 70 show out there but Ima try to hit at least one from each run over the course of the year.
LOL Vguy -- "Mrs Vguy hates MMW now." I feel your pain, my man :)
Happy Lundi Gras everyone. Laissez les bon Temps Roulez.
Skeleton Skaters
It's 2/24/74 day. In the immortal words of Bill Graham, "A peaceful Sunday night with the Grateful Dead". Possibly my favorite single show from 1974. A+ performance and setlist. Also one of the best sounding shows from 1974. Nuff said. Except that I added Here Comes Sunshine, Truckin' The Other One and Eyes of the World from the night before's soundboard. The audio quality on that board is so good, how could I not right?
Agree with RogueDeadGuy's statement that Exile on Main St. is one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time. All the better because it was the last record in the Stones' library that I grew to like. I mean, it took me forever to understand what the fuss was about with that album. Then I had some wisdom teeth extracted and some pain killers and it all made sense. Not advocating anything, just saying what happened.
And let's face it, there is hardly a better rock and roll story than the one that accompanies the recording of that record.
Most rock fans who are into the Stones know the title refers to their move to France to avoid the high tax laws in England. But the greatest thing about that album in my mind is the environment and manner in which it was recorded. Keith Richards rented a mansion in the south of France and they recorded it there on, I think Ronnie Lane's Mobile recording studio, which was basically a big truck. So I imagine this thing sitting out front with zillions of wires running down into the basement for a couple of months. Tons of people in the Stones' orbit hung out at this place and just partied and recorded the record - in fact they eventually had to ask Gram Parsons to leave. The dragon can take anyone down I suppose - but man I can't think of any other LP I'd rather go back in time and hang out with the band as they recorded it. Only Keith lived there the rest of them where nearby, probably within an hour's Drive. Batiste was a vampire those days and just recorded whenever he was awake, which was sometimes for days on end. You ended up with Producer Jimmy Miller playing drums on a couple of tracks, Mick Taylor and Keith Richards playing bass on half the tracks, Etc. If memory serves the song Happy was laid down by Mick Taylor Keith Richards and Jimmy Miller only, and then Mick Jagger laid down some support vocals later on in Los Angeles where the album was mixed and finished.
Just to give you an idea of what this place was the Keith rent it out, is described on Wiki like this:
"Nellcôte (often referred to as Villa Nellcôte) is a 16-room mansion built during the Belle Époque on a headland above the sea at Villefranche-sur-Mer on the Côte d'Azur in southern France."
There's a documentary called The Stones in Exile that is worthy of viewership to any rock and roll fan. You appreciate the album all the much more for seeing the documentary, and if you don't know the album you always be tempted to look it up on YouTube.